Planner/buyer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a planner/buyer. Planner/buyers usually study business, supply chain management, or accounting. 65% of planner/buyers hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 12,223 real planner/buyer resumes to see exactly what planner/buyer education sections show.

The most common colleges for planner/buyers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online planner/buyer courses to help get the education required to be a planner/buyer.

There are certain planner/buyer certifications that you should consider. These planner/buyer certifications include Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) and Certified Purchasing Professional (CPP).

What education do you need to become a planner/buyer?

What degree do you need to be a planner/buyer?

The most common degree for planner/buyers is bachelor's degree, with 65% of planner/buyers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 18% and associate degree degree at 8%.

Bachelor's, 65%

Associate, 18%

Master's, 8%

High School Diploma, 5%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a planner/buyer?

You should major in business to become a planner/buyer. 47% of planner/buyers major in business. Other common majors for a planner/buyer include supply chain management and accounting.

Business, 47%

Supply Chain Management, 7%

Accounting, 6%

Management, 6%

Other Majors, 34%

Most common colleges for planner/buyers

Planner/buyers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Michigan State University, and Arizona State University. Here are the most common colleges for planner/buyers in the US based on their resumes.

Planner/buyer common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	21.49%
Michigan State University	8.28%
Arizona State University	7.44%
University of Houston	6.60%
Pennsylvania State University	5.56%

Show more common planner/buyer colleges

Best majors for planner/buyers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	46.8%
2	Supply Chain Management	7.0%
3	Accounting	6.1%
4	Management	5.9%
5	Marketing	4.7%

Show more common planner/buyer majors

Best colleges for planner/buyers

The best colleges for planner/buyers are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A planner/buyer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for planner/buyers. 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 planner/buyers.

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 planner/buyers

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2. Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service

4.5

(3,822)

Learn Logistics, Supply Chain and Customer Service. 3 Courses in 1...

3. Supply Chain Management A-Z: Operations & Logistics Basics

4.5

(2,394)

Supply Chain Management Basics: An MBA style course to boost your career as a business operations & logistics manager...

4. SAP MM Materials Management (beginner to expert level)

4.3

(331)

Master SAP Materials Management module with practical implementation steps. Prepare and crack SAP MM Certification exam...

5. SAP: Supply Chain Logistics in R/3

4.6

(2,978)

Everything you need to know about SAP Supply Chain Logistics and Transportation in one easy place...

6. RA: Data Science and Supply chain analytics.(A-Z with R)

4.5

(322)

Learn R,Supply-chain Data Science, Inventory Optimization,Big Data forecasting, Machine learning and Revenue Management...

7. Strategic Cost Management: Procurement and Supply Chain 2022

4.5

(1,611)

How to secure long term Procurement savings without breaking relations with your suppliers (with the updates 2022)...

8. Supply Chain Fundamentals: Logistic & Transportation

4.5

(577)

Learn the Fundamentals of Logistic, Warehouse, Inbound, Picking, Packing, transportation and apply it to any ERP system...

9. SAP: Supply Chain Logistics & Transportation in S/4 HANA

4.4

(1,249)

Everything you need to know about SAP S/4 HANA Supply Chain Logistics and Transportation Management in one place...

10. Procurement & Supply Planning tools and techniques.

4.4

(310)

Learn how to Make purchasing strategies ,MRP, forecast, inventory policies and techniques to minimize supply costs...

11. RA: Data Science and Supply Chain analytics. A-Z with Python

4.4

(840)

Learn Python, Supply Chain Data Science ,Linear Programming, Forecasting, Pricing and Inventory Management...

12. SAP S/4HANA Sourcing & Procurement (MM-Materials Management)

4.5

(2,553)

The course covers both configuration and end-user processes for SAP S/4HANA MM / Sourcing & Procurement...

13. Microsoft 365 Planner - Beginner

4.2

(260)

Learn how to work more efficiently with your teams with Microsoft 365 Planner...

14. The Fundamentals of end-to-end Supply Chain Management

4.5

(1,524)

Supply Chain Management - Level 1: Introducing all the Key Components of a Supply Chain...

15. Financial Accounting - Inventory Costs

4.3

(254)

Mastering Inventory Costs & Flows: An In-Depth Guide to Accounting for Inventory in Business Operations...

16. SAP Supply Chain: Learn EDI & Idocs Interface Architecture

4.4

(591)

Understand and Implement an E2E Supply Chain EDI solution by using industry standards, middleware, Idocs in SAP S/4...

17. SAP MM -Material Management Simplified For Beginners

4.6

(518)

Exclusively designed SAP MM Training for End-Users, MM-Super-users , SAP Beginner to become SAP MM Consultant, S4 HANA...

18. Become a fashion buyer - learn the essentials

4.6

(591)

Learn the essential tasks of a fashion buyer and skills required to secure your first role!...

19. Economics: Behavior of Buyers and Sellers & Product Pricing

4.2

(336)

The Easiest Beginner level Course on Economics with real life examples and graphic content. Perfect for Newbies!...

20. ISO 9001:2015 Quality management system auditor

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 planner/buyers

The hardest universities for planner/buyers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for planner/buyers 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 planner/buyers 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 planner/buyer salary by education level

Planner/buyers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $70,247 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, planner/buyers earn a median annual income of $61,394 compared to $50,403 for planner/buyers with an High School Diploma degree.

Planner/buyer education level	Planner/buyer salary
Master's Degree	$70,247
High School Diploma or Less	$50,403
Bachelor's Degree	$61,394
Some College/ Associate Degree	$48,754

Planner/buyer education FAQs

What is the best college for Planner/Buyers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

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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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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