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Social media project manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a social media project manager. Social media project managers usually study business, marketing, or communication. 79% of social media project managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 384 real social media project manager resumes to see exactly what social media project manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for social media project managers are the Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

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

What education do you need to become a social media project manager?

What degree do you need to be a social media project manager?

The most common degree for social media project managers is bachelor's degree, with 79% of social media project managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 9% and master's degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 79%
  • Master's, 9%
  • Associate, 8%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a social media project manager?

You should major in business to become a social media project manager. 17% of social media project managers major in business. Other common majors for a social media project manager include marketing and communication.

Most common colleges for social media project managers

Social media project managers often get their degrees at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, American University, and University of Phoenix. Here are the most common colleges for social media project managers in the US based on their resumes.
Social media project manager common collegePercentages
Southern Illinois University Carbondale7.55%
American University7.55%
University of Phoenix7.55%
University of Memphis5.66%
University of Washington5.66%

Best majors for social media project managers

RankMajorPercentages
1Business16.6%
2Marketing13.1%
3Communication10.5%
4Public Relations8.3%
5Political Science7.0%

Best colleges for social media project managers

The best colleges for social media project managers are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Stanford University.

A social media project manager 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 project managers. 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 project managers.

1. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

2. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

3. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

9. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

10. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

20 best online courses for social media project managers

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18. Social Media Marketing - Content Marketing Masterclass

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Online Digital Marketing / Social Media Strategy For Beginners - Posts / Blogs / Podcasts / Video / Google Local SEO...

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20. Growth Product Manager

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Top 10 most affordable universities for social media project managers

The most affordable schools for social media project managers are University of Florida, fashion institute of technology, and florida state university.

If the best universities for social media project managers 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 project managers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

3. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

4. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

9. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

10. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for social media project managers

The hardest universities for social media project managers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for social media project managers 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 project managers 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

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

7. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. Tulane University

New Orleans, LA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,428

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for social media project managers

The easiest schools for social media project managers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, barry university, and university of the incarnate word.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a social media project manager 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 project managers.

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. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

7. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

8. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

9. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

10. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

Average social media project manager salary by education level

According to our data, social media project managers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $105,532 annually. Social media project managers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $99,721.
Social media project manager education levelSocial media project manager salary
Master's Degree$99,721
Bachelor's Degree$84,942
Doctorate Degree$105,532

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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