Explore Jobs
Find Specific Jobs
Explore Careers
Explore Professions
Best Companies
Explore Companies
Meeting/Event Planner Education Requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a meeting/event planner. Meeting/event planners usually study business, hospitality management, or communication. 73% of meeting/event planners hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 718 real meeting/event planner resumes to see exactly what meeting/event planner education sections show.
The most common colleges for meeting/event planners are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.
There are also many online meeting/event planner courses to help get the education required to be a meeting/event planner.
There are certain meeting/event planner certifications that you should consider. These meeting/event planner certifications include Certification in Meetings Management (CMM) and Accreditation in Public Relations (PR).
What education do you need to become a meeting/event planner?
What degree do you need to be a meeting/event planner?
- Bachelor's, 73%
- Associate, 17%
- Master's, 6%
- High School Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a meeting/event planner?
- Business, 24%
- Communication, 10%
- Marketing, 9%
- Other Majors, 42%
Most common colleges for meeting/event planners
Meeting/Event Planner Common College  | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania State University | 7.06% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 7.06% |
| Southern Illinois University Carbondale | 5.88% |
| San Diego State University | 5.88% |
| New York University | 5.88% |
Best majors for meeting/event planners
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 24.0% |
| 2 | Hospitality Management | 14.7% |
| 3 | Communication | 9.8% |
| 4 | Marketing | 8.5% |
| 5 | Psychology | 5.4% |
Best colleges for meeting/event planners
The best colleges for meeting/event planners are Stanford University, Cornell University, and Northwestern University.
A meeting/event planner with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for meeting/event planners. 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 meeting/event planners.
1. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
2. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
3. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
4. University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Lincoln, NE • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,242
Enrollment
20,592
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
20 best online courses for meeting/event planners
Advertising Disclosure
1. Launch your first online meeting with ZOOM
At the end of this project, you will learn how to use the ZOOM platform to establish online meetings for personal or professional purposes. This Guided Project is an introduction to ZOOM and is designed for people who want access to an easy-to-use, free, and powerful tool to connect virtually but privately with people anywhere in the world. ZOOM offers secure access to create, manage or join telephone or video meetings with as many participants as you wish. In addition, ZOOM offers extensive...
2. Managing Difficult Meeting Participants
Dealing with Negativism and Other Difficult Behaviors of Meeting Participants...
3. Make Meetings Work & Tackle Time Management Troubles
Manage your time and conduct the best meeting possible with these techniques and goals...
4. Leading Effective Meetings
Learn how to effectively plan, run, & manage meetings of any kind. Increase your team's productivity & participation...
5. Leading Effective Meetings - You Can Lead Effective Meetings
Learn How to Plan Effective Meetings, Run Effective Meetings and Generate Results After Your Meetings...
6. Better Virtual Meetings: How to Lead Effective Meetings
Learn the basics of facilitation and minute taking at meetings to save time, improve communication, and get things done...
7. How to Run truly Productive Meetings - and add value
Learn to Run Great Meetings, Raise Your Profile and Boost Productivity...
8. Leading Effective Meetings: Beginner's Guide
Learn how to successfully lead meetings that boost motivation and productivity while using time effectively...
9. Minute Taking at Meetings
Minute Taking: making the taking of notes/minutes at formal and informal meetings easier...
10. Leading Effective 1-on-1 Meetings: Win loyalty and retention
Learn how to structure and lead effective 1-on-1 meetings to boost results & benefit your job and career...
Top 10 most affordable universities for meeting/event planners
The most affordable schools for meeting/event planners are USF Sarasota-Manatee, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for meeting/event planners 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 meeting/event planners.
U
1. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,587
Cost of Attendance
13,043
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,306
Cost of Attendance
16,091
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,309
Cost of Attendance
16,714
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,798
Cost of Attendance
18,306
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,620
Cost of Attendance
18,136
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for meeting/event planners
The hardest universities for meeting/event planners to get into are Stanford University, Cornell University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for meeting/event planners 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 meeting/event planners 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
4%
SAT Average
1,497
2. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
11%
SAT Average
1,471
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions Rate
8%
SAT Average
1,508
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
13%
SAT Average
1,445
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
20%
SAT Average
1,419
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for meeting/event planners
The easiest schools for meeting/event planners to get into are University of North Texas at Dallas, oklahoma wesleyan university, and notre dame college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a meeting/event planner 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 meeting/event planners.
1. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions Rate
83%
SAT Average
992
2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions Rate
68%
SAT Average
964
3. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions Rate
90%
SAT Average
994
4. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
83%
SAT Average
1,061
5. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
82%
SAT Average
983
Average meeting/event planner salary by education level
| Meeting/Event Planner education level | Meeting/Event Planner salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $51,504 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $44,919 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $51,449 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $47,703 |
Meeting/Event Planner Education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.
Search for meeting/event planner jobs
Loading...
Loading...
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025