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Pharmaceutical sales person education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a pharmaceutical sales person. Pharmaceutical sales people usually study business, communication, or marketing. 77% of pharmaceutical sales people hold a bachelor's degree, and 10% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 331 real pharmaceutical sales person resumes to see exactly what pharmaceutical sales person education sections show.
The most common colleges for pharmaceutical sales people are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online pharmaceutical sales person courses to help get the education required to be a pharmaceutical sales person.
What education do you need to become a pharmaceutical sales person?
What degree do you need to be a pharmaceutical sales person?
- Bachelor's, 77%
- Master's, 10%
- Associate, 8%
- Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a pharmaceutical sales person?
- Business, 25%
- Communication, 11%
- Marketing, 10%
- Nursing, 7%
- Other Majors, 47%
Most common colleges for pharmaceutical sales people
| Pharmaceutical sales person common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 20.00% |
| Florida State University | 7.27% |
| The University of Alabama | 5.45% |
| University of Texas at Austin | 5.45% |
| Mississippi State University | 5.45% |
Best majors for pharmaceutical sales people
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 25.4% |
| 2 | Communication | 10.6% |
| 3 | Marketing | 9.5% |
| 4 | Nursing | 7.4% |
| 5 | Biology | 6.9% |
Best colleges for pharmaceutical sales people
The best colleges for pharmaceutical sales people are University of Pennsylvania, New York University, and Stanford University.
A pharmaceutical sales person 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 people. 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 people.
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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
9. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$45,542
Enrollment
14,159
10. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
20 best online courses for pharmaceutical sales people
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Top 10 most affordable universities for pharmaceutical sales people
The most affordable schools for pharmaceutical sales people are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for pharmaceutical sales people 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 pharmaceutical sales people.
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. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
10. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for pharmaceutical sales people
The hardest universities for pharmaceutical sales people to get into are University of Pennsylvania, New York University, and Stanford University.
Some great schools for pharmaceutical sales people 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 people 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
9. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
10. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for pharmaceutical sales people
The easiest schools for pharmaceutical sales people to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and wayland baptist university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a pharmaceutical sales person 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 pharmaceutical sales people.
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. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
4. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
5. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
6. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
7. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
8. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
9. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
10. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
Average pharmaceutical sales person salary by education level
| Pharmaceutical sales person education level | Pharmaceutical sales person salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $186,796 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $99,705 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $156,420 |
| Doctorate Degree | $174,868 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $106,038 |
Pharmaceutical sales person education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025