There is no single degree that all CEOs hold. Education backgrounds vary widely by industry and personal path. Still, some patterns show up in the data.
A study by language provider Preply of top CEOs found that 34.6 percent hold a master’s or doctorate degree, and 22.3 percent hold an MBA. Economics, business administration, and engineering are among the most common fields studied. The MBA stands out as the most popular graduate degree for top executives.
International research tells a similar story. A Study.EU analysis of 231 CEOs at large public companies found that 97 percent hold at least a bachelor’s degree, more than 60 percent hold a master’s or MBA, and 29 percent hold an MBA. About 32 percent studied abroad during their education. The same study found that only about 4.6 percent of these top CEOs are women, and about a third of Chinese CEOs in the sample hold doctorate degrees.
Some well-known CEOs skipped college. Bill Gates left Harvard, and Mark Zuckerberg left Harvard to build Facebook. Larry Ellison, Michael Dell, and Jack Dorsey also left school to start companies. Larry Page, by contrast, completed his degrees, earning a master’s from Stanford. These exceptions show that drive and timing can matter as much as credentials.
Education is one factor among many. Experience, leadership ability, and judgment shape a CEO’s success at least as much as a diploma. Aspiring executives often build their credentials through online MBA programs or top online MBA programs while working. Readers interested in executive careers can also see how successful CEOs manage their time and explore accredited online business degree programs.
