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Retail Management

Types of Degrees Retail Management Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Retail Management can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	175
Associate’s Degree	64
Bachelor’s Degree	88
Master’s Degree	1,107

What Retail Management Majors Need to Know

Programs in Retail Management emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Retail Management graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Retail Management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Sales and Marketing — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Retail Management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Coordination — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Retail Management careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Retail Management graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.0 / 7
Getting Information	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.9 / 7
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates	3.8 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others	3.8 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Retail Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Payroll software	Time accounting software	—
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Oracle Taleo	Human resources software	—
YouTube	Video creation and editing software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Retail Management graduates include:

• Department Manager
• Shift Supervisor
• Store Manager
• Delicatessen Manager
• Food Concession Manager
• Florist Manager
• Parts Department Supervisor
• Dairy Store Manager
• Retail Supervisor
• Floor Supervisor
• Supermarket Manager
• Rental Manager
• Music Store Manager
• Auto Parts Manager
• Retail Operations Specialist

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Retail Management graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	28.4%
Bachelor’s degree	15.3%
Master’s degree	13.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	13.1%
Postsecondary certificate	8.5%
Less than a high school diploma	7.6%
Doctoral degree	7.0%
Some college courses	6.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.1%
First professional degree	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Retail Management?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 58.4% women and 41.6% men among Retail Management graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	838	58.4%
Men	596	41.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Retail Management graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	597	41.6%
Asian	41	2.9%
Hispanic or Latino	450	31.4%
Black or African American	208	14.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	4	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.2%
Two or More Races	57	4.0%
Race Unknown	41	2.9%
International Students	33	2.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Retail Management Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Retail Management graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$62,537
4 years	$63,883
5 years	$71,749

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $71,749 — roughly 15% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Retail Management Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Retail Management. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	6	2
Bachelor’s	1	1
Master’s	1	2

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Retail Management Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Retail Management graduates earn a median of $63,883 four years after completion — roughly 68% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Business Administration, Management and Operations	52.02
Business Administration and Management, General	52.0201
Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other	52.0299
Customer Service Management	52.0207
E-Commerce/Electronic Commerce	52.0208
Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management	52.0203
Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management	52.0206
Office Management and Supervision	52.0204
Operations Management and Supervision	52.0205
Organizational Leadership	52.0213
Project Management	52.0211
Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management	52.0202

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.