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Retail buyer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a retail buyer. Retail buyers usually study business, specialized sales and merchandising, or marketing. 68% of retail buyers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 734 real retail buyer resumes to see exactly what retail buyer education sections show.
The most common colleges for retail buyers are the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
There are also many online retail buyer courses to help get the education required to be a retail buyer.
What education do you need to become a retail buyer?
What degree do you need to be a retail buyer?
- Bachelor's, 68%
- Associate, 17%
- High School Diploma, 7%
- Master's, 4%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a retail buyer?
Most common colleges for retail buyers
| Retail buyer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Fashion Institute of Technology | 11.39% |
| Arizona State University | 6.33% |
| FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising | 6.33% |
| University of California - Davis | 6.33% |
| Michigan State University | 6.33% |
Best majors for retail buyers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 30.0% |
| 2 | Specialized Sales And Merchandising | 10.3% |
| 3 | Marketing | 8.8% |
| 4 | Fine Arts | 5.0% |
| 5 | English | 4.7% |
Best colleges for retail buyers
The best colleges for retail buyers are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Cornell University.
A retail 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 retail 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 retail buyers.
1. University of Akron
Akron, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$11,463
Enrollment
13,676
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
4. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Alfred, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,570
Enrollment
3,721
5. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
6. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
Delhi, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,360
Enrollment
3,142
7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
9. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Enrollment
7,938
10. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
20 best online courses for retail buyers
Advertising disclosure
1. Inventory Management
Inventory is a strategic asset for organizations. The effective management of inventory can minimize a company’s spending while dramatically increasing its profit. In this course, we will explore how to use data science to manage inventory in uncertain environments, how to set inventory levels based on customer service requirements, and how to calculate inventory for products that have short sales cycles...
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3. Inventory Management in Manufacturing
Complete course on Inventory Management...
4. Supply Chain Management: Inventory Management and Control
Inventory Management in Supply Chain Management & Inventory Control in Warehouse Logistics & Supply chain Management...
5. Sales Fire: B2B Sales & Business Development for Startups
The Ultimate Sales Methodology for Business Development & B2B Sales to Learn Sales Strategy, Sales Skills & Deal Closing...
6. Inventory Management A-Z: Supply Chain & Business Operations
Inventory Management Basics: MBA beginners course to your optimize your Purchasing, Logistics, EOQ and Safety Stock...
7. Operations Management: Inventory Management
Operations Management Training Program (Course 4 of 8)...
8. Create POS System - Inventory & sales with PHP 7 & adminLTE
Learn how to create a POS system with inventory management and billing using PHP 7 and Admin LTE...
9. MBA: Retail business, Merchandising, and E-commerce
Build and grow your own retail business and e-commerce...
10. Inventory Management: Safety Stock Calculation and Control
Optimize your Supply Chain Safety Stock. Simple to Advanced Methods. Reduce Costs and Risk in your Business Operations...
11. PHP for Beginners to Inventory POS Sales Project - AdminLTE
Create Inventory POS System Project With Billing by use of Bootstrap Responsive Admin LTE Dashboard With PHP PHP7 MYSQL...
12. Financial Accounting-Inventory & Merchandising Transactions
Mastering Inventory Accounting: From Merchandising Transactions to Cost Flow Assumptions...
13. Sales Analysis for Management Consultants
A practical guide on how to improve sales and marketing of your customers during consulting projects like Mc Kinsey, BCG,...
14. Sales Machine: The Sales Training B2B Master Course
Learn Sales Strategies & Sales Techniques to Sell ANYTHING for Entrepreneurs, Startup, B2B Sales, & Business Development...
15. Supply Chain: Inventory Control & Safety Stock Calculation
Reduce Operational Cost by Optimizing in Inventory Levels...
16. Business Development & B2B Sales for Startups- Sales Valley
The Complete Startup Playbook for Business Development & B2B Sales to learn Lead Generation, Pitching, & Closing Deals...
17. Sales Funnels Masterclass: Increase Sales With Sales Funnels
Learn to create highly converting sales, conduct professional email marketing & 10X your sales with sales funnel fast!...
18. The Complete Sales Skills Master Class - Sales Marketing B2B
Master Sales Skills, Marketing Strategy, B2B Sales, Business Development, Lead Generation Using Top Social Skills...
19. Open To buy- Retail Merchandising Planning
Merchandise Financial Planning...
20. Supply Chain Management KPIs: Metrics Inventory Performance
Key Performance Indicators: Measure & Improve the Performance of your Supply Chain and Inventory Operations Management...
Top 10 most affordable universities for retail buyers
The most affordable schools for retail buyers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and fashion institute of technology.
If the best universities for retail 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 retail 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. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
4. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
9. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
10. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for retail buyers
The hardest universities for retail buyers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Cornell University.
Some great schools for retail 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 retail 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. 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. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
8. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
9. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,367
10. Fordham University
Bronx, NY • Private
Admissions rate
46%
SAT average
1,354
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for retail buyers
The easiest schools for retail buyers to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and university of the incarnate word.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a retail 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 retail buyers.
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. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
4. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
5. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
6. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
7. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
8. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
9. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
10. Ursuline College
Pepper Pike, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,102
Average retail buyer salary by education level
| Retail buyer education level | Retail buyer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $58,112 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $50,039 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $57,904 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $50,141 |
Retail buyer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025