Senior buyer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a senior buyer. Senior buyers usually study business, management, or marketing. 70% of senior buyers hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 18,837 real senior buyer resumes to see exactly what senior buyer education sections show.

The most common colleges for senior buyers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain senior buyer certifications that you should consider. These senior buyer certifications include Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) and Certified Purchasing Professional (CPP).

What education do you need to become a senior buyer?

What degree do you need to be a senior buyer?

The most common degree for senior buyers is bachelor's degree, with 70% of senior buyers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 15% and associate degree degree at 9%.

Bachelor's, 70%

Associate, 15%

Master's, 9%

High School Diploma, 3%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a senior buyer?

You should major in business to become a senior buyer. 50% of senior buyers major in business. Other common majors for a senior buyer include management and marketing.

Business, 50%

Management, 7%

Marketing, 6%

Supply Chain Management, 5%

Other Majors, 32%

Most common colleges for senior buyers

Senior buyers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Michigan State University, and Arizona State University. Here are the most common colleges for senior buyers in the US based on their resumes.

Senior buyer common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	20.97%
Michigan State University	9.36%
Arizona State University	6.69%
Pennsylvania State University	5.56%
San Jose State University	5.42%

Show more common senior buyer colleges

Best majors for senior buyers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	49.9%
2	Management	6.8%
3	Marketing	6.2%
4	Supply Chain Management	5.1%
5	Accounting	4.1%

Show more common senior buyer majors

Best colleges for senior buyers

The best colleges for senior buyers are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A senior buyer 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 buyers. 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 buyers.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

6. SUNY College at Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,369

Enrollment

5,229

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

8. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

9. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

10. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

20 best online courses for senior buyers

Advertising disclosure

1. Supply Chain Logistics

Have you ever wondered how goods get delivered to us so quickly as soon as we order them? One word: Logistics! In this introductory Supply Chain Logistics course, I will take you on a journey to this fascinating backbone of global trade. We cover the three major building blocks of logistics networks: transportation, warehousing, and inventory. After completing this course, you will be able to differentiate the advantages and disadvantages of different modes of transportation. You will...

2. Navigating Healthcare Supply Chain Operations

This course is the continuation of "Introduction to Healthcare Supply Chain Operations". If you have not visited the first part yet, please check it out before starting this course. If you have finished the first part of this series: Introduction to Healthcare Supply Chain Operations, you will be able to apply what you learned to your own career. The foundational knowledge and project plan from the introduction are carried through in this deeper dive into healthcare supply chain operations. In...

3. Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service

4.5

(3,822)

Learn Logistics, Supply Chain and Customer Service. 3 Courses in 1...

4. Supply Chain Management A-Z: Operations & Logistics Basics

4.5

(2,394)

Supply Chain Management Basics: An MBA style course to boost your career as a business operations & logistics manager...

5. SAP MM Materials Management (beginner to expert level)

4.3

(331)

Master SAP Materials Management module with practical implementation steps. Prepare and crack SAP MM Certification exam...

6. Strategic Cost Management: Procurement and Supply Chain 2022

4.5

(1,611)

How to secure long term Procurement savings without breaking relations with your suppliers (with the updates 2022)...

7. RA: Data Science and Supply chain analytics.(A-Z with R)

4.5

(322)

Learn R,Supply-chain Data Science, Inventory Optimization,Big Data forecasting, Machine learning and Revenue Management...

8. Supply Chain Fundamentals: Logistic & Transportation

4.5

(577)

Learn the Fundamentals of Logistic, Warehouse, Inbound, Picking, Packing, transportation and apply it to any ERP system...

9. SAP: Supply Chain Logistics in R/3

4.6

(2,978)

Everything you need to know about SAP Supply Chain Logistics and Transportation in one easy place...

10. RA: Data Science and Supply Chain analytics. A-Z with Python

4.4

(840)

Learn Python, Supply Chain Data Science ,Linear Programming, Forecasting, Pricing and Inventory Management...

11. Procurement & Supply Planning tools and techniques.

4.4

(310)

Learn how to Make purchasing strategies ,MRP, forecast, inventory policies and techniques to minimize supply costs...

12. The Fundamentals of end-to-end Supply Chain Management

4.5

(1,524)

Supply Chain Management - Level 1: Introducing all the Key Components of a Supply Chain...

13. Financial Accounting - Inventory Costs

4.3

(254)

Mastering Inventory Costs & Flows: An In-Depth Guide to Accounting for Inventory in Business Operations...

14. SAP: Supply Chain Logistics & Transportation in S/4 HANA

4.4

(1,249)

Everything you need to know about SAP S/4 HANA Supply Chain Logistics and Transportation Management in one place...

15. Become a fashion buyer - learn the essentials

4.6

(591)

Learn the essential tasks of a fashion buyer and skills required to secure your first role!...

16. SAP Supply Chain: Learn EDI & Idocs Interface Architecture

4.4

(591)

Understand and Implement an E2E Supply Chain EDI solution by using industry standards, middleware, Idocs in SAP S/4...

17. ISO 9001:2015 Quality management system auditor

4.5

(7,832)

Upgrade your career by learning how to implement and audit a quality management system according to ISO 9001...

18. ISO 9001:2015-Quality Management System Implementation & Audit

4.2

(707)

Learn how to Implement and Audit a Quality Management System as per ISO 9001: 2015...

19. How to Become a Senior Developer - Beyond coding skills

4.5

(817)

The path to becoming a senior developer is clear, with these easily applicable lessons on mastering your craft...

20. Economics: Behavior of Buyers and Sellers & Product Pricing

4.2

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

7. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

8. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

9. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

10. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for senior buyers

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

Some great schools for senior buyers 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 buyers 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

SAT average

1,492

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

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. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

Average senior buyer salary by education level

Senior buyers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $101,625 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, senior buyers earn a median annual income of $89,611 compared to $74,533 for senior buyers with an High School Diploma degree.

Senior buyer education level	Senior buyer salary
Master's Degree	$101,625
High School Diploma or Less	$74,533
Bachelor's Degree	$89,611
Some College/ Associate Degree	$72,253

Senior buyer education FAQs

What is the best college for Senior Buyers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

Search for senior buyer jobs

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

Browse business and financial jobs