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Medical sales specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a medical sales specialist. Medical sales specialists usually study business, marketing, or psychology. 79% of medical sales specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 10% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,521 real medical sales specialist resumes to see exactly what medical sales specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for medical sales specialists are the Florida State University and the Florida State University.

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

There are certain medical sales specialist certifications that you should consider. These medical sales specialist certifications include Medical Assistant and Certified Sales Professional (CSP).

What education do you need to become a medical sales specialist?

What degree do you need to be a medical sales specialist?

The most common degree for medical sales specialists is bachelor's degree, with 79% of medical sales specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 10% and master's degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 79%
  • Master's, 10%
  • Associate, 7%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a medical sales specialist?

You should major in business to become a medical sales specialist. 30% of medical sales specialists major in business. Other common majors for a medical sales specialist include marketing and psychology.

Most common colleges for medical sales specialists

Medical sales specialists often get their degrees at Florida State University, University of Phoenix, and Michigan State University. Here are the most common colleges for medical sales specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Medical sales specialist common collegePercentages
Florida State University10.00%
University of Phoenix8.75%
Michigan State University5.63%
Texas State University5.63%
San Diego State University5.63%

Best majors for medical sales specialists

RankMajorPercentages
1Business30.1%
2Marketing10.7%
3Psychology8.6%
4Communication8.5%
5Biology6.5%

Best colleges for medical sales specialists

The best colleges for medical sales specialists are University of Pennsylvania, New York University, and Stanford University.

A medical sales 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 medical sales 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 medical sales specialists.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

4. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

5. SUNY College at Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,369

Enrollment

5,229

6. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

7. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

8. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

9. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,360

Enrollment

3,142

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

20 best online courses for medical sales specialists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for medical sales specialists

The most affordable schools for medical sales specialists are SUNY Farmingdale, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for medical sales 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 medical sales specialists.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

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. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

10. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for medical sales specialists

The hardest universities for medical sales specialists to get into are University of Pennsylvania, New York University, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for medical sales 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 medical sales 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

7. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for medical sales specialists

The easiest schools for medical sales specialists to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and d'youville college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a medical sales 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 medical sales specialists.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

8. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

9. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

10. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

Average medical sales specialist salary by education level

Medical sales specialists with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $86,361 annually. With a Doctorate degree, medical sales specialists earn a median annual income of $83,078 compared to $77,812 for medical sales specialists with an Bachelor's degree.
Medical sales specialist education levelMedical sales specialist salary
Master's Degree$86,361
High School Diploma or Less$59,726
Bachelor's Degree$77,812
Doctorate Degree$83,078
Some College/ Associate Degree$61,926

Medical sales 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.