Senior purchasing agent education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a senior purchasing agent. Senior purchasing agents usually study business, management, or accounting. 68% of senior purchasing agents hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 3,157 real senior purchasing agent resumes to see exactly what senior purchasing agent education sections show.

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

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

There are certain senior purchasing agent certifications that you should consider. These senior purchasing agent certifications include Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM) and Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP).

What education do you need to become a senior purchasing agent?

What degree do you need to be a senior purchasing agent?

The most common degree for senior purchasing agents is bachelor's degree, with 68% of senior purchasing agents earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 15% and associate degree degree at 13%.

Bachelor's, 68%

Associate, 15%

Master's, 13%

High School Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a senior purchasing agent?

You should major in business to become a senior purchasing agent. 48% of senior purchasing agents major in business. Other common majors for a senior purchasing agent include management and accounting.

Business, 48%

Management, 6%

Accounting, 6%

Marketing, 5%

Other Majors, 35%

Most common colleges for senior purchasing agents

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

Senior purchasing agent common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	19.03%
Pennsylvania State University	7.27%
Michigan State University	6.92%
Arizona State University	6.57%
Webster University	5.88%

Show more common senior purchasing agent colleges

Best majors for senior purchasing agents

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	48.0%
2	Management	6.3%
3	Accounting	5.7%
4	Marketing	4.6%
5	Supply Chain Management	4.6%

Show more common senior purchasing agent majors

Best colleges for senior purchasing agents

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

A senior purchasing 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 senior purchasing 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 senior purchasing agents.

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 purchasing agents

Advertising disclosure

1. SAP MM Purchasing (Procurement) Process

4.5

(406)

Business Process Explanation along with SAP Configuration and Testing of Purchasing Processes...

2. 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...

3. SAP MM Purchasing Simplified for Beginners

4.6

(2,045)

Easy Introduction into Purchasing Processing in SAP ERP...

4. Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service

4.5

(3,822)

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

5. 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)...

6. SAP S/4HANA Sourcing & Procurement (MM-Materials Management)

4.5

(2,553)

The course covers both configuration and end-user processes for SAP S/4HANA MM / Sourcing & Procurement...

7. Procurement Management

4.5

(3,444)

An Ultimate Guide to Procurement / Purchase Management for Managers, Engineers, Entrepreneurs and Students...

8. SAP Materials Management (MM) Super User Training

4.6

(614)

Complete Beginner and Intermediate Purchasing & Inventory Management Training - Perform all the task in SAP in no time...

9. 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...

10. 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...

11. SAP MM (Materials Management) Consultant Level Course

(306)

Learn SAP Material Management module from scratch. Purchasing, Schema Determination, Material Master, Goods Receipt, etc...

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. Project Management - Complete Guide For A+ Project Managers

4.6

(494)

Complete guide to project management - stakeholders, planning, cost, quality, risks, feasibility, methods & resourcing...

15. Introduction to Contract Management

4.4

(1,511)

Understand what is involved in the contract management process and put this knowledge to work with confidence...

16. Complete Tally ERP 9-GST Course with Live Project of Clients

4.2

(353)

Learn Tally ERP 9 with live Accounts of a Business Covering its Accounting, Payroll, GST, Banking, Inventory System...

17. Contract Management: Managing Contractual Risks

4.2

(295)

How to identify and deal with contract risks...

18. Process Improvement

4.6

(1,844)

#1 Process Improvement course: The step by step guide on how to deliver effective and lasting process improvements...

19. Contracts Management in Construction Projects

4.3

(730)

Contracts Management, Contract Administration, FIDIC, Bank Guarantees, Contracts, Letter Drafting, Quantity Surveying...

20. Your Customer Service Toolbox: Best Practices for Beginners

4.5

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 purchasing agents

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

Some great schools for senior purchasing 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 senior purchasing 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. 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 purchasing agent salary by education level

Senior purchasing agents with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $93,582 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, senior purchasing agents earn a median annual income of $82,435 compared to $68,463 for senior purchasing agents with an High School Diploma degree.

Senior purchasing agent education level	Senior purchasing agent salary
Master's Degree	$93,582
High School Diploma or Less	$68,463
Bachelor's Degree	$82,435
Some College/ Associate Degree	$66,352

Senior purchasing agent education FAQs

What is the best college for Senior Purchasing Agents?

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

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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

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