BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a bachelor's degree in General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 30 college programs with reportable data.
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Positive payoff
+$41,780 over 10 years
National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.
8.6 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+16%Estimated return after 10 years
$74,557Observed earnings · year 4
$28,893Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark is $10,445 per year below this threshold.
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.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price+$115,570
$8,000Annual price+$83,570
$16,000Annual price+$51,570
$18,000Current college-wide context+$43,570
$24,000Annual price+$19,570
$32,000Annual price−$12,430
$40,000Annual price−$44,430
Outcomes at a glance
$74,557Typical earnings four years after completion
$75,293Average earnings five years after completion
$24,649Typical federal student debt
68thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
27College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 2 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations
How much do General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations bachelor's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $74,557 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $24,649. 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 $66,306 to $82,081 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.
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
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $39,486
- Federal debt
- $17,266
- Programs in the comparison
- 12
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $74,557
- Federal debt
- $24,649
- Programs in the comparison
- 30
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $120,018
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 3
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$66,306National median$74,55775th percentile$82,081
27 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
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
Baylor University
$125,167 four years after completionWaco, TX · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtCUNY Bernard M Baruch College
$9,850 among completer borrowersNew York, NY · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison
232 reported awards in 2024–25Madison, WI · 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.
$98,487Observed year-4 earnings$45,386
Baylor University$41,104 price · $125,167 earningsWestern Governors University$12,548 price · $107,585 earningsBellevue University$17,550 price · $98,487 earningsTexas A&M University-College Station$21,315 price · $93,141 earningsBowling Green State University-Main Campus$24,022 price · $86,245 earningsWeber State University$10,258 price · $82,549 earningsPurdue University-Main Campus$14,600 price · $82,441 earningsUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison$17,354 price · $82,081 earningsKennesaw State University$15,048 price · $79,147 earningsBall State University$14,940 price · $78,401 earningsUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham$18,749 price · $76,648 earningsCUNY Bernard M Baruch College$3,033 price · $76,565 earningsUniversity of Central Oklahoma$18,309 price · $75,796 earningsEast Carolina University$15,739 price · $74,557 earningsTuskegee University$35,013 price · $73,435 earningsUniversity of Houston$14,276 price · $72,199 earningsUniversity of Akron Main Campus$13,946 price · $70,867 earningsUniversity of Hartford$30,282 price · $70,124 earningsUniversity of Minnesota-Twin Cities$16,778 price · $68,903 earningsUniversity of Wisconsin-Oshkosh$14,305 price · $66,875 earningsUniversity of Wisconsin-Stout$17,490 price · $66,306 earningsVirginia Union University$13,235 price · $64,924 earningsUniversity of South Carolina-Columbia$22,811 price · $64,631 earningsRochester Institute of Technology$34,906 price · $58,141 earningsSUNY Old Westbury$11,282 price · $48,624 earningsWade College$20,778 price · $45,386 earningsStevens-The Institute of Business & Arts$19,137 price · $37,244 earnings
$10,258Annual college-wide average net price$34,906
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1Baylor University$125,1672Western Governors University$107,5853Bellevue University$98,4874Texas A&M University-College Station$93,1415Bowling Green State University-Main Campus$86,2456Weber State University$82,5497Purdue University-Main Campus$82,4418University of Wisconsin-Madison$82,0819Kennesaw State University$79,14710Ball State University$78,401Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
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
Higher median wage ↑
-9%Projected employment growth →12%
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.
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.