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Pricing manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a pricing manager. Pricing managers usually study business, finance, or accounting. 66% of pricing managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,921 real pricing manager resumes to see exactly what pricing manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for pricing managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online pricing manager courses to help get the education required to be a pricing manager.

There are certain pricing manager certifications that you should consider. These pricing manager certifications include Certified Pricing Professional (CPP) and Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM).

What education do you need to become a pricing manager?

What degree do you need to be a pricing manager?

The most common degree for pricing managers is bachelor's degree, with 66% of pricing managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 18% and master's degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 66%
  • Master's, 18%
  • Associate, 9%
  • High School Diploma, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a pricing manager?

You should major in business to become a pricing manager. 35% of pricing managers major in business. Other common majors for a pricing manager include finance and accounting.

Most common colleges for pricing managers

Pricing managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Pennsylvania State University, and Purdue University. Here are the most common colleges for pricing managers in the US based on their resumes.
Pricing manager common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix9.02%
Pennsylvania State University7.84%
Purdue University6.27%
New York University5.88%
University of Illinois at Chicago5.88%

Best majors for pricing managers

RankMajorPercentages
1Business35.3%
2Finance12.8%
3Accounting11.3%
4Marketing6.5%
5Economics6.1%

Best colleges for pricing managers

The best colleges for pricing managers are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.

A pricing manager with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for pricing managers. 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 pricing managers.

1. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

2. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

4. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

5. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

6. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

8. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

10. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

20 best online courses for pricing managers

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Gain an in-depth understanding of Google Analytics and marketing analytics. Analyze data and build models with Excel, Data Studio, and create informative data visualizations with Tableau...

5. Market and Competition in Pricing Strategy

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If you haven’t considered what the competition is charging, you may not be maximizing your revenue. Spend time analyzing the market and you can influence price and improve margins. In this course, we'll show you how to implement competitive pricing and avoid common legal pitfalls of market-based pricing. You will also learn how to predict, influence and respond to competitors’ pricing moves. Developed at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, and led by top-ranked Darden...

6. Pricing Strategy Optimization

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In this Specialization, we show you techniques to increase price realization and maximize profits. Learn from Boston Consulting Group's global pricing experts and University of Virginia Darden School of Business faculty, who share the frameworks, tips and tools we use in our business and research environments. We will look at pricing through BCG's proprietary and time-tested three “lenses”—cost and economics, customer value, and competition—to build your understanding of the strategic power of...

7. Marketing Analytics: Pricing Strategies and Price Analytics

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Boost Profit by learning diff Pricing Strategies & Advanced Pricing Models in Excel. Complete Pricing Analytics in Excel...

8. Price to Profit: Psychology & Science of Pricing

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Increase Business Profits by Smart Price and Marketing Psychology: Best Pricing Strategies to Influence Customers...

9. Product Manager

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Envision and lead the product strategy of industry-defining products, and learn to successfully bring them to market. Influence the execution of product development as a Product Manager, one of the most highly-coveted roles in technology...

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11. How to Build and Implement a Winning Pricing Strategy

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Plan, implement, and measure a profitable pricing strategy that you can apply immediately to your product or business...

12. Smart Marketing with Price Psychology

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Improve online marketing success with behavioral science research on pricing for your business and marketing...

13. Digital Marketing

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Gain real-world experience running live campaigns as you learn from top experts in the field. Launch your career with a 360-degree understanding of digital marketing...

14. AI for Business Leaders

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15. How to Price Consumer Products (FMCG/CPG)?

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Learn how to Price Consumer Goods and understand the Financial impact of your decisions. Includes advanced templates...

16. Marketing Analytics & Retail Business Management using Excel

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Retail analytics using MS Excel - Covering Forecasting, Market Basket, RFM, Customer Valuation & Price Bundling...

17. Business Analytics

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In this program, you will learn foundational data skills that apply across functions and industries. You will learn to analyze data and build models with Excel, query databases using SQL, and create informative data visualizations with Tableau...

18. AI Product Manager

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Learn to develop AI products that deliver business value. Build skills that help you compete in the new AI-powered world...

19. Technical Analysis - Price Action Masterclass

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Structured Way in using Price Action for Day Trading & Swing Trading that can be used in Forex, Stocks & Crypto Market...

20. Transfer Pricing Fundamentals

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4.4
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Understand the basics of the arm's length principle and international transfer pricing rules...

Top 10 most affordable universities for pricing managers

The most affordable schools for pricing managers are University of Florida, usf sarasota-manatee, and fashion institute of technology.

If the best universities for pricing managers 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 pricing managers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

3. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

4. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

9. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

10. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for pricing managers

The hardest universities for pricing managers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for pricing managers 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 pricing managers 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for pricing managers

The easiest schools for pricing managers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, university of the incarnate word, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a pricing manager 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 pricing managers.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

7. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

8. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

9. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

10. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

Average pricing manager salary by education level

According to our data, pricing managers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $129,317 annually. Pricing managers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $124,791.
Pricing manager education levelPricing manager salary
Master's Degree$124,791
Bachelor's Degree$112,814
Doctorate Degree$129,317

Pricing manager education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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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