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Account planner education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an account planner. Account planners usually study business, marketing, or advertising. 82% of account planners hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 736 real account planner resumes to see exactly what account planner education sections show.

The most common colleges for account planners are the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas at Austin.

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

What education do you need to become an account planner?

What degree do you need to be an account planner?

The most common degree for account planners is bachelor's degree, with 82% of account planners earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 9% and master's degree degree at 6%.
  • Bachelor's, 82%
  • Master's, 9%
  • Associate, 6%
  • High School Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become an account planner?

You should major in business to become an account planner. 17% of account planners major in business. Other common majors for an account planner include marketing and advertising.

Most common colleges for account planners

Account planners often get their degrees at University of Texas at Austin, Boston University, and Brigham Young University. Here are the most common colleges for account planners in the US based on their resumes.
Account planner common collegePercentages
University of Texas at Austin12.30%
Boston University9.84%
Brigham Young University9.84%
Michigan State University9.02%
New York University5.74%

Best majors for account planners

RankMajorPercentages
1Business17.4%
2Marketing14.6%
3Advertising13.2%
4Communication13.0%
5Public Relations5.3%

Best colleges for account planners

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

An account planner 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 planners. 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 planners.

1. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

8. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

9. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

10. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

20 best online courses for account planners

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20. Introductory Financial Accounting

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Top 10 most affordable universities for account planners

The most affordable schools for account planners are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.

If the best universities for account planners 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 planners.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for account planners

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

Some great schools for account planners 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 planners 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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

9. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for account planners

The easiest schools for account planners to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, university of the incarnate word, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an account planner 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 planners.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

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. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

7. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

8. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

9. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

10. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

Average account planner salary by education level

According to our data, account planners with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $85,552 annually. Account planners with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $84,694.
Account planner education levelAccount planner salary
Master's Degree$84,694
Bachelor's Degree$73,480
Doctorate Degree$85,552

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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.

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