Post job

Transition manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a transition manager. Transition managers usually study business, nursing, or computer science. 65% of transition managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,465 real transition manager resumes to see exactly what transition manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for transition managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain transition manager certifications that you should consider. These transition manager certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and ITIL Foundation.

What education do you need to become a transition manager?

What degree do you need to be a transition manager?

The most common degree for transition managers is bachelor's degree, with 65% of transition managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 16% and master's degree degree at 12%.
  • Bachelor's, 65%
  • Master's, 16%
  • Associate, 12%
  • Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a transition manager?

You should major in business to become a transition manager. 28% of transition managers major in business. Other common majors for a transition manager include nursing and computer science.

Most common colleges for transition managers

Transition managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, George Washington University, The, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for transition managers in the US based on their resumes.
Transition manager common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix14.71%
George Washington University, The7.35%
Pennsylvania State University6.62%
University of South Florida5.15%
University of Maryland - College Park5.15%

Best majors for transition managers

RankMajorPercentages
1Business27.8%
2Nursing7.6%
3Computer Science7.1%
4Accounting6.5%
5Psychology5.6%

Best colleges for transition managers

The best colleges for transition managers are Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

A transition 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 transition 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 transition managers.

1. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

10. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

20 best online courses for transition managers

Advertising disclosure

1. Program Management Benefit Transition Sustainment in ClickUp

coursera

By the end of this guided project, you will be fluent in creating Program Benefits artefacts for the delivery/ closing Phases for diverse programs. You will utilise a logical diagramming plan in an agile environment to develop the solution. This will enable you to identify and classify the required components for benefits transition and sustainment. Furthermore, it will help develop a structural model for learning about the field of Program Management. If you are interested in building up the...

2. Engaging in Service Innovation and Management

coursera

This course is the continuation of "Introduction to Service Innovation and Management". If you have not yet taken "Introduction to Service Innovation and Management", it is recommended that you complete that course prior to this course. The foundational knowledge and project plan from the introduction are carried through in this deeper dive into service innovation and management. This course will give you tools to examine initial plans for healthcare service/process redesign. You will be...

3. Managing Professional Transition (ITSM ) - 4 Practice Exams

udemy
4.3
(413)

ITIL 4 Managing Professional Transition MPT [2022] - 40 Q & A each & 160 Q & A total, with feedback and knowledge areas...

4. Transition from Technical Individual Contributor to Manager

udemy
4.5
(411)

Fast track your transition into IT, Engineering, or Product team management by learning these foundational practices...

5. Operations Management: Facilities Planning and Management

udemy
4.4
(357)

Operations Management Training Program (Course 8 of 8)...

6. IT Service Management with ITIL 4 Foundation -Full Training

udemy
4.1
(1,604)

Learn about ITIL 4, ITSM, Concepts of Service Management, the Four Dimensions, Service Value System and Practices...

7. Introduction to Service Management with ITIL 4

udemy
4.5
(55,939)

Learn about service management, four dimensions, guiding principles, service value system, and ITSM best practices...

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

udemy
4.5
(82,218)

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

9. Logistics Management: International Transport & Shipping

udemy
4.6
(1,665)

Logistics Supply Chain Management Basics - Transport / Import - Export your Freight / Inventory by Air, Sea or Land...

10. Program Management Fundamentals: The Essentials

udemy
4.4
(370)

In this course you will learn the essentials of program management. Become your bosses boss start this course today...

11. The Business of Logistics in Supply Chain Management

udemy
4.3
(651)

Kick start your Career as a Logistics Manager or a Supply Chain Manager...

12. IT Service Management with ITIL 4 Foundation Course

udemy
4.5
(681)

Lean and Unlock Your Service Management with ITIL 4, Real-World Scenarios, Practical Examples and Mockup exams...

13. HR,HR Analytics, Human Resource Management, Black Friday Ed

udemy
4.6
(1,691)

HR Analytics ,HR Courses, human resource management, ,HR certification, HRM, hr payroll, people management, 2022...

14. ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018. Service management system

udemy
4.6
(2,777)

Understand the requirements for a service management system according to ISO/IEC 20000-1...

15. Project Management Master Class: Government Projects

udemy
4.4
(350)

Learn How To Win Big By Always Successfully Completing Government Projects Using Ninja Project Management Techniques...

16. Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service

udemy
4.5
(3,822)

Learn Logistics, Supply Chain and Customer Service. 3 Courses in 1...

17. Master Course in Project Management 2.0

udemy
4.2
(490)

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

18. Warehouse Management in Logistics & Supply Chain Management

udemy
4.5
(2,300)

Warehouse Logistics Management in Supply Chain Management, Warehouse Inventory Management in Logistics and Supply Chain...

19. IT Project Budget & Cost Management

udemy
4.4
(290)

Project Management tips to manage a million dollar IT Project budget from start to finish...

20. Project Management: Simple Software Project Management

udemy
4.4
(1,144)

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

Top 10 most affordable universities for transition managers

The most affordable schools for transition managers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - los angeles, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for transition 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 transition 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. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

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. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for transition managers

The hardest universities for transition managers to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for transition 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 transition 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. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

5. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for transition managers

The easiest schools for transition managers to get into are Barry University, ottawa university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

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

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

7. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

8. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

9. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,065

10. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

Average transition manager salary by education level

According to our data, transition managers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $107,102 annually. Transition managers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $104,919.
Transition manager education levelTransition manager salary
Master's Degree$104,919
Bachelor's Degree$98,311
Doctorate Degree$107,102
Some College/ Associate Degree$82,014

Transition manager education FAQs

Search for transition 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.

Browse executive management jobs