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Business development internship education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a business development internship. Business development interns usually study business, finance, or marketing. 79% of business development interns hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 9,093 real business development internship resumes to see exactly what business development internship education sections show.

The most common colleges for business development interns are the New York University and the New York University.

There are also many online business development internship courses to help get the education required to be a business development internship.

There are certain business development internship certifications that you should consider. These business development internship certifications include Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate and Certified Economic Developer (CEcD).

What education do you need to become a business development internship?

What degree do you need to be a business development internship?

The most common degree for business development interns is bachelor's degree, with 79% of business development interns earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 12% and master's degree degree at 4%.
  • Bachelor's, 79%
  • Master's, 12%
  • Associate, 4%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a business development internship?

You should major in business to become a business development internship. 27% of business development interns major in business. Other common majors for a business development internship include finance and marketing.

Most common colleges for business development interns

Business development interns often get their degrees at New York University, University of California - Davis, and University of California, Santa Barbara. Here are the most common colleges for business development interns in the US based on their resumes.
Business development internship common collegePercentages
New York University10.38%
University of California - Davis8.96%
University of California, Santa Barbara7.43%
University of Southern California6.78%
University of Texas at Austin5.90%

Best majors for business development interns

RankMajorPercentages
1Business27.5%
2Finance10.5%
3Marketing10.4%
4Economics10.2%
5Management5.0%

Best colleges for business development interns

The best colleges for business development interns are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

A business development internship with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for business development interns. 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 business development interns.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

4. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

7. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

9. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

10. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

20 best online courses for business development interns

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Top 10 most affordable universities for business development interns

The most affordable schools for business development interns are Baruch College of the City University of New York, usf sarasota-manatee, and florida international university.

If the best universities for business development interns 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 business development interns.

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. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

3. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

8. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

9. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

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 business development interns

The hardest universities for business development interns to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for business development interns 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 business development interns 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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for business development interns

The easiest schools for business development interns to get into are Barry University, holy names university, and notre dame college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a business development internship 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 business development interns.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

4. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

6. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

7. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

8. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

9. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

10. Cleary University

Howell, MI • Private

Admissions rate

58%

SAT average

1,039

Average business development internship salary by education level

According to our data, business development interns with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $38,033 annually. Business development interns with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $37,512.
Business development internship education levelBusiness development internship salary
Master's Degree$37,512
Bachelor's Degree$34,733
Doctorate Degree$38,033
Some College/ Associate Degree$31,051

Business development internship 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.

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