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Sales representative/assistant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a sales representative/assistant. Sales representative/assistants usually study business, marketing, or psychology. 52% of sales representative/assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 4,647 real sales representative/assistant resumes to see exactly what sales representative/assistant education sections show.

The most common colleges for sales representative/assistants are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain sales representative/assistant certifications that you should consider. These sales representative/assistant certifications include Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) and Certified Sales Professional (CSP).

What education do you need to become a sales representative/assistant?

What degree do you need to be a sales representative/assistant?

The most common degree for sales representative/assistants is bachelor's degree, with 52% of sales representative/assistants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 20% and associate degree degree at 17%.
  • Bachelor's, 52%
  • Associate, 20%
  • High School Diploma, 17%
  • Master's, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a sales representative/assistant?

You should major in business to become a sales representative/assistant. 32% of sales representative/assistants major in business. Other common majors for a sales representative/assistant include marketing and psychology.

Most common colleges for sales representative/assistants

Sales representative/assistants often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Northern Illinois University, and Miami Dade College. Here are the most common colleges for sales representative/assistants in the US based on their resumes.
Sales representative/assistant common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix20.09%
Northern Illinois University5.94%
Miami Dade College5.48%
University of South Florida5.02%
New York University5.02%

Best majors for sales representative/assistants

RankMajorPercentages
1Business32.1%
2Marketing7.5%
3Psychology6.7%
4Communication5.8%
5Liberal Arts5.2%

Best colleges for sales representative/assistants

The best colleges for sales representative/assistants are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A sales representative/assistant 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 representative/assistants. 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 representative/assistants.

1. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

6. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

7. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

8. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

9. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,360

Enrollment

3,142

10. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

20 best online courses for sales representative/assistants

Advertising disclosure

1. HubSpot Sales Representative

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Whether you're completely new to sales and looking to start a new career, or you want to grow in your current sales role, this five-course career training program from the inbound sales experts at HubSpot can help you reach your career goals.\n\nYou’ll start by learning the basics of sales enablement and how sales and marketing teams can collaborate to create and keep relationships with their targeted buyers. You’ll develop data-driven sales goals and influential content to enable you to...

2. Salesforce Sales Development Representative

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If you’ve always wanted a rewarding career, the tech sales industry may be the path for you. If you’re an ambitious problem-solver who likes to win, you’ll find tech sales not only fulfilling, but lucrative as well. As the tech industry continuously introduces innovative services and products, tech sales roles have become more crucial than ever. SDRs are in the front lines of the tech biz, connecting with customers and clients, and coming up with the smartest solutions for their problems. Sales...

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

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4
(413)

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

4. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

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4.6
(2,666)

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

5. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

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4.5
(941)

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

6. Customer Service

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4.6
(11,267)

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

7. Sales Training: How To Close More Sales

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4.5
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Closing Sales: Sales Training Course: Sales Skills; Selling Techniques; Sales Strategies for B2B, B2C Direct Sales...

8. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer

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4.7
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Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...

9. 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)...

10. Customer Service Foundation

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4.5
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An introductory course about understanding the foundations of Customer Service...

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

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

12. Sales Training Pro: The Complete Sales Presentation Course

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4.6
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Practical, Hands-on Sales Techniques and Tools to Effortlessly Engage your Customers In Your Sales Presentations...

13. 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!...

14. Sales Machine: The Sales Training B2B Master Course

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4.6
(4,040)

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

15. Customer Retention: Maximise Your Profits

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4.6
(481)

How CRM, Customer Care, Customer Service, Customer Satisfaction, and Customer Experience will 10X your profits...

16. Sales Funnels Masterclass: Increase Sales With Sales Funnels

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4.5
(599)

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

17. Customer Service Fundamentals: Putting People First

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4.4
(313)

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

18. Sales Training: Become A Sales Superstar

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4.7
(262)

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

19. SAP S/4HANA Sales (SD - Sales and Distribution)

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4.5
(348)

The course covers both configuration and end-user processes for SAP S/4HANA Sales (Sales and Distribution)...

20. CSMath: Make Data-Driven Decisions in Customer Success

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4.2
(320)

Learn how to separate the signals from the noise!...

Top 10 most affordable universities for sales representative/assistants

The most affordable schools for sales representative/assistants are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for sales representative/assistants 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 representative/assistants.

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. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

5. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

8. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

9. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

10. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for sales representative/assistants

The hardest universities for sales representative/assistants to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for sales representative/assistants 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 representative/assistants 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. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

46%

SAT average

1,354

9. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,390

10. Clemson University

Clemson, SC • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,337

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for sales representative/assistants

The easiest schools for sales representative/assistants 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 representative/assistant 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 representative/assistants.

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 College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

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. Cleary University

Howell, MI • Private

Admissions rate

58%

SAT average

1,039

Average sales representative/assistant salary by education level

Sales representative/assistants with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $42,898 annually. With a Doctorate degree, sales representative/assistants earn a median annual income of $41,974 compared to $40,458 for sales representative/assistants with an Bachelor's degree.
Sales representative/assistant education levelSales representative/assistant salary
Master's Degree$42,898
High School Diploma or Less$34,873
Bachelor's Degree$40,458
Doctorate Degree$41,974
Some College/ Associate Degree$35,588

Sales representative/assistant 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.