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Retail sales representative education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Usually, retail sales representatives don't need a college education. The most common degree for retail sales representatives is bachelor's degree with 58% graduates, with only 17% retail sales representative graduates earning associate degree. Retail sales representatives who decided to graduate from college often finish University of Phoenix or Pennsylvania State University. Some good skills to have in this position include retail sales, retail store and pos.

Popular retail sales representative certifications include Certified Sales Professional (CSP), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), or Sales Management. To improve retail sales representative qualification and skills, we prepared some online courses to help in retail sales representative education paths.

What education do you need to become a retail sales representative?

What degree do you need to be a retail sales representative?

The most common degree for retail sales representatives is bachelor's degree, with 58% of retail sales representatives earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 17% and associate degree degree at 16%.
  • Bachelor's, 58%
  • Associate, 17%
  • High School Diploma, 16%
  • Master's, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a retail sales representative?

You should major in business to become a retail sales representative. 34% of retail sales representatives major in business. Other common majors for a retail sales representative include marketing and communication.

Best majors for retail sales representatives

RankMajorPercentages
1Business34.4%
2Marketing10.5%
3Communication7.7%
4Psychology5.5%
5General Studies4.7%

20 best online courses for retail sales representatives

Advertising disclosure

1. Salesforce Sales Development Representative

coursera

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...

2. HubSpot Sales Representative

coursera

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...

3. The Complete B2B Sales Masterclass: 6 Courses in 1

udemy
4
(413)

1. Generate Leads, 2. Pitch, 3. Close & Handle Any Objection: Get Certified in Cutting Edge, Non-Pushy B2B Sales System...

4. Sales Training: Practical Sales Techniques

udemy
4.6
(23,968)

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

5. Sales Fire: B2B Sales & Business Development for Startups

udemy
4.6
(584)

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

6. Sales Machine: The Sales Training B2B Master Course

udemy
4.6
(4,040)

Learn Sales Strategies & Sales Techniques to Sell ANYTHING for Entrepreneurs, Startup, B2B Sales, & Business Development...

7. Sales Skills: 9 Sales Training Courses In 1

udemy
4.4
(994)

Develop Extraordinary Sales Skills With The Ultimate Sales Training (Taught By 5 Top Sales Experts)...

8. Sales Training: How To Close More Sales

udemy
4.5
(1,734)

Closing Sales: Sales Training Course: Sales Skills; Selling Techniques; Sales Strategies for B2B, B2C Direct Sales...

9. Sales Training: Become A Sales Superstar

udemy
4.7
(262)

Develop Advanced Sales Skills To Sell Anything Like A Champ (Taught By A World-class Salesman)...

10. Sales Funnels Masterclass: Increase Sales With Sales Funnels

udemy
4.5
(599)

Learn to create highly converting sales, conduct professional email marketing & 10X your sales with sales funnel fast!...

11. Sales Training Pro: The Complete Sales Presentation Course

udemy
4.6
(346)

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

12. Sales Skills Mastery 1: Sales Training For Beginners

udemy
4.4
(817)

Selling Techniques and Sales Strategy that Every Salesperson Ought to Know - Sales Training For the Modern World...

13. Sales Fundamentals

udemy
5
(791)

Learn how to sell with core, proven techniques that have generated millions in sales revenue...

14. B2B Sales Objections Simplified

udemy
4.6
(1,641)

B2B Sales Skill: Learn How to Handle the Most Common Sales Objections, Over the Phone and in Person!...

15. Business Development & B2B Sales for Startups- Sales Valley

udemy
4.5
(6,788)

The Complete Startup Playbook for Business Development & B2B Sales to learn Lead Generation, Pitching, & Closing Deals...

16. Sales Training - Everyone sells!

udemy
4.5
(2,472)

This course will give you extensive knowledge about the whole sales process...

17. Sales Prospecting Fundamentals: A Complete Guide to Success

udemy
4.3
(298)

Master effective prospecting by leveraging your sales superpower to increase your income!...

18. B2B Sales Skills: LinkedIn Lead Generation, Cold Email Sales

udemy
4.5
(327)

High-ticket B2B sales and marketing. Generate leads, sell to big companies, and win large deals. Learn sales skills!...

19. NLP For Sales, Persuasion & Influence: Certified NLP & Sales

udemy
4.5
(1,001)

NLP Sales Skills: Powerful NLP Techniques For Sales, Persuasion & Influence Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Sales...

20. LinkedIn Sales Navigator: LinkedIn's tool for B2B Sales

udemy
4.1
(393)

Linked In Sales Navigator best remote practices for the Linked In premium service for business development and B2B sales...

Average retail sales representative salary by education level

According to our data, retail sales representatives with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $42,190 annually. Retail sales representatives with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $41,862.
Retail sales representative education levelRetail sales representative salary
Master's Degree$42,190
High School Diploma or Less$37,555
Bachelor's Degree$41,862
Some College/ Associate Degree$38,453

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.