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Strategic buyer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a strategic buyer. Strategic buyers usually study business, supply chain management, or management. 73% of strategic buyers hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 584 real strategic buyer resumes to see exactly what strategic buyer education sections show.
The most common colleges for strategic buyers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online strategic buyer courses to help get the education required to be a strategic buyer.
There are certain strategic buyer certifications that you should consider. These strategic buyer certifications include Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) and Certified Product Safety Manager (CPSM).
What education do you need to become a strategic buyer?
What degree do you need to be a strategic buyer?
- Bachelor's, 73%
- Master's, 13%
- Associate, 11%
- Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a strategic buyer?
- Business, 43%
- Management, 5%
- Marketing, 5%
- Other Majors, 39%
Most common colleges for strategic buyers
| Strategic buyer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 13.54% |
| Michigan State University | 8.33% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 6.25% |
| Purdue University | 6.25% |
| Friends University | 5.21% |
Best majors for strategic buyers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 43.0% |
| 2 | Supply Chain Management | 8.4% |
| 3 | Management | 5.3% |
| 4 | Marketing | 4.8% |
| 5 | Operations Management | 3.9% |
Best colleges for strategic buyers
The best colleges for strategic buyers are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
A strategic buyer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for strategic buyers. 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 strategic buyers.
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 strategic buyers
Advertising disclosure
1. Strategic Cost Management: Procurement and Supply Chain 2022
How to secure long term Procurement savings without breaking relations with your suppliers (with the updates 2022)...
2. The Fundamentals of end-to-end Supply Chain Management
Supply Chain Management - Level 1: Introducing all the Key Components of a Supply Chain...
3. Master Course in Logistics and Supply Chain Management 2.0
Fundamentals, Designs and Operations of SCM and Logistics, International Transport, Port and Shipping, Dropshipping...
4. Supply Chain Management A-Z: Operations & Logistics Basics
Supply Chain Management Basics: An MBA style course to boost your career as a business operations & logistics manager...
5. Supply Chain Management KPIs: Metrics Inventory Performance
Key Performance Indicators: Measure & Improve the Performance of your Supply Chain and Inventory Operations Management...
6. Procurement & Supply Planning tools and techniques.
Learn how to Make purchasing strategies ,MRP, forecast, inventory policies and techniques to minimize supply costs...
7. Global Air Logistics Management in Supply Chain Management
2021 Air Logistics Management, Logistics Document, Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Logistics & Supply Chain Costing...
8. International Logistics & Transportation in Supply Chain.
Logistics Management, Supply Chain Calculation, Documents & Export Import Logistics, Logistics & Supply Chain Management...
9. Warehouse Management in Logistics & Supply Chain Management
Warehouse Logistics Management in Supply Chain Management, Warehouse Inventory Management in Logistics and Supply Chain...
10. Logistics and Supply Chains - Fundamentals,Design,Operations
Tactics, Tools, and Techniques for Moving Your End-to-End Global Supply Chain into the 21st Century...
11. SAP: Supply Chain Logistics in R/3
Everything you need to know about SAP Supply Chain Logistics and Transportation in one easy place...
12. Procurement Masterclass & ChatGPT PLUS Productivity & Teams
Complete Guide to Purchase To Pay: World-class Operations, Procurement & Chat GPT, Time Management & Team Leadership...
13. Inventory Management A-Z: Supply Chain & Business Operations
Inventory Management Basics: MBA beginners course to your optimize your Purchasing, Logistics, EOQ and Safety Stock...
14. Supply Chain Management for Beginners
Get the basics of Supply Chain Management...
15. Supply Chain Fundamentals: Logistic & Transportation
Learn the Fundamentals of Logistic, Warehouse, Inbound, Picking, Packing, transportation and apply it to any ERP system...
16. Supply Chain Management: Inventory Management and Control
Inventory Management in Supply Chain Management & Inventory Control in Warehouse Logistics & Supply chain Management...
17. Supply Chain for Management Consultants & Business Analysts
A practical guide how to improve supply chain in a firm and analyze potential savings in Excel during consulting project...
18. MBA: Supply Chain and Operation management
Tactics, Tools, and Techniques required to become a Supply chain and operation manager...
19. Logistics and Ocean Shipping in Supply Chain Management
Export & Import by Container Shipping, Logistics Management of Inventory by Sea in Logistics & Supply chain Management...
20. Supply Chain Operations Metrics and KPI's
Learn to Create Value, Effectively Measure, Analyze, Optimize Performance and Improve All Supply Chain Operations...
Top 10 most affordable universities for strategic buyers
The most affordable schools for strategic buyers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for strategic buyers 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 strategic buyers.
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 strategic buyers
The hardest universities for strategic buyers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for strategic buyers 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 strategic buyers 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 strategic buyers
The easiest schools for strategic buyers 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 strategic buyer 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 strategic buyers.
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 strategic buyer salary by education level
| Strategic buyer education level | Strategic buyer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $97,916 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $69,173 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $85,038 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $66,806 |
Strategic buyer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025