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Commercial producer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a commercial producer. Commercial producers usually study communication, photography, or business. 75% of commercial producers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 475 real commercial producer resumes to see exactly what commercial producer education sections show.
The most common colleges for commercial producers are the Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
There are also many online commercial producer courses to help get the education required to be a commercial producer.
What education do you need to become a commercial producer?
What degree do you need to be a commercial producer?
- Bachelor's, 75%
- Associate, 17%
- Master's, 3%
- Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a commercial producer?
- Communication, 24%
- Photography, 16%
- Business, 10%
- Journalism, 7%
- Other Majors, 43%
Most common colleges for commercial producers
| Commercial producer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Southern Illinois University Carbondale | 7.94% |
| Florida State University | 7.94% |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 7.94% |
| University of Houston | 6.35% |
| Middle Tennessee State University | 6.35% |
Best majors for commercial producers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Communication | 23.9% |
| 2 | Photography | 16.0% |
| 3 | Business | 10.2% |
| 4 | Journalism | 7.2% |
| 5 | Audiovisual Communications Technologies | 6.5% |
Best colleges for commercial producers
The best colleges for commercial producers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A commercial producer 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 producers. 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 producers.
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. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
8. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
9. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
10. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
20 best online courses for commercial producers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for commercial producers
The most affordable schools for commercial producers are SUNY Farmingdale, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for commercial producers 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 producers.
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. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
9. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
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 producers
The hardest universities for commercial producers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for commercial producers 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 producers 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. 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. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for commercial producers
The easiest schools for commercial producers to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and notre dame de namur university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a commercial producer 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 producers.
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. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
4. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
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. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
8. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
9. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
10. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
Average commercial producer salary by education level
| Commercial producer education level | Commercial producer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $97,450 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $86,467 |
Commercial producer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025