Unit director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a unit director. Unit directors usually study nursing, business, or psychology. 60% of unit directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 3,889 real unit director resumes to see exactly what unit director education sections show.

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

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

There are certain unit director certifications that you should consider. These unit director certifications include Certified Professional Counselor and ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification.

What education do you need to become a unit director?

What degree do you need to be a unit director?

The most common degree for unit directors is bachelor's degree, with 60% of unit directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 15% and associate degree degree at 14%.

Bachelor's, 60%

Associate, 15%

Master's, 14%

High School Diploma, 5%

Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a unit director?

You should major in nursing to become a unit director. 21% of unit directors major in nursing. Other common majors for a unit director include business and psychology.

Nursing, 21%

Business, 19%

Psychology, 10%

Social Work, 6%

Other Majors, 44%

Most common colleges for unit directors

Unit directors often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Temple University. Here are the most common colleges for unit directors in the US based on their resumes.

Unit director common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	18.98%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro	6.78%
Temple University	6.44%
University of South Carolina - Columbia	5.42%
Pennsylvania State University	5.08%

Show more common unit director colleges

Best majors for unit directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Nursing	21.4%
2	Business	18.8%
3	Psychology	10.4%
4	Social Work	6.4%
5	Criminal Justice	5.3%

Show more common unit director majors

Best colleges for unit directors

The best colleges for unit directors are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Duke University.

A unit 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 unit 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 unit directors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

6. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

7. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

9. University of California, Irvine

Irvine, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,700

Enrollment

29,722

10. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

20 best online courses for unit directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for unit directors

The most affordable schools for unit directors are University of Florida, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for unit 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 unit directors.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

10. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for unit directors

The hardest universities for unit directors to get into are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Duke University.

Some great schools for unit 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 unit 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

7. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for unit directors

The easiest schools for unit directors to get into are D'Youville College, mount saint mary's university, and barry university.

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

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

5. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

6. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

7. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

8. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

9. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,065

10. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

Average unit director salary by education level

According to our data, unit directors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $121,538 annually. Unit directors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $96,437.

Unit director education level	Unit director salary
Master's Degree	$96,437
Bachelor's Degree	$80,620
Doctorate Degree	$121,538
Some College/ Associate Degree	$69,799

Unit director education FAQs

What is the best college for Unit Directors?

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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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