 He graduated from Carthage College in 1944 with a BA (and was awarded an honorary LLD in 1970), from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1949 with a LLB, and attended the Harvard University's six-week Advanced Management Program in 1966.Clausen was certified to practice law after graduating from the University of Minnesota Law School, but instead he got a job at the Bank of America in Los Angeles, California.He became vice president in 1961, senior vice president in 1965, executive vice president in 1968, vice chairman of the board in 1969, and president and CEO in 1970.