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Business office representative education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a business office representative. Business office representatives usually study business, health care administration, or psychology. 36% of business office representatives hold a bachelor's degree, and 28% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 782 real business office representative resumes to see exactly what business office representative education sections show.

The most common colleges for business office representatives are the Texas State University and the Texas State University.

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

There are certain business office representative certifications that you should consider. These business office representative certifications include Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

What education do you need to become a business office representative?

What degree do you need to be a business office representative?

The most common degree for business office representatives is bachelor's degree, with 36% of business office representatives earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 28% and associate degree degree at 18%.
  • Bachelor's, 36%
  • Associate, 28%
  • High School Diploma, 18%
  • Diploma, 8%
  • Other Degrees, 10%

What should I major in to become a business office representative?

You should major in business to become a business office representative. 28% of business office representatives major in business. Other common majors for a business office representative include health care administration and psychology.

Most common colleges for business office representatives

Business office representatives often get their degrees at Texas State University, University of Phoenix, and University of Southern Mississippi. Here are the most common colleges for business office representatives in the US based on their resumes.
Business office representative common collegePercentages
Texas State University20.90%
University of Phoenix13.43%
University of Southern Mississippi5.97%
Northeastern State University4.48%
Arkansas State University4.48%

Best majors for business office representatives

RankMajorPercentages
1Business27.6%
2Health Care Administration14.6%
3Psychology6.5%
4General Studies5.8%
5Accounting5.4%

Best colleges for business office representatives

The best colleges for business office representatives are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A business office 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 business office 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 business office representatives.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

7. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

8. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

9. Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,105

Enrollment

13,729

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

20 best online courses for business office representatives

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Top 10 most affordable universities for business office representatives

The most affordable schools for business office representatives are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for business office 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 business office 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. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for business office representatives

The hardest universities for business office representatives to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for business office 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 business office 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

10. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for business office representatives

The easiest schools for business office representatives to get into are D'Youville College, mount saint mary's university, and gwynedd mercy university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a business office 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 business office representatives.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

8. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

9. University of Maine at Fort Kent

Fort Kent, ME • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

1,005

10. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

Average business office representative salary by education level

Business office representatives with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $35,016 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, business office representatives earn a median annual income of $34,221 compared to $32,901 for business office representatives with an Associate degree.
Business office representative education levelBusiness office representative salary
Master's Degree$35,016
High School Diploma or Less$32,024
Bachelor's Degree$34,221
Some College/ Associate Degree$32,901

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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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