Marketing research assistant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a marketing research assistant. Marketing research assistants usually study business, marketing, or communication. 79% of marketing research assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,294 real marketing research assistant resumes to see exactly what marketing research assistant education sections show.

The most common colleges for marketing research assistants are the Ohio State University and the Ohio State University.

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

What education do you need to become a marketing research assistant?

What degree do you need to be a marketing research assistant?

The most common degree for marketing research assistants is bachelor's degree, with 79% of marketing research assistants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 11% and master's degree degree at 5%.

Bachelor's, 79%

Master's, 11%

Associate, 5%

High School Diploma, 3%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a marketing research assistant?

You should major in business to become a marketing research assistant. 26% of marketing research assistants major in business. Other common majors for a marketing research assistant include marketing and communication.

Business, 26%

Marketing, 22%

Communication, 8%

Psychology, 6%

Other Majors, 38%

Most common colleges for marketing research assistants

Marketing research assistants often get their degrees at Ohio State University, San Francisco State University, and University of Southern California. Here are the most common colleges for marketing research assistants in the US based on their resumes.

Marketing research assistant common college	Percentages
Ohio State University	6.98%
San Francisco State University	6.20%
University of Southern California	6.20%
University of California - Davis	6.20%
Michigan State University	5.43%

Show more common marketing research assistant colleges

Best majors for marketing research assistants

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	26.3%
2	Marketing	22.1%
3	Communication	8.1%
4	Psychology	5.8%
5	English	4.9%

Show more common marketing research assistant majors

Best colleges for marketing research assistants

The best colleges for marketing research assistants are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

A marketing research assistant 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 research assistants. 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 research assistants.

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. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

5. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

8. University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Lincoln, NE • Private

In-state tuition

$9,242

Enrollment

20,592

9. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

10. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

20 best online courses for marketing research assistants

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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. Market Research

"Finding the Story in the Data” is the most important emerging capability for market researchers according to GRIT (Greenbook Research Industry Trends) Report 2016. This specialization, designed for learners with no previous Marketing Research experience teaches a comprehensive marketing research approach that will help learners find and communicate the story in the data.\n\nStudents will learn how to initiate a research project for targeted business needs, conduct research through multiple...

6. Market Research and Consumer Behavior

Your marketing quest begins here! The first course in this specialization lays the neccessary groundwork for an overall successful marketing strategy. It is separated into two sections: Market Research and Consumer Behavior. Gain the tools and techniques to translate a decision problem into a research question in the Market Research module. Learn how to design a research plan, analyze the data gathered and accurately interpret and communicate survey reports, translating the results into...

7. Statistics / Data Analysis: Survey Data and Likert Scales

4.6

(505)

How to Process Survey Data and Analyze Likert Scales In SPSS...

8. Statistics / Data Analysis in SPSS: Inferential Statistics

4.7

(1,622)

Increase Your Data Analytic Skills – Highly Valued And Sought After By Employers...

9. 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...

10. 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...

11. 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...

12. 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...

13. Market Research

The Market Research Specialisation focuses on the essentials of research and the research process. This Specialisation will teach you how to use qualitative and quantitative research methods, how to develop and manage a questionnaire development strategy, how to develop measurements, how to collect data and how to analyze and present them.\n\nOnce you have completed this Specialisation, you will have a good understanding of market research including:\n\nEssentials of market research Components...

14. Survey Data Collection and Analytics

This specialization covers the fundamentals of surveys as used in market research, evaluation research, social science and political research, official government statistics, and many other topic domains. In six courses, you will learn the basics of questionnaire design, data collection methods, sampling design, dealing with missing values, making estimates, combining data from different sources, and the analysis of survey data. In the final Capstone Project, you’ll apply the skills learned...

15. An Introduction to Online Quantitative Market Research

4.7

(827)

Learn how to effectively conceptualise, design, execute and apply quantitative online research like a PRO!...

16. Market Research: Dekker's Complete Marketing Research Course

4.4

(452)

Competitor Analysis, Market Research Analysis, Marketing Analytics, Consumer Analytics, Conversion Rate Optimization...

17. 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...

18. 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...

19. Fundamentals of Data Analysis for Big Data

4.5

(270)

This course prepares participants to begin running data analysis on databases...

20. Marketing Research: support your marketing decisions

4.5

(1,910)

Discover the extra advantage of any Business. A practical step by step guide to Marketing Information and Research...

Top 10 most affordable universities for marketing research assistants

The most affordable schools for marketing research assistants are SUNY Farmingdale, fashion institute of technology, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for marketing research assistants 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 research assistants.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

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. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

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 research assistants

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

Some great schools for marketing research assistants 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 research assistants 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

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

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. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

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 marketing research assistants

The easiest schools for marketing research assistants to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, lim college, and university of the incarnate word.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a marketing research assistant 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 research assistants.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

3. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

6. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

7. Ursuline College

Pepper Pike, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,102

8. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

9. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

10. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

Average marketing research assistant salary by education level

According to our data, marketing research assistants with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $46,668 annually. Marketing research assistants with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $46,312.

Marketing research assistant education level	Marketing research assistant salary
Master's Degree	$46,312
Bachelor's Degree	$41,573
Doctorate Degree	$46,668

Marketing research assistant education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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