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Promotional marketing specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a promotional marketing specialist. Promotional marketing specialists usually study marketing, business, or communication. 74% of promotional marketing specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 399 real promotional marketing specialist resumes to see exactly what promotional marketing specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for promotional marketing specialists are the University of South Florida and the University of South Florida.

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

What education do you need to become a promotional marketing specialist?

What degree do you need to be a promotional marketing specialist?

The most common degree for promotional marketing specialists is bachelor's degree, with 74% of promotional marketing specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 13% and associate degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 74%
  • Associate, 13%
  • Master's, 8%
  • High School Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a promotional marketing specialist?

You should major in marketing to become a promotional marketing specialist. 16% of promotional marketing specialists major in marketing. Other common majors for a promotional marketing specialist include business and communication.

Most common colleges for promotional marketing specialists

Promotional marketing specialists often get their degrees at University of South Florida, University of Phoenix, and Michigan State University. Here are the most common colleges for promotional marketing specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Promotional marketing specialist common collegePercentages
University of South Florida8.62%
University of Phoenix6.90%
Michigan State University6.90%
Grand Valley State University5.17%
Clark Atlanta University5.17%

Best majors for promotional marketing specialists

RankMajorPercentages
1Marketing16.2%
2Business16.2%
3Communication16.2%
4Management6.0%
5Public Relations5.5%

Best colleges for promotional marketing specialists

The best colleges for promotional marketing specialists are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

A promotional marketing 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 promotional marketing 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 promotional marketing specialists.

1. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

8. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

9. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

10. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

20 best online courses for promotional marketing specialists

Advertising disclosure

1. Data Analysis Immersive (Full-time)

general_assembly

Learn to problem solve, and effectively communicate, like an analyst. This course teaches you to use industry-standard tools to make ethical, data-driven decisions. Experience hands-on training to master SQL, Excel, Tableau, PowerBI, and Python – tools listed in virtually every data analytics job posting across industries...

2. Data Analytics (Part Time)

general_assembly

Harness Excel, SQL, and Tableau to drive powerful analysis and insights. Build confidence and credibility to apply this versatile skill set to countless jobs. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...

3. Data Analyst

udacity

Use Python, SQL and Statistics to advance your programming skills and refine your ability to work with messy, complex datasets...

4. Marketing Analytics

udacity

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. Promotional Materials Every Musician Needs

coursera

As the saying goes, first impressions are everything, especially in the arts. That's why it's so important to have the skills and knowledge you need to create effective promotional materials that will help you stand out from the crowd. In this course, you will learn everything you need to know about creating powerful promotional materials that effectively showcase your talent and enhance your professional image. From artist bios and captivating headshots to polished resumes/CVs, persuasive...

6. Facebook Marketing 2023. Promote Your Business on Facebook!

udemy
4.3
(592)

Learn how to promote your brand on Facebook, create engaging content, launch ads and increase the number of followers!...

7. Facebook Marketing: Reveal The Power of Promoted Posts

udemy
4.6
(560)

Learn how to use promoted posts to get more exposure on Facebook – even if you have only a few bucks to spend...

8. Digital Marketing (Part Time)

general_assembly

Build confidence and capability to apply modern marketing strategies on the job. Drive growth with multichannel campaigns powered by data and customer insight. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...

9. Intro to Data Analytics

general_assembly

Discover if data is a career fit for you Regardless of your industry or role, fluency in the language of data analytics will allow you to contribute to data driven decision making. In this free, two-hour livestream, you’ll learn to understand, analyze, and interpret data so you too can join the data conversation. We’ll cover how to ask the right questions of your data and basic analytic functionality. Then you’ll apply your new found data analytic skills to a real-world dataset, allowing you...

10. Data Structures and Algorithms

udacity

Get hands-on practice with over 80 data structures and algorithm exercises and guidance from a dedicated mentor to help prepare you for interviews and on-the-job scenarios...

11. Data Visualization

udacity

You will start by building data visualizations and dashboards, considering your audiences to be as effective as possible. Then, you’ll move into drafting presentations using storytelling techniques, visualizations, and animations to provide data-driven recommendations...

12. TikTok Marketing. How to promote your business effectively!

udemy
4.1
(377)

Step-by-step guide for beginners on how to get started on Tik Tok. Life hacks on how to promote on Tik Tok successfully!...

13. Instagram Marketing. How to Promote Your Business!

udemy
4.2
(499)

Hands-on guide on how to promote your project on Instagram, create engaging content, increase followers and boost sales!...

14. Digital Marketing

udacity

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...

15. Intro to Data Analysis

udacity

Start your data science journey right with this hands-on introduction to the discipline of data analysis. In this course you'll learn the 5 key stages of the data analysis process and apply them to real data sets using Python libraries NumPy, pandas, and Matplotlib...

16. Local Business Marketing With Local SEO & Social Media 2023

udemy
4.6
(343)

Local business marketing with local SEO, Google map search (Google My Business) local lead generation and social media...

17. Facebook Ads & Facebook Marketing MASTERY 2023 Coursenvy ®

udemy
4.5
(32,768)

Facebook Marketing from beginner to advanced! Join 200,000+ students who MASTERED Facebook and are Facebook Ads experts!...

18. Data Visualization

udacity

Discover how data visualization can communicate insights far more effectively than text or tables. In this course, you’ll learn how to build data visualizations programmatically using Python, and how you can use visualization to both discover and convey trends in your data...

19. Experimental Design & Recommendations

udacity

Learn two of the most in-demand skills in the entire field of data science! By the end of this course, you’ll know how to generate personalized recommendations based on user data, as well as run statistically valid tests that produce clean, interpretable results...

20. Twitter Marketing: 1000% Engagement & More Twitter Followers

udemy
4
(466)

2022 Twitter marketing for business, get more customers, retweets & how to get more Twitter followers & Twitter ads...

Top 10 most affordable universities for promotional marketing specialists

The most affordable schools for promotional marketing specialists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.

If the best universities for promotional marketing 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 promotional marketing 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. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for promotional marketing specialists

The hardest universities for promotional marketing specialists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for promotional marketing 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 promotional marketing 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 Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

9. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for promotional marketing specialists

The easiest schools for promotional marketing specialists 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 promotional marketing 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 promotional marketing specialists.

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. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

7. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

8. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

9. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

10. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

Average promotional marketing specialist salary by education level

According to our data, promotional marketing specialists with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $60,030 annually. Promotional marketing specialists with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $59,411.
Promotional marketing specialist education levelPromotional marketing specialist salary
Master's Degree$59,411
Bachelor's Degree$51,335
Doctorate Degree$60,030

Promotional marketing 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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