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UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OR DIPLOMA · DEGREE PAYOFF · FEDERAL FIELD 5218

General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations: is this undergraduate certificate or diploma worth it?

National picture across 12 reporting college programs.

Personal baseline needed

$75,332 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$75,332Median year-4 earnings

$13,096Average institution net-price context

$22,750Median federal debt

Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Observed national outcomes

$75,332Median reported earnings · year 4

$25,447Average reported earnings · year 5

$22,750Median federal debt

88thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential

12Reporting programs

12With year-4 earnings

COMPARE CREDENTIAL LEVELS

The same field can produce a different equation.

Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.

CURRENT VIEW

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings: $75,332
Federal debt: $22,750
Reporting programs: 12

12 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $39,486
Federal debt: $17,266
Reporting programs: 12

11 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $74,557
Federal debt: $24,649
Reporting programs: 30

27 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $120,018
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 3

3 report earnings →

COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median

25th percentile$25,550National median$75,33275th percentile$86,802

12 programs report year‑4 earnings.

WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Plymouth State University$88,694 2University of Missouri-Columbia$87,677 3Kent State University at Stark$86,802 4Kent State University at Kent$86,802 5North Dakota State University-Main Campus$81,273 6Indiana State University$75,862 7Umpqua Community College$74,801 8Tacoma Community College$50,865 9Lake Land College$44,450 10CET-San Jose$25,550

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

WHERE THIS FIELD CAN LEAD

Related occupations

Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.

First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales WorkersSOC 41-1011 · 3 crosswalk linksWholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm ProductsSOC 13-1022 · 3 crosswalk linksFirst-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales WorkersSOC 41-1012 · 2 crosswalk linksPurchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm ProductsSOC 13-1023 · 2 crosswalk linksSales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and TravelSOC 41-3091 · 2 crosswalk linksSales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific ProductsSOC 41-4012 · 2 crosswalk linksSales and Related Workers, All OtherSOC 41-9099 · 2 crosswalk linksAdvertising Sales AgentsSOC 41-3011 · 1 crosswalk linksBusiness Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1011 · 1 crosswalk linksDemonstrators and Product PromotersSOC 41-9011 · 1 crosswalk linksParts SalespersonsSOC 41-2022 · 1 crosswalk linksSales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific ProductsSOC 41-4011 · 1 crosswalk links

BEST COLLEGES FOR GENERAL SALES, MERCHANDISING AND RELATED MARKETING OPERATIONS

Same degree, different outcomes

Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. Automated ROI is withheld when an exact program price or personal earnings baseline is required.

#	College	Location	Earnings, year 4	Federal debt	ROI status	Cost context
1	Plymouth State UniversityUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma	Plymouth, NH	$88,694	Not available	Baseline needed	$19,216
2	University of Missouri-ColumbiaUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma	Columbia, MO	$87,677	$20,500	Baseline needed	$20,268
3	Kent State University at StarkUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma	North Canton, OH	$86,802	$25,000	Baseline needed	$10,897
4	Kent State University at KentUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma	Kent, OH	$86,802	$25,000	Baseline needed	$20,787
5	North Dakota State University-Main CampusUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma	Fargo, ND	$81,273	$25,222	Baseline needed	$15,543
6	Indiana State UniversityUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma	Terre Haute, IN	$75,862	Not available	Baseline needed	$10,873
7	Umpqua Community CollegeUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma	Roseburg, OR	$74,801	$8,237	Baseline needed	$8,340
8	Tacoma Community CollegeUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma	Tacoma, WA	$50,865	$15,412	Baseline needed	$8,376
9	Lake Land CollegeUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma	Mattoon, IL	$44,450	Not available	Baseline needed	$2,254
10	CET-San JoseUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma	San Jose, CA	$25,550	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,101
11	CET-El CentroUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma	El Centro, CA	$25,550	Not available	Baseline needed	$11,405
12	Michigan Career and Technical InstituteUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma	Plainwell, MI	$17,071	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.