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Sales and service associate education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Usually, sales and service associates don't need a college education. The most common degree for sales and service associates is bachelor's degree with 51% graduates, with only 22% sales and service associate graduates earning associate degree. Sales and service associates who decided to graduate from college often finish University of Phoenix or Pennsylvania State University. Some good skills to have in this position include sound judgment, sales process and customer problems.

Popular sales and service associate certifications include Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS), Certified Sales Professional (CSP), or Certified Professional, Life and Health Insurance Program (CPLHI). To improve sales and service associate qualification and skills, we prepared some online courses to help in sales and service associate education paths.

What education do you need to become a sales and service associate?

What degree do you need to be a sales and service associate?

The most common degree for sales and service associates is bachelor's degree, with 51% of sales and service associates earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 22% and associate degree degree at 19%.
  • Bachelor's, 51%
  • Associate, 22%
  • High School Diploma, 19%
  • Master's, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a sales and service associate?

You should major in business to become a sales and service associate. 31% of sales and service associates major in business. Other common majors for a sales and service associate include accounting and psychology.

Best majors for sales and service associates

RankMajorPercentages
1Business31.5%
2Accounting6.8%
3Psychology5.6%
4Communication5.6%
5General Studies5.5%

20 best online courses for sales and service associates

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1. Retail Customer Service

coursera

The Retail Customer Service course examines the day-to-day tasks that will be tackled in a retail customer service setting, including advanced skills such as returns and exchanges. You will apply guidelines for transactions such as sales, returns, exchanges, and data entry for customer information in real simulations. You will also observe the skills within a retail community location, evaluating the types of tasks observed and shared with a group of peers. You will complete sample transactions...

2. CVS Health Retail Customer Service

coursera

The demand for customer service representatives is huge, there are thousands of open job roles in the US alone. This program prepares you for a retail customer service role. Retail customer service is an exciting career where every day is a new day and a new adventure. The target audience for this certificate is anyone who is customer obsessed and is looking to launch a career in retail customer service.\n\nThis program uniquely prepares you for your new role by using a blend of videos,...

3. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

udemy
4.6
(2,666)

Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...

4. Customer Service Foundation

udemy
4.5
(290)

An introductory course about understanding the foundations of Customer Service...

5. Customer Service Fundamentals: Putting People First

udemy
4.4
(313)

Customer Care Listening Great Customer Service Concern for Others Company Culture Engaging People Responding...

6. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer

udemy
4.7
(18,204)

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

7. Customer Service

udemy
4.6
(11,267)

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

8. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

udemy
4.5
(941)

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

9. Start Improving Customer Service

udemy
4.8
(2,040)

Creating a Customer Service advantage in Your department or business through communication and Customer Management...

10. Product and Service Management

udemy
4.7
(957)

Know the Work that is Involved in Getting a Product Onto the Shelf and a Service Ready for Effective Delivery...

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

udemy
4.4
(960)

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

12. Customer Service: 6 Keys To Exceptional Customer Service

udemy
4.6
(601)

Master Customer Satisfaction & Astonish Your Customers With A+ Customer Service...

13. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service

udemy
4.5
(3,956)

Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...

14. Professional Diploma in Digitalization of Retail Banking

udemy
4.2
(272)

Digital at sales, cross-sale, loyalty increase and costs, risks decrease. Practical cases and profitability assessment...

15. Customer Service Basics: Improve your Service now

udemy
4.5
(889)

The basic golden rules to kickstart your service...

16. Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service

udemy
4.5
(3,822)

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

17. Customer Service Success: Take Your Skills to the Next Level

udemy
4.5
(2,276)

3-in-1 Customer Service Training: Levels 1, 2, 3 Improve Your Soft Communication Skills, Customer Support & Experience...

18. The Customer: Build a Customer Service Strategy (BITE SIZE)

udemy
4.5
(10,168)

For you and your team to be successful in providing great customer service, start by putting your customer first...

19. Operations Management: Supply Chains, Products and Services

udemy
4.3
(833)

Master Supply Chain Management and Product and Service Development in Manufacturing and Service Organizations...

20. Fundamentals of Financial Services

udemy
4.5
(275)

Understanding key elements and basic workings of the Financial Services Industry (useful for exams as well)...

Average sales and service associate salary by education level

According to our data, sales and service associates with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $69,694 annually. Sales and service associates with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $68,525.
Sales and service associate education levelSales and service associate salary
Master's Degree$69,694
High School Diploma or Less$54,151
Bachelor's Degree$68,525
Some College/ Associate Degree$56,999

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.