General Sales & Marketing
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Types of Degrees General Sales & Marketing Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many general sales and marketing graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.
| Education Level | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Master’s Degree | 590 |
| Graduate Certificate | 45 |
| Doctor’s Degree | 2 |
What General Sales & Marketing Majors Need to Know
In an O*NET survey, sales and marketing majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.
Knowledge Areas for Sales & Marketing Majors
Sales and Marketing majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:
- 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.
- 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.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- 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.
- Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Skills for Sales & Marketing Majors
A major in sales and marketing prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:
- 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.
- Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Abilities for Sales & Marketing Majors
As you progress with your sales and marketing degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
What Can You Do With a General Sales & Marketing Major?
Below is a list of occupations associated with sales and marketing:
| Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Demonstrators and Product Promoters | 6.5% | $28,960 |
| Energy Brokers | 9.7% | $54,550 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | 4.9% | $73,390 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | 3.8% | $39,630 |
| Parts Salespersons | 5.0% | $30,430 |
| Sales and Related Workers | 10.6% | $33,220 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | 5.2% | $58,510 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | 5.2% | $79,680 |
| Solar Sales Representatives and Assessors | 5.2% | $79,680 |
Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in General Sales & Marketing?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of sales and marketing majors is as follows:
| Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Asian | 27 |
| Black or African American | 15 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 10 |
| White | 32 |
| International Students | 496 |
| Other Races/Ethnicities | 10 |
Geographic Diversity
Sales & Marketing appeals to people across the globe. About 84.1% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:
- China
- Taiwan
- India
- Saudi Arabia
- South Korea
How Much Do General Sales & Marketing Majors Make?
Master’s Degree Starting Salary
Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that general sales and marketing students who graduated in 2015-2017 with a master’s degree made a median starting salary of $76,750 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $76,025 (25th percentile) and $77,475 (75th percentile).
It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in sales and marketing, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.
Salaries According to BLS
Sales and Marketing majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $40,480 to $69,480 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.
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 General Sales & Marketing
Some careers associated with sales and marketing require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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 sales and marketing have obtained the following education levels.
| Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Less than a High School Diploma | 5.1% |
| High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 28.8% |
| 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) | 5.8% |
| Some College Courses | 11.2% |
| Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 10.3% |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 38.0% |
| 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. | 1.3% |
| Master’s Degree | 0.7% |
| 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% |
| Doctoral Degree | 0.0% |
Online General Sales & Marketing Programs
In the 2018-2019 academic year, 351 schools offered some type of general sales and 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) | 201 | 36 |
| Certificate (1-2 years) | 103 | 19 |
| Certificate (2-4 Years) | 3 | 0 |
| Associate’s Degree | 191 | 29 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 7 | 3 |
| Post-Baccalaureate | 201 | 36 |
| Master’s Degree | 12 | 4 |
| Post-Master’s | 2 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 1 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 0 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
Is a Degree in General Sales & Marketing Worth It?
The median salary for a sales and marketing grad is $45,080 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.
This is 13% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $103,600 after 20 years!
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Majors Related to General Sales & Marketing
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to sales and marketing.
| Major | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Business Administration & Management | 135,757 |
| Accounting | 21,904 |
| Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods | 14,136 |
| Human Resource Management | 10,770 |
| General Business/Commerce | 10,236 |
| Finance & Financial Management | 6,277 |
| Marketing | 3,308 |
| Management Information Systems | 3,158 |
| International Business | 2,417 |
| Entrepreneurial Studies | 1,778 |
| Taxation | 1,611 |
| Other Business, Management & Marketing | 1,240 |
| Real Estate | 1,186 |
| Hospitality Management | 1,072 |
| Construction Management | 507 |
| Business/Managerial Economics | 267 |
| Specialized Sales, Merchandising & Marketing | 221 |
| Insurance | 173 |
| Business/Corporate Communications | 80 |
| Telecommunications Management | 38 |
| Business Support & Assistant Services | 0 |
References
- 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 Nijhuis under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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