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Account development representative education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an account development representative. Account development representatives usually study business, marketing, or communication. 74% of account development representatives hold a bachelor's degree, and 10% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,904 real account development representative resumes to see exactly what account development representative education sections show.

The most common colleges for account development representatives are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online account development representative courses to help get the education required to be an account development representative.

What education do you need to become an account development representative?

What degree do you need to be an account development representative?

The most common degree for account development representatives is bachelor's degree, with 74% of account development representatives earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 10% and master's degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 74%
  • Master's, 10%
  • Associate, 9%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become an account development representative?

You should major in business to become an account development representative. 31% of account development representatives major in business. Other common majors for an account development representative include marketing and communication.

Most common colleges for account development representatives

Account development representatives often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Pennsylvania State University, and University of California, Santa Barbara. Here are the most common colleges for account development representatives in the US based on their resumes.
Account development representative common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix13.13%
Pennsylvania State University8.08%
University of California, Santa Barbara6.57%
Grand Canyon University6.57%
University of South Carolina - Columbia6.06%

Best majors for account development representatives

RankMajorPercentages
1Business30.9%
2Marketing11.4%
3Communication8.8%
4Psychology7.7%
5Management3.7%

Best colleges for account development representatives

The best colleges for account development representatives are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

An account development representative with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for account development representatives. 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 account development representatives.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Maine Maritime Academy

Castine, ME • Private

In-state tuition

$13,478

Enrollment

979

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

20 best online courses for account development representatives

Advertising disclosure

1. Salesforce Sales Development Representative

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If you’ve always wanted a rewarding career, the tech sales industry may be the path for you. If you’re an ambitious problem-solver who likes to win, you’ll find tech sales not only fulfilling, but lucrative as well. As the tech industry continuously introduces innovative services and products, tech sales roles have become more crucial than ever. SDRs are in the front lines of the tech biz, connecting with customers and clients, and coming up with the smartest solutions for their problems. Sales...

2. HubSpot Sales Representative

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Whether you're completely new to sales and looking to start a new career, or you want to grow in your current sales role, this five-course career training program from the inbound sales experts at HubSpot can help you reach your career goals.\n\nYou’ll start by learning the basics of sales enablement and how sales and marketing teams can collaborate to create and keep relationships with their targeted buyers. You’ll develop data-driven sales goals and influential content to enable you to...

3. Sales Fire: B2B Sales & Business Development for Startups

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4.6
(584)

The Ultimate Sales Methodology for Business Development & B2B Sales to Learn Sales Strategy, Sales Skills & Deal Closing...

4. Business Development & B2B Sales for Startups- Sales Valley

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4.5
(6,788)

The Complete Startup Playbook for Business Development & B2B Sales to learn Lead Generation, Pitching, & Closing Deals...

5. KAM - Key Account Management - made simple

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4.4
(360)

How to master KAM - Key Account Management process...

6. CRM: Customer Relationship Management

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4.4
(1,546)

Practical Ideas To Generate Sales, Loyalty And Repeat Business Fast...

7. The Complete B2B Sales Masterclass: 6 Courses in 1

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4
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1. Generate Leads, 2. Pitch, 3. Close & Handle Any Objection: Get Certified in Cutting Edge, Non-Pushy B2B Sales System...

8. A Business Manager's Complete Guide to SalesForce CRM

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4.6
(892)

Improve collaboration, elevate proficiency and facilitate more productive business relationships in your organization...

9. Sales Machine: The Sales Training B2B Master Course

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4.6
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Learn Sales Strategies & Sales Techniques to Sell ANYTHING for Entrepreneurs, Startup, B2B Sales, & Business Development...

10. Business Mind - Mastering Business Development

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4.4
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Master in Practice the Product, Sales and Marketing Perspective of Business Development...

11. Sales Skills: 9 Sales Training Courses In 1

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Develop Extraordinary Sales Skills With The Ultimate Sales Training (Taught By 5 Top Sales Experts)...

12. Sales Training: Become A Sales Superstar

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Develop Advanced Sales Skills To Sell Anything Like A Champ (Taught By A World-class Salesman)...

13. Financial Accounting & Excel-Comprehensive Accounting Course

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4.3
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Comprehensive accounting course to learn the accounting cycle in a practical way and pick up critical Excel fundamentals...

14. The Complete Sales Skills Master Class - Sales Marketing B2B

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4.5
(741)

Master Sales Skills, Marketing Strategy, B2B Sales, Business Development, Lead Generation Using Top Social Skills...

15. LinkedIn Sales Navigator: LinkedIn's tool for B2B Sales

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4.1
(393)

Linked In Sales Navigator best remote practices for the Linked In premium service for business development and B2B sales...

16. Sales Training: How To Close More Sales

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4.5
(1,734)

Closing Sales: Sales Training Course: Sales Skills; Selling Techniques; Sales Strategies for B2B, B2C Direct Sales...

17. CSMath: Make Data-Driven Decisions in Customer Success

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4.2
(320)

Learn how to separate the signals from the noise!...

18. Linkedin Marketing: B2B Sales & Lead Generation From Scratch

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4.3
(874)

Grow Any Business With a Free Linkedin Account: Business Development, Lead Generation, Linkedin B2B Sales & More!...

19. Sales Skills & Negotiation Skills - Selling Masterclass

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4.5
(1,744)

Learn How To Sell - Step By Step Guide To Self Development As A Sales Consultant - Structured Training For Beginners...

20. Customer Service

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4.6
(11,267)

How to Approach New Customers and Maintain Existing Ones...

Top 10 most affordable universities for account development representatives

The most affordable schools for account development representatives are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for account development representatives 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 account development representatives.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

8. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Cost of attendance

22,990

10. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for account development representatives

The hardest universities for account development representatives to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for account development representatives 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 account development representatives 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. Brandeis University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

31%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for account development representatives

The easiest schools for account development representatives to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an account development representative 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 account development representatives.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

8. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

Average account development representative salary by education level

According to our data, account development representatives with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $76,266 annually. Account development representatives with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $72,347.
Account development representative education levelAccount development representative salary
Master's Degree$76,266
High School Diploma or Less$56,297
Bachelor's Degree$70,248
Doctorate Degree$72,347
Some College/ Associate Degree$57,447

Account development representative education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.