Sales manager/office manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a sales manager/office manager. Sales manager/office managers usually study business, accounting, or psychology. 49% of sales manager/office managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 10,595 real sales manager/office manager resumes to see exactly what sales manager/office manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for sales manager/office managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain sales manager/office manager certifications that you should consider. These sales manager/office manager certifications include Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified Sales Professional (CSP).

What education do you need to become a sales manager/office manager?

What degree do you need to be a sales manager/office manager?

The most common degree for sales manager/office managers is bachelor's degree, with 49% of sales manager/office managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 25% and associate degree degree at 15%.

Bachelor's, 49%

Associate, 25%

High School Diploma, 15%

Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a sales manager/office manager?

You should major in business to become a sales manager/office manager. 38% of sales manager/office managers major in business. Other common majors for a sales manager/office manager include accounting and psychology.

Business, 38%

Accounting, 7%

Psychology, 6%

General Studies, 5%

Other Majors, 44%

Most common colleges for sales manager/office managers

Sales manager/office managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of Central Florida, and Western Washington University. Here are the most common colleges for sales manager/office managers in the US based on their resumes.

Sales manager/office manager common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	26.65%
University of Central Florida	4.85%
Western Washington University	4.85%
Arizona State University	4.63%
Miami Dade College	4.63%

Show more common sales manager/office manager colleges

Best majors for sales manager/office managers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	38.4%
2	Accounting	7.4%
3	Psychology	5.9%
4	General Studies	4.9%
5	Marketing	4.9%

Show more common sales manager/office manager majors

Best colleges for sales manager/office managers

The best colleges for sales manager/office managers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

A sales manager/office manager 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 manager/office managers. 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 manager/office managers.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

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. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,620

Enrollment

27,730

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

7. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

8. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

9. University of Houston

Houston, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$8,913

Enrollment

37,291

10. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

20 best online courses for sales manager/office managers

Advertising disclosure

1. Sales Operations/Management

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

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. Financial Accounting & Excel-Comprehensive Accounting Course

4.3

(736)

Comprehensive accounting course to learn the accounting cycle in a practical way and pick up critical Excel fundamentals...

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

(413)

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

5. Supply Chain Management: Inventory Management and Control

4.5

(656)

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

6. Management - Leadership, Negotiating, Assertiveness, Sales

4.5

(3,230)

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

7. Cost Accounting and Financial Management - A Complete Study

4.8

(268)

Learn theory and practical concepts in Cost Accounting and Financial Management with loads of video lectures...

8. Sales Analysis for Management Consultants

4.6

(251)

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

9. KAM - Key Account Management - made simple

4.4

(360)

How to master KAM - Key Account Management process...

10. Xero Bookkeeping & Accounting, w/ Set-up & Reporting

4.3

(263)

From Set-up to Bookkeeping, Accounting, Reporting, & Financial Statements in Xero with a Certified Xero Advisor...

11. Financial Accounting-Adjusting Entries & Financial Statement

4.6

(930)

Master Adjusting Entries & Financial Statements: A Comprehensive Guide for Accurate Accounting and Reporting...

12. Sales Forecasting in Excel for Management Consultants

4.6

(267)

A practical guide on how to do basic sales forecasting models in Excel with case studies & real-life examples...

13. Sales Training Pro: The Complete Sales Presentation Course

4.6

(346)

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

14. Financial Accounting-Inventory & Merchandising Transactions

4.8

(267)

Mastering Inventory Accounting: From Merchandising Transactions to Cost Flow Assumptions...

15. Sales Skills: 9 Sales Training Courses In 1

4.4

(994)

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

16. Sales Training: Become A Sales Superstar

4.7

(262)

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

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

4.5

(327)

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

18. Sales Training: Practical Sales Techniques

4.6

(23,968)

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

19. Sales Funnels Masterclass: Increase Sales With Sales Funnels

4.5

(599)

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

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

4.6

(584)

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

Top 10 most affordable universities for sales manager/office managers

The most affordable schools for sales manager/office managers are USF Sarasota-Manatee, university of florida, and university of south florida.

If the best universities for sales manager/office managers 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 manager/office managers.

1. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

6. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

7. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. USF St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,821

Cost of attendance

19,849

10. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for sales manager/office managers

The hardest universities for sales manager/office managers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for sales manager/office managers 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 manager/office managers 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

7. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

8. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for sales manager/office managers

The easiest schools for sales manager/office managers to get into are Gwynedd Mercy University, mount saint mary's university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a sales manager/office manager 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 manager/office managers.

1. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

6. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

7. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

8. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

9. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

10. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

Average sales manager/office manager salary by education level

Sales manager/office managers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $53,135 annually. With a Doctorate degree, sales manager/office managers earn a median annual income of $50,141 compared to $46,877 for sales manager/office managers with an Bachelor's degree.

Sales manager/office manager education level	Sales manager/office manager salary
Master's Degree	$53,135
High School Diploma or Less	$35,609
Bachelor's Degree	$46,877
Doctorate Degree	$50,141
Some College/ Associate Degree	$35,581

Sales manager/office manager education FAQs

What is the best college for Sales Manager/Office Managers?

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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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