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Commercial marketing specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a commercial marketing specialist. Commercial marketing specialists usually study business, marketing, or communication. 76% of commercial marketing specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 10% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 171 real commercial marketing specialist resumes to see exactly what commercial marketing specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for commercial marketing specialists are the Arizona State University and the Arizona State University.

There are also many online commercial marketing specialist courses to help get the education required to be a commercial marketing specialist.

What education do you need to become a commercial marketing specialist?

What degree do you need to be a commercial marketing specialist?

The most common degree for commercial marketing specialists is bachelor's degree, with 76% of commercial marketing specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 10% and associate degree degree at 5%.
  • Bachelor's, 76%
  • Associate, 10%
  • Master's, 5%
  • High School Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a commercial marketing specialist?

You should major in business to become a commercial marketing specialist. 24% of commercial marketing specialists major in business. Other common majors for a commercial marketing specialist include marketing and communication.

Most common colleges for commercial marketing specialists

Commercial marketing specialists often get their degrees at Arizona State University, University of Northern Colorado, and Texas Southern University. Here are the most common colleges for commercial marketing specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Commercial marketing specialist common collegePercentages
Arizona State University9.09%
University of Northern Colorado6.06%
Texas Southern University6.06%
University of North Texas6.06%
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point6.06%

Best majors for commercial marketing specialists

RankMajorPercentages
1Business24.2%
2Marketing18.2%
3Communication6.1%
4Management5.1%
5Finance5.1%

Best colleges for commercial marketing specialists

The best colleges for commercial marketing specialists are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.

A commercial marketing specialist 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 marketing specialists. 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 marketing specialists.

1. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

2. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

4. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

5. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

6. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

7. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

10. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

20 best online courses for commercial marketing specialists

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4. Marketing Analytics

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Gain an in-depth understanding of Google Analytics and marketing analytics. Analyze data and build models with Excel, Data Studio, and create informative data visualizations with Tableau...

5. Drug Commercialization

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Master your product marketing skills through practical examples and exercises...

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13. Digital Marketing

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14. AI for Business Leaders

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15. Online Marketing: SEO & Social Media Marketing Strategy

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16. Successful Events: Event Planning, Marketing & Management

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Create a single successful event or event-series with effective event promotion, planning, management, and monetization...

17. Business Analytics

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18. AI Product Manager

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19. Email Marketing. Increase Sales With Email Marketing!

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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 most affordable universities for commercial marketing specialists

The most affordable schools for commercial marketing specialists are University of Florida, fashion institute of technology, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for commercial marketing specialists 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 marketing specialists.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

9. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

10. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for commercial marketing specialists

The hardest universities for commercial marketing specialists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for commercial marketing specialists 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 marketing specialists 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 Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

9. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

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 marketing specialists

The easiest schools for commercial marketing specialists to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, university of the incarnate word, and d'youville college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a commercial marketing specialist 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 marketing specialists.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

3. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

4. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

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. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

10. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

Average commercial marketing specialist salary by education level

According to our data, commercial marketing specialists with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $101,379 annually. Commercial marketing specialists with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $95,166.
Commercial marketing specialist education levelCommercial marketing specialist salary
Master's Degree$95,166
Bachelor's Degree$79,564
Doctorate Degree$101,379

Commercial marketing specialist 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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