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Floor trader education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a floor trader. Floor traders usually study finance, business, or economics. 81% of floor traders hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 236 real floor trader resumes to see exactly what floor trader education sections show.

The most common colleges for floor traders are the University of Chicago and the University of Chicago.

There are also many online floor trader courses to help get the education required to be a floor trader.

What education do you need to become a floor trader?

What degree do you need to be a floor trader?

The most common degree for floor traders is bachelor's degree, with 81% of floor traders earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 9% and master's degree degree at 5%.
  • Bachelor's, 81%
  • Master's, 9%
  • Associate, 5%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a floor trader?

You should major in finance to become a floor trader. 26% of floor traders major in finance. Other common majors for a floor trader include business and economics.

Most common colleges for floor traders

Floor traders often get their degrees at University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and University of Iowa. Here are the most common colleges for floor traders in the US based on their resumes.
Floor trader common collegePercentages
University of Chicago12.96%
Northwestern University7.41%
University of Iowa5.56%
New York University5.56%
University of California - Davis5.56%

Best majors for floor traders

RankMajorPercentages
1Finance26.4%
2Business18.2%
3Economics13.2%
4Political Science6.3%
5Psychology5.7%

Best colleges for floor traders

The best colleges for floor traders are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

A floor trader with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for floor traders. 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 floor traders.

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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

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. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

20 best online courses for floor traders

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Top 10 most affordable universities for floor traders

The most affordable schools for floor traders are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.

If the best universities for floor traders 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 floor traders.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

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 - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for floor traders

The hardest universities for floor traders to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for floor traders 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 floor traders 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

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. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for floor traders

The easiest schools for floor traders to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame college, and kean university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a floor trader 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 floor traders.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

3. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

6. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

7. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

8. Midwestern State University

Wichita Falls, TX • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,033

9. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Camden

Camden, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,086

10. Rosemont College

Rosemont, PA • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,026

Average floor trader salary by education level

According to our data, floor traders with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $129,673 annually. Floor traders with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $118,566.
Floor trader education levelFloor trader salary
Master's Degree$129,673
Bachelor's Degree$102,043
Doctorate Degree$118,566

Floor trader 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.