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Specialty sales representative education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a specialty sales representative. Specialty sales representatives usually study business, marketing, or communication. 86% of specialty sales representatives hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 4,668 real specialty sales representative resumes to see exactly what specialty sales representative education sections show.
The most common colleges for specialty sales representatives are the Florida State University and the Florida State University.
There are also many online specialty sales representative courses to help get the education required to be a specialty sales representative.
There are certain specialty sales representative certifications that you should consider. These specialty sales representative certifications include Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Certified Sales Representative (CSR).
What education do you need to become a specialty sales representative?
What degree do you need to be a specialty sales representative?
- Bachelor's, 86%
- Master's, 8%
- Associate, 4%
- High School Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a specialty sales representative?
- Business, 28%
- Marketing, 14%
- Communication, 9%
- Psychology, 7%
- Other Majors, 42%
Most common colleges for specialty sales representatives
| Specialty sales representative common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Florida State University | 8.14% |
| University of Phoenix | 7.72% |
| Michigan State University | 7.10% |
| Ohio State University | 6.05% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 6.05% |
Best majors for specialty sales representatives
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 28.0% |
| 2 | Marketing | 14.4% |
| 3 | Communication | 9.1% |
| 4 | Psychology | 7.4% |
| 5 | Biology | 6.7% |
Best colleges for specialty sales representatives
The best colleges for specialty sales representatives are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.
A specialty 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 specialty 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 specialty 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 specialty sales representatives
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Top 10 most affordable universities for specialty sales representatives
The most affordable schools for specialty sales representatives are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and fashion institute of technology.
If the best universities for specialty 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 specialty 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 specialty sales representatives
The hardest universities for specialty sales representatives to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.
Some great schools for specialty 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 specialty 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 specialty sales representatives
The easiest schools for specialty 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 specialty 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 specialty 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 specialty sales representative salary by education level
| Specialty sales representative education level | Specialty sales representative salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $90,080 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $54,500 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $78,152 |
| Doctorate Degree | $85,446 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $57,253 |
Specialty sales representative education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025