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Professional representative education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a professional representative. Professional representatives usually study business, marketing, or biology. 79% of professional representatives hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,538 real professional representative resumes to see exactly what professional representative education sections show.

The most common colleges for professional representatives are the Michigan State University and the Michigan State University.

There are also many online professional representative courses to help get the education required to be a professional representative.

What education do you need to become a professional representative?

What degree do you need to be a professional representative?

The most common degree for professional representatives is bachelor's degree, with 79% of professional representatives earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 11% and master's degree degree at 6%.
  • Bachelor's, 79%
  • Master's, 11%
  • Associate, 6%
  • Doctorate, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a professional representative?

You should major in business to become a professional representative. 26% of professional representatives major in business. Other common majors for a professional representative include marketing and biology.

Most common colleges for professional representatives

Professional representatives often get their degrees at Michigan State University, University of California - Davis, and The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. Here are the most common colleges for professional representatives in the US based on their resumes.
Professional representative common collegePercentages
Michigan State University6.96%
University of California - Davis6.33%
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville5.70%
Pennsylvania State University5.70%
Florida State University5.70%

Best majors for professional representatives

RankMajorPercentages
1Business26.3%
2Marketing12.0%
3Biology8.1%
4Psychology7.0%
5Communication6.5%

Best colleges for professional representatives

The best colleges for professional representatives are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

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

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 professional representatives

Advertising disclosure

1. Salesforce Sales Development Representative

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If you’ve always wanted a rewarding career, the tech sales industry may be the path for you. If you’re an ambitious problem-solver who likes to win, you’ll find tech sales not only fulfilling, but lucrative as well. As the tech industry continuously introduces innovative services and products, tech sales roles have become more crucial than ever. SDRs are in the front lines of the tech biz, connecting with customers and clients, and coming up with the smartest solutions for their problems. Sales...

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This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...

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

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

4. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer

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Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...

5. HubSpot Sales Representative

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Whether you're completely new to sales and looking to start a new career, or you want to grow in your current sales role, this five-course career training program from the inbound sales experts at HubSpot can help you reach your career goals.\n\nYou’ll start by learning the basics of sales enablement and how sales and marketing teams can collaborate to create and keep relationships with their targeted buyers. You’ll develop data-driven sales goals and influential content to enable you to...

6. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

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Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...

7. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service

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8. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

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

9. Customer Service Foundation

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An introductory course about understanding the foundations of Customer Service...

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12. Start Improving Customer Service

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Creating a Customer Service advantage in Your department or business through communication and Customer Management...

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

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14. Business Communication Skills: Handling Clients & Customers

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15. Product and Service Management

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Know the Work that is Involved in Getting a Product Onto the Shelf and a Service Ready for Effective Delivery...

16. Customer Service Success: Take Your Skills to the Next Level

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3-in-1 Customer Service Training: Levels 1, 2, 3 Improve Your Soft Communication Skills, Customer Support & Experience...

17. Customer Service Fundamentals: Putting People First

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18. Customer Retention: Maximise Your Profits

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How CRM, Customer Care, Customer Service, Customer Satisfaction, and Customer Experience will 10X your profits...

19. Professional Diploma in Digital Products Management

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20. Customer Service: 6 Keys To Exceptional Customer Service

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Master Customer Satisfaction & Astonish Your Customers With A+ Customer Service...

Top 10 most affordable universities for professional representatives

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

If the best universities for professional representatives 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 professional representatives.

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. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

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 professional representatives

The hardest universities for professional representatives to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for professional representatives 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 professional representatives 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

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

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%

SAT average

1,407

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for professional representatives

The easiest schools for professional representatives to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and notre dame de namur university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a professional representative 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 professional representatives.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

7. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

8. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

9. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

10. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

Average professional representative salary by education level

Professional representatives with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $94,898 annually. With a Doctorate degree, professional representatives earn a median annual income of $90,183 compared to $82,742 for professional representatives with an Bachelor's degree.
Professional representative education levelProfessional representative salary
Master's Degree$94,898
High School Diploma or Less$58,432
Bachelor's Degree$82,742
Doctorate Degree$90,183
Some College/ Associate Degree$61,279

Professional representative 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.