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Marketing

Types of Degrees Marketing Majors Are Earning

Those studying Marketing can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	456
Associate’s Degree	1,966
Bachelor’s Degree	44,871
Master’s Degree	6,421
Doctor’s Degree	26

What Marketing Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Marketing emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Sales and Marketing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Marketing program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Marketing graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Marketing professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Hypertext markup language HTML	Web platform development software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Dynamics	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Google Ads	Sales and marketing software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Marketing graduates include:

• Marketing Specialist
• Technical Marketing Specialist
• Social Media Specialist
• Marketing Consultant
• Market Research Worker
• Advertising Analyst
• Government Business Development Specialist
• Technical Marketing Consultant
• Market Research Specialist
• Email Marketing Specialist
• Marketing Associate
• Trade Specialist
• Market Researcher
• Business Development Associate
• Marketer

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	51.8%
Master’s degree	23.9%
Doctoral degree	8.0%
Some college courses	4.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.0%
First professional degree	2.0%
Postsecondary certificate	1.1%
Less than a high school diploma	0.5%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Marketing?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 58.6% women and 41.4% men among Marketing graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	31,511	58.6%
Men	22,239	41.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	32,700	60.8%
Asian	2,714	5.0%
Hispanic or Latino	8,208	15.3%
Black or African American	3,825	7.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	160	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	72	0.1%
Two or More Races	2,045	3.8%
Race Unknown	1,536	2.9%
International Students	2,490	4.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Marketing Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Marketing graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$47,976
4 years	$58,749
5 years	$68,122

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $68,122 — roughly 42% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Marketing Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Marketing. 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	91	18
Bachelor’s	131	123
Master’s	67	39
Doctoral (Research)	1	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 Marketing Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Marketing graduates earn a median of $58,749 four years after completion — roughly 55% 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 Management Marketing Sales	52
Accounting and Related Services	52.03
Business Administration, Management and Operations	52.02
Business Operations Support and Assistant Services	52.04
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other	52.99
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES	52.00
Business/Commerce, General	52.01
Business/Corporate Communications	52.05
Business/Managerial Economics	52.06
Construction Management	52.20
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations	52.07
Finance and Financial Management Services	52.08

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.