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Inventory management specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an inventory management specialist. Inventory management specialists usually study business, general studies, or accounting. 38% of inventory management specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 8,842 real inventory management specialist resumes to see exactly what inventory management specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for inventory management specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online inventory management specialist courses to help get the education required to be an inventory management specialist.
There are certain inventory management specialist certifications that you should consider. These inventory management specialist certifications include Certified in Planning and Inventory Management (CPIM) and OSHA Safety Certificate .
What education do you need to become an inventory management specialist?
What degree do you need to be an inventory management specialist?
- Bachelor's, 38%
- High School Diploma, 26%
- Associate, 22%
- Diploma, 6%
- Other Degrees, 8%
What should I major in to become an inventory management specialist?
- Business, 30%
- General Studies, 7%
- Accounting, 7%
- Criminal Justice, 6%
- Other Majors, 50%
Most common colleges for inventory management specialists
| Inventory management specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 26.01% |
| DeVry University | 6.81% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 5.88% |
| American InterContinental University | 4.95% |
| Strayer University | 4.95% |
Best majors for inventory management specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 30.4% |
| 2 | General Studies | 7.2% |
| 3 | Accounting | 6.6% |
| 4 | Criminal Justice | 5.7% |
| 5 | Management | 5.2% |
Best colleges for inventory management specialists
The best colleges for inventory management specialists are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
An inventory management 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 inventory management 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 inventory management specialists.
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. Maine Maritime Academy
Castine, ME • Private
In-state tuition
$13,478
Enrollment
979
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
7. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
8. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
9. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
10. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
20 best online courses for inventory management specialists
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1. SAP MM Materials Management (beginner to expert level)
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3. Create POS System - Inventory & sales with PHP 7 & adminLTE
Learn how to create a POS system with inventory management and billing using PHP 7 and Admin LTE...
4. Supply Chain Management A-Z: Operations & Logistics Basics
Supply Chain Management Basics: An MBA style course to boost your career as a business operations & logistics manager...
5. Financial Accounting - Inventory Costs
Mastering Inventory Costs & Flows: An In-Depth Guide to Accounting for Inventory in Business Operations...
6. PHP for Beginners to Inventory POS Sales Project - AdminLTE
Create Inventory POS System Project With Billing by use of Bootstrap Responsive Admin LTE Dashboard With PHP PHP7 MYSQL...
7. Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service
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8. SAP Materials Management (MM) Super User Training
Complete Beginner and Intermediate Purchasing & Inventory Management Training - Perform all the task in SAP in no time...
9. RA: Data Science and Supply chain analytics.(A-Z with R)
Learn R,Supply-chain Data Science, Inventory Optimization,Big Data forecasting, Machine learning and Revenue Management...
10. Unity RPG Inventory Systems Asset Pack: Behind The Scenes
Review and integrate an RPG-Style Inventory System. All Code Base Provided As A Flexible Asset Pack...
11. eBay Drop Shipping Guide with No Inventory - Work From Home
Learn exactly how to work from home purely selling and drop shipping on e Bay. No up front inventory! Basic to Advanced!...
12. Master Blazor Development: Build Inventory Management System
Learn Blazor Server, Entity Framework Core, and ASP.NET Core Identity for Full Stack Web Development...
13. ISO 22000:2018. Food Safety Management System
Understand the requirements for a food safety management system applicable for any organization in the food chain...
14. Customer Service Training: Dealing with Difficult Customers
Learn how to deal with difficult customers Master customer relationship management Gain conflict management skills...
15. SAP Customer Service (CS/SM) - Service Management module
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16. Lean Management: Just-In-Time JIT Certification (Accredited)
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17. RA: Data Science and Supply Chain analytics. A-Z with Python
Learn Python, Supply Chain Data Science ,Linear Programming, Forecasting, Pricing and Inventory Management...
18. Oracle Apps Order Management (R12) Training
Oracle EBS Order Management Comprehensive training...
19. ISO 9001:2015-Quality Management System Implementation & Audit
Learn how to Implement and Audit a Quality Management System as per ISO 9001: 2015...
20. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives
Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...
Top 10 most affordable universities for inventory management specialists
The most affordable schools for inventory management specialists are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for inventory management 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 inventory management specialists.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,238
Cost of attendance
21,567
8. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
9. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Cost of attendance
22,990
10. Clayton State University
Morrow, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$5,419
Cost of attendance
17,697
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for inventory management specialists
The hardest universities for inventory management specialists to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for inventory management 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 inventory management 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. 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. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
8. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
9. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
10. Brandeis University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
31%
SAT average
1,398
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for inventory management specialists
The easiest schools for inventory management specialists to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an inventory management 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 inventory management specialists.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
6. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
7. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
8. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
9. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
10. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
Average inventory management specialist salary by education level
| Inventory management specialist education level | Inventory management specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $67,866 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $48,786 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $60,988 |
| Doctorate Degree | $71,530 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $51,098 |
Inventory management specialist education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025