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What should I major in to become a Medical Sales Rep? This is a question that undergraduate students aspiring to break into medical sales frequently ask us.
There are generally no requirements; however, we've analyzed the profiles of over 500+ Entry-Level Sales Associates and compiled a list of commonly held majors:
The preferred majors often vary by company. For example, the most common major for Associates at Stryker based on our data is Kinesiology and Exercise while Zimmer Biomet tends to hire candidates with a Marketing background.
Our company guides outline the target demographic for each company including: gender breakdown, education level, top 10 undergraduate majors, types of universities attended (public, private, for profit), size of university attended, age upon starting at Stryker in an Associate Sales Representative role, previous role function, previous role industry, top 5 previous companies worked for, and general trend observations. Each company guide is included in the Breaking Into Device All-In Course.
The majority of candidates who broke in also attended public state colleges.
While many candidates who broke into medical sales had the majors listed above, it is worth noting that many did not. In fact, some candidates who broke into medical sales did not have a bachelors degree. There does not seem to be an overwhelmingly strong correlation between undergraduate majors and success in landing a role in medical sales.
Our data from this study indicate that more clear indicators of success in landing a role are:
We recommend that candidates early in their career focus less on the major he or she selects and more on gaining sales or clinical experience through internships or part-time roles. All else being equal: a hiring manager is more likely to hire a physics major who has performed 145% to plan for the past three years and is highly prepared for the interview than a marketing major with no experience and zero preparation.
In Summary: Most candidates in medical sales majored in Marketing, Kinesiology and Exercise, or General Business Administration. Despite this, there does not seem to be an overwhelmingly strong correlation between undergraduate majors and success in landing a role in medical sales. Focus instead on getting the right experience and preparation in order to succeed in landing a role.
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