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Merchandise/Retail Management

Types of Degrees Merchandise/Retail Management Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Merchandise/Retail Management may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	2
Bachelor’s Degree	79
Master’s Degree	45

What Merchandise/Retail Management Majors Need to Know

Studies in Merchandise/Retail Management emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Merchandise/Retail Management graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Merchandise/Retail Management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Sales and Marketing — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a Merchandise/Retail Management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Merchandise/Retail Management careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Merchandise/Retail Management graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Merchandise/Retail Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Dynamics	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
Google Analytics	Data mining software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Merchandise/Retail Management graduates include:

• 4-H Club Agent
• Extension Educator
• Extension Agent
• Cooking Instructor
• Agricultural Extension Agent
• Farm Management Specialist
• Extension Agricultural Agent
• Community Educator
• County Agricultural Agent
• Extension Service Advisor
• Home Services Advisor
• Farm Business Management Agent
• County Extension Agent
• Extension Specialist
• Youth Development Professional

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	36.0%
Bachelor’s degree	26.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	13.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	6.5%
Less than a high school diploma	5.0%
Postsecondary certificate	4.2%
Some college courses	3.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.2%
Doctoral degree	1.4%
First professional degree	0.9%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Merchandise/Retail Management?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 76.2% of Merchandise/Retail Management degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	96	76.2%
Men	30	23.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Merchandise/Retail Management graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	80	63.5%
Asian	9	7.1%
Hispanic or Latino	9	7.1%
Black or African American	3	2.4%
Two or More Races	10	7.9%
Race Unknown	2	1.6%
International Students	13	10.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Merchandise/Retail Management Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Merchandise/Retail Management 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	$42,391
4 years	$54,186
5 years	$63,925

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $63,925 — roughly 51% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Merchandise/Retail Management Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Merchandise/Retail Management. 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
Bachelor’s	1	0
Master’s	2	1

^{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 Merchandise/Retail Management Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Merchandise/Retail Management graduates earn a median of $54,186 four years after completion — roughly 43% 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
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services	19.02
Business Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences	19.0201
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services, Other	19.0299
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Communication	19.0202
Apparel and Textile Marketing Management	19.0905

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.