Social media director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a social media director. Social media directors usually study communication, business, or journalism. 80% of social media directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 3,663 real social media director resumes to see exactly what social media director education sections show.

The most common colleges for social media directors are the New York University and the New York University.

There are also many online social media director courses to help get the education required to be a social media director.

There are certain social media director certifications that you should consider. These social media director certifications include Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate and Professional Certified Marketer (PCM).

What education do you need to become a social media director?

What degree do you need to be a social media director?

The most common degree for social media directors is bachelor's degree, with 80% of social media directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 8% and associate degree degree at 7%.

Bachelor's, 80%

Associate, 8%

Master's, 7%

High School Diploma, 3%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a social media director?

You should major in communication to become a social media director. 20% of social media directors major in communication. Other common majors for a social media director include business and journalism.

Communication, 20%

Business, 12%

Journalism, 9%

Marketing, 8%

Other Majors, 51%

Most common colleges for social media directors

Social media directors often get their degrees at New York University, University of Florida, and West Virginia University. Here are the most common colleges for social media directors in the US based on their resumes.

Social media director common college	Percentages
New York University	8.81%
University of Florida	8.18%
West Virginia University	6.29%
Florida State University	6.29%
Syracuse University	5.97%

Show more common social media director colleges

Best majors for social media directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Communication	20.5%
2	Business	12.2%
3	Journalism	8.8%
4	Marketing	8.0%
5	Public Relations	7.4%

Show more common social media director majors

Best colleges for social media directors

The best colleges for social media directors are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Boston University.

A social media director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for social media directors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become social media directors.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

5. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

7. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

8. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

9. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

10. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

20 best online courses for social media directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for social media directors

The most affordable schools for social media directors are University of Florida, baruch college of the city university of new york, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for social media directors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for social media directors.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

6. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. USF St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,821

Cost of attendance

19,849

9. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for social media directors

The hardest universities for social media directors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Boston University.

Some great schools for social media directors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for social media directors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

6. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

10. University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL • Private

Admissions rate

32%

SAT average

1,365

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for social media directors

The easiest schools for social media directors to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, barry university, and notre dame college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a social media director without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for social media directors.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

4. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

5. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

6. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

7. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

8. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

9. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

10. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

Average social media director salary by education level

According to our data, social media directors with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $86,962 annually. Social media directors with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $73,746.

Social media director education level	Social media director salary
Master's Degree	$86,962
Bachelor's Degree	$73,746

Social media director education FAQs

What is the best college for Social Media Directors?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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