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Marketing and advertising specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a marketing and advertising specialist. Marketing and advertising specialists usually study business, communication, or marketing. 65% of marketing and advertising specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,069 real marketing and advertising specialist resumes to see exactly what marketing and advertising specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for marketing and advertising specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online marketing and advertising specialist courses to help get the education required to be a marketing and advertising specialist.
What education do you need to become a marketing and advertising specialist?
What degree do you need to be a marketing and advertising specialist?
- Bachelor's, 65%
- Associate, 17%
- High School Diploma, 9%
- Master's, 6%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a marketing and advertising specialist?
- Business, 20%
- Communication, 15%
- Marketing, 13%
- Graphic Design, 7%
- Other Majors, 45%
Most common colleges for marketing and advertising specialists
| Marketing and advertising specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 11.36% |
| The University of Alabama | 6.82% |
| University of South Carolina - Columbia | 6.82% |
| University of California - Davis | 6.82% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 5.68% |
Best majors for marketing and advertising specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 20.0% |
| 2 | Communication | 15.2% |
| 3 | Marketing | 13.0% |
| 4 | Graphic Design | 7.4% |
| 5 | Psychology | 6.0% |
Best colleges for marketing and advertising specialists
The best colleges for marketing and advertising specialists are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.
A marketing and advertising 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 marketing and advertising 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 marketing and advertising specialists.
1. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
6. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
8. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
9. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Enrollment
33,495
10. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
20 best online courses for marketing and advertising specialists
Advertising disclosure
1. Data Analysis Immersive (Full-time)
Learn to problem solve, and effectively communicate, like an analyst. This course teaches you to use industry-standard tools to make ethical, data-driven decisions. Experience hands-on training to master SQL, Excel, Tableau, PowerBI, and Python – tools listed in virtually every data analytics job posting across industries...
2. Data Analytics (Part Time)
Harness Excel, SQL, and Tableau to drive powerful analysis and insights. Build confidence and credibility to apply this versatile skill set to countless jobs. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
3. Data Analyst
Use Python, SQL and Statistics to advance your programming skills and refine your ability to work with messy, complex datasets...
4. Marketing Analytics
Gain an in-depth understanding of Google Analytics and marketing analytics. Analyze data and build models with Excel, Data Studio, and create informative data visualizations with Tableau...
5. Facebook Ads 2023: Launch Your Best Advertising Campaign
Move from simple to compelling advertising campaigns with Facebook Ads and increase your value in the business...
6. Digital Advertising and Marketing 201: Top Topics & Trends
Advanced Digital Marketing Course Header Bidding, Fraud/Viewability, Big Data, Programmatic, Mobile Advertising & more...
7. Digital Marketing (Part Time)
Build confidence and capability to apply modern marketing strategies on the job. Drive growth with multichannel campaigns powered by data and customer insight. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
8. Intro to Data Analytics
Discover if data is a career fit for you Regardless of your industry or role, fluency in the language of data analytics will allow you to contribute to data driven decision making. In this free, two-hour livestream, you’ll learn to understand, analyze, and interpret data so you too can join the data conversation. We’ll cover how to ask the right questions of your data and basic analytic functionality. Then you’ll apply your new found data analytic skills to a real-world dataset, allowing you...
9. Data Structures and Algorithms
Get hands-on practice with over 80 data structures and algorithm exercises and guidance from a dedicated mentor to help prepare you for interviews and on-the-job scenarios...
10. Data Visualization
You will start by building data visualizations and dashboards, considering your audiences to be as effective as possible. Then, you’ll move into drafting presentations using storytelling techniques, visualizations, and animations to provide data-driven recommendations...
11. Facebook Marketing for Real Estate Agents
A proven STEP-BY-STEP course to utilize Facebook to promote your real estate business...
12. Introduction into Facebook Marketing & Facebook Advertising
Setup Facebook Business Page. Setup Facebook Pixel. Write Ad Copy. Learn Facebook Advertising. Learn Detailed Targeting...
13. Digital Marketing
Gain real-world experience running live campaigns as you learn from top experts in the field. Launch your career with a 360-degree understanding of digital marketing...
14. Intro to Data Analysis
Start your data science journey right with this hands-on introduction to the discipline of data analysis. In this course you'll learn the 5 key stages of the data analysis process and apply them to real data sets using Python libraries NumPy, pandas, and Matplotlib...
15. Facebook Marketing 2023. Promote Your Business on Facebook!
Learn how to promote your brand on Facebook, create engaging content, launch ads and increase the number of followers!...
16. Tesla Company Analysis: Strategy, Marketing, Financials
Acquire the #1 Skill Needed For Investment banking, Private equity, and Consulting - Company analysis...
17. Data Visualization
Discover how data visualization can communicate insights far more effectively than text or tables. In this course, you’ll learn how to build data visualizations programmatically using Python, and how you can use visualization to both discover and convey trends in your data...
18. Experimental Design & Recommendations
Learn two of the most in-demand skills in the entire field of data science! By the end of this course, you’ll know how to generate personalized recommendations based on user data, as well as run statistically valid tests that produce clean, interpretable results...
19. The Ultimate Facebook Ads and Facebook Marketing Guide 2021
Learn how to create Facebook Ads from SCRATCH and 3x your business using Facebook Marketing and Facebook Advertising...
20. Online Marketing: SEO & Social Media Marketing Strategy
2023 growth hacking with top web marketing and Internet marketing strategies: Social media marketing strategies + SEO...
Top 10 most affordable universities for marketing and advertising specialists
The most affordable schools for marketing and advertising specialists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.
If the best universities for marketing and advertising 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 marketing and advertising specialists.
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. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
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. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for marketing and advertising specialists
The hardest universities for marketing and advertising specialists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.
Some great schools for marketing and advertising 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 marketing and advertising 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. 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. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
8. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
9. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
10. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for marketing and advertising specialists
The easiest schools for marketing and advertising specialists to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, university of the incarnate word, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a marketing and advertising 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 marketing and advertising specialists.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
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. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
6. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
7. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
8. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
9. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
10. Iona College
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,089
Average marketing and advertising specialist salary by education level
| Marketing and advertising specialist education level | Marketing and advertising specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $58,618 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $51,021 |
| Doctorate Degree | $59,198 |
Marketing and advertising specialist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025