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Home›Majors›General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations
ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a associate's degree in General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 12 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff

−$165,627 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.

Not availableTime to earn back the modeled cost
−150%Estimated return after 10 years
$39,486Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$39,486 observed annual earnings · 2 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$39,486Typical earnings four years after completion
$35,027Average earnings five years after completion
$17,266Typical federal student debt
21thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
11College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 0 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations

How much do General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations associate's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $39,486 four years after completion across reportable associate's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $17,266. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $37,299 to $47,662 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 12 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$75,332
Federal debt
$22,750
Programs in the comparison
12
12 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$39,486
Federal debt
$17,266
Programs in the comparison
12
11 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$74,557
Federal debt
$24,649
Programs in the comparison
30
27 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$120,018
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
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$37,299National median$39,48675th percentile$47,662
11 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$47,66275th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$17,266Median federal debt across programs that report it
1Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Weber State University

$86,563 four years after completionOgden, UT · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Greenville Technical College

$13,953 among completer borrowersGreenville, SC · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Minnesota State Community and Technical College

34 reported awards in 2024–25Fergus Falls, MN · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$59,000Observed year-4 earnings$29,609
$2,254Annual college-wide average net price$14,471
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

12 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 12 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Weber State University$86,5632Hawkeye Community College$59,0003Minnesota State Community and Technical College$52,9314Ridgewater College$47,6625Harrisburg Area Community College$44,4696Greenville Technical College$39,4867Wade College$39,0468North Country Community College$38,4979Midlands Technical College$37,29910Lake Land College$36,798

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

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers$48,520 median wage1,121,800 jobs nationwide-3.7% projected growth through 2035 · 113,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$33,120–$77,080 typical wage rangeWholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm ProductsUnreported jobs nationwideFirst-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers$87,520 median wage214,390 jobs nationwide+0.5% projected growth through 2035 · 21,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$50,320–$164,070 typical wage rangeSales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products$72,080 median wage1,238,190 jobs nationwide-0.9% projected growth through 2035 · 99,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$39,090–$137,550 typical wage rangeSales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel$69,990 median wage1,256,010 jobs nationwide+2.7% projected growth through 2035 · 115,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$37,980–$148,840 typical wage rangeSales and Related Workers, All Other$48,280 median wage93,180 jobs nationwide+1.1% projected growth through 2035 · 13,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$29,720–$97,910 typical wage rangePurchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm ProductsUnreported jobs nationwideSales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products$104,920 median wage284,800 jobs nationwide+1.2% projected growth through 2035 · 23,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$52,600–$200,440 typical wage rangeBusiness Teachers, Postsecondary$99,080 median wage82,150 jobs nationwide+5.9% projected growth through 2035 · 7,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$47,180–$209,470 typical wage rangeAdvertising Sales Agents$64,820 median wage91,700 jobs nationwide-7.2% projected growth through 2035 · 7,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$35,240–$146,010 typical wage rangeTravel Agents$50,160 median wage55,110 jobs nationwide+0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 5,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$34,610–$76,660 typical wage rangeDemonstrators and Product Promoters$39,320 median wage64,520 jobs nationwide+0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 11,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: No formal educational credential$31,200–$63,850 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Associate's Degree

Business Administration, Management and Operations

Year-4 earnings
$48,685
Federal debt
$14,000
592 reporting programs →Associate's Degree

Accounting and Related Services

Year-4 earnings
$49,138
Federal debt
$19,254
250 reporting programs →Associate's Degree

Business/Commerce, General

Year-4 earnings
$52,628
Federal debt
$17,500
223 reporting programs →Associate's Degree

Business Operations Support and Assistant Services

Year-4 earnings
$37,383
Federal debt
$20,000
73 reporting programs →

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.