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Acquisition analyst education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an acquisition analyst. Acquisition analysts usually study business, finance, or economics. 74% of acquisition analysts hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,899 real acquisition analyst resumes to see exactly what acquisition analyst education sections show.
The most common colleges for acquisition analysts are the Strayer University and the Strayer University.
There are also many online acquisition analyst courses to help get the education required to be an acquisition analyst.
There are certain acquisition analyst certifications that you should consider. These acquisition analyst certifications include Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
What education do you need to become an acquisition analyst?
What degree do you need to be an acquisition analyst?
- Bachelor's, 74%
- Master's, 16%
- Associate, 7%
- High School Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become an acquisition analyst?
- Business, 33%
- Finance, 15%
- Economics, 8%
- Accounting, 7%
- Other Majors, 37%
Most common colleges for acquisition analysts
| Acquisition analyst common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Strayer University | 11.79% |
| New York University | 8.13% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 7.72% |
| University of Southern California | 6.10% |
| University of Washington | 5.28% |
Best majors for acquisition analysts
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 33.1% |
| 2 | Finance | 14.5% |
| 3 | Economics | 8.2% |
| 4 | Accounting | 7.4% |
| 5 | Management | 5.5% |
Best colleges for acquisition analysts
The best colleges for acquisition analysts are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.
An acquisition analyst with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for acquisition analysts. 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 acquisition analysts.
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. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
6. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
9. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
10. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$53,391
Enrollment
8,568
20 best online courses for acquisition analysts
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1. Mergers and Acquisitions
In a post-pandemic world, companies across the globe are constantly looking to expand and grow their businesses. Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) offers many ways to achieve this goal. Through this 6-course specialization in Mergers and Acquisitions, you will gain a well-rounded knowledge of key concepts that form the foundations of a successful M&A deal.\n\nThe courses in this specialization focus on types of M&A deals and complex organizational structures. Topics covered include:\n\nHow to...
2. Remote Sensing Image Acquisition, Analysis and Applications
Welcome to Remote Sensing Image Acquisition, Analysis and Applications, in which we explore the nature of imaging the earth's surface from space or from airborne vehicles. This course covers the fundamental nature of remote sensing and the platforms and sensor types used. It also provides an in-depth treatment of the computational algorithms employed in image understanding, ranging from the earliest historically important techniques to more recent approaches based on deep learning. It assumes...
3. Real Estate Acquisitions 101
How To Identify Commercial Properties, Run Due Diligence, Raise Capital, and Close Commercial Real Estate Transactions...
4. Mergers & Acquisitions - M & A, Valuation & Selling a Company
Mergers and Acquisitions - Step by Step M & A, Company Valuation, Negotiation Skills, Business Plans and Finance...
5. Advanced Financial Reporting: Accounting for Business Combinations and Preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements
This course covers the accounting for business combinations (ASC 805), the preparation of consolidated financial statements (ASC 810), and other related topics including, but not limited to: step-by-step acquisition, deconsolidation, segments reporting, and the goodwill impairment test. This course begins with a discussion of the scope of ASC 805 and the differences between business combinations and asset acquisitions. Next, the course explores the measurement and recognition principles of the...
6. Accounting for Mergers and Acquisitions: Foundations
This course aims at assisting you in interpreting financial accounting information related to inter-corporate investments. The course will cover three main topics over four modules: (i) accounting for passive, significant influence, and control type of inter-corporate investments, (ii) special issues and considerations in inter-corporate investments, and (iii) special types of inter-corporate investments. The course will be useful for students to understand complex organizational structures...
7. The Complete Mergers & Acquisitions Master Class!
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8. Advanced Financial Accounting: Acquisitions & Consolidations
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10. Employer Branding for Talent Acquisition
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11. Real Estate Asset Management 101
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12. Lead Generation & Business Development with Dekker Fraser
Customer Acquisition, B2B Marketing, Sales Funnels, Business Development, Demand Generation, Sales Funnel Marketing...
13. The Guide To Office & Industrial Real Estate Investing
How To Analyze Office and Industrial Real Estate Investments For Smarter Investing...
14. The Real Estate Financial Modeling Bootcamp
The Complete A to Z Guide to Modeling Real Estate Transactions in Microsoft Excel For Smarter Real Estate Investing...
15. The Advanced Real Estate Pro Forma Modeling Master Class
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16. The Complete Guide To Analyzing Single Family Rental Homes
How To Analyze and Evaluate Single Family Rental Property Acquisition Opportunities...
17. [2023] Recruiting: Talent Acquisition & Hiring (Version 3.2)
Be able to hire great people! Learn recruitment in a bestselling recruiting course used by IBM®, e Bay®, Lyft® & others...
18. Intro to Real Estate Development
Learn professional techniques and use investment-grade models to analyze real estate development deals...
19. The Real Estate Pro Forma Modeling Master Class
The Complete Step-By-Step Guide To Building Dynamic, Institutional-Quality Real Estate Pro Forma Models in Excel...
20. Business Analyst: Project Management Techniques and Tools
Learn project management techniques to increase your project success rate as a Business Analyst!...
Top 10 most affordable universities for acquisition analysts
The most affordable schools for acquisition analysts are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for acquisition analysts 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 acquisition analysts.
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. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
5. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
7. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
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 - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for acquisition analysts
The hardest universities for acquisition analysts to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for acquisition analysts 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 acquisition analysts 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. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
8. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
9. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
10. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for acquisition analysts
The easiest schools for acquisition analysts to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, holy names university, and university of houston - downtown.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an acquisition analyst 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 acquisition analysts.
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. University of Houston - Downtown
Houston, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,012
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
6. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
7. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
8. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
9. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
10. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
Average acquisition analyst salary by education level
| Acquisition analyst education level | Acquisition analyst salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $74,363 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $66,464 |
| Doctorate Degree | $84,196 |
Acquisition analyst education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025