Production planner/buyer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a production planner/buyer. Production planner/buyers usually study business, accounting, or supply chain management. 64% of production planner/buyers hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 934 real production planner/buyer resumes to see exactly what production planner/buyer education sections show.

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

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

There are certain production planner/buyer certifications that you should consider. These production planner/buyer certifications include Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) and Six Sigma Green Belt.

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

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

The most common degree for production planner/buyers is bachelor's degree, with 64% of production planner/buyers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 21% and associate degree degree at 7%.

Bachelor's, 64%

Associate, 21%

Master's, 7%

High School Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 4%

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

You should major in business to become a production planner/buyer. 46% of production planner/buyers major in business. Other common majors for a production planner/buyer include accounting and supply chain management.

Business, 46%

Accounting, 8%

Supply Chain Management, 6%

Management, 6%

Other Majors, 34%

Most common colleges for production planner/buyers

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

Production planner/buyer common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	20.17%
Michigan State University	10.92%
Ohio State University	5.04%
Wichita State University	5.04%
Miami University	4.20%

Show more common production planner/buyer colleges

Best majors for production planner/buyers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	46.0%
2	Accounting	8.0%
3	Supply Chain Management	5.7%
4	Management	5.5%
5	Marketing	4.9%

Show more common production planner/buyer majors

Best colleges for production planner/buyers

The best colleges for production planner/buyers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Boston College.

A production 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 production 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 production planner/buyers.

1. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,105

Enrollment

13,729

6. Cedar Crest College

Allentown, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$39,216

Enrollment

1,303

7. Morgan State University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$7,900

Enrollment

6,404

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

9. Siena Heights University

Adrian, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$27,124

Enrollment

2,035

10. University of Akron

Akron, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,463

Enrollment

13,676

20 best online courses for production planner/buyers

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

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

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

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

4. Product Marketing Launch Plan: Product GTM with Dekker, MBA

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Product Management Marketing Strategy, Marketing Plan, Product Marketing Manager, Product Manager Marketing Plan...

5. Insightful Customer Interviews for Product Managers

4.5

(340)

Direct conversations with real customers to gain insight, test product concepts, and drive product success...

6. Product Management Marketing: Dekker's Product Marketing MBA

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(2,007)

Be a Product Marketing Manager - Product Management : Product Manager MBA : Product to Market : Product Owner Launch GTM...

7. Microsoft 365 Planner - Beginner

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(260)

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

8. SAP Customer Service (CS/SM) - Service Management module

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Real World SAP CS and SD, Repair Orders, Service Orders, Service Contracts...

9. Product Management Crash Course; IT Product Management

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Product Management Essentials & Product Management Fundamentals to kick-start your career in Product Management...

10. Procurement & Supply Planning tools and techniques.

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

11. Project/ Product Management Frameworks & Methods MasterClass

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14. Comprehensive Product management for Product managers

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How to make your workday more productive...

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

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

17. SAP - PP - Production Planning

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(796)

Learn how to plan in SAP from zero with functionality overviews and a case study...

18. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

4.6

(2,666)

Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...

19. Product Management Fundamentals

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Case-based practical course on product management to build strong foundations in product concepts, process & frameworks...

20. Product Design Management for Agile Practitioners

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Application of product design management principles, concepts, tools and techniques in agile product management...

Top 10 most affordable universities for production planner/buyers

The most affordable schools for production planner/buyers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for production planner/buyers 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 production planner/buyers.

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. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

5. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

8. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

9. Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$6,768

Cost of attendance

15,506

10. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for production planner/buyers

The hardest universities for production planner/buyers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Boston College.

Some great schools for production 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 production 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

6. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Brandeis University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

31%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for production planner/buyers

The easiest schools for production planner/buyers to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame college, and lim college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a production planner/buyer 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 production planner/buyers.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

3. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

7. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

8. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

9. Lewis-Clark State College

Lewiston, ID • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,009

10. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

Average production planner/buyer salary by education level

According to our data, production planner/buyers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $71,607 annually. Production planner/buyers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $62,880.

Production planner/buyer education level	Production planner/buyer salary
Master's Degree	$71,607
High School Diploma or Less	$54,955
Bachelor's Degree	$62,880
Some College/ Associate Degree	$57,572

Production planner/buyer education FAQs

What is the best college for Production Planner/Buyers?

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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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