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Special Products Marketing

Types of Degrees Special Products Marketing Majors Are Earning

Those studying Special Products Marketing can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	27
Bachelor’s Degree	74
Master’s Degree	44

What Special Products Marketing Majors Need to Know

Studies in Special Products Marketing build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Special Products Marketing graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Special Products Marketing emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Sales and Marketing — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a Special Products Marketing program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Persuasion — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Special Products Marketing careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Special Products Marketing graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Selling or Influencing Others	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Special Products Marketing professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
YouTube	Video creation and editing software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Delphi Technology	Financial analysis software	—
Salesforce software	Customer relationship management CRM software	✓
Tableau	Business intelligence and data analysis software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Special Products Marketing graduates include:

• Sales Coordinator
• Sales Specialist
• Sales Account Executive
• Sporting Goods Sales Representative
• Jewelry Sales Representative
• Consignee
• Apparel Trimmings Sales Representative
• Smoking Supplies Sales Representative
• Architectural Supplies Sales Representative
• Toilet Preparations Sales Representative
• Coin Machine Sales Representative
• Paper Products Sales Representative
• Account Specialist
• Bottling Equipment Sales Representative
• Livestock Commission Agent

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	34.2%
Bachelor’s degree	31.6%
Some college courses	9.7%
Master’s degree	8.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	8.5%
Less than a high school diploma	3.6%
Postsecondary certificate	2.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.9%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Special Products Marketing?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 79.3% of Special Products Marketing degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	115	79.3%
Men	30	20.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	103	71.0%
Asian	3	2.1%
Hispanic or Latino	25	17.2%
Black or African American	7	4.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.7%
Two or More Races	1	0.7%
Race Unknown	4	2.8%
International Students	1	0.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Special Products Marketing Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Special Products Marketing 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	$37,031
4 years	$44,812
5 years	$50,781

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $50,781 — roughly 37% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Special Products Marketing Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Special Products 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	1	0
Master’s	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 Special Products Marketing Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Special Products Marketing graduates earn a median of $44,812 four years after completion — roughly 18% 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
Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations	52.19
Apparel and Accessories Marketing Operations	52.1904
Auctioneering	52.1901
Business and Personal/Financial Services Marketing Operations	52.1908
Fashion Merchandising	52.1902
Fashion Modeling	52.1903
Hospitality and Recreation Marketing Operations	52.1910
Reserved	52.1980
Specialized Merchandising, Sales, and Marketing Operations, Other	52.1999
Tourism and Travel Services Marketing Operations	52.1905
Tourism Promotion Operations	52.1906
Vehicle and Vehicle Parts and Accessories Marketing Operations	52.1907

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.