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Academic Field / Business

Sales & Marketing

Students study retail operations, merchandising strategies, sales techniques, inventory management, and the consumer experience across brick-and-mortar and e-commerce channels. Graduates typically pursue careers as retail managers, merchandising planners, sales directors, e-commerce managers, and buyer positions for retail chains and consumer goods companies. Retail management offers rapid advancement opportunities, with successful managers leading multi-million-dollar store operations.

Schools
26
Programs analyzed
Earnings
$54,790
Avg 1-yr grad earnings
Range $16,682–$93,151
AI Risk
High
47% task exposure
Field Overview

What Sales & Marketing graduates do

This degree puts you on the front lines of commerce, focused on moving products and services. You’ll likely start as a sales representative, where your days are spent building client lists, demonstrating how your company’s offerings solve problems, and negotiating contracts. You could be selling services to other businesses or representing a manufacturer to wholesale buyers. Another path leads to retail management, where as a first-line supervisor, you’ll be responsible for coaching a team, setting schedules, and ensuring your store hits its sales targets.

With experience, you can advance to managing larger, more strategic accounts or supervising non-retail sales teams. The most lucrative path involves specializing in technical or scientific products, where deep expertise is key. While retail supervision roles are shrinking, business-to-business sales positions continue to grow.

AI's impact here is moderate. Expect technology to automate significant parts of your routine, like finding leads and scheduling meetings. This won't eliminate your job, but it will change it. Your success will depend less on manual outreach and more on your ability to build strong relationships, navigate complex negotiations, and provide strategic advice that an algorithm can't.

Students weighing Sales & Marketing often also consider Specialized Sales & Marketing, Insurance, and Finance — compare earnings, ROI, and AI outlook side by side.

Career Trajectories

Where Sales & Marketing graduates work

Common career paths for Sales & Marketing graduates, with median salaries, projected growth, and AI exposure per role. Roughly 499,600 combined openings per year across these roles.

Role Median Pay Annual Openings 10-yr Growth AI Exposure
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
$100,070
$66K–$146K
27,200 +1.9% Moderate · 46%
Business teachers, postsecondary
$97,270
$63K–$140K
8,100 +5.7% Moderate · 49%
First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
$84,130
$63K–$118K
24,800 0.0% High · 54%
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
$66,780
$49K–$98K
114,800 +0.3% High · 62%
Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
$66,260
$47K–$99K
123,000 +3.1% High · 63%
Advertising sales agents
$61,460
$45K–$91K
9,300 -6.4% High · 54%
Travel agents
$48,450
$39K–$61K
7,100 +2.2% High · 56%
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
$47,320
$38K–$61K
125,100 -5.0% Moderate · 49%
Sales and related workers, all other
$46,370
$35K–$66K
16,000 +3.7% Low · 0%
Demonstrators and product promoters
$37,960
$34K–$50K
14,000 -0.1% Low · 13%
Parts salespersons
$37,440
$31K–$48K
30,200 +3.1% Moderate · 34%
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).
Top Institutions

Best schools for Sales & Marketing

Schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score (earnings × AI resilience × ROI × job-market size). Top 10 of 26.

Rank #1 · DegreeOutlook Score 86
Western Governors University
Salt Lake City, UT · Private nonprofit
$93,151 1-yr earnings
29.3x ROI multiple
High AI risk
# School DW Score 1-yr Earnings ROI
5 Weber State University
Ogden, UT · Public
80 $57,451 30.9x
6 Baylor University
Waco, TX · Private nonprofit
75 $84,271 6.0x
7 University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI · Public
75 $57,760 15.5x
8 University of Houston
Houston, TX · Public
75 $50,957 18.2x
9 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Oshkosh, WI · Public
74 $54,213 18.8x
10 University of Akron Main Campus
Akron, OH · Public
72 $49,605 13.8x
11 CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
New York, NY · Public
72 $41,897 23.6x
12 American Public University System
Charles Town, WV · Private for-profit
70 $65,639 18.5x
13 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN · Public
70 $51,066 10.6x
14 University of Central Oklahoma
Edmond, OK · Public
68 $59,698 16.5x
15 Ball State University
Muncie, IN · Public
67 $65,184 14.1x
16 University of Wisconsin-Stout
Menomonie, WI · Public
67 $46,501 13.5x
17 East Carolina University
Greenville, NC · Public
66 $52,684 16.9x
18 Texas A & M University-College Station
College Station, TX · Public
65 $66,372 11.7x
19 Bowling Green State University-Main Campus
Bowling Green, OH · Public
62 $58,773 9.4x
20 University of South Carolina-Columbia
Columbia, SC · Public
61 $45,052 10.0x
View the complete Sales & Marketing school rankings — 26 programs analyzed →

Related majors

Similar fields of study often offered alongside Sales & Marketing.

Consider the trade route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Sales & Marketing offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Compare Sales & Marketing trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →
FAQ

Frequently asked about Sales & Marketing

What's the typical salary after a Sales & Marketing degree?

Across 26 schools, Sales & Marketing graduates earn an average of $54,790 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $16,682 to $93,151 depending on the school.

Will AI affect Sales & Marketing careers?

Our analysis classifies Sales & Marketing as "High" for AI risk — approximately 47% of typical job tasks overlap with current AI capabilities. That puts some of the daily work in the automation-sensitive category.

What's the top-ranked school for Sales & Marketing?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), Western Governors University ranks #1 for Sales & Marketing with a score of 86/100 and graduate earnings of $93,151/yr.

What's the ROI on a Sales & Marketing degree?

Typical graduates earn 15.2 times what they paid in tuition within a decade. This is a strong return on investment. Look at per-school ROI in the table above — averages can mask significant variation.