Sales internship education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a sales internship. Sales interns usually study business, marketing, or communication. 82% of sales interns hold a bachelor's degree, and 7% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 20,142 real sales internship resumes to see exactly what sales internship education sections show.

The most common colleges for sales interns are the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Fashion Institute of Technology.

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

There are certain sales internship certifications that you should consider. These sales internship certifications include Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Bloomberg Market Concepts - Bloomberg Certification (BMC).

What education do you need to become a sales internship?

What degree do you need to be a sales internship?

The most common degree for sales interns is bachelor's degree, with 82% of sales interns earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 7% and associate degree degree at 5%.

Bachelor's, 82%

Associate, 7%

Master's, 5%

High School Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a sales internship?

You should major in business to become a sales internship. 25% of sales interns major in business. Other common majors for a sales internship include marketing and communication.

Business, 25%

Marketing, 15%

Communication, 9%

Finance, 7%

Other Majors, 44%

Most common colleges for sales interns

Sales interns often get their degrees at Fashion Institute of Technology, Ohio State University, and Purdue University. Here are the most common colleges for sales interns in the US based on their resumes.

Sales internship common college	Percentages
Fashion Institute of Technology	9.57%
Ohio State University	6.35%
Purdue University	6.35%
Pennsylvania State University	5.95%
Florida State University	5.95%

Show more common sales internship colleges

Best majors for sales interns

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	24.8%
2	Marketing	15.1%
3	Communication	8.8%
4	Finance	6.8%
5	Kinesiology	6.7%

Show more common sales internship majors

Best colleges for sales interns

The best colleges for sales interns are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Boston University.

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

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

3. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

4. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

7. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

8. Clemson University

Clemson, SC • Private

In-state tuition

$15,374

Enrollment

19,564

9. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

10. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

20 best online courses for sales interns

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Top 10 most affordable universities for sales interns

The most affordable schools for sales interns are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for sales interns 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 sales interns.

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. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

7. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for sales interns

The hardest universities for sales interns to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Boston University.

Some great schools for sales interns 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 sales interns 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

10. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

46%

SAT average

1,354

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for sales interns

The easiest schools for sales interns to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a sales internship 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 sales interns.

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. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

7. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

8. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

Average sales internship salary by education level

Sales interns with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $40,367 annually. With a Doctorate degree, sales interns earn a median annual income of $39,209 compared to $37,327 for sales interns with an Bachelor's degree.

Sales internship education level	Sales internship salary
Master's Degree	$40,367
High School Diploma or Less	$30,601
Bachelor's Degree	$37,327
Doctorate Degree	$39,209
Some College/ Associate Degree	$31,444

Sales internship education FAQs

What is the best college for Sales Interns?

Have more questions? See all answers to common sales 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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