Senior sourcing specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a senior sourcing specialist. Senior sourcing specialists usually study business, marketing, or management. 71% of senior sourcing specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 609 real senior sourcing specialist resumes to see exactly what senior sourcing specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for senior sourcing specialists are the University of Houston and the University of Houston.

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

There are certain senior sourcing specialist certifications that you should consider. These senior sourcing specialist certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP).

What education do you need to become a senior sourcing specialist?

What degree do you need to be a senior sourcing specialist?

The most common degree for senior sourcing specialists is bachelor's degree, with 71% of senior sourcing specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 15% and master's degree degree at 10%.

Bachelor's, 71%

Master's, 15%

Associate, 10%

Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a senior sourcing specialist?

You should major in business to become a senior sourcing specialist. 42% of senior sourcing specialists major in business. Other common majors for a senior sourcing specialist include marketing and management.

Business, 42%

Marketing, 6%

Management, 6%

Communication, 6%

Other Majors, 40%

Most common colleges for senior sourcing specialists

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

Senior sourcing specialist common college	Percentages
University of Houston	10.23%
University of Phoenix	9.09%
Pennsylvania State University	6.82%
Metropolitan State University	6.82%
Western Michigan University	6.82%

Show more common senior sourcing specialist colleges

Best majors for senior sourcing specialists

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	41.8%
2	Marketing	5.7%
3	Management	5.7%
4	Communication	5.7%
5	Finance	5.4%

Show more common senior sourcing specialist majors

Best colleges for senior sourcing specialists

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

A senior sourcing specialist 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 sourcing specialists. 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 sourcing specialists.

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 sourcing specialists

Advertising disclosure

1. Global Procurement and Sourcing

We will start with a “proven” model for Strategic Sourcing, then move on to the very important topic of Supplier Management. In Supplier Management, you will learn how to select and evaluate suppliers, implement appropriate contracts, and how to mitigate risks. In Supply Market Analysis, you will learn and understand various tools and techniques to evaluate supply markets. Lastly, the course will cover the very important topic of negotiation. Outside reading will be provided to reinforce your...

2. Sourcing Alibaba Supplier and Shipping to Amazon FBA in 2022

4.9

(566)

Case study on sourcing the best Alibaba suppliers to shipping your product to Amazon Warehouse and much much more...

3. Learning Business Contracts for Beginners

4.5

(2,448)

An Introductory Guide to Drafting Winning Contracts, Negotiating Well, and Getting What You Want...

4. Certified Lean Specialist Lean Management (Accredited)

4.6

(3,549)

Lean Management Lean Manufacturing Lean in Service Lean Specialist Lean Certification Lean Part 1 Earn PDUs...

5. Human Resources (HR) as a Business Partner

4.1

(758)

This course provides valuable information on how Human Resource Business Partnering (HRBP) operates in practice...

6. HR as a Strategic Business Partner

4.4

(2,094)

Better understand your value and role as a strategic business partner...

7. Project Charter Specialist (Accredited) Project Management

4.6

(552)

What is Project Charter? Components? Template? Example? Document Project Charter? Project Charter Specialist Earn PDUs...

8. Workforce Analytics for HR

4.5

(825)

Learn how to use analytics to translate HR data into financial impact. Johnson & Johnson alumni & 15+ yrs of experience...

9. MBA -The Business fundamentals + 30 hrs of business concepts

4.6

(673)

+ 30 hrs , This MBA course is designed to enhance your Business knowledge & learn the foundation concepts of businesses...

10. Low Cost Business Models

4.2

(410)

How to create a no-frill low-cost business model and kill the competition...

11. 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...

12. Successful HR in Business

4.5

(424)

Become familiar with ADA compliance in the world of business...

13. Value Stream Mapping Masterclass: Become a VSM Specialist

4.5

(2,262)

Get Value Stream Mapping (VSM) Trained Become a Certified Value Stream Mapping (VSM) Specialist Earn PDUs CPDs...

14. Six Sigma Black Belt: Certified QFD Specialist (Accredited)

4.6

(748)

Use QFD to Convert Customer Needs to Requirements Achieve QFD Specialist Certification Earn PDUs CPDs CEUs...

15. [2023] Negotiating: Become a Better Negotiator in 70 Minutes

4.4

(2,815)

Used by Pay Pal, Oracle, Adidas & other successful firms. Boost your skills in B2B sales, contract negotiation, and more...

16. 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)...

17. Pareto Analysis Masterclass: Pareto Specialist (Accredited)

4.6

(265)

What is Pareto Analysis? When to use Pareto Analysis? Create Pareto Analysis in Excel 2016? 80:20 Rule? Earn PDUs CPDs...

18. Hands-On HR Analytics Online Course for Human Resources

4.4

(948)

People Analytics & Analytical Process to Human Capital XL & Open Source Data Mining & ML Tools 6 Data Assignments...

19. Six Sigma Green Belt: Kano Analysis Specialist (Accredited)

4.5

(266)

Prioritize Customer Needs with Kano Analysis Achieve Kano Analysis Specialist Certification Earn PDUs CPDs CEUs...

20. Effective Communication Skills: Stakeholder Analysis

4.4

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 sourcing specialists

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

Some great schools for senior sourcing specialists 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 sourcing specialists 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 sourcing specialist salary by education level

According to our data, senior sourcing specialists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $96,132 annually. Senior sourcing specialists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $86,898.

Senior sourcing specialist education level	Senior sourcing specialist salary
Master's Degree	$96,132
High School Diploma or Less	$74,952
Bachelor's Degree	$86,898
Some College/ Associate Degree	$73,106

Senior sourcing specialist education FAQs

What is the best college for Senior Sourcing Specialists?

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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