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Account executive education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an account executive. Account executives usually study business, marketing, or communication. 78% of account executives hold a bachelor's degree, and 10% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 218,138 real account executive resumes to see exactly what account executive education sections show.
The most common colleges for account executives are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online account executive courses to help get the education required to be an account executive.
There are certain account executive certifications that you should consider. These account executive certifications include Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Professional Certified Marketer (PCM).
What education do you need to become an account executive?
What degree do you need to be an account executive?
- Bachelor's, 78%
- Associate, 10%
- Master's, 6%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become an account executive?
- Business, 31%
- Marketing, 13%
- Communication, 11%
- Psychology, 5%
- Other Majors, 40%
Most common colleges for account executives
| Account executive common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 11.59% |
| Arizona State University | 6.34% |
| Michigan State University | 6.19% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 5.98% |
| Florida State University | 5.69% |
Best majors for account executives
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 30.7% |
| 2 | Marketing | 12.7% |
| 3 | Communication | 11.3% |
| 4 | Psychology | 4.6% |
| 5 | Management | 4.4% |
Best colleges for account executives
The best colleges for account executives are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.
An account executive 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 executives. 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 executives.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
5. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
6. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
7. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
9. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,530
Enrollment
4,571
20 best online courses for account executives
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Top 10 most affordable universities for account executives
The most affordable schools for account executives are SUNY Farmingdale, usf sarasota-manatee, and california state university - dominguez hills.
If the best universities for account executives 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 executives.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
3. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
6. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
7. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
10. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for account executives
The hardest universities for account executives to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.
Some great schools for account executives 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 executives 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
4. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
9. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
10. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for account executives
The easiest schools for account executives to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, holy names university, and gwynedd mercy university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an account executive 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 executives.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
3. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
6. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
7. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
8. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
9. Manor College
Jenkintown, PA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
898
10. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
Average account executive salary by education level
| Account executive education level | Account executive salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $88,261 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $58,992 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $79,139 |
| Doctorate Degree | $82,293 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $60,597 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025