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Mystery shopper education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a mystery shopper. Mystery shoppers usually study business, criminal justice, or psychology. 49% of mystery shoppers hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 844 real mystery shopper resumes to see exactly what mystery shopper education sections show.
The most common colleges for mystery shoppers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online mystery shopper courses to help get the education required to be a mystery shopper.
There are certain mystery shopper certifications that you should consider. These mystery shopper certifications include Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).
What education do you need to become a mystery shopper?
What degree do you need to be a mystery shopper?
- Bachelor's, 49%
- Associate, 26%
- High School Diploma, 12%
- Master's, 4%
- Other Degrees, 9%
What should I major in to become a mystery shopper?
- Business, 31%
- Criminal Justice, 7%
- Psychology, 6%
- Accounting, 5%
- Other Majors, 51%
Most common colleges for mystery shoppers
| Mystery shopper common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 18.03% |
| Franklin University | 6.56% |
| Northeastern University | 6.56% |
| University of Connecticut | 4.92% |
| Boston College | 4.92% |
Best majors for mystery shoppers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 31.0% |
| 2 | Criminal Justice | 6.9% |
| 3 | Psychology | 6.2% |
| 4 | Accounting | 5.2% |
| 5 | Liberal Arts | 4.9% |
Best colleges for mystery shoppers
The best colleges for mystery shoppers are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and New York University.
A mystery shopper with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for mystery shoppers. 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 mystery shoppers.
1. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
4. Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$3,926
Enrollment
9,835
5. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
8. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
9. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
10. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
20 best online courses for mystery shoppers
Advertising disclosure
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2. Master the Shopper Experience to build your retail business.
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3. Store Design: How to Design Successful Retail Stores
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4. Customer Service Fundamentals: Putting People First
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5. MBA: Retail business, Merchandising, and E-commerce
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6. Start Improving Customer Service
Creating a Customer Service advantage in Your department or business through communication and Customer Management...
7. Customer Service
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8. Customer Service Foundation
An introductory course about understanding the foundations of Customer Service...
9. The Ultimate Mystery Writing Course for Kids
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10. Fast Track Retail Buying and Merchandising
The essentials of merchandise management, buying, range planning, product development and many more...
11. Outstanding Customer Service - The Ultimate Guide!
Unlocking the Powerful Secrets of OUTSTANDING Customer Service - Transform Your Business!...
12. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives
Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...
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Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...
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17. Company Valuation & Financial Modeling
Learn comprehensive financial modeling, forecasting and business valuation techniques for Finance professionals...
18. Customer Service Basics: Improve your Service now
The basic golden rules to kickstart your service...
19. Brilliant Customer Service: How to Impress your Customers!
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20. Customer Service: Keep 'em coming back!
How to give the best customer service in your industry and keep those customers raving about your business...
Top 10 most affordable universities for mystery shoppers
The most affordable schools for mystery shoppers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, usf sarasota-manatee, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for mystery shoppers 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 mystery shoppers.
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. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
5. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
6. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
7. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
8. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
9. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
10. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for mystery shoppers
The hardest universities for mystery shoppers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and New York University.
Some great schools for mystery shoppers 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 mystery shoppers 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 Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
5. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
8. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for mystery shoppers
The easiest schools for mystery shoppers to get into are D'Youville College, mount saint mary's university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a mystery shopper 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 mystery shoppers.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
4. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
5. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
6. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
7. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
8. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
9. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
10. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,020
Average mystery shopper salary by education level
| Mystery shopper education level | Mystery shopper salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $69,274 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $56,575 |
| Doctorate Degree | $71,834 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $42,131 |
Mystery shopper education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025