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Pharmaceutical sales representative education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a pharmaceutical sales representative. Pharmaceutical sales representatives usually study business, marketing, or communication. 85% of pharmaceutical sales representatives hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 12,828 real pharmaceutical sales representative resumes to see exactly what pharmaceutical sales representative education sections show.
The most common colleges for pharmaceutical sales representatives are the Michigan State University and the Michigan State University.
There are also many online pharmaceutical sales representative courses to help get the education required to be a pharmaceutical sales representative.
There are certain pharmaceutical sales representative certifications that you should consider. These pharmaceutical sales representative certifications include Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Professional Certified Marketer (PCM).
What education do you need to become a pharmaceutical sales representative?
What degree do you need to be a pharmaceutical sales representative?
- Bachelor's, 85%
- Master's, 8%
- Associate, 4%
- Doctorate, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a pharmaceutical sales representative?
- Business, 26%
- Marketing, 14%
- Communication, 9%
- Biology, 8%
- Other Majors, 43%
Most common colleges for pharmaceutical sales representatives
| Pharmaceutical sales representative common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Michigan State University | 7.03% |
| Florida State University | 6.51% |
| Ohio State University | 6.51% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 5.99% |
| University of Phoenix | 5.90% |
Best majors for pharmaceutical sales representatives
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 26.2% |
| 2 | Marketing | 13.8% |
| 3 | Communication | 8.7% |
| 4 | Biology | 8.0% |
| 5 | Psychology | 6.7% |
Best colleges for pharmaceutical sales representatives
The best colleges for pharmaceutical sales representatives are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
A pharmaceutical sales representative 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 representatives. 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 representatives.
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 representatives
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5. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care
This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...
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Whether you're completely new to sales and looking to start a new career, or you want to grow in your current sales role, this five-course career training program from the inbound sales experts at HubSpot can help you reach your career goals.\n\nYou’ll start by learning the basics of sales enablement and how sales and marketing teams can collaborate to create and keep relationships with their targeted buyers. You’ll develop data-driven sales goals and influential content to enable you to...
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14. The Pharmaceutical R & D Process in Healthcare
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20. Sales Analysis for Management Consultants
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Top 10 most affordable universities for pharmaceutical sales representatives
The most affordable schools for pharmaceutical sales representatives are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for pharmaceutical sales representatives 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 representatives.
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. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
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 representatives
The hardest universities for pharmaceutical sales representatives to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for pharmaceutical sales representatives 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 representatives 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
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%
SAT average
1,407
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for pharmaceutical sales representatives
The easiest schools for pharmaceutical sales representatives to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and notre dame de namur university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a pharmaceutical sales representative 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 representatives.
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. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
7. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
8. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
9. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
10. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
Average pharmaceutical sales representative salary by education level
| Pharmaceutical sales representative education level | Pharmaceutical sales representative salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $89,400 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $56,189 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $78,402 |
| Doctorate Degree | $85,141 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $58,808 |
Pharmaceutical sales representative education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025