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Business development officer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a business development officer. Business development officers usually study business, finance, or marketing. 73% of business development officers hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,185 real business development officer resumes to see exactly what business development officer education sections show.
The most common colleges for business development officers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online business development officer courses to help get the education required to be a business development officer.
There are certain business development officer certifications that you should consider. These business development officer certifications include Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified Sales Professional (CSP).
What education do you need to become a business development officer?
What degree do you need to be a business development officer?
- Bachelor's, 73%
- Master's, 14%
- Associate, 7%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a business development officer?
- Business, 34%
- Finance, 14%
- Marketing, 8%
- Accounting, 6%
- Other Majors, 38%
Most common colleges for business development officers
| Business development officer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 14.51% |
| Arizona State University | 7.84% |
| Ohio State University | 5.88% |
| New York University | 5.49% |
| California State University - San Bernardino | 5.49% |
Best majors for business development officers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 33.7% |
| 2 | Finance | 13.7% |
| 3 | Marketing | 7.9% |
| 4 | Accounting | 5.8% |
| 5 | Economics | 5.7% |
Best colleges for business development officers
The best colleges for business development officers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.
A business development officer 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 officers. 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 officers.
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. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
5. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
6. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
7. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
8. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
9. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
10. Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$52,930
Enrollment
5,030
20 best online courses for business development officers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for business development officers
The most affordable schools for business development officers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and florida state university.
If the best universities for business development officers 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 officers.
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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. USF St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,821
Cost of attendance
19,849
10. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for business development officers
The hardest universities for business development officers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.
Some great schools for business development officers 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 officers 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. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
5. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL • Private
Admissions rate
32%
SAT average
1,365
9. Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,380
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 officers
The easiest schools for business development officers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a business development officer 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 officers.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
4. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
5. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
6. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
7. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
8. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
9. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
10. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
Average business development officer salary by education level
| Business development officer education level | Business development officer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $104,687 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $69,709 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $88,148 |
| Doctorate Degree | $100,250 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $72,192 |
Business development officer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025