Training development director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a training development director. Training development directors usually study business, education, or psychology. 69% of training development directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,428 real training development director resumes to see exactly what training development director education sections show.

The most common colleges for training development directors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain training development director certifications that you should consider. These training development director certifications include Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) and SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).

What education do you need to become a training development director?

What degree do you need to be a training development director?

The most common degree for training development directors is bachelor's degree, with 69% of training development directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 20% and master's degree degree at 8%.

Bachelor's, 69%

Master's, 20%

Associate, 8%

Doctorate, 2%

Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a training development director?

You should major in business to become a training development director. 30% of training development directors major in business. Other common majors for a training development director include education and psychology.

Business, 30%

Education, 10%

Psychology, 9%

Communication, 9%

Other Majors, 42%

Most common colleges for training development directors

Training development directors often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, New York University, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Here are the most common colleges for training development directors in the US based on their resumes.

Training development director common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	13.04%
New York University	8.70%
Southern Illinois University Carbondale	4.97%
Pennsylvania State University	4.97%
University of Florida	4.97%

Show more common training development director colleges

Best majors for training development directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	29.7%
2	Education	9.6%
3	Psychology	9.5%
4	Communication	9.1%
5	Human Resources Management	5.5%

Show more common training development director majors

Best colleges for training development directors

The best colleges for training development directors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

A training development 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 training development 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 training development 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

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. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

8. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

9. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

10. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

20 best online courses for training development directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for training development directors

The most affordable schools for training development directors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for training development 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 training development directors.

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. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

8. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

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 training development directors

The hardest universities for training development directors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for training development 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 training development 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 Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

9. University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL • Private

Admissions rate

32%

SAT average

1,365

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for training development directors

The easiest schools for training development directors to get into are Barry University, wayland baptist university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a training development 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 training development directors.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

10. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

Average training development director salary by education level

Training development directors with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $83,804 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, training development directors earn a median annual income of $83,772 compared to $72,342 for training development directors with an Associate degree.

Training development director education level	Training development director salary
Master's Degree	$83,804
High School Diploma or Less	$63,928
Bachelor's Degree	$83,772
Some College/ Associate Degree	$72,342

Training development director education FAQs

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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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