Team Leader Education Requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a team leader. Team leaders usually study business, psychology, or criminal justice. 50% of team leaders hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 310,217 real team leader resumes to see exactly what team leader education sections show.

The most common colleges for team leaders are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online team leader courses to help get the education required to be a team leader.

There are certain team leader certifications that you should consider. These team leader certifications include Food Safety Manager Certification and Certified Sales Professional (CSP).

What education do you need to become a team leader?

What degree do you need to be a team leader?

The most common degree for team leaders is bachelor's degree, with 50% of team leaders earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 17% and associate degree degree at 16%.

Bachelor's, 50%

Associate, 17%

High School Diploma, 16%

Master's, 9%

Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become a team leader?

You should major in business to become a team leader. 28% of team leaders major in business. Other common majors for a team leader include psychology and criminal justice.

Business, 28%

Psychology, 7%

Criminal Justice, 6%

Computer Science, 6%

Other Majors, 53%

Most common colleges for team leaders

Team leaders often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, DeVry University, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for team leaders in the US based on their resumes.

Team Leader Common College	Percentages
University of Phoenix	23.23%
DeVry University	5.38%
Pennsylvania State University	5.31%
Ohio State University	4.73%
Arizona State University	4.47%

Show more common team leader colleges

Best majors for team leaders

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	27.5%
2	Psychology	7.0%
3	Criminal Justice	6.1%
4	Computer Science	5.8%
5	General Studies	5.1%

Show more common team leader majors

Best colleges for team leaders

The best colleges for team leaders are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A team leader with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for team leaders. 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 team leaders.

1. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,360

Enrollment

3,142

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

5. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

7. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-State Tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

8. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

9. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

10. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

20 best online courses for team leaders

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Top 10 most affordable universities for team leaders

The most affordable schools for team leaders are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and fashion institute of technology.

If the best universities for team leaders 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 team leaders.

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. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,306

Cost of Attendance

16,091

3. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,740

Cost of Attendance

17,864

4. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,381

Cost of Attendance

21,034

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,309

Cost of Attendance

16,714

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,620

Cost of Attendance

18,136

7. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,992

Cost of Attendance

22,430

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,942

Cost of Attendance

14,469

9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,240

Cost of Attendance

13,991

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,587

Cost of Attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for team leaders

The hardest universities for team leaders to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for team leaders 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 team leaders 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

SAT Average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions Rate

SAT Average

1,508

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

20%

SAT Average

1,419

5. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

43%

SAT Average

1,338

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions Rate

15%

SAT Average

1,506

7. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions Rate

42%

SAT Average

1,380

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

22%

SAT Average

1,420

9. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

46%

SAT Average

1,354

10. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

Admissions Rate

47%

SAT Average

1,390

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for team leaders

The easiest schools for team leaders to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and lim college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a team leader 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 team leaders.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions Rate

91%

SAT Average

1,006

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions Rate

68%

SAT Average

964

3. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

83%

SAT Average

1,061

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions Rate

88%

SAT Average

1,044

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

82%

SAT Average

983

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions Rate

90%

SAT Average

994

7. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

70%

SAT Average

849

8. Ursuline College

Pepper Pike, OH • Private

Admissions Rate

90%

SAT Average

1,102

9. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions Rate

93%

SAT Average

994

10. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions Rate

91%

SAT Average

1,065

Average team leader salary by education level

According to our data, team leaders with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $101,309 annually. Team leaders with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $87,265.

Team Leader education level	Team Leader salary
Master's Degree	$101,309
High School Diploma or Less	$66,368
Bachelor's Degree	$87,265
Some College/ Associate Degree	$70,056

Team Leader Education FAQs

What is the best college for Team Leaders?

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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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