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Sales special agent education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a sales special agent. Sales special agents usually study business, marketing, or communication. 63% of sales special agents hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 484 real sales special agent resumes to see exactly what sales special agent education sections show.

The most common colleges for sales special agents are the Central State University and the Central State University.

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

What education do you need to become a sales special agent?

What degree do you need to be a sales special agent?

The most common degree for sales special agents is bachelor's degree, with 63% of sales special agents earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 16% and associate degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 63%
  • Associate, 16%
  • High School Diploma, 10%
  • Master's, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a sales special agent?

You should major in business to become a sales special agent. 32% of sales special agents major in business. Other common majors for a sales special agent include marketing and communication.

Most common colleges for sales special agents

Sales special agents often get their degrees at Central State University, University of Phoenix, and Arizona State University. Here are the most common colleges for sales special agents in the US based on their resumes.
Sales special agent common collegePercentages
Central State University8.33%
University of Phoenix8.33%
Arizona State University6.25%
Temple University6.25%
Pennsylvania State University6.25%

Best majors for sales special agents

RankMajorPercentages
1Business32.4%
2Marketing8.0%
3Communication7.4%
4Management6.3%
5Psychology5.1%

Best colleges for sales special agents

The best colleges for sales special agents are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A sales special agent 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 special agents. 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 special agents.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Maine Maritime Academy

Castine, ME • Private

In-state tuition

$13,478

Enrollment

979

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

20 best online courses for sales special agents

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4. 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)...

5. Sales Funnels Masterclass: Increase Sales With Sales Funnels

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

6. Sales Training: Practical Sales Techniques

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

7. 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...

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

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10. Sales Training: Become A Sales Superstar

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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. Sales Skills Mastery 1: Sales Training For Beginners

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

14. LinkedIn Sales Navigator: LinkedIn's tool for B2B Sales

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4.1
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Linked In Sales Navigator best remote practices for the Linked In premium service for business development and B2B sales...

15. Sales Fundamentals

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Learn how to sell with core, proven techniques that have generated millions in sales revenue...

16. 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...

17. CRUSH IT!!! - Sales Strategies

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18. B2B Sales Objections Simplified

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B2B Sales Skill: Learn How to Handle the Most Common Sales Objections, Over the Phone and in Person!...

19. Sales Methodologies: Best Practices for Enterprise Selling

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Apply sales methodology and sales process best practices to the modern enterprise selling organization...

20. NLP For Sales, Persuasion & Influence: Certified NLP & Sales

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NLP Sales Skills: Powerful NLP Techniques For Sales, Persuasion & Influence Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Sales...

Top 10 most affordable universities for sales special agents

The most affordable schools for sales special agents are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for sales special agents 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 special agents.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

8. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Cost of attendance

22,990

10. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for sales special agents

The hardest universities for sales special agents to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for sales special agents 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 special agents 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. Brandeis University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

31%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for sales special agents

The easiest schools for sales special agents to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a sales special agent 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 special agents.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

8. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

Average sales special agent salary by education level

According to our data, sales special agents with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $51,534 annually. Sales special agents with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $47,392.
Sales special agent education levelSales special agent salary
Master's Degree$51,534
Bachelor's Degree$42,809
Doctorate Degree$47,392

Sales special agent 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.