What degree do most CEOs have?

Asked by: Neha Rempel  |  Last update: September 21, 2025
Score: 4.3/5 (43 votes)

The most common degrees among CEOs are Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), with 53% holding one of these degrees, while 47% have Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees.

What is the most common degree for a CEO?

Economics, business administration, and engineering are the most popular subjects studied by top CEOs. On average, 34.6% of top CEOs have a master's or doctorate degree and.

What percent of CEOs have a Master's degree?

A: Many CEOs also hold graduate degrees. According to a study, 34.6% of top CEOs have a master's or doctorate degree, and 22.3% have a Master of Business Administration (MBA). Other postgraduate degrees that CEOs hold include Master of Science (MS), Master of Arts (MA), and doctoral degrees in various fields.

What degree do you need to be CEO?

It's likely to take some time, as with nearly all successful CEOs today, but that doesn't mean the long-term goal isn't an achievable one. Every situation will vary, but in short, the majority of CEOs hold at least a bachelor's degree and have five years of management experience under their belt.

What is the education of most CEOs?

Take a look at the key global findings we unearthed in this research:
  • Economics, business administration, and engineering are the most popular subjects studied by top CEOs.
  • 34.6% of top CEOs have a master's or doctorate degree.
  • 22.3% of top CEOs have an MBA (Master of Business Administration)

Which is the best degree to become a CEO?

42 related questions found

What degree do most millionaires have?

More millionaires have degrees in engineering than any other subject, according to a new study from WealthInsight. As reported by the New Statesman, the study highlights the 10 most popular degrees that millionaires around the world hold, both for undergraduate and graduate studies.

Does Mark Zuckerberg have a degree?

Did Mark Zuckerberg graduate from college? After launching thefacebook.com in 2004, Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard University to concentrate on the fledgling company. In 2017 Zuckerberg received an honorary degree from the university.

Who is the youngest CEO in the world?

Suhas Gopinath (born 4 November 1986 in Bangalore) is an Indian entrepreneur. He is the founder, CEO, and Chairman of Globals Inc., a multinational IT company. He became CEO at the age of 17, three years after founding the company.

What is the salary of CEO per month?

What is the highest salary for a Chief Executive Officer (Ceo) in India? Highest salary that a Chief Executive Officer (Ceo) can earn is ₹102.0 Lakhs per year (₹8.5L per month).

What is the best undergrad for CEO?

Here's a list of the most common degrees for CEOs:
  • Computer science. ...
  • Healthcare administration. ...
  • Management. ...
  • Engineering. ...
  • Political science. ...
  • Communications. ...
  • Liberal arts. ...
  • Economics. Students studying economics focus on the wealth, social classes, resource allocation and consumer culture of a society's financial systems.

Do all CEOs need an MBA?

Can I Become A CEO without an MBA? Yes, it is possible to become a CEO without an MBA, but it is less likely.

What is the average education of a CEO?

Chief executive officer positions often require at least a bachelor's degree and extensive business and industry experience. Competition is fierce for these high-level positions, and employers often give preference to candidates with an MBA.

Where do most CEOs go to college?

The Top 10 Global Universities Producing the Most CEOs
  1. Stanford University. Taking the crown for the top global university that has produced the most CEOs in the world is Stanford University in California, USA. ...
  2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ...
  3. Princeton University. ...
  4. Yale University. ...
  5. University of Pennsylvania.

Who is America's highest paid CEO?

  1. Elon Musk: $1.4 billion. Musk is the CEO of electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla and space flight company SpaceX. ...
  2. Alexander Karp: $1.1 billion. ...
  3. Hock E. ...
  4. Brian Armstrong: $680 million. ...
  5. Safra A. ...
  6. Brian Chesky: $303 million. ...
  7. Jon Winkelried: $295 million. ...
  8. Jeff T.

Does Jeff Bezos have a college degree?

Jeff Bezos was not born into a wealthy family. His parents were 17 and 18 years old when he was born, and he worked on his maternal grandparents' ranch in Cotulla, Texas, early in his life. He graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1986, with degrees in electrical engineering and computer science.

What top CEOs have no MBA?

Are there top CEOs without an MBA? Yes, several top CEOs, such as Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Reed Hastings, achieved remarkable success without obtaining an MBA.

What is a reasonable CEO salary?

Data shows that the size of an organization or firm determines the salary range for the vast majority of CEOs. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for a CEO in 2023 was $183,270 per year with the salary in small companies generally lower than in larger organizations.

Which job has the highest salary in the world?

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

The first highest-paying job in the world is the one that every youngster dreams of becoming while planning to start a business. It's the position of a CEO (Chief Executive Officer). A CEO is the highest leader in an organization and is found in almost every type of company.

Who is the highest paid CEO in?

List of the top 10 highest-paid CEOs in the world
  • Elon Musk. Tesla. $23.5 Billion.
  • Tim Cook. Apple. $770.5 Million.
  • Sundar Pichai. Alphabet (Google's Parent) $280 Million.
  • Jensen Huang. Nvidia. $561 Million.
  • Reed Hastings. Netflix. ...
  • Leonard Schleifer. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. ...
  • Marc Benioff. Salesforce. ...
  • Satya Nadella. Microsoft.

At what age do CEOs retire?

Do CEOs have a shelf life? Some companies appear to believe so; a majority of firms in the S&P 1500, and more than a third of S&P 500 firms, have policies in place that mandate the retirement of their CEOs at age 65, including General Electric, Altria, ExxonMobil, and Intel.

Who is the richest CEO in the world?

Tim Cook. The richest CEO currently is Apple CEO Tim Cook. He didn't become a billionaire until August 2020, right around the same time the company he heads approached a market value of $2 trillion. Today, the company's market cap is $2.77 trillion and thriving.

What degree did Bill Gates get?

Bill Gates attends the 2022 Time 100 Gala at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center on June 08, 2022, in New York City. Bill Gates never finished his undergraduate degree — the billionaire dropped out of Harvard University after three semesters to start Microsoft.

What is the best major for a CEO?

College Degree

CEOs are generally expected to have at least a bachelor's degree in a business-related field, such as business administration or public administration. Some CEOs may come from an academic background closely related to their industry, such as engineering.

What degree did Steve Jobs have?

Steve never graduated, making him Reed College's most famous college dropout.