10 Colleges That Made Them CEOs

Briana Boyington

June 27, 2016 at 7:00 AM

Where Fortune 500 CEOs Went to School

Hard work and dedication propelled these people to the CEO positions they hold today, but they all received an education that put them on paths for professional successes. The leaders who run the top companies in the nation attended a variety of schools to build a strong academic foundation. See where the CEOs at the top 10 Fortune 500 companies got their start.

C. Douglas McMillon

Title and company: CEO and president, Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Fortune rank: 1

Degree: B.S., Business Administration

College: University of Arkansas

U.S. News rank: 129 (tie), National Universities

Rex W. Tillerson

Title and company: CEO and chairman, Exxon Mobil Corp.

Fortune rank: 2

Degree: B.S., Civil Engineering

College: University of Texas--Austin

U.S. News rank: 52 (tie), National Universities

Timothy D. Cook

Title and company: CEO, Apple Inc.

Fortune rank: 3

Degree: B.S., Industrial Engineering

College: Auburn University

U.S. News rank: 102, National Universities

Warren E. Buffett

Title and company: CEO, Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Fortune rank: 4

Degree: B.S., Economics

College: University of Nebraska

U.S. News rank: 103 (tie), National Universities

John H. Hammergren

Title and company: CEO, president and chairman, McKesson Corp.

Fortune rank: 5

Degree: B.A., Business Administration

College: University of Minnesota--Twin Cities

U.S. News rank: 69, National Universities

Stephen J. Hemsley

Title and company: CEO and president, UnitedHealth Group Inc.

Fortune rank: 6

Degree: B.A., Accounting

College: Fordham University

U.S. News rank: 66 (tie), National Universities

Larry J. Merlo

Title and company: CEO and president, CVS Health Corp.

Fortune rank: 7

Degree: B.S., Pharmacy

College: University of Pittsburgh

U.S. News rank: 66 (tie), National Universities

Mary T. Barra

Title and company: CEO and chairman, General Motors Co.

Fortune rank: 8

Degree: B.S., Electrical engineering

College: Kettering University

U.S. News rank: 23 (tie), Regional Universities (Midwest)

Mark Fields

Title and company: CEO and president, Ford Motor Co.

Fortune rank: 9

Degree: B.A., Economics

College: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey--New Brunswick

U.S. News rank: 72 (tie), National Universities

Randall L. Stephenson

Title and company: CEO and chairman, AT&T Inc.

Fortune rank: 10

Degree: B.S., Accounting

College: University of Central Oklahoma

U.S. News rank: 81 (tie), Regional Universities (West)

Are You the Next Fortune 500 CEO?

The CEOs among the top 10 Fortune 500 companies all come from different backgrounds and levels of education, which begs the question: What does it take to become a Fortune 500 CEO? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook or Twitter.

Briana Boyington is an education Web producer at U.S. News. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at bboyington@usnews.com.

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10 Colleges That Made Them CEOs

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