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Pricing specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a pricing specialist. Pricing specialists usually study business, accounting, or finance. 60% of pricing specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 3,223 real pricing specialist resumes to see exactly what pricing specialist education sections show.

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

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

What education do you need to become a pricing specialist?

What degree do you need to be a pricing specialist?

The most common degree for pricing specialists is bachelor's degree, with 60% of pricing specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 16% and associate degree degree at 12%.
  • Bachelor's, 60%
  • Associate, 16%
  • High School Diploma, 12%
  • Master's, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a pricing specialist?

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

Most common colleges for pricing specialists

Pricing specialists often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of Massachusetts Boston, and University of California - Davis. Here are the most common colleges for pricing specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Pricing specialist common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix20.25%
University of Massachusetts Boston8.86%
University of California - Davis6.75%
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point5.06%
Arizona State University5.06%

Best majors for pricing specialists

RankMajorPercentages
1Business35.4%
2Accounting11.0%
3Finance9.1%
4Marketing4.6%
5Psychology4.5%

Best colleges for pricing specialists

The best colleges for pricing specialists are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and New York University.

A pricing 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 pricing 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 pricing specialists.

1. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

4. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,105

Enrollment

13,729

8. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

9. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

10. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

20 best online courses for pricing specialists

Advertising disclosure

1. Pricing Strategy Optimization

coursera

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...

2. Market and Competition in Pricing Strategy

coursera

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...

3. Price to Profit: Psychology & Science of Pricing

udemy
4.7
(608)

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

4. Marketing Analytics: Pricing Strategies and Price Analytics

udemy
4.3
(1,321)

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

5. Transfer Pricing Fundamentals

udemy
4.4
(559)

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

6. How to Build and Implement a Winning Pricing Strategy

udemy
4.7
(437)

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

7. Smart Marketing with Price Psychology

udemy
4.6
(2,745)

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

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

udemy
4.5
(3,502)

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

9. How to sell value instead of price

udemy
4.4
(1,905)

How to move away from price discussions and towards value creation negotiations...

10. Price Action Trading With The Anti-Climax Pattern

udemy
4
(316)

Master this Price Action Setup for Swing Trading & Day Trading. Apply to Stock Trading, Forex, or Futures Trading...

11. Technical Analysis - Price Action Masterclass

udemy
4.7
(372)

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

12. Price Action Trading Master Class [3.5 Hours]

udemy
4.5
(714)

Learn best Price Action Setups. Master the swings and ride the trends. Trade with noise free charts and reduce losses...

13. Mastering Price-Charts: How To Trade

udemy
4.5
(460)

A Primer For Analyzing Order Flow, Market Dynamics And Price Mechanics In Any Price Chart...

14. SAP MM Pricing Procedure

udemy
4.5
(628)

SAP MM Pricing Procedure step by step configuration and testing with business examples...

15. Price Action Trading: Master Forex Trading with a Pro Trader

udemy
4
(342)

Learn Price Action Forex Trading with Practical Indicators: Live Price Action Trading Examples + Results...

16. neural networks for sentiment and stock price prediction

udemy
4
(271)

How to predict stock prices with neural networks and sentiment with neural networks. Machine learning hands on data scie...

17. Tesla Company Analysis: Strategy, Marketing, Financials

udemy
4.7
(838)

Acquire the #1 Skill Needed For Investment banking, Private equity, and Consulting - Company analysis...

18. Double your business - Marketing blueprint/pricing strategy

udemy
4.2
(414)

Market research, positioning, sales funnels, pricing, advertising strategies... create your own marketing plan...

19. Day Trading and Swing Trading Futures with Price Action.

udemy
4.6
(713)

Reduce risk day trading futures, swing trading futures or any financial trading using price action...

20. Forex Trading Price Action: Advanced Swing Trading Strategy

udemy
4.5
(1,939)

Profitable Swing Trading Strategy that can be Applied to Forex Trading, Stock Trading and other Financial Markets...

Top 10 most affordable universities for pricing specialists

The most affordable schools for pricing specialists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and usf sarasota-manatee.

If the best universities for pricing specialists 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 specialists.

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. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

4. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

5. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

8. Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$6,768

Cost of attendance

15,506

9. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

10. Brigham Young University - Hawaii

Laie, HI • Private

In-state tuition

$5,560

Cost of attendance

18,043

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for pricing specialists

The hardest universities for pricing specialists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and New York University.

Some great schools for pricing 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 pricing 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. 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. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

7. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

9. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

10. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

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

The easiest schools for pricing specialists to get into are D'Youville College, holy names university, and notre dame college.

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

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

4. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

7. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

10. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

Average pricing specialist salary by education level

According to our data, pricing specialists with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $92,882 annually. Pricing specialists with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $90,723.
Pricing specialist education levelPricing specialist salary
Master's Degree$90,723
Bachelor's Degree$79,567
Doctorate Degree$92,882
Some College/ Associate Degree$65,732

Pricing specialist 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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