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Marketing program specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a marketing program specialist. Marketing program specialists usually study business, marketing, or communication. 81% of marketing program specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 419 real marketing program specialist resumes to see exactly what marketing program specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for marketing program specialists are the San Jose State University and the San Jose State University.

There are also many online marketing program specialist courses to help get the education required to be a marketing program specialist.

What education do you need to become a marketing program specialist?

What degree do you need to be a marketing program specialist?

The most common degree for marketing program specialists is bachelor's degree, with 81% of marketing program specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 9% and master's degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 81%
  • Master's, 9%
  • Associate, 7%
  • High School Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a marketing program specialist?

You should major in business to become a marketing program specialist. 26% of marketing program specialists major in business. Other common majors for a marketing program specialist include marketing and communication.

Most common colleges for marketing program specialists

Marketing program specialists often get their degrees at San Jose State University, Pennsylvania State University, and University of Phoenix. Here are the most common colleges for marketing program specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Marketing program specialist common collegePercentages
San Jose State University8.11%
Pennsylvania State University6.76%
University of Phoenix6.76%
Ramapo College of New Jersey5.41%
University of Washington5.41%

Best majors for marketing program specialists

RankMajorPercentages
1Business25.9%
2Marketing21.3%
3Communication12.2%
4Management4.9%
5English4.2%

Best colleges for marketing program specialists

The best colleges for marketing program specialists are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

A marketing program 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 program 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 program 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 program specialists

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Product Management Marketing Strategy, Marketing Plan, Product Marketing Manager, Product Manager Marketing Plan...

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20. A Business Manager's Complete Guide to SalesForce CRM

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Top 10 most affordable universities for marketing program specialists

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

If the best universities for marketing program 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 program 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 program specialists

The hardest universities for marketing program specialists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for marketing program 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 program 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 program specialists

The easiest schools for marketing program 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 program 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 program 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 program specialist salary by education level

According to our data, marketing program specialists with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $71,411 annually. Marketing program specialists with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $70,697.
Marketing program specialist education levelMarketing program specialist salary
Master's Degree$70,697
Bachelor's Degree$61,355
Doctorate Degree$71,411

Marketing program specialist 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.

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