Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management

Types of Degrees Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Graduate Certificate	273
Master’s Degree	255
Doctor’s Degree	7

What Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management Majors

Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• 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.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management Majors

When studying purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• 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.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management Majors

A major in purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 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 Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Administrative Services Managers	10.1%	$96,180
Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes	4.7%	$66,040
Business Professors	18.0%	$83,960
Purchasing Managers	5.4%	$118,940

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management?

This major attracts more men than women. About 58% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	7
Black or African American	73
Hispanic or Latino	31
White	110
International Students	4
Other Races/Ethnicities	30

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management, too. About 1.6% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management

Some degrees associated with purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management 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.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.1%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	14.2%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	4.4%
Some College Courses	10.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	6.1%
Bachelor’s Degree	33.3%
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.	1.6%
Master’s Degree	9.7%
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.	0.1%
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.	0.8%
Doctoral Degree	19.5%

Online Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management Programs

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)	20	18
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	24	19
Bachelor’s Degree	14	6
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	12	5
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management.

Major	Number of Grads
General Business Administration and Management	336,268
Organizational Leadership	15,303
Interior Design Management	13,070
Supply Chain Management	10,445
Operations Management	5,884
Project Management	4,363
Office Administration	3,252
Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management	2,481
Retail Management	985
Transportation/Mobility Management	592
E-Commerce	415
Science/Technology Management	321
Research and Development Management	287
Customer Service Management	282
Risk Management	177

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

More about our data sources and methodologies.