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Commercial account executive education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a commercial account executive. Commercial account executives usually study business, marketing, or communication. 73% of commercial account executives hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,238 real commercial account executive resumes to see exactly what commercial account executive education sections show.
The most common colleges for commercial account executives are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online commercial account executive courses to help get the education required to be a commercial account executive.
There are certain commercial account executive certifications that you should consider. These commercial account executive certifications include Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Associate in General Insurance (AINS).
What education do you need to become a commercial account executive?
What degree do you need to be a commercial account executive?
- Bachelor's, 73%
- Associate, 12%
- Master's, 7%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a commercial account executive?
- Business, 37%
- Marketing, 11%
- Communication, 6%
- Management, 4%
- Other Majors, 42%
Most common colleges for commercial account executives
| Commercial account executive common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 11.92% |
| University of Iowa | 6.22% |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 5.70% |
| California State University - San Bernardino | 5.70% |
| Florida State University | 5.70% |
Best majors for commercial account executives
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 36.8% |
| 2 | Marketing | 11.3% |
| 3 | Communication | 6.3% |
| 4 | Management | 4.1% |
| 5 | Finance | 3.8% |
Best colleges for commercial account executives
The best colleges for commercial account executives are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.
A commercial account executive with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for commercial account executives. 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 commercial account executives.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
3. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$45,542
Enrollment
14,159
4. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Alfred, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,570
Enrollment
3,721
5. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
6. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
7. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
8. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
9. Clemson University
Clemson, SC • Private
In-state tuition
$15,374
Enrollment
19,564
10. Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$11,105
Enrollment
13,729
20 best online courses for commercial account executives
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Top 10 most affordable universities for commercial account executives
The most affordable schools for commercial account executives are SUNY Farmingdale, baruch college of the city university of new york, and university of florida.
If the best universities for commercial account executives 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 commercial account executives.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
3. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
6. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
9. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
10. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for commercial account executives
The hardest universities for commercial account executives to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.
Some great schools for commercial account executives 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 commercial account executives 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. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
4. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. Fordham University
Bronx, NY • Private
Admissions rate
46%
SAT average
1,354
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
10. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,390
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for commercial account executives
The easiest schools for commercial account executives to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and lim college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a commercial account executive 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 commercial account executives.
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. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
6. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
7. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
8. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
9. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
10. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
Average commercial account executive salary by education level
| Commercial account executive education level | Commercial account executive salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $94,812 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $63,817 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $84,774 |
| Doctorate Degree | $90,948 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $66,344 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025