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Senior professional sales representative education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a senior professional sales representative. Senior professional sales representatives usually study business, marketing, or biology. 90% of senior professional sales representatives hold a bachelor's degree, and 7% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 772 real senior professional sales representative resumes to see exactly what senior professional sales representative education sections show.

The most common colleges for senior professional sales representatives are the The University of Alabama and the The University of Alabama.

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

What education do you need to become a senior professional sales representative?

What degree do you need to be a senior professional sales representative?

The most common degree for senior professional sales representatives is bachelor's degree, with 90% of senior professional sales representatives earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 7% and master's degree degree at 3%.
  • Bachelor's, 90%
  • Master's, 7%
  • Associate, 3%
  • Diploma, 0%
  • Other Degrees, 0%

What should I major in to become a senior professional sales representative?

You should major in business to become a senior professional sales representative. 31% of senior professional sales representatives major in business. Other common majors for a senior professional sales representative include marketing and biology.

Most common colleges for senior professional sales representatives

Senior professional sales representatives often get their degrees at The University of Alabama, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for senior professional sales representatives in the US based on their resumes.
Senior professional sales representative common collegePercentages
The University of Alabama6.48%
Indiana University of Pennsylvania6.48%
Pennsylvania State University6.48%
Texas A&M University6.48%
West Virginia University6.48%

Best majors for senior professional sales representatives

RankMajorPercentages
1Business30.6%
2Marketing15.4%
3Biology8.5%
4Communication6.1%
5Management5.5%

Best colleges for senior professional sales representatives

The best colleges for senior professional sales representatives are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.

A senior professional sales 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 professional sales 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 professional sales representatives.

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. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

4. SUNY College at Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,369

Enrollment

5,229

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

7. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

8. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

9. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$52,687

Enrollment

9,392

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

20 best online courses for senior professional sales representatives

Advertising disclosure

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 Training: How To Close More Sales

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4.5
(1,734)

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

4. Sales Training: Practical Sales Techniques

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4.6
(23,968)

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

5. Sales Skills: 9 Sales Training Courses In 1

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4.4
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Develop Extraordinary Sales Skills With The Ultimate Sales Training (Taught By 5 Top Sales Experts)...

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

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4.6
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The Ultimate Sales Methodology for Business Development & B2B Sales to Learn Sales Strategy, Sales Skills & Deal Closing...

7. 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!...

8. Professional Diploma in Digitalization of Retail Banking

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4.2
(272)

Digital at sales, cross-sale, loyalty increase and costs, risks decrease. Practical cases and profitability assessment...

9. Professional Sales Training - Compelling Conversations

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Sky rocket your sales performance through persuasive sales messages and compelling sales conversations...

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. The Complete Sales Skills Master Class - Sales Marketing B2B

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

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

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

14. Digital Marketing: How to Generate Sales Leads

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4.4
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Learn How To Generate Leads With A Step-By-Step Workbook & Action Plan To Boost Your Sales in 2019...

15. Sales and Marketing For Online Businesses

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4
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A Beginners Guide To Sales & Marketing For Your Online Business And Ventures...

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

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(6,788)

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

17. Digital Marketing Strategy - Profitable Sales Funnel Mastery

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4.7
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Learn to build a profitable sales funnel through captivating free offers, sales pages and email marketing sequences...

18. 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...

19. 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...

20. Sales Analysis for Management Consultants

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4.6
(251)

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

Top 10 most affordable universities for senior professional sales representatives

The most affordable schools for senior professional sales representatives are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and fashion institute of technology.

If the best universities for senior professional sales 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 professional sales representatives.

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. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

4. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

8. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

9. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for senior professional sales representatives

The hardest universities for senior professional sales representatives to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.

Some great schools for senior professional sales 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 professional sales 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

10. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

46%

SAT average

1,354

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for senior professional sales representatives

The easiest schools for senior professional sales representatives to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and university of the incarnate word.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a senior professional sales 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 professional sales representatives.

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. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

7. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

8. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

9. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

10. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

Average senior professional sales representative salary by education level

Senior professional sales representatives with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $147,024 annually. With a Doctorate degree, senior professional sales representatives earn a median annual income of $139,898 compared to $128,634 for senior professional sales representatives with an Bachelor's degree.
Senior professional sales representative education levelSenior professional sales representative salary
Master's Degree$147,024
High School Diploma or Less$91,644
Bachelor's Degree$128,634
Doctorate Degree$139,898
Some College/ Associate Degree$95,993

Senior professional sales 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.