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Sales management trainee education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a sales management trainee. Sales management trainees usually study business, marketing, or communication. 82% of sales management trainees hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,781 real sales management trainee resumes to see exactly what sales management trainee education sections show.

The most common colleges for sales management trainees are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.

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

What education do you need to become a sales management trainee?

What degree do you need to be a sales management trainee?

The most common degree for sales management trainees is bachelor's degree, with 82% of sales management trainees earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 8% and associate degree degree at 4%.
  • Bachelor's, 82%
  • Associate, 8%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Master's, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a sales management trainee?

You should major in business to become a sales management trainee. 36% of sales management trainees major in business. Other common majors for a sales management trainee include marketing and communication.

Most common colleges for sales management trainees

Sales management trainees often get their degrees at Pennsylvania State University, Michigan State University, and University of Central Florida. Here are the most common colleges for sales management trainees in the US based on their resumes.
Sales management trainee common collegePercentages
Pennsylvania State University8.52%
Michigan State University7.39%
University of Central Florida7.39%
University of South Carolina - Columbia6.25%
University of Maryland - College Park5.68%

Best majors for sales management trainees

RankMajorPercentages
1Business35.7%
2Marketing11.6%
3Communication7.8%
4Management4.8%
5Psychology4.2%

Best colleges for sales management trainees

The best colleges for sales management trainees are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.

A sales management trainee 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 management trainees. 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 management trainees.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

3. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

4. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

5. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

6. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

7. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

8. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

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 sales management trainees

Advertising disclosure

1. Sales Operations/Management

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Sales jobs span nearly every industry, from agribusiness and pharmaceuticals, to telecommunications and property management. And essential to sales is the management of the sales force. This course provides the knowledge and know how required for careers in sales management. Students are exposed to all facets of sales management, including organizing, selecting, training, motivating, supervising and compensating the sales force, territory management and administration and sales and expense...

2. Sales Training: Sales Team Management

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In this course, you will learn how to define your target market, create a scalable sales process, and build training, coaching, hiring, and onboarding programs to help your sales team grow better. Whether you're already managing a sales team, or aspire to manage one at some point in your career, this course will explain what's involved when it comes to setting up a sales process, coaching your team, hiring new team members, and getting those team members up to speed as fast as possible...

3. Sales Skills: 9 Sales Training Courses In 1

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

4. Sales Training: Practical Sales Techniques

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4.6
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Sales Hacking: Essential sales skills, sales strategies and sales techniques to sell just about anything!...

5. Sales Training: Become A Sales Superstar

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4.7
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Develop Advanced Sales Skills To Sell Anything Like A Champ (Taught By A World-class Salesman)...

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

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4
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1. Generate Leads, 2. Pitch, 3. Close & Handle Any Objection: Get Certified in Cutting Edge, Non-Pushy B2B Sales System...

7. Supply Chain Management: Inventory Management and Control

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4.5
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Inventory Management in Supply Chain Management & Inventory Control in Warehouse Logistics & Supply chain Management...

8. Sales Machine: The Sales Training B2B Master Course

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

9. Operations Management: Inventory Management

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Operations Management Training Program (Course 4 of 8)...

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

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11. Sales Training: How To Close More Sales

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

12. Sales Training Pro: The Complete Sales Presentation Course

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

13. Supercharge Your Sales with Body Language

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Win business, craft a killer sales pitch and learn how to close every deal with advanced nonverbal sales techniques...

14. Sales Analysis for Management Consultants

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4.6
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A practical guide on how to improve sales and marketing of your customers during consulting projects like Mc Kinsey, BCG,...

15. Sales Skills Mastery 1: Sales Training For Beginners

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4.4
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Selling Techniques and Sales Strategy that Every Salesperson Ought to Know - Sales Training For the Modern World...

16. Management - Leadership, Negotiating, Assertiveness, Sales

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A practical guide covering assertiveness, time management, leadership, negotiating, sales & project management...

17. TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP Management Coach Training

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Management Training, Coaching Remote Team, Management Coaching, Sales Coaching, Sales Management Coach, Sales Leadership...

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

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

19. Sales Training - Everyone sells!

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4.5
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This course will give you extensive knowledge about the whole sales process...

20. Inventory Management A-Z: Supply Chain & Business Operations

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Inventory Management Basics: MBA beginners course to your optimize your Purchasing, Logistics, EOQ and Safety Stock...

Top 10 most affordable universities for sales management trainees

The most affordable schools for sales management trainees are SUNY Farmingdale, baruch college of the city university of new york, and university of florida.

If the best universities for sales management trainees 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 management trainees.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

5. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

9. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

10. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for sales management trainees

The hardest universities for sales management trainees to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.

Some great schools for sales management trainees 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 management trainees 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

4. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

46%

SAT average

1,354

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for sales management trainees

The easiest schools for sales management trainees 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 sales management trainee 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 management trainees.

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. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

8. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

9. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

10. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

Average sales management trainee salary by education level

According to our data, sales management trainees with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $54,333 annually. Sales management trainees with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $51,545.
Sales management trainee education levelSales management trainee salary
Master's Degree$54,333
High School Diploma or Less$46,798
Bachelor's Degree$51,545
Some College/ Associate Degree$47,700

Sales management trainee education FAQs

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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.