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Advertising sales representative education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an advertising sales representative. Advertising sales representatives usually study business, communication, or marketing. 69% of advertising sales representatives hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 4,447 real advertising sales representative resumes to see exactly what advertising sales representative education sections show.

The most common colleges for advertising sales representatives are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain advertising sales representative certifications that you should consider. These advertising sales representative certifications include Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Certified Advertising Specialist (CAS).

What education do you need to become an advertising sales representative?

What degree do you need to be an advertising sales representative?

The most common degree for advertising sales representatives is bachelor's degree, with 69% of advertising sales representatives earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 14% and associate degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 69%
  • Associate, 14%
  • High School Diploma, 9%
  • Master's, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become an advertising sales representative?

You should major in business to become an advertising sales representative. 24% of advertising sales representatives major in business. Other common majors for an advertising sales representative include communication and marketing.

Most common colleges for advertising sales representatives

Advertising sales representatives often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Michigan State University, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for advertising sales representatives in the US based on their resumes.
Advertising sales representative common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix8.42%
Michigan State University7.33%
Pennsylvania State University5.86%
University of Georgia5.86%
Appalachian State University5.49%

Best majors for advertising sales representatives

RankMajorPercentages
1Business23.5%
2Communication13.0%
3Marketing11.2%
4Journalism6.8%
5Psychology4.5%

Best colleges for advertising sales representatives

The best colleges for advertising sales representatives are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Boston University.

An advertising sales 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 advertising sales 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 advertising sales representatives.

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 sales representatives

Advertising disclosure

1. Salesforce Sales Development Representative

coursera

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

coursera

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

udemy
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

udemy
4.5
(6,788)

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

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

udemy
4
(413)

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

6. Sales Training Pro: The Complete Sales Presentation Course

udemy
4.6
(346)

Practical, Hands-on Sales Techniques and Tools to Effortlessly Engage your Customers In Your Sales Presentations...

7. Cold Calling for B2B Sales: How to Prospect over the Phone

udemy
4.5
(2,576)

B2B Sales Skill: How to Cold Call over the Phone with Purpose, Navigate through Gatekeepers and Set Client Meetings...

8. Cold Calling Mastery

udemy
4.8
(350)

Become fantastic at Cold Calling - making cold calls for lead generation, sales, & business development...

9. Sales Skills: 9 Sales Training Courses In 1

udemy
4.4
(994)

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

10. Customer Service: How to sell more without advertising

udemy
4.5
(1,122)

Learn how to create a customer experience that earns you customer loyalty and creates word of mouth advertising...

11. Sales Machine: The Sales Training B2B Master Course

udemy
4.6
(4,040)

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

12. Sales and Marketing For Online Businesses

udemy
4
(1,581)

A Beginners Guide To Sales & Marketing For Your Online Business And Ventures...

13. Sales Training: Become A Sales Superstar

udemy
4.7
(262)

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

14. B2B Sales Skills: LinkedIn Lead Generation, Cold Email Sales

udemy
4.5
(327)

High-ticket B2B sales and marketing. Generate leads, sell to big companies, and win large deals. Learn sales skills!...

15. Create B2B Sales Cold Calling Scripts & Value Propositions

udemy
4.6
(1,592)

B2B Sales Skill: Create Personalized Talk Tracks for Sales Reps that Win more Prospects and Close more Deals...

16. Sales Training: How To Close More Sales

udemy
4.5
(1,734)

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

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

udemy
4.5
(741)

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

18. Sales Training: Practical Sales Techniques

udemy
4.6
(23,968)

Sales Hacking: Essential sales skills, sales strategies and sales techniques to sell just about anything!...

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

udemy
4.1
(393)

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

20. Sales Skills Training: Give a Winning Sales Presentation

udemy
4.3
(281)

Stronger Sales Skills to Help You Win More Business...

Top 10 most affordable universities for advertising sales representatives

The most affordable schools for advertising sales representatives are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - dominguez hills.

If the best universities for advertising sales 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 advertising sales representatives.

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 sales representatives

The hardest universities for advertising sales representatives to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Boston University.

Some great schools for advertising sales 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 advertising sales 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. 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 sales representatives

The easiest schools for advertising sales representatives 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 sales 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 advertising sales representatives.

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 sales representative salary by education level

Advertising sales representatives with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $71,456 annually. With a High School Diploma degree, advertising sales representatives earn a median annual income of $52,125 compared to $51,152 for advertising sales representatives with an Associate degree.
Advertising sales representative education levelAdvertising sales representative salary
High School Diploma or Less$52,125
Bachelor's Degree$71,456
Some College/ Associate Degree$51,152

Advertising sales 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.