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Retailing & Retail Operations

Types of Degrees Retailing & Retail Operations Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Retailing & Retail Operations can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	66
Associate’s Degree	111
Bachelor’s Degree	493
Master’s Degree	313

What Retailing & Retail Operations Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Retailing & Retail Operations emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Sales and Marketing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.0 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a Retailing & Retail Operations program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Persuasion — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Retailing & Retail Operations graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Selling or Influencing Others	4.0 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	3.9 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.8 / 7
Getting Information	3.7 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.7 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.6 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.5 / 7
Developing and Building Teams	3.4 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Retailing & Retail Operations professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Social media sites	Web page creation and editing software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Salesforce software	Customer relationship management CRM software	✓
Visual Retail Plus	Point of sale POS software	—
WinMan SureSell	Point of sale POS software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Retailing & Retail Operations graduates include:

• Collector
• Product Specialist
• Station Manager
• Retail Operations Specialist
• Vending Stand Supervisor
• Parts Department Supervisor
• Showroom Manager
• Department Sales Manager
• Car Rental Manager
• Ice Storage, Sales, and Delivery Supervisor
• Store Manager
• Merchandise Coordinator
• Produce Department Supervisor
• Sales Supervisor
• Floor Manager

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	57.7%
Less than a high school diploma	24.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	9.9%
Postsecondary certificate	4.7%
Some college courses	3.2%
Master’s degree	0.3%
Bachelor’s degree	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Retailing & Retail Operations?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 64.9% of Retailing & Retail Operations degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	649	64.9%
Men	351	35.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	627	62.7%
Asian	30	3.0%
Hispanic or Latino	100	10.0%
Black or African American	63	6.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	7	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	13	1.3%
Two or More Races	60	6.0%
Race Unknown	65	6.5%
International Students	35	3.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Retailing & Retail Operations Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Retailing & Retail Operations 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	$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.}

Online Retailing & Retail Operations Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Retailing & Retail Operations. 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	2	1
Bachelor’s	2	0

^{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 Retailing & Retail Operations Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Retailing & Retail 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
Merchandising and Buying Operations	52.1802
Reserved	52.1880
Sales, Distribution, and Marketing Operations, General	52.1801
Selling Skills and Sales Operations	52.1804
Special Products Marketing Operations	52.1909
Auctioneering	52.1901
E-Commerce/Electronic Commerce	52.0208
Retail Management	52.0212

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.