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Specialty representative education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a specialty representative. Specialty representatives usually study business, marketing, or biology. 85% of specialty representatives hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,047 real specialty representative resumes to see exactly what specialty representative education sections show.
The most common colleges for specialty representatives are the University of Florida and the University of Florida.
There are also many online specialty representative courses to help get the education required to be a specialty representative.
What education do you need to become a specialty representative?
What degree do you need to be a specialty representative?
- Bachelor's, 85%
- Master's, 9%
- Associate, 4%
- High School Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a specialty representative?
- Business, 28%
- Marketing, 13%
- Biology, 8%
- Communication, 8%
- Other Majors, 43%
Most common colleges for specialty representatives
| Specialty representative common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Florida | 7.25% |
| The University of Alabama | 6.65% |
| Ball State University | 6.34% |
| University of Phoenix | 6.04% |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 6.04% |
Best majors for specialty representatives
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 28.4% |
| 2 | Marketing | 13.0% |
| 3 | Biology | 8.2% |
| 4 | Communication | 8.0% |
| 5 | Psychology | 7.5% |
Best colleges for specialty representatives
The best colleges for specialty representatives are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
A specialty 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 specialty 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 specialty 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. 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 specialty representatives
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Top 10 most affordable universities for specialty representatives
The most affordable schools for specialty representatives are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for specialty 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 specialty 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. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
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 specialty representatives
The hardest universities for specialty representatives to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for specialty 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 specialty 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
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%
SAT average
1,407
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for specialty representatives
The easiest schools for specialty representatives to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and notre dame de namur university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a specialty 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 specialty 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. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
7. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
8. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
9. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
10. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
Average specialty representative salary by education level
| Specialty representative education level | Specialty representative salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $69,769 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $37,853 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $58,694 |
| Doctorate Degree | $65,426 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $40,192 |
Specialty representative education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common sales questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025