Pharmaceutical sales specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a pharmaceutical sales specialist. Pharmaceutical sales specialists usually study business, marketing, or communication. 85% of pharmaceutical sales specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 10% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,938 real pharmaceutical sales specialist resumes to see exactly what pharmaceutical sales specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for pharmaceutical sales specialists are the Michigan State University and the Michigan State University.

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

There are certain pharmaceutical sales specialist certifications that you should consider. These pharmaceutical sales specialist certifications include Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS).

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

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

The most common degree for pharmaceutical sales specialists is bachelor's degree, with 85% of pharmaceutical sales specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 10% and master's degree degree at 4%.

Bachelor's, 85%

Master's, 10%

Associate, 4%

Doctorate, 1%

Other Degrees, 0%

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

You should major in business to become a pharmaceutical sales specialist. 26% of pharmaceutical sales specialists major in business. Other common majors for a pharmaceutical sales specialist include marketing and communication.

Business, 26%

Marketing, 14%

Communication, 9%

Psychology, 8%

Other Majors, 43%

Most common colleges for pharmaceutical sales specialists

Pharmaceutical sales specialists often get their degrees at Michigan State University, University of Kentucky, and University of Maryland - College Park. Here are the most common colleges for pharmaceutical sales specialists in the US based on their resumes.

Pharmaceutical sales specialist common college	Percentages
Michigan State University	7.05%
University of Kentucky	7.05%
University of Maryland - College Park	6.71%
University of Phoenix	6.71%
University of Florida	6.38%

Show more common pharmaceutical sales specialist colleges

Best majors for pharmaceutical sales specialists

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	25.7%
2	Marketing	14.2%
3	Communication	8.9%
4	Psychology	8.1%
5	Biology	7.5%

Show more common pharmaceutical sales specialist majors

Best colleges for pharmaceutical sales specialists

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

A pharmaceutical sales specialist 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 specialists. 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 specialists.

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 specialists

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Sky rocket your sales performance through persuasive sales messages and compelling sales conversations...

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4.6

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 specialists

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

Some great schools for pharmaceutical sales specialists 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 specialists 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 specialist salary by education level

According to our data, pharmaceutical sales specialists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $92,595 annually. Pharmaceutical sales specialists with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $88,632.

Pharmaceutical sales specialist education level	Pharmaceutical sales specialist salary
Master's Degree	$92,595
High School Diploma or Less	$61,071
Bachelor's Degree	$82,317
Doctorate Degree	$88,632
Some College/ Associate Degree	$63,616

Pharmaceutical sales specialist education FAQs

What is the best college for Pharmaceutical Sales Specialists?

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

Search for pharmaceutical sales specialist 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 Specialist Education

Updated January 8, 2025

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