Purchasing manager/sales education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a purchasing manager/sales. Purchasing managers/sales usually study business, marketing, or accounting. 56% of purchasing managers/sales hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,297 real purchasing manager/sales resumes to see exactly what purchasing manager/sales education sections show.

The most common colleges for purchasing managers/sales are the Michigan State University and the Michigan State University.

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

There are certain purchasing manager/sales certifications that you should consider. These purchasing manager/sales certifications include Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

What education do you need to become a purchasing manager/sales?

What degree do you need to be a purchasing manager/sales?

The most common degree for purchasing managers/sales is bachelor's degree, with 56% of purchasing managers/sales earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 19% and associate degree degree at 13%.

Bachelor's, 56%

Associate, 19%

High School Diploma, 13%

Master's, 6%

Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a purchasing manager/sales?

You should major in business to become a purchasing manager/sales. 41% of purchasing managers/sales major in business. Other common majors for a purchasing manager/sales include marketing and accounting.

Business, 41%

Marketing, 6%

Accounting, 6%

Management, 6%

Other Majors, 41%

Most common colleges for purchasing managers/sales

Purchasing managers/sales often get their degrees at Michigan State University, University of Phoenix, and Miami Dade College. Here are the most common colleges for purchasing managers/sales in the US based on their resumes.

Purchasing manager/sales common college	Percentages
Michigan State University	9.42%
University of Phoenix	8.70%
Miami Dade College	5.80%
The University of Alabama	5.80%
Central State University	5.80%

Show more common purchasing manager/sales colleges

Best majors for purchasing managers/sales

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	41.3%
2	Marketing	6.4%
3	Accounting	6.1%
4	Management	6.0%
5	General Studies	4.3%

Show more common purchasing manager/sales majors

Best colleges for purchasing managers/sales

The best colleges for purchasing managers/sales are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

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

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 purchasing managers/sales

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Learn Logistics, Supply Chain and Customer Service. 3 Courses in 1...

3. Customer Service Training: Dealing with Difficult Customers

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(1,035)

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4. SAP S/4HANA Sales (SD - Sales and Distribution)

4.5

(348)

The course covers both configuration and end-user processes for SAP S/4HANA Sales (Sales and Distribution)...

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4.6

(346)

Practical, Hands-on Sales Techniques and Tools to Effortlessly Engage your Customers In Your Sales Presentations...

6. 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...

7. Customer Service

4.6

(11,267)

How to Approach New Customers and Maintain Existing Ones...

8. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

4.5

(941)

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

9. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer

4.7

(18,204)

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

10. Create POS System - Inventory & sales with PHP 7 & adminLTE

4.5

(282)

Learn how to create a POS system with inventory management and billing using PHP 7 and Admin LTE...

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4.4

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Practical Ideas To Generate Sales, Loyalty And Repeat Business Fast...

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

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

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

14. Sales Skills: 9 Sales Training Courses In 1

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4.6

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The Ultimate Sales Methodology for Business Development & B2B Sales to Learn Sales Strategy, Sales Skills & Deal Closing...

17. Sales Training: Practical Sales Techniques

4.6

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Sales Hacking: Essential sales skills, sales strategies and sales techniques to sell just about anything!...

18. Management - Leadership, Negotiating, Assertiveness, Sales

4.5

(3,230)

A practical guide covering assertiveness, time management, leadership, negotiating, sales & project management...

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

4.3

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

20. Sales Funnels Masterclass: Increase Sales With Sales Funnels

4.5

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 purchasing managers/sales

The hardest universities for purchasing managers/sales to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for purchasing managers/sales 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 purchasing managers/sales 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

SAT average

1,492

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

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%

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

Average purchasing manager/sales salary by education level

According to our data, purchasing managers/sales with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $79,314 annually. Purchasing managers/sales with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $65,406.

Purchasing manager/sales education level	Purchasing manager/sales salary
Master's Degree	$79,314
High School Diploma or Less	$49,318
Bachelor's Degree	$65,406
Some College/ Associate Degree	$47,026

Purchasing manager/sales education FAQs

What is the best college for Purchasing Managers/Sales?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

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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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