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Retail supervisor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a retail supervisor. Retail supervisors usually study business, psychology, or communication. 49% of retail supervisors hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 4,324 real retail supervisor resumes to see exactly what retail supervisor education sections show.
The most common colleges for retail supervisors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online retail supervisor courses to help get the education required to be a retail supervisor.
There are certain retail supervisor certifications that you should consider. These retail supervisor certifications include Certified Food Manager (CFM) and Certified Sales Professional (CSP).
What education do you need to become a retail supervisor?
What degree do you need to be a retail supervisor?
- Bachelor's, 49%
- Associate, 21%
- High School Diploma, 18%
- Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 8%
What should I major in to become a retail supervisor?
- Business, 33%
- Psychology, 6%
- Communication, 6%
- Marketing, 6%
- Other Majors, 49%
Most common colleges for retail supervisors
| Retail supervisor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 20.75% |
| Johnson & Wales University | 5.19% |
| Western Washington University | 5.19% |
| University of North Texas | 4.72% |
| Florida State University | 4.72% |
Best majors for retail supervisors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 33.4% |
| 2 | Psychology | 5.8% |
| 3 | Communication | 5.8% |
| 4 | Marketing | 5.6% |
| 5 | Management | 5.6% |
Best colleges for retail supervisors
The best colleges for retail supervisors are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
A retail supervisor 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 supervisors. 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 supervisors.
1. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
Delhi, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,360
Enrollment
3,142
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Enrollment
9,394
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
4. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
5. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Enrollment
33,495
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
7. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$45,542
Enrollment
14,159
8. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Alfred, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,570
Enrollment
3,721
9. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,853
Enrollment
14,759
10. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
20 best online courses for retail supervisors
Advertising disclosure
1. Professional Diploma in Digitalization of Retail Banking
Digital at sales, cross-sale, loyalty increase and costs, risks decrease. Practical cases and profitability assessment...
2. Create POS System - Inventory & sales with PHP 7 & adminLTE
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3. Supply Chain Management A-Z: Operations & Logistics Basics
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4. 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...
5. Food Safety for Managers and Supervisors
The Highfield Food Safety Level 3 syllabus presented in two hours of video tutorials. Boost your food safety knowledge...
6. The Complete B2B Sales Masterclass: 6 Courses in 1
1. Generate Leads, 2. Pitch, 3. Close & Handle Any Objection: Get Certified in Cutting Edge, Non-Pushy B2B Sales System...
7. Diploma Course in Retail Management
Enhance your skills (Operations/Sales/VM/HR/SCM) in the ever growing Retail industry - Cover latest trends, casestudies...
8. MBA: Retail business, Merchandising, and E-commerce
Build and grow your own retail business and e-commerce...
9. 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,...
10. Sales Machine: The Sales Training B2B Master Course
Learn Sales Strategies & Sales Techniques to Sell ANYTHING for Entrepreneurs, Startup, B2B Sales, & Business Development...
11. 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...
12. SAP for Retail Essentials: Learn SAP Retail Introduction
Easy to Follow SAP Retail Introduction: Both Core and Advanced Retail overview in just 6 hours with 4 hours of demos...
13. Customer Service
How to Approach New Customers and Maintain Existing Ones...
14. Retail Management
Retailing includes all business activities involved in selling goods and services to end consumers...
15. ISO 22000:2018. Food Safety Management System
Understand the requirements for a food safety management system applicable for any organization in the food chain...
16. Visual Merchandising Course For Retailers and Students
Learn the key principles of great Visual Merchandising & Window Dressing...
17. Sales Training: Become A Sales Superstar
Develop Advanced Sales Skills To Sell Anything Like A Champ (Taught By A World-class Salesman)...
18. B2B Sales Skills: LinkedIn Lead Generation, Cold Email Sales
High-ticket B2B sales and marketing. Generate leads, sell to big companies, and win large deals. Learn sales skills!...
19. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer
Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...
20. Operational Risks Management ORM
Operational Risks Management ORM Case Studies for Risk Management, Compliance, Audit, IS Security, Banking Professionals...
Top 10 most affordable universities for retail supervisors
The most affordable schools for retail supervisors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and fashion institute of technology.
If the best universities for retail supervisors 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 supervisors.
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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
8. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
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 retail supervisors
The hardest universities for retail supervisors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for retail supervisors 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 supervisors 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. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
7. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
9. Fordham University
Bronx, NY • Private
Admissions rate
46%
SAT average
1,354
10. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,390
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for retail supervisors
The easiest schools for retail supervisors to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and lim college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a retail supervisor 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 supervisors.
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. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
6. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
7. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
8. Ursuline College
Pepper Pike, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,102
9. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
10. Marymount University
Arlington, VA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,065
Average retail supervisor salary by education level
| Retail supervisor education level | Retail supervisor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $40,034 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $34,281 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $37,902 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $34,968 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025