10 Colleges That Made Them CEOs
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 the path for professional successes. The leaders who run the top companies in the nation attended a variety of colleges 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, Walmart Inc.
Fortune rank: 1
Degree: B.S., Business Administration
College: University of Arkansas
U.S. News rank: 152 (tie), National Universities
Darren W. Woods
Title and company: CEO and chairman, Exxon Mobil Corp.
Fortune rank: 2
Degree: B.S., Electrical Engineering
College: Texas A&M University--College Station
U.S. News rank: 66 (tie), National Universities
Tim Cook
Title and company: CEO, Apple Inc.
Fortune rank: 3
Degree: B.S., Industrial Engineering
College: Auburn University
U.S. News rank: 115 (tie), National Universities
Warren Buffett
Title and company: CEO and chairman, Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
Fortune rank: 4
Degree: B.S., Business Administration
College: University of Nebraska--Lincoln
U.S. News rank: 129 (tie), National Universities
Jeffrey P. Bezos
Title and company: Chairman, president and CEO, Amazon.com
Fortune rank: 5
Degree: B.S., Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
College: Princeton University
U.S. News rank: 1, National Universities
David S. Wichmann
Title and company: CEO and chairman, UnitedHealth Group Inc.
Fortune rank: 6
Degree: B.S., Accounting
College: Illinois State University
U.S. News rank: 171 (tie), National Universities
Brian Tyler
Title and company: CEO, McKesson Corp.
Fortune rank: 7
Degree: B.A., Economics
College: University of California--Santa Cruz
U.S. News rank: 70 (tie), National Universities
Larry J. Merlo
Title and company: CEO and president, CVS Health Corp.
Fortune rank: 8
Degree: B.S., Pharmacy
College: University of Pittsburgh
U.S. News rank: 70 (tie), National Universities
Randall L. Stephenson
Title and company: CEO, chairman and president, AT&T Inc.
Fortune rank: 9
Degree: B.S., Accounting
College: University of Central Oklahoma
U.S. News rank: 77 (tie), Regional Universities (West)
Steven H. Collis
Title and company: Chairman, president and CEO, AmerisourceBergen
Fortune rank: 10
Degree: Bachelor of Commerce
College: University of the Witwatersrand
U.S. News rank: 197 (tie), Best Global Universities
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.
Alma maters of the top Fortune 500 CEOs
-- C. Douglas McMillon, Walmart Inc., University of Arkansas
-- Darren W. Woods, Exxon Mobil Corp., Texas A&M University--College Station
-- Tim Cook, Apple, Auburn University
-- Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., University of Nebraska--Lincoln
-- Jeffrey P. Bezos, Amazon.com, Princeton University
-- David S. Wichmann, UnitedHealth Group Inc., Illinois State University
-- Brian Tyler, McKesson Corp., University of California--Santa Cruz
-- Larry J. Merlo, CVS Health Corp., University of Pittsburgh
-- Randall L. Stephenson, AT&T Inc., University of Central Oklahoma
-- Steven H. Collis, AmerisourceBergen, University of the Witwatersrand
