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Writing center director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a writing center director. Writing center directors usually study english, writing, or literature. 60% of writing center directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 181 real writing center director resumes to see exactly what writing center director education sections show.

The most common colleges for writing center directors are the University of Iowa and the University of Iowa.

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

What education do you need to become a writing center director?

What degree do you need to be a writing center director?

The most common degree for writing center directors is bachelor's degree, with 60% of writing center directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 24% and master's degree degree at 12%.
  • Bachelor's, 60%
  • Master's, 24%
  • Doctorate, 12%
  • Associate, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a writing center director?

You should major in english to become a writing center director. 43% of writing center directors major in english. Other common majors for a writing center director include writing and literature.

Most common colleges for writing center directors

Writing center directors often get their degrees at University of Iowa, Sonoma State University, and University of Texas at Austin. Here are the most common colleges for writing center directors in the US based on their resumes.
Writing center director common collegePercentages
University of Iowa10.87%
Sonoma State University6.52%
University of Texas at Austin6.52%
Saint Cloud State University6.52%
Louisiana State University and A&M College4.35%

Best majors for writing center directors

RankMajorPercentages
1English42.6%
2Writing14.0%
3Literature5.1%
4Communication3.7%
5Journalism2.9%

Best colleges for writing center directors

The best colleges for writing center directors are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

A writing center 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 writing center 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 writing center directors.

1. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Enrollment

16,205

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

7. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

9. University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$53,391

Enrollment

8,568

10. Brown University

Providence, RI • Private

In-state tuition

$55,466

Enrollment

6,752

20 best online courses for writing center directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for writing center directors

The most affordable schools for writing center directors are Hunter College of the City University of New York, usf sarasota-manatee, and university of florida.

If the best universities for writing center 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 writing center directors.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

6. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for writing center directors

The hardest universities for writing center directors to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for writing center 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 writing center 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

8. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

9. Hamilton College

Clinton, NY • Private

Admissions rate

21%

SAT average

1,446

10. Brown University

Providence, RI • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for writing center directors

The easiest schools for writing center directors to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, mount saint mary's university, and d'youville college.

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

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

4. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

7. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

10. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

Average writing center director salary by education level

Writing center directors with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $110,467 annually. With a Master's degree, writing center directors earn a median annual income of $93,851 compared to $74,390 for writing center directors with an Bachelor's degree.
Writing center director education levelWriting center director salary
Master's Degree$93,851
Bachelor's Degree$74,390
Doctorate Degree$110,467

Writing center director 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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