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Advertising account executive education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an advertising account executive. Advertising account executives usually study business, communication, or marketing. 78% of advertising account executives hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 5,106 real advertising account executive resumes to see exactly what advertising account executive education sections show.
The most common colleges for advertising account executives are the University of Florida and the University of Florida.
There are also many online advertising account executive courses to help get the education required to be an advertising account executive.
There are certain advertising account executive certifications that you should consider. These advertising account executive certifications include Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Certified Advertising Specialist (CAS).
What education do you need to become an advertising account executive?
What degree do you need to be an advertising account executive?
- Bachelor's, 78%
- Associate, 12%
- Master's, 5%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become an advertising account executive?
- Business, 22%
- Communication, 16%
- Marketing, 14%
- Journalism, 7%
- Other Majors, 41%
Most common colleges for advertising account executives
| Advertising account executive common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Florida | 7.60% |
| University of Phoenix | 7.35% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 5.88% |
| University of Iowa | 5.88% |
| Michigan State University | 5.64% |
Best majors for advertising account executives
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 22.4% |
| 2 | Communication | 16.4% |
| 3 | Marketing | 14.2% |
| 4 | Journalism | 6.7% |
| 5 | Public Relations | 5.4% |
Best colleges for advertising account executives
The best colleges for advertising account executives are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Boston University.
An advertising 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 advertising 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 advertising account executives.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. SUNY College at Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,369
Enrollment
5,229
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$45,542
Enrollment
14,159
9. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,853
Enrollment
14,759
10. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
20 best online courses for advertising account executives
Advertising disclosure
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15. Sales Forecasting in Excel for Management Consultants
A practical guide on how to do basic sales forecasting models in Excel with case studies & real-life examples...
16. LinkedIn Sales Navigator: LinkedIn's tool for B2B Sales
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Top 10 most affordable universities for advertising account executives
The most affordable schools for advertising account executives are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - dominguez hills.
If the best universities for advertising 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 advertising account executives.
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. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
4. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
10. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for advertising account executives
The hardest universities for advertising account executives to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Boston University.
Some great schools for advertising 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 advertising 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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
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. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
10. Fordham University
Bronx, NY • Private
Admissions rate
46%
SAT average
1,354
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for advertising account executives
The easiest schools for advertising account executives to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and gwynedd mercy university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an advertising 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 advertising account executives.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
3. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
4. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
5. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
6. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
7. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
8. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
9. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
10. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
Average advertising account executive salary by education level
| Advertising account executive education level | Advertising account executive salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $55,460 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $66,757 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $54,849 |
Advertising account executive education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025