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Technical Project Lead Manager Education Requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a technical project lead manager. Technical project lead managers usually study business, electrical engineering, or computer science. 51% of technical project lead managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,053 real technical project lead manager resumes to see exactly what technical project lead manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for technical project lead managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain technical project lead manager certifications that you should consider. These technical project lead manager certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Scrum Master (CSM).

What education do you need to become a technical project lead manager?

What degree do you need to be a technical project lead manager?

The most common degree for technical project lead managers is bachelor's degree, with 51% of technical project lead managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 18% and master's degree degree at 15%.
  • Bachelor's, 51%
  • Master's, 18%
  • Associate, 15%
  • High School Diploma, 9%
  • Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a technical project lead manager?

You should major in business to become a technical project lead manager. 19% of technical project lead managers major in business. Other common majors for a technical project lead manager include electrical engineering and computer science.

Most common colleges for technical project lead managers

Technical project lead managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Full Sail University, and DeVry University. Here are the most common colleges for technical project lead managers in the US based on their resumes.
Technical Project Lead Manager Common CollegePercentages
University of Phoenix20.00%
Full Sail University5.88%
DeVry University5.88%
Washington State University4.71%
Arizona State University4.71%

Best majors for technical project lead managers

Best colleges for technical project lead managers

The best colleges for technical project lead managers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A technical project 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 technical project 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 technical project lead managers.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Maine Maritime Academy

Castine, ME • Private

In-State Tuition

$13,478

Enrollment

979

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

20 best online courses for technical project lead managers

Advertising Disclosure

1. IBM IT Project Manager

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Prepare for a career in the high-growth field of IT project management. In this program, you’ll develop the skills and tools to have a competitive edge in the job market as an entry-level IT project manager in less than 3 months. No prior knowledge or experience is required.\n\nIT project managers track projects, manage risks, and work cross-functionally to support an organization’s IT infrastructure and software development. IT project managers often act as a liaison between the business and...

2. Finance for Technical Managers

coursera

In Finance for Technical Managers, you will explore the fundamental principles of financial management. Topics include understanding and interpreting a company’s financial statements, the time value of money and its role in evaluating the economic viability of different projects, and the annual capital budgeting process every company performs when selecting which projects to fund. In addition, you will cover some highly practical topics, such as how to determine product costs, establishing a...

3. Microsoft Project ADVANCED: Project Management Technics 3PDU

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4.6
(952)

MS PROJECT 2016 ADVANCED Project Management Techniques -incl Enterprise level. HANDS-ON from #1 BESTSELLING INSTRUCTOR...

4. Leadership: New Manager Training for Technical Professionals

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4.2
(766)

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

5. IT Business Analyst & Project Managers Technical awareness

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4.5
(799)

A quick introduction to software development & IT for business analyst and non technical managers overseeing IT teams...

6. Project Management: Simple Software Project Management

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4.4
(1,144)

Project Management for NEW Project Managers - knowledge, tools, techniques, skills, checklists, guidelines, pitfalls...

7. IT Support Technical Skills Bootcamp

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4.5
(1,653)

Hands-on Technical skills for IT Support Professionals...

8. Project Management Essentials: Ace Your Next Project!

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4.5
(1,719)

The Missing Toolkit for Truly Effective, Everyday Project Management Project Management Basics for Everyone...

9. Project Management: Becoming a Successful Project manager

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4.4
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Project Management...

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

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4.6
(494)

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

11. Agile Crash Course: Agile Project Management; Agile Delivery

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Agile Project Management Basics (Scrum) & Agile Project Management Essentials (Scrum). Plus Agile Certification (Scrum)...

12. The Project Management Course: Beginner to PROject Manager

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4.6
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The Complete Course For Becoming A Successful Project Manager...

13. Technical Report Writing

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4.3
(1,173)

An interactive course that focuses on practical skills. Taught by a leading Psychologist, University Lecturer & Author...

14. Beginning Project Management: Project Management Level One

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4.6
(28,219)

Project Management: Growing a Successful Career as a Project Manager...

15. Project Management Essentials

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4.5
(15,814)

A crash course in the essentials of project management for new project managers...

16. Technical Program Management

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4.5
(3,910)

This is a course designed for individuals looking to learn about the Technical Program Management (TPM) discipline...

17. Master Course in Project Management 2.0

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4.2
(490)

Project Management, PMP, Agile project management, Project manager, Prince2, Scrum, Project Planning, Project risk cost...

18. Practical Project Management for Management Consultants

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4.5
(809)

How to manage successfully a consulting project - a practical guide for Project Managers...

19. Project Management Course: Master Project Scope Management

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4.3
(457)

Practical guide to scope development and management - Project Management Certification (PMP, CAPM) Training [Earn 11PDU]...

20. Projects Cost Management, Estimating, Budgeting and Control.

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4.1
(1,381)

Learn how to estimate costs for any project, how to determine budget and how to use Earned Value Management tools. 3 PDU...

Top 10 most affordable universities for technical project lead managers

The most affordable schools for technical project lead managers are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for technical project 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 technical project lead managers.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,306

Cost of Attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,309

Cost of Attendance

16,714

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,262

Cost of Attendance

14,046

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,942

Cost of Attendance

14,469

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,240

Cost of Attendance

13,991

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,620

Cost of Attendance

18,136

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,238

Cost of Attendance

21,567

8. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,587

Cost of Attendance

13,043

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Cost of Attendance

22,990

10. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,419

Cost of Attendance

17,697

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for technical project lead managers

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

Some great schools for technical project 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 technical project 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

4%

SAT Average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions Rate

8%

SAT Average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions Rate

8%

SAT Average

1,492

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

22%

SAT Average

1,420

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

20%

SAT Average

1,419

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

13%

SAT Average

1,445

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions Rate

29%

SAT Average

1,407

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

43%

SAT Average

1,338

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

40%

SAT Average

1,376

10. Brandeis University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

31%

SAT Average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for technical project lead managers

The easiest schools for technical project lead managers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a technical project 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 technical project lead managers.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions Rate

68%

SAT Average

964

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

82%

SAT Average

983

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

70%

SAT Average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions Rate

90%

SAT Average

994

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

83%

SAT Average

1,061

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

98%

SAT Average

999

7. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions Rate

94%

SAT Average

979

8. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

100%

SAT Average

1,072

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions Rate

97%

SAT Average

1,050

10. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions Rate

96%

SAT Average

1,139

Average technical project lead manager salary by education level

Technical project lead managers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $118,840 annually. With a Doctorate degree, technical project lead managers earn a median annual income of $117,881 compared to $108,186 for technical project lead managers with an Bachelor's degree.
Technical Project Lead Manager education levelTechnical Project Lead Manager salary
Master's Degree$118,840
Bachelor's Degree$108,186
Doctorate Degree$117,881
Some College/ Associate Degree$92,881

Technical Project Lead Manager Education FAQs

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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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