What degree is necessary to become a Pharmaceutical Sales Rep.
These are common questions I get from people:
Do I really need a specific degree to be a pharmaceutical sales rep?
Or
Do I even really need a college degree to be a pharmaceutical sales rep?
Basically, what you need is a Bachelor’s Degree.
To tell the truth –I can tell from what I’ve noticed in my career-, in the pharmaceutical area, managers are usually not so picky about the topic of the educational background of their aspirants, as much as they can proof they actually have a legal Bachelor’s Degree.
That’s just to check the box: It’s one of the requirements.
What I mean is, you can have all the other requirements, but if you don’t have that a Bachellor’s degree, they won’t interview you.
Now, if you don’t have the Bachelor’s Degree, I don’t want you to feel discouraged: There are difficult and easy ways to have a Bachelor’s Degree legally and ethically.
Taken from my own life experience: I was able to complete my Bachelor in a very short time, and without paying a fortune.
I finished over 50 credits in only 14 months.
A good shortcut is to take CLEP examinations, which is a test you can take and see a full course in just one exam.
How it works? Let’s say, you want to see Biology. You can approve 8 credits of Biology in only one test.
I remember that the price of the CLEP was around 75 dollars.
I mean, 75 dollars for 8 credits? That’s way less money for the same 8 credits than what you would have to pay in your University.
You can check the Clep site here: https://clep.collegeboard.org
You can fail the test several times and still, you will save time and money to get the course approved.
I think there is another similar program called the DANTES but I am not so familiarized with it.
Check it here: http://www.dantes.doded.mil/
There are also fully accredited online universities where you can study without so much complication.
I compared the programs of the University I studied in with some others, and they were quite similar. Off course, some programs are really demanding, and some others are not.
What I really mean is, you learn what you need to learn without the burning and without spending a fortune.
What I actually and expressly must warn you is this:
NEVER LIE ABOUT YOUR EDUCATION, or NEVER ATTEMPT TO APPLY AS A REP SALES IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY USING A DIPLOMA-MILL .
What is that?
Let me explain:
Diploma Mills are shady companies that operate by giving you a phone number to validate your Diploma, so you give the number to the company you are applying for.
But keep in mind that pharmaceuticals companies perform a very intense background check, and they only accept accredited universities.
Then if you get blacklisted in one of these background check companies (which pharma companies only use a few) and they have figured out that you’ve lied about your education or you’ve used fake information in your CV, they very likely are going defend the interests of their clients –in this case, the pharmaceutical company. Not you.
it’s not worth, especially when they are some easier methods to get that Bachelor’s Degree without so much hassle.
