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Inside sales engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an inside sales engineer. Inside sales engineers usually study business, marketing, or communication. 59% of inside sales engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,477 real inside sales engineer resumes to see exactly what inside sales engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for inside sales engineers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online inside sales engineer courses to help get the education required to be an inside sales engineer.

There are certain inside sales engineer certifications that you should consider. These inside sales engineer certifications include Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

What education do you need to become an inside sales engineer?

What degree do you need to be an inside sales engineer?

The most common degree for inside sales engineers is bachelor's degree, with 59% of inside sales engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 19% and associate degree degree at 13%.
  • Bachelor's, 59%
  • Associate, 19%
  • High School Diploma, 13%
  • Master's, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become an inside sales engineer?

You should major in business to become an inside sales engineer. 37% of inside sales engineers major in business. Other common majors for an inside sales engineer include marketing and communication.

Most common colleges for inside sales engineers

Inside sales engineers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of Houston, and Texas A&M; University. Here are the most common colleges for inside sales engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Inside sales engineer common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix17.55%
University of Houston6.90%
Texas A&M University6.05%
Pennsylvania State University5.81%
University of Wisconsin Colleges5.57%

Best majors for inside sales engineers

RankMajorPercentages
1Business36.7%
2Marketing8.0%
3Communication6.0%
4General Studies4.9%
5Management4.3%

Best colleges for inside sales engineers

The best colleges for inside sales engineers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

An inside sales engineer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for inside sales engineers. 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 inside sales engineers.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

7. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

8. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

20 best online courses for inside sales engineers

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17. Sales Prospecting Fundamentals: A Complete Guide to Success

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Top 10 most affordable universities for inside sales engineers

The most affordable schools for inside sales engineers are California State University - Long Beach, baruch college of the city university of new york, and university of florida.

If the best universities for inside sales engineers 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 inside sales engineers.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

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. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

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 inside sales engineers

The hardest universities for inside sales engineers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for inside sales engineers 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 inside sales engineers 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for inside sales engineers

The easiest schools for inside sales engineers to get into are Barry University, the university of texas permian basin, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an inside sales engineer 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 inside sales engineers.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

5. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

6. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

7. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

8. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

9. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

10. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

Average inside sales engineer salary by education level

According to our data, inside sales engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $58,339 annually. Inside sales engineers with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $55,738.
Inside sales engineer education levelInside sales engineer salary
Master's Degree$58,339
High School Diploma or Less$45,424
Bachelor's Degree$55,738
Doctorate Degree$55,738
Some College/ Associate Degree$47,292

Inside sales engineer 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.