What degree do most Fortune 500 CEOs have?

Asked by: Darlene Ullrich  |  Last update: May 29, 2026
Score: 4.1/5 (55 votes)

Most Fortune 500 CEOs hold bachelor's degrees in Engineering, Business Administration, or Economics, with STEM fields, particularly engineering, often leading in undergraduate studies, while many also pursue advanced degrees like an MBA. While these business-related and technical majors are common, many CEOs also come from diverse backgrounds, emphasizing strong problem-solving skills developed in various fields like liberal arts, finance, and computer science.

What do most CEOs have a degree in?

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. 22.3% of top CEOs have a Master of Business Administration (MBA), 16.4% of top CEOs studied abroad; and.

What percentage of Fortune 500 CEOs have a graduate degree?

Sixty-two percent of all S&P 500 CEOs have earned an advanced degree beyond their undergraduate degree (this includes MBAs, other master degrees, PhDs, etc.). The most common advanced degree is the M.B.A. (39%). These advanced degrees are strongly dominated by selective, prestigious institutions.

How many Fortune 500 CEOs have PhD?

The most precise data comes from subsets of the list: Fortune 100: A March 2024 analysis of the Top 100 Fortune 500 companies found that 9 CEOs hold a doctorate degree. This figure includes PhDs as well as JDs and MDs.

What degree do most millionaires have?

According to a recent study of 70,000 people worth at least $1 million, an engineering degree is the top producer of millionaires worldwide, beating out an MBA and degrees in law and computer science. The study was conducted by research organization WealthInsight and Spear's magazine.

If You Want To Be a CEO Become An Engineer First

15 related questions found

What are the top 3 professions of millionaires?

Based on a large study by Ramsey Solutions, the top three careers for millionaires were Engineer, followed by Accountant (CPA), and then Teacher, demonstrating that wealth often comes from consistent income and investment in stable professions rather than solely high-income jobs. 

What is the most common degree of billionaires?

Engineering

This might surprise you, but the scope of engineering is huge and widening! KEY FACT: Engineering is the most common degree among the billionaires. 22% of the world's top 100 billionaires studied engineering.

What profession do most CEOs come from?

You need to be a graduate to become CEO of a multi-national business and an MBA definitely helps - 98% of the top 100 CEOs are graduates with 36% of these CEOs studying a business related degree and 23% completing an engineering course.

Is a PhD as prestigious as an MD?

A Ph. D. is the highest degree you can get in any subject, so it carries prestige. With an M.D., you can operate as a medical doctor and help patients, which many people respect. Is it harder to get an M.D. or Ph.

Which PhD is the highest paid?

Doctoral degrees in systems engineering, computer science, pharmacy, and information science lead the highest-paying, early-career salaries, with professionals often earning more than $145,000 four years after graduation.

Which billionaire does not have a degree?

Richard Branson: The founder of Virgin Group, a conglomerate of more than 400 companies, dropped out of high school at age 16 and never attended college. 2. Steve Jobs: The co-founder of Apple Inc. dropped out of college after just one semester, but went on to become one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history.

What's the rarest major?

The "rarest" major can mean least common in enrollment or most unique, with extremely niche fields like Bagpiping Performance, Puppet Arts, Ecogastronomy, Egyptology, Fermentation Science, and Tea Husbandry often cited as very rare, alongside specialized engineering like Amusement Park Engineering, while less common but still sizable majors can include Library Science, Military Technologies, and some specialized Engineering or Physics combinations.
 

Where do the top 1% go to college?

The "top 1%" in college enrollment often goes to highly selective, elite universities like those in the Ivy League (Dartmouth, Princeton, Yale, Brown, Penn), MIT, Stanford, and Johns Hopkins, but these schools also have significant representation from lower-income brackets, with some top colleges having more from the top 1% than the bottom 60%. Overall, rankings vary, but MIT, Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, and UC Berkeley frequently appear at the very top of national and global lists.
 

Did Jeff Bezos have a business degree?

Not only did Bezos have work experience, but he also finished college. He graduated summa cum laude—the highest honors—from Princeton University in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in engineering.

What college do most CEOs go to?

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.

Is an MBA worth it for CEOs?

For example, if your ultimate target is a CEO role and you believe you can't get there without an MBA, the lifetime value could be hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars.

What is the hardest doctor degree to get?

The hardest PhDs to get often involve intense theory, complex math, and extreme competition, with Pure Mathematics, Theoretical Physics (like String Theory), Computer Science (Theory), Astrophysics, and Economics (Theory) frequently cited for their abstract nature and high barriers to entry, while the dual MD-PhD program is exceptionally demanding due to its length and combined clinical/research rigor. Ultimately, difficulty is subjective, depending on the program's competitiveness, research demands, and individual support systems, notes this YouTube video and Quora users. 

Who is the youngest PhD ever?

The youngest person to earn a PhD is historically Karl Witte, a German prodigy who received his doctorate in 1814 at age 13 years and 283 days, though records show others achieving doctorates around that age or younger, like Laurent Simons (15) and Dorothy Jean Tillman II (17) more recently in specific fields or institutions, highlighting rapid academic advancement.
 

What is the failure rate for PhD?

PhD failure (or attrition) rates are significant, often ranging from 30% to 50% in the U.S., though this varies by discipline, with humanities often having higher rates and STEM fields potentially lower. Key reasons for not completing include poor advisor relationships, procrastination, choosing overly broad topics, funding issues, and lack of support, with some studies showing completion rates as low as 49% in humanities within 10 years.
 

Who is the youngest CEO ever?

By 17, Suhas was recognized as the world's youngest CEO, and in 2008, he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. His story is often cited as one of India's early digital entrepreneurship successes.

What job makes $1,000,000 a year?

Healthcare, especially highly specialized medicine, enables seven-figure incomes, with top neurosurgeons and cardiac surgeons often exceeding $1 million in private practice. This is driven by demand for life-saving procedures, per a 2023 physician compensation study.

What do 90% of millionaires do?

About 90% of millionaires build wealth through long-term investing, often focusing on real estate, starting their own businesses, and making consistent, disciplined financial choices like budgeting, saving, and continuous self-education, rather than flashy spending, with a strong belief in controlling their own financial destiny. They prioritize tangible assets and income streams, using strategies like leverage and tax benefits, and avoid excessive spending on depreciating assets like luxury cars.
 

What is the richest college major?

So, what college majors make the most money? According to our analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data, many of the best-paying jobs with a bachelor's degree are in the engineering, computer science, and health industries. These fields are not only lucrative but also among the fastest-growing occupations.