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Merchandise coordinator education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a merchandise coordinator. Merchandise coordinators usually study business, specialized sales and merchandising, or marketing. 65% of merchandise coordinators hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 7,470 real merchandise coordinator resumes to see exactly what merchandise coordinator education sections show.

The most common colleges for merchandise coordinators are the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Fashion Institute of Technology.

There are also many online merchandise coordinator courses to help get the education required to be a merchandise coordinator.

There are certain merchandise coordinator certifications that you should consider. These merchandise coordinator certifications include Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) and International Accredited Business Accountant (IABA).

What education do you need to become a merchandise coordinator?

What degree do you need to be a merchandise coordinator?

The most common degree for merchandise coordinators is bachelor's degree, with 65% of merchandise coordinators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 18% and associate degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 65%
  • Associate, 18%
  • High School Diploma, 10%
  • Master's, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a merchandise coordinator?

You should major in business to become a merchandise coordinator. 23% of merchandise coordinators major in business. Other common majors for a merchandise coordinator include specialized sales and merchandising and marketing.

Most common colleges for merchandise coordinators

Merchandise coordinators often get their degrees at Fashion Institute of Technology, Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising-San Francisco, and Florida State University. Here are the most common colleges for merchandise coordinators in the US based on their resumes.
Merchandise coordinator common collegePercentages
Fashion Institute of Technology18.26%
Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising-San Francisco7.20%
Florida State University6.70%
Kent State University5.70%
University of Phoenix5.53%

Best majors for merchandise coordinators

Best colleges for merchandise coordinators

The best colleges for merchandise coordinators are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.

A merchandise coordinator with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for merchandise coordinators. 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 merchandise coordinators.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

3. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

4. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

5. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

6. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

7. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

8. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

9. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

10. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

20 best online courses for merchandise coordinators

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Top 10 most affordable universities for merchandise coordinators

The most affordable schools for merchandise coordinators are SUNY Farmingdale, baruch college of the city university of new york, and university of florida.

If the best universities for merchandise coordinators 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 merchandise coordinators.

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. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

5. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

9. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

10. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for merchandise coordinators

The hardest universities for merchandise coordinators to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.

Some great schools for merchandise coordinators 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 merchandise coordinators 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

4. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

46%

SAT average

1,354

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for merchandise coordinators

The easiest schools for merchandise coordinators to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and lim college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a merchandise coordinator 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 merchandise coordinators.

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. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

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. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

10. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

Average merchandise coordinator salary by education level

According to our data, merchandise coordinators with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $42,128 annually. Merchandise coordinators with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $39,927.
Merchandise coordinator education levelMerchandise coordinator salary
Master's Degree$42,128
High School Diploma or Less$36,183
Bachelor's Degree$39,927
Some College/ Associate Degree$36,894

Merchandise coordinator 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.