Who says you need a college degree to be one of America’s top CEOs? Well, the law of averages does. While there are a few exceptions, including Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, a formal education is standard for the top tier of the business world. The path to becoming a Fortune 500 CEO can include more than a college degree, but make no mistake—it most often includes a stop at one (or two) of the country’s colleges or universities.
However, while a bachelor’s degree and a graduate degree are common for top CEOs, there is no single major or graduate degree that they all share. Although business and computer science degrees are solidly represented, there are some less common inclusions. And of course, roughly half of the CEOs obtained an MBA.
Keep reading to discover the undergraduate and graduate degrees of some of the country’s top CEOs.
Doug McMillon, President and CEO
Company: Walmart (WMT)
Degree(s): B.S. Business Administration from the University of Arkansas; MBA, University of Tulsa
McMillon, a native of Jonesboro, Ark., began his career at Walmart as a summer associate at the company’s distribution center. He was also an assistant manager and a buyer trainee. Before he took the reins as CEO of Walmart, McMillon led Walmart’s Sam’s Club division, and then Walmart International.
Company: ExxonMobil (XOM)
Degree(s): B.S. Electrical Engineering, Texas A&M; MBA, Northwestern University
Warren Buffett, Chairman, and CEO
Company: Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A)
Degrees: B.S. Business Administration, University of Nebraska; MA, Economics, Columbia University
Tim Cook, CEO
Company: Apple (AAPL)
Degrees: B.S. Industrial Engineering, Auburn University; MBA, Duke University. Born in Mobile, Ala., Cook’s prior stints include North American fulfillment director at IBM (IBM) and COO at Intelligent Electronics. He was also vice president of corporate materials at the Compaq Computer Corporation.
Dave Wichmann, CEO
Company: United Healthgroup (UNH)
Degree: B.S. Accounting, Illinois State University
Wichmann is another company man. Joining the health services and insurance company in 1988, Wichmann served as senior vice president of Corporate Development, president of United Healthcare and CFO of the company, before being named CEO in September 2017.
Brian S. Tyler, CEO
Company: McKesson (MCK)
Brian Tyler has over twenty years experience with McKesson, having served in a many leadership roles in the company. Brian became CEO in 2018 after having led several major businesses within McKesson. Tyler was also the Chief Operations Officer overseeing the company’s global business operations, (CEO) of McKesson Europe, as well as the President of McKesson U.S. Pharmaceutical and Specialty Health.
Larry Merlo, President, and CEO
Company: CVS Health (CVS)
Degree: B.A. Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, School of Pharmacy
Jeff Bezos, Founder, Chairman, and CEO
Company: Amazon (AMZN)
Born in Albuquerque, N.M., Bezos and his family moved to Miami when he was a teenager. While in high school, Bezos launched his first business, the Dream Institute, which was an educational summer camp for fourth through sixth graders. Bezos also purchased The Washington Post in 2013.
Randall L. Stephenson, Chairman, and CEO
Company: AT&T (T)
Degrees: B.S. Accounting, University of Central Oklahoma; M.A. Accounting, University of Oklahoma
Stephenson started his career with the information technology company Southwestern Bell Telephone in 1982. He worked his way up the ranks, moving through a series of leadership positions in finance in the company, before being named chief financial officer in 2001, and then a chief operating officer in 2004. In 2007, AT&T announced that Stephenson would be chairman and CEO of the company.
Mary Barra, CEO
Company: General Motors (GM)
Degrees: B.S. Electrical Engineering, Kettering University; MBA, Stanford University
Sundar Pichai, CEO
Company: Alphabet (GOOG)
With his education and early work experience at Applied Materials, Sundar joined Google in 2004 as a product manager. Pichai became a project manager leading initiatives on Google Chrome, Chrome OS, and Google Drive. Sundar oversaw product development for Gmail and Google Maps as well as the debut of Chrome OS and the Chromebook in 2011.
The Total SUmmary
America’s top CEOs have degrees in a number of majors. Each leader has a strong academic background that helped them develop discipline, inventiveness, and analytical skills. Those who pursued an MBA increased their business acumen while honing their management and leadership skills.
CREDIT:investopedia
