Best Colleges For Business Sales Representatives

In a lot of cases, a higher education can mean a higher salary or even a better job. That's why we found out the best colleges for business sales representatives. We based this list on these metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of students working, ratio of working vs. non-working students 10 years after admission, average cost of attendance and median debt for graduates.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Maine Maritime Academy

Castine, ME • Private

In-State Tuition

$13,478

Enrollment

979

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

Business Sales Representative Education Requirements

The education needed to be a business sales representative is normally a bachelor's degree. Business sales representatives usually study business, marketing or communication. 68% of business sales representatives hold a bachelor's degree and 15% hold a associate degree. We found these by analyzing 3,590 business sales representative resumes to investigate the topic of business sales representative education more precisely.

The most common colleges for students to pursue their goal of becoming a business sales representative are University of Phoenix and Middle Tennessee State University. We also broke down what colleges provide the best overall education for a business sales representative. Students have a great path to earning their business sales representative qualifications at the following schools:

  1. Stanford University
  2. University of Pennsylvania
  3. Northwestern University

If you're interested in getting a college degree in an affordable college for business sales representatives - SUNY Farmingdale is an excellent option for you. If your SAT or ACT score aren't as high as you'd like, you can look at Oklahoma Wesleyan University, as the admission requirements aren't too selective. On the other end of that spectrum are the Stanford University, Northwestern University and University of Pennsylvania.

For those who would rather stay in your pajamas during the day, we prepared some online courses that can help in business sales representative education paths.

We prepared a list of a business sales representative certifications that you should consider. The necessary certifications that business sales representatives must have to succeed are Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

What Education Do You Need To Become a Business Sales Representative?

What degree do you need to be a Business Sales Representative?

The most common degree for business sales representatives is bachelor's degree 68% of business sales representatives earn that degree. A close second is associate degree with 15% and rounding it off is high school diploma with 8%.

  • Bachelors, 68%
  • Associate, 15%
  • High School Diploma, 8%
  • Masters, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What Should I Major in to Become a Business Sales Representative?

Most business sales representatives, 36% to be exact, major in business. Some other common majors for a business sales representative include marketing and communication majors.

Most Common Colleges For Business Sales Representatives

Here are the most common colleges for a business sales representative career in the US based on their resumes. Advocates often get their degree in University of Phoenix, Middle Tennessee State University, and Temple University .

Business Sales Representative Common CollegePercentages
University of Phoenix15.36%
Middle Tennessee State University6.74%
Temple University5.62%
Texas State University5.62%
Ohio State University5.24%

Best Majors For Business Sales Representatives

RankMajorPercentages
1Business35.8%
2Marketing10.8%
3Communication8.1%
4Management5.0%
5Finance4.0%

20 Best Online Courses for Business Sales Representatives

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1. Salesforce Sales Development Representative

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3. Sales Fire: B2B Sales & Business Development for Startups

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4.2
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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

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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

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4.2
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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

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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

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

8. Sales Machine: The Sales Training B2B Master Course

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

9. Sales Training: How To Close More Sales

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

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

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

11. Sales Skills: 9 Sales Training Courses In 1

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

12. B2B Sales Objections Simplified

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B2B Sales Skill: Learn How to Handle the Most Common Sales Objections, Over the Phone and in Person!...

13. Create B2B Sales Cold Calling Scripts & Value Propositions

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

14. CRUSH IT! Sales Strategies

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Discover a step by step sales process you can drop into your business to re-connect with lost prospects. Close Sales Now...

15. Sales Training: Practical Sales Techniques

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

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

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

17. Sales Fundamentals

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Learn how to sell with core, proven techniques that have generated millions in sales revenue...

18. Sales Funnels Masterclass: Increase Sales With Sales Funnels

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Learn to create highly converting sales, conduct professional email marketing & 10X your sales with sales funnel fast!...

19. Sales Skills Mastery 1: Sales Training For Beginners

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Selling Techniques and Sales Strategy that Every Salesperson Ought to Know - Sales Training For the Modern World...

20. Sales and Marketing For Online Businesses

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

Top 10 Affordable Universities For Business Sales Representatives

If those top 10 were a bit out of your price range, you might want to check these schools instead. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price and mean earnings after 6 years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for business sales representatives.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,306

Cost of Attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,309

Cost of Attendance

16,714

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,262

Cost of Attendance

14,046

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,942

Cost of Attendance

14,469

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,240

Cost of Attendance

13,991

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,620

Cost of Attendance

18,136

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,238

Cost of Attendance

21,567

8. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,587

Cost of Attendance

13,043

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Cost of Attendance

22,990

10. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,419

Cost of Attendance

17,697

Top 10 Hardest Universities To Get Into For Business Sales Representatives

Some people like a challenge. Well, we challenge you to get into one of these schools. It's not going to be easy. We know this based on these institutions' admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted and mean earnings of students 6 years after admission.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

4%

SAT Average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions Rate

8%

SAT Average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions Rate

8%

SAT Average

1,492

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

22%

SAT Average

1,420

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

20%

SAT Average

1,419

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

13%

SAT Average

1,445

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. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

40%

SAT Average

1,376

10. Brandeis University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

31%

SAT Average

1,398

Top 10 Easier To Apply Universities For Business Sales Representatives

Why make getting a job harder on yourself than it has to be? With these colleges, you're sure to be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores and average salary of students 6 years after graduation in order to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions Rate

68%

SAT Average

964

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

82%

SAT Average

983

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

70%

SAT Average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions Rate

90%

SAT Average

994

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

83%

SAT Average

1,061

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

98%

SAT Average

999

7. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions Rate

94%

SAT Average

979

8. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

100%

SAT Average

1,072

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions Rate

97%

SAT Average

1,050

10. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions Rate

96%

SAT Average

1,139

Average Business Sales Representative Salary by Education Level

Business sales representatives with a Masters degree earn more than those without, at $82,094 annually. With a Doctorate degree, business sales representatives earn a median annual income of $77,080 compared to $69,295 for business sales representatives with an Bachelors degree.

Business Sales Representative Education LevelBusiness Sales Representative Salary
High School Diploma or Less$45,073
Master's Degree$82,094
Bachelor's Degree$69,295
Doctorate Degree$77,080
Some College/ Associate Degree$47,804