Marketing
Featured schools near , edit
Types of Degrees Marketing Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many marketing graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Bachelor’s Degree | 45,122 |
Master’s Degree | 3,301 |
Associate Degree | 1,726 |
Basic Certificate | 1,541 |
Graduate Certificate | 678 |
Undergraduate Certificate | 516 |
Doctor’s Degree | 32 |
What Marketing Majors Need to Know
People with careers related to marketing were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.
Knowledge Areas for Marketing Majors
According to O*NET survey takers, a major in marketing should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
- Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
- Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Skills for Marketing Majors
marketing majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Abilities for Marketing Majors
Marketing majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
What Can You Do With a Marketing Major?
People with a marketing degree often go into the following careers:
Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
---|---|---|
Advertising and Promotions Managers | 5.4% | $117,130 |
Business Professors | 18.0% | $83,960 |
Green Marketers | 5.4% | $117,130 |
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | 23.2% | $63,120 |
Marketing Managers | 10.1% | $134,290 |
Sales Managers | 7.5% | $124,220 |
Survey Researchers | 2.1% | $57,700 |
Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of marketing majors is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 2,177 |
Black or African American | 2,860 |
Hispanic or Latino | 6,012 |
White | 29,246 |
International Students | 2,038 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 2,789 |
Geographic Diversity
Students from other countries are interested in Marketing, too. About 4.5% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:
- China
- South Korea
- Saudi Arabia
- India
- Taiwan
How Much Do Marketing Majors Make?
Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary
The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing made a median starting salary of $41,682 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $37,951 (25th percentile) and $46,145 (75th percentile).
We don’t know for sure if all of these people took jobs related to marketing so take that into consideration.
Salaries According to BLS
Marketing majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $70,960 to $140,320 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.
To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Marketing
Some degrees associated with marketing may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.
Find out what the typical degree level is for marketing careers below.
Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
---|---|
Less than a High School Diploma | 1.0% |
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 2.4% |
Some College Courses | 2.4% |
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 3.7% |
Bachelor’s Degree | 38.5% |
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. | 2.3% |
Master’s Degree | 17.2% |
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. | 0.7% |
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. | 2.4% |
Doctoral Degree | 16.2% |
Post-Doctoral Training | 0.6% |
Online Marketing Programs
In the 2020-2021 academic year, 1,133 schools offered some type of marketing program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.
Degree Level | Colleges Offering Programs | Colleges Offering Online Classes |
---|---|---|
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) | 0 | 0 |
Certificate (1-2 years) | 108 | 27 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 3 | 1 |
Associate’s Degree | 262 | 89 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 84 | 31 |
Post-Baccalaureate | 0 | 0 |
Master’s Degree | 168 | 34 |
Post-Master’s | 16 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 17 | 1 |
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
Is a Degree in Marketing Worth It?
The median salary for a marketing grad is $103,330 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.
This is 159% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,268,600 after 20 years!
Top Ranking Lists for Marketing
Explore Major by State
Alabama
California
District of Columbia
Idaho
Kansas
Maryland
Mississippi
Nevada
New York
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Utah
West Virginia
Alaska
Colorado
Florida
Illinois
Kentucky
Massachusetts
Missouri
New Hampshire
North Carolina
Oregon
South Dakota
Vermont
Wisconsin
Majors Related to Marketing
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to marketing.
Major | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Business Administration & Management | 416,590 |
Accounting | 99,265 |
Finance & Financial Management | 57,778 |
General Business/Commerce | 56,042 |
Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods | 43,382 |
Human Resource Management | 28,787 |
Business Support & Assistant Services | 19,119 |
Hospitality Management | 17,689 |
Management Information Systems | 13,680 |
Entrepreneurial Studies | 11,319 |
International Business | 9,101 |
Real Estate | 6,547 |
General Sales & Marketing | 5,923 |
Business/Managerial Economics | 5,667 |
Specialized Sales, Merchandising & Marketing | 5,191 |
Other Business, Management & Marketing | 4,822 |
Construction Management | 3,846 |
Insurance | 1,809 |
Taxation | 1,547 |
Business/Corporate Communications | 1,029 |
Telecommunications Management | 55 |
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- College Scorecard
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
- Image Credit: By Nick Youngson under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
Request Info | Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |