Post job

Team lead/manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a team lead/manager. Team lead/managers usually study business, psychology, or computer science. 56% of team lead/managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 8,441 real team lead/manager resumes to see exactly what team lead/manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for team lead/managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online team lead/manager courses to help get the education required to be a team lead/manager.

There are certain team lead/manager certifications that you should consider. These team lead/manager certifications include Food Safety Manager Certification and Project Management Professional (PMP).

What education do you need to become a team lead/manager?

What degree do you need to be a team lead/manager?

The most common degree for team lead/managers is bachelor's degree, with 56% of team lead/managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 17% and associate degree degree at 12%.
  • Bachelor's, 56%
  • Associate, 17%
  • High School Diploma, 12%
  • Master's, 10%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a team lead/manager?

You should major in business to become a team lead/manager. 31% of team lead/managers major in business. Other common majors for a team lead/manager include psychology and computer science.

Most common colleges for team lead/managers

Team lead/managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Pennsylvania State University, and University of North Texas. Here are the most common colleges for team lead/managers in the US based on their resumes.
Team lead/manager common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix20.52%
Pennsylvania State University5.90%
University of North Texas5.24%
Ohio State University5.24%
DeVry University5.24%

Best majors for team lead/managers

RankMajorPercentages
1Business30.5%
2Psychology7.0%
3Computer Science6.3%
4Management5.3%
5Nursing5.0%

Best colleges for team lead/managers

The best colleges for team lead/managers are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A team lead/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 team lead/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 team lead/managers.

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 team lead/managers

Advertising disclosure

1. Supply Chain Management A-Z: Operations & Logistics Basics

udemy
4.5
(2,394)

Supply Chain Management Basics: An MBA style course to boost your career as a business operations & logistics manager...

2. Leadership: New Manager Training for Technical Professionals

udemy
4.2
(766)

Learn to establish yourself as a manager and lead your technical team to success. We are PDU Accredited...

3. Performance Management: Build a High Performing Team

udemy
4.5
(4,320)

Transform the way you manage your teams performance...

4. Operational Risks Management ORM

udemy
4.3
(1,174)

Operational Risks Management ORM Case Studies for Risk Management, Compliance, Audit, IS Security, Banking Professionals...

5. Management Skills - Team Leadership Skills Masterclass

udemy
4.6
(13,326)

Leadership & Management Skills - Change Management- Lean BPM Management Skills - Team Management - Team Building...

6. Be A Better Manager 3 - Team Building Management Training

udemy
4.4
(1,277)

Business Management Training - Be A Better Manager - become a team building manager and improve your management skills...

7. Management Skills Training for New & Experienced Managers

udemy
4.6
(17,843)

Management Skills Certification in Developing People, Leading Teams & Improving Processes in the Hybrid Work Culture...

8. Virtual Teams: Remote Team Management & Leadership

udemy
4.6
(413)

Managing a remote team as a leader. Virtual team management & motivation...

9. Leading & Managing People [Effectively]

udemy
4.5
(609)

Best Practices For Leaders, Managers, Team Leaders, Project Leaders & Managers & Anyone In A Leader Or Manager Role...

10. Employee Engagement Performance Management Certificate 2023

udemy
4.5
(2,177)

Manager Essentials: Management Coaching People Management Accredited Communication & Human Resources Talent Management...

11. Team Building- Great team leaders earn more-2022

udemy
4
(293)

Leadership and management,leadership, leadership skills, team leadership, team building, leadership development, led, HR...

12. Project Management - Complete Guide For A+ Project Managers

udemy
4.6
(494)

Complete guide to project management - stakeholders, planning, cost, quality, risks, feasibility, methods & resourcing...

13. Agile Project Management Agile Delivery Agile Teams

udemy
4.3
(601)

Master Agile Project Management including Key Agile Terminologies, Agile Teams , Tools with real world implementation...

14. Hybrid Work Management: How to Manage a Hybrid Team

udemy
4.5
(1,505)

Learn simple tactics that help you set up, plan, manage & evaluate your team's hybrid work model in the new workplace...

15. Performance appraisal: Manager's guide to performance review

udemy
4.3
(510)

Discover how to encourage development so that each person in your team achieves their full potential...

16. TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP Management Coach Training

udemy
4.5
(284)

Management Training, Coaching Remote Team, Management Coaching, Sales Coaching, Sales Management Coach, Sales Leadership...

17. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

udemy
4.5
(941)

Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...

18. Management Coaching: Coaching Employees for High Performance

udemy
4.5
(752)

Management Coaching and Communication Course, that Enables Any Manager to Achieve Better Employee & Team Performance...

19. Project Management Professional Certification Program (PMP)

udemy
4.2
(2,380)

Your Guide to the Gold Standard of Project Management Certifications (PMI-PMP) (PMBOK7 updated) (40 PDUs minimum)...

20. Payroll Management

udemy
4.5
(338)

Use free UK payroll software to perform essential payroll management...

Top 10 most affordable universities for team lead/managers

The most affordable schools for team lead/managers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and fashion institute of technology.

If the best universities for team lead/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 team lead/managers.

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 team lead/managers

The hardest universities for team lead/managers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for team lead/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 team lead/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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

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 team lead/managers

The easiest schools for team lead/managers 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 team lead/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 team lead/managers.

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 team lead/manager salary by education level

Team lead/managers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $121,007 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, team lead/managers earn a median annual income of $107,031 compared to $89,344 for team lead/managers with an Associate degree.
Team lead/manager education levelTeam lead/manager salary
Master's Degree$121,007
High School Diploma or Less$85,457
Bachelor's Degree$107,031
Some College/ Associate Degree$89,344

Team lead/manager education FAQs

Search for team lead/manager jobs

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.