Youth director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a youth director. Youth directors usually study business, theology, or psychology. 68% of youth directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 5,394 real youth director resumes to see exactly what youth director education sections show.

The most common colleges for youth directors are the Liberty University and the Liberty University.

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

What education do you need to become a youth director?

What degree do you need to be a youth director?

The most common degree for youth directors is bachelor's degree, with 68% of youth directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 13% and master's degree degree at 11%.

Bachelor's, 68%

Master's, 13%

Associate, 11%

High School Diploma, 5%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a youth director?

You should major in business to become a youth director. 13% of youth directors major in business. Other common majors for a youth director include theology and psychology.

Business, 13%

Theology, 11%

Psychology, 10%

Communication, 6%

Other Majors, 60%

Most common colleges for youth directors

Youth directors often get their degrees at Liberty University, University of Phoenix, and Moody Bible Institute. Here are the most common colleges for youth directors in the US based on their resumes.

Youth director common college	Percentages
Liberty University	20.77%
University of Phoenix	8.20%
Moody Bible Institute	6.01%
The University of Alabama	5.19%
Western Washington University	4.92%

Show more common youth director colleges

Best majors for youth directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	13.4%
2	Theology	11.1%
3	Psychology	9.7%
4	Communication	6.3%
5	Education	6.0%

Show more common youth director majors

Best colleges for youth directors

The best colleges for youth directors are University of Pennsylvania, Emory University, and Northwestern University.

A youth 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 youth 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 youth directors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,306

Enrollment

6,975

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

4. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$53,430

Enrollment

5,963

5. Oklahoma Baptist University

Shawnee, OK • Private

In-state tuition

$28,258

Enrollment

1,808

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

7. Duquesne University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$38,178

Enrollment

6,008

8. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,464

Enrollment

9,639

9. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

20 best online courses for youth directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for youth directors

The most affordable schools for youth directors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, luther rice college and seminary, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for youth 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 youth 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. Luther Rice College and Seminary

Lithonia, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,616

Cost of attendance

8,720

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

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. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

9. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

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 youth directors

The hardest universities for youth directors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Emory University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for youth 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 youth 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

2. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,449

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

5. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

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

The easiest schools for youth directors to get into are Nyack College, wayland baptist university, and barry university.

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

1. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. Rochester University

Rochester Hills, MI • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,002

7. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

8. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

Average youth director salary by education level

According to our data, youth directors with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $51,779 annually. Youth directors with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $45,328.

Youth director education level	Youth director salary
Master's Degree	$51,779
Bachelor's Degree	$45,214
Some College/ Associate Degree	$45,328

Youth director education FAQs

What is the best college for Youth Directors?

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Search for youth director jobs

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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