Pharmaceutical sales consultant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a pharmaceutical sales consultant. Pharmaceutical sales consultants usually study business, marketing, or psychology. 81% of pharmaceutical sales consultants hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 884 real pharmaceutical sales consultant resumes to see exactly what pharmaceutical sales consultant education sections show.

The most common colleges for pharmaceutical sales consultants are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.

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

What education do you need to become a pharmaceutical sales consultant?

What degree do you need to be a pharmaceutical sales consultant?

The most common degree for pharmaceutical sales consultants is bachelor's degree, with 81% of pharmaceutical sales consultants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 9% and master's degree degree at 5%.

Bachelor's, 81%

Master's, 9%

Associate, 5%

Doctorate, 3%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a pharmaceutical sales consultant?

You should major in business to become a pharmaceutical sales consultant. 26% of pharmaceutical sales consultants major in business. Other common majors for a pharmaceutical sales consultant include marketing and psychology.

Business, 26%

Marketing, 10%

Psychology, 9%

Biology, 8%

Other Majors, 47%

Most common colleges for pharmaceutical sales consultants

Pharmaceutical sales consultants often get their degrees at Pennsylvania State University, West Virginia University, and California State University - San Bernardino. Here are the most common colleges for pharmaceutical sales consultants in the US based on their resumes.

Pharmaceutical sales consultant common college	Percentages
Pennsylvania State University	6.73%
West Virginia University	6.73%
California State University - San Bernardino	6.73%
Drexel University	5.77%
University of California, Santa Barbara	5.77%

Show more common pharmaceutical sales consultant colleges

Best majors for pharmaceutical sales consultants

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	26.4%
2	Marketing	10.5%
3	Psychology	8.8%
4	Biology	8.0%
5	Management	5.9%

Show more common pharmaceutical sales consultant majors

Best colleges for pharmaceutical sales consultants

The best colleges for pharmaceutical sales consultants are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A pharmaceutical sales consultant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for pharmaceutical sales consultants. 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 pharmaceutical sales consultants.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

6. SUNY College at Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,369

Enrollment

5,229

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

8. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

9. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

10. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

20 best online courses for pharmaceutical sales consultants

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2. Sales Analysis for Management Consultants

4.6

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A practical guide on how to improve sales and marketing of your customers during consulting projects like Mc Kinsey, BCG,...

3. Practical Pharmaceutical Supply Management: LMIC Focus

4.4

(2,385)

Pharmaceutical Supply Mastery: From Procurement to Efficient Distribution...

4. Sales Fire: B2B Sales & Business Development for Startups

4.6

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The Ultimate Sales Methodology for Business Development & B2B Sales to Learn Sales Strategy, Sales Skills & Deal Closing...

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4.7

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Sales Training - Professional B2B Selling Skills for Consultants, Entrepreneurs and all Who Bring in the Business!...

6. Pharmaceutical Industry Drug Regulatory Affairs (DRA)

4.5

(256)

Empowering Professionals in the Pharmaceutical Industry: A Comprehensive Online Course in Drug Regulatory Affairs...

7. Salesforce Sales Cloud Consultant Certification Course

4.1

(3,048)

Salesforce Sales Cloud Consultants are in demand. Take your Salesforce Career to the Next Level and Become a Consultant...

8. Your Guide to the Pharmaceutical Industry

4.4

(4,863)

Learn about the pharma industry quickly - current trends, medicines, healthcare, pharmacy markets & major developments...

9. Salesforce Certification - Sales Cloud Consultant

4.2

(269)

Learn and get Salesforce sales cloud certified. Covers entire exam guide for Salesforce Sales cloud certification exam...

10. Business Development & B2B Sales for Startups- Sales Valley

4.5

(6,788)

The Complete Startup Playbook for Business Development & B2B Sales to learn Lead Generation, Pitching, & Closing Deals...

11. The Complete Sales Skills Master Class - Sales Marketing B2B

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Master Sales Skills, Marketing Strategy, B2B Sales, Business Development, Lead Generation Using Top Social Skills...

12. The Pharmaceutical R & D Process in Healthcare

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4.4

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Develop Extraordinary Sales Skills With The Ultimate Sales Training (Taught By 5 Top Sales Experts)...

14. Sales Forecasting in Excel for Management Consultants

4.6

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A practical guide on how to do basic sales forecasting models in Excel with case studies & real-life examples...

15. The Complete B2B Sales Masterclass: 6 Courses in 1

(413)

1. Generate Leads, 2. Pitch, 3. Close & Handle Any Objection: Get Certified in Cutting Edge, Non-Pushy B2B Sales System...

16. Sales Machine: The Sales Training B2B Master Course

4.6

(4,040)

Learn Sales Strategies & Sales Techniques to Sell ANYTHING for Entrepreneurs, Startup, B2B Sales, & Business Development...

17. Sales Training: Practical Sales Techniques

4.6

(23,968)

Sales Hacking: Essential sales skills, sales strategies and sales techniques to sell just about anything!...

18. Sales and Marketing For Online Businesses

(1,581)

A Beginners Guide To Sales & Marketing For Your Online Business And Ventures...

19. Sales Training: How To Close More Sales

4.5

(1,734)

Closing Sales: Sales Training Course: Sales Skills; Selling Techniques; Sales Strategies for B2B, B2C Direct Sales...

20. Sales Skills & Negotiation Skills - Selling Masterclass

4.5

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

7. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

8. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

9. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

10. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for pharmaceutical sales consultants

The hardest universities for pharmaceutical sales consultants to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for pharmaceutical sales consultants 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 pharmaceutical sales consultants 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

SAT average

1,492

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

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. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

Average pharmaceutical sales consultant salary by education level

According to our data, pharmaceutical sales consultants with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $148,817 annually. Pharmaceutical sales consultants with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $140,480.

Pharmaceutical sales consultant education level	Pharmaceutical sales consultant salary
Master's Degree	$148,817
High School Diploma or Less	$85,984
Bachelor's Degree	$127,440
Doctorate Degree	$140,480
Some College/ Associate Degree	$90,737

Pharmaceutical sales consultant education FAQs

What is the best college for Pharmaceutical Sales Consultants?

Have more questions? See all answers to common sales questions.

Search for pharmaceutical sales consultant jobs

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.

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Pharmaceutical Sales Consultant Education

Updated January 8, 2025

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