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Competitive intelligence analyst education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a competitive intelligence analyst. Competitive intelligence analysts usually study business, marketing, or finance. 74% of competitive intelligence analysts hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 389 real competitive intelligence analyst resumes to see exactly what competitive intelligence analyst education sections show.
The most common colleges for competitive intelligence analysts are the Northeastern University and the Northeastern University.
There are also many online competitive intelligence analyst courses to help get the education required to be a competitive intelligence analyst.
What education do you need to become a competitive intelligence analyst?
What degree do you need to be a competitive intelligence analyst?
- Bachelor's, 74%
- Master's, 19%
- Associate, 4%
- High School Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a competitive intelligence analyst?
Most common colleges for competitive intelligence analysts
| Competitive intelligence analyst common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Northeastern University | 7.41% |
| Wayne State University | 7.41% |
| University of California - Davis | 7.41% |
| Brown University | 5.56% |
| Miami University | 5.56% |
Best majors for competitive intelligence analysts
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 20.6% |
| 2 | Marketing | 10.7% |
| 3 | Finance | 9.9% |
| 4 | Economics | 6.4% |
| 5 | Communication | 6.0% |
Best colleges for competitive intelligence analysts
The best colleges for competitive intelligence analysts are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.
A competitive intelligence analyst with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for competitive intelligence analysts. 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 competitive intelligence analysts.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
5. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
6. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
7. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
9. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
20 best online courses for competitive intelligence analysts
Advertising disclosure
1. Strategic Analysis with Financial Competitive Profile Matrix
By the end of this guided project, you will be able to use the Financial Competitive Profile Matrix (FCPM) to analyze your industry and identify your competitive advantage with key financial indicators. FCPM is a strategic management tool that enables you to benchmark your company in relation to competition and then identify the relative strengths and weaknesses of all the competitors based on some Financial Critical Success Factors (FCSFs) analysis. The FCSFs are assigned weight based on their...
2. Market and Competition in Pricing Strategy
If you haven’t considered what the competition is charging, you may not be maximizing your revenue. Spend time analyzing the market and you can influence price and improve margins. In this course, we'll show you how to implement competitive pricing and avoid common legal pitfalls of market-based pricing. You will also learn how to predict, influence and respond to competitors’ pricing moves. Developed at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, and led by top-ranked Darden...
3. Competitive Programming Essentials, Master Algorithms 2023
Master competitive coding techniques - maths, number theory, dynamic programming, advanced data structures & algorithms...
4. Graph Theory Algorithms for Competitive Programming (2022)
Learn Graphs Algorithms in Computer Science & Mathematics, theory + hands-on coding and ace Competitive Coding problems!...
5. Competitive Strategy
“Why do some companies outperform others?” That question is particularly important to ask in industries which are fiercely competitive like the tech sector. Companies competing in these industries find it difficult to achieve competitive advantage and sustain it over the longer run. In this course, you will learn about 21st century competition, the forces driving it, and the challenges it poses for companies. Using that as the backdrop, you will learn how to analyze a company's external and...
6. Strategising: Management for Global Competitive Advantage
Leaders must have the ability to develop and deploy effective strategies. This specialisation will prepare you to be the strategic change-maker capable of enabling your organisation to compete into the future. You will learn: how to think strategically to make your organisation more competitive (Be Competitive); how crucial it now is for supply chains to effectively meet customer demands (Be Global); how to leverage technology and innovation to disrupt and reshape your organisation (Be...
7. Plan the Project as a Business Analyst - IIBA Endorsed
Increase your value as a Business Analyst by learning how to plan projects successfully without a Project Manager...
8. The Bible of Competitive Programming & Coding Interviews
Build the foundation in Algorithms and Data Structures to ace Competitive Programming & Coding Interviews...
9. Competitive Strategy and Organization Design
Paired with humorous elements and illustrating examples, the Competitive Strategy and Organization Design specialization is the ideal choice for curious individuals who enjoy unique learning experiences and innovative teaching approaches. Its style is likely to appeal especially to young, middle-aged and young-at-heart learners.\n\nThe specialization is indended for learners interested in engaging in fundamental theories and concepts of strategy and organization and applying these to practice...
10. Using Porter’s Five Forces Model for Competitive Analysis
By the end of this guided project, you will be able to use the Porter’s Five Force model to determine the attractiveness and profitability potentials of your industry. The Five Forces is a model that was drawn from industrial organization economics to identify and describe the fundamental economic forces that shape every industry. The five forces are competition in the industry, potential of new entrants, power of suppliers, power of customers, and threat of substitute products. These forces...
11. Business Analyst: Project Management Techniques and Tools
Learn project management techniques to increase your project success rate as a Business Analyst!...
12. Market Research: A-Z Fundamentals with Case Studies
Learn Market Sizing & Forecasting, Survey Design, Customer & Competitor Analysis to become a PRO Market Research Analyst...
13. Creating a Differential Competitive Advantage -Jagdish Sheth
This is a master class in gaining a competitive marketing advantage.\n\nProfessor Jagdish Sheth, 2020 Padma Bhushan Award winner for Literature and Education, guides you through proven strategies and practical steps for implementing technology, segmentation, differentiation, and positioning into your marketing plan.\n\nProfessor Sheth shares wisdom and insight from decades of experience, years of research, and recommendations from multiple senior industry leaders to help grow your brand and set...
14. Digital Competition in Financial Services
Welcome to Digital Transformation Strategy! As you probably know, this is the first course in a three part specialization focused on the digital transformation of finance. We'll aim to bring you insights about how digitalization intersects with finance, culled from one of the world's top regions for digital innovation. I'm excited to have you in the class and look forward to helping you learn more about this important topic. To begin, I recommend taking a few minutes to explore the course site...
15. Beginner's guide to Competitive programming using python
Ace coding interviews by learning how to code in a simple and efficient way...
16. Business analysis & Scrum with JIRA for Software development
Become a great Business analyst, Product owner & Scrum master with JIRA & Confluence. Business analysis & Scrum course...
17. The Business Intelligence Analyst Course 2023
The skills you need to become a BI Analyst - Statistics, Database theory, SQL, Tableau – Everything is included...
18. Marketing Research: support your marketing decisions
Discover the extra advantage of any Business. A practical step by step guide to Marketing Information and Research...
19. Production for Management Consultants and Business Analysts
Practical guide on how to improve production and operations in a firm and analyze potential savings in Excel...
20. The Complete Financial Analyst Training & Investing Course
Succeed as a Financial Analyst &Investor by Award Winning MBA Prof who worked @Goldman, in Hedge Funds & Venture Capital...
Top 10 most affordable universities for competitive intelligence analysts
The most affordable schools for competitive intelligence analysts are USF Sarasota-Manatee, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - dominguez hills.
If the best universities for competitive intelligence analysts 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 competitive intelligence analysts.
1. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
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 - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
4. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
10. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for competitive intelligence analysts
The hardest universities for competitive intelligence analysts to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.
Some great schools for competitive intelligence analysts 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 competitive intelligence analysts 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 Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
4. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
5. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
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. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
9. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
10. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for competitive intelligence analysts
The easiest schools for competitive intelligence analysts to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, holy names university, and barry university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a competitive intelligence analyst 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 competitive intelligence analysts.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
3. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
6. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
7. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
8. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
9. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
10. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
Average competitive intelligence analyst salary by education level
| Competitive intelligence analyst education level | Competitive intelligence analyst salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $78,886 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $63,591 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $76,238 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $67,143 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025