Store leader education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a store leader. Store leaders usually study business, psychology, or marketing. 48% of store leaders hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 4,928 real store leader resumes to see exactly what store leader education sections show.

The most common colleges for store leaders are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online store leader courses to help get the education required to be a store leader.

There are certain store leader certifications that you should consider. These store leader certifications include Food Safety Manager Certification and Certified Sales Professional (CSP).

What education do you need to become a store leader?

What degree do you need to be a store leader?

The most common degree for store leaders is bachelor's degree, with 48% of store leaders earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 21% and high school diploma degree at 20%.

Bachelor's, 48%

High School Diploma, 21%

Associate, 20%

Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a store leader?

You should major in business to become a store leader. 35% of store leaders major in business. Other common majors for a store leader include psychology and marketing.

Business, 35%

Psychology, 6%

Marketing, 6%

General Studies, 5%

Other Majors, 48%

Most common colleges for store leaders

Store leaders often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, and University of Wisconsin Colleges. Here are the most common colleges for store leaders in the US based on their resumes.

Store leader common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	19.84%
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point	8.50%
University of Wisconsin Colleges	6.48%
Johnson & Wales University	5.26%
Michigan State University	4.86%

Show more common store leader colleges

Best majors for store leaders

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	35.2%
2	Psychology	6.1%
3	Marketing	5.6%
4	General Studies	5.4%
5	Criminal Justice	5.3%

Show more common store leader majors

Best colleges for store leaders

The best colleges for store leaders are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A store leader with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for store leaders. 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 store leaders.

1. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,360

Enrollment

3,142

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

5. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

7. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

8. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

9. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

10. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

20 best online courses for store leaders

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Top 10 most affordable universities for store leaders

The most affordable schools for store leaders are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and fashion institute of technology.

If the best universities for store leaders 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 store leaders.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

4. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for store leaders

The hardest universities for store leaders to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for store leaders 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 store leaders 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

46%

SAT average

1,354

10. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,390

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for store leaders

The easiest schools for store leaders to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and lim college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a store leader 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 store leaders.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

8. Ursuline College

Pepper Pike, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,102

9. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

10. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,065

Average store leader salary by education level

According to our data, store leaders with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $43,986 annually. Store leaders with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $41,137.

Store leader education level	Store leader salary
Master's Degree	$43,986
High School Diploma or Less	$36,382
Bachelor's Degree	$41,137
Some College/ Associate Degree	$37,276

Store leader education FAQs

What is the best college for Store Leaders?

Have more questions? See all answers to common sales 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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