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Visual merchandising manager education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a visual merchandising manager. Visual merchandising managers usually study specialized sales and merchandising, business, or graphic design. 65% of visual merchandising managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 7,273 real visual merchandising manager resumes to see exactly what visual merchandising manager education sections show.
The most common colleges for visual merchandising managers are the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
There are also many online visual merchandising manager courses to help get the education required to be a visual merchandising manager.
There are certain visual merchandising manager certifications that you should consider. These visual merchandising manager certifications include Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) and Certified Planning Engineer (CPE).
What education do you need to become a visual merchandising manager?
What degree do you need to be a visual merchandising manager?
- Bachelor's, 65%
- Associate, 21%
- High School Diploma, 8%
- Master's, 3%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a visual merchandising manager?
- Business, 16%
- Graphic Design, 14%
- Fine Arts, 7%
- Other Majors, 44%
Most common colleges for visual merchandising managers
| Visual merchandising manager common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Fashion Institute of Technology | 18.71% |
| Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising-San Francisco | 10.26% |
| FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising | 9.60% |
| Ohio State University | 6.13% |
| Florida State University | 5.46% |
Best majors for visual merchandising managers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Specialized Sales And Merchandising | 19.2% |
| 2 | Business | 16.2% |
| 3 | Graphic Design | 14.1% |
| 4 | Fine Arts | 7.2% |
| 5 | Marketing | 6.6% |
Best colleges for visual merchandising managers
The best colleges for visual merchandising managers are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
A visual merchandising 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 visual merchandising 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 visual merchandising managers.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Enrollment
9,394
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
4. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Enrollment
33,495
5. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$45,542
Enrollment
14,159
6. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
8. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Alfred, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,570
Enrollment
3,721
9. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
10. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,853
Enrollment
14,759
20 best online courses for visual merchandising managers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for visual merchandising managers
The most affordable schools for visual merchandising managers are SUNY Farmingdale, baruch college of the city university of new york, and university of florida.
If the best universities for visual merchandising 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 visual merchandising managers.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
8. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
9. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
10. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for visual merchandising managers
The hardest universities for visual merchandising managers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for visual merchandising 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 visual merchandising 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. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
8. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
10. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for visual merchandising managers
The easiest schools for visual merchandising managers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and wayland baptist university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a visual merchandising 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 visual merchandising managers.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
3. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
6. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
7. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
8. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
9. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
10. Marymount University
Arlington, VA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,065
Average visual merchandising manager salary by education level
| Visual merchandising manager education level | Visual merchandising manager salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $122,641 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $95,158 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $112,140 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $98,296 |
Visual merchandising manager education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025