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Senior business development representative education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a senior business development representative. Senior business development representatives usually study business, communication, or marketing. 78% of senior business development representatives hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 349 real senior business development representative resumes to see exactly what senior business development representative education sections show.

The most common colleges for senior business development representatives are the San Diego State University and the San Diego State University.

There are also many online senior business development representative courses to help get the education required to be a senior business development representative.

What education do you need to become a senior business development representative?

What degree do you need to be a senior business development representative?

The most common degree for senior business development representatives is bachelor's degree, with 78% of senior business development representatives earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 8% and associate degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 78%
  • Associate, 8%
  • Master's, 8%
  • High School Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a senior business development representative?

You should major in business to become a senior business development representative. 32% of senior business development representatives major in business. Other common majors for a senior business development representative include communication and marketing.

Most common colleges for senior business development representatives

Senior business development representatives often get their degrees at San Diego State University, Kent State University, and Brigham Young University. Here are the most common colleges for senior business development representatives in the US based on their resumes.
Senior business development representative common collegePercentages
San Diego State University9.26%
Kent State University9.26%
Brigham Young University7.41%
Salem State University5.56%
Temple University5.56%

Best majors for senior business development representatives

RankMajorPercentages
1Business31.5%
2Communication8.9%
3Marketing8.4%
4Political Science5.9%
5Economics4.9%

Best colleges for senior business development representatives

The best colleges for senior business development representatives are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A senior business development representative with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for senior business development representatives. 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 senior business development representatives.

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 senior business development representatives

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1. 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...

2. 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...

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

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4.6
(584)

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

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

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4.5
(6,788)

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

5. Cold Calling Mastery

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4.8
(350)

Become fantastic at Cold Calling - making cold calls for lead generation, sales, & business development...

6. Business Mind - Mastering Business Development

udemy
4.4
(303)

Master in Practice the Product, Sales and Marketing Perspective of Business Development...

7. The Complete Sales Skills Master Class - Sales Marketing B2B

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4.5
(741)

Master Sales Skills, Marketing Strategy, B2B Sales, Business Development, Lead Generation Using Top Social Skills...

8. Cold Calling for B2B Sales: How to Prospect over the Phone

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4.5
(2,576)

B2B Sales Skill: How to Cold Call over the Phone with Purpose, Navigate through Gatekeepers and Set Client Meetings...

9. Sales and Marketing For Online Businesses

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4
(1,581)

A Beginners Guide To Sales & Marketing For Your Online Business And Ventures...

10. 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...

11. Sales Machine: The Sales Training B2B Master Course

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4.6
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Learn Sales Strategies & Sales Techniques to Sell ANYTHING for Entrepreneurs, Startup, B2B Sales, & Business Development...

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

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4.5
(327)

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

13. Lead Generation Machine: Cold Email B2B Sales Master Course

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4.4
(4,291)

Schedule meetings emailing small to large companies for business development, B2B, startup, consultants, & entrepreneurs...

14. Learn Cold Calling Like the Wolf of Wall Street in 3 Days

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4.5
(498)

Cold Calling Like Jordan Belfort: the Exact Blueprint (Including Script & Templates) to Close the Sale Within 3 Days...

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

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4.2
(320)

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

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

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4.1
(393)

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

17. LinkedIn Advanced. Lead Generation Strategies For B2B Sales

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4.5
(271)

The Linked In Marketing Masterclass for Linked In Lead Generation and Business Development for B2B Sales. Remote Strategy...

18. Create B2B Sales Cold Calling Scripts & Value Propositions

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4.6
(1,592)

B2B Sales Skill: Create Personalized Talk Tracks for Sales Reps that Win more Prospects and Close more Deals...

19. Business Communication Skills: Handling Clients & Customers

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4.4
(1,161)

Soft Skills Training Social Skills Business Etiquette Business English Customer Service Training...

20. LinkedIn Marketing, Lead Generation & B2B Sales for LinkedIn

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4.3
(5,970)

Linked In Machine: The Linked In Master Class to learn Linked In Marketing, Lead Generation, Business Development, B2B Sales...

Top 10 most affordable universities for senior business development representatives

The most affordable schools for senior business development representatives are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for senior business development representatives 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 senior business development representatives.

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 senior business development representatives

The hardest universities for senior business development representatives to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for senior business development representatives 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 senior business development representatives 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 senior business development representatives

The easiest schools for senior business development representatives 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 senior business development representative 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 senior business development representatives.

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 senior business development representative salary by education level

According to our data, senior business development representatives with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $124,718 annually. Senior business development representatives with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $117,625.
Senior business development representative education levelSenior business development representative salary
Master's Degree$124,718
High School Diploma or Less$89,039
Bachelor's Degree$113,842
Doctorate Degree$117,625
Some College/ Associate Degree$91,060

Senior business development representative 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.