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Merchandising & Buying Operations

Types of Degrees Merchandising & Buying Operations Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Merchandising & Buying Operations may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	11

What Merchandising & Buying Operations Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Merchandising & Buying Operations emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Merchandising & Buying Operations graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Merchandising & Buying Operations emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Sales and Marketing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a Merchandising & Buying Operations program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Negotiation — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Persuasion — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Merchandising & Buying Operations careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Merchandising & Buying Operations graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	3.8 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.7 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.7 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.6 / 7
Monitoring and Controlling Resources	3.6 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Merchandising & Buying Operations professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
CAM Commerce Solutions Retail STAR Point of Sale POS	Point of sale POS software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Materials requirement planning MRP software	Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software	—
Inventory control systems	Inventory management software	—
Oracle Taleo	Human resources software	—
Presentation software	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Internet Explorer	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Sourcing Simulator	Procurement software	—
Point of sale POS software	Point of sale POS software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Merchandising & Buying Operations graduates include:

• Contract Sourcing Specialist
• Buyer
• Print Buyer
• Fashion Buyer
• Wholesale Buyer
• Trader
• Resident Buyer
• Purchasing Buyer
• Procurement Specialist
• Procurement Representative
• Purchasing Coordinator
• Sourcing Specialist
• Buying Professional
• Purchaser
• Internal Wholesaler

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Merchandising & Buying Operations graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	34.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	20.3%
Less than a high school diploma	13.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	11.4%
Postsecondary certificate	10.3%
Some college courses	8.2%
Post-master’s certificate	1.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Merchandising & Buying Operations?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 47.4% women and 52.6% men among Merchandising & Buying Operations graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	27	47.4%
Men	30	52.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Merchandising & Buying Operations graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	38	66.7%
Asian	1	1.8%
Hispanic or Latino	3	5.3%
Black or African American	9	15.8%
Two or More Races	4	7.0%
Race Unknown	2	3.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Merchandising & Buying Operations Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Merchandising & Buying Operations graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$52,294
4 years	$56,564
5 years	$66,475

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $66,475 — roughly 27% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in Merchandising & Buying Operations Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Merchandising & Buying Operations graduates earn a median of $56,564 four years after completion — roughly 49% 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
General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations	52.18
General Merchandising, Sales, and Related Marketing Operations, Other	52.1899
Reserved	52.1880
Retailing and Retail Operations	52.1803
Sales, Distribution, and Marketing Operations, General	52.1801
Selling Skills and Sales Operations	52.1804
Apparel and Accessories Marketing Operations	52.1904
Fashion Merchandising	52.1902

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.