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.
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.
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% |
Best schools for Sales & Marketing
Schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score (earnings × AI resilience × ROI × job-market size). Top 10 of 26.
| # | 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 |
Highest Earnings Top 5
| Western Governors University
UT |
$93,151 |
| Baylor University
TX |
$84,271 |
| Bellevue University
NE |
$75,543 |
| Kennesaw State University
GA |
$72,092 |
| Texas A & M University-College Station
TX |
$66,372 |
Best ROI Top 5
| Kennesaw State University
GA |
47.2x |
| Weber State University
UT |
30.9x |
| Western Governors University
UT |
29.3x |
| Bellevue University
NE |
24.4x |
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
NY |
23.6x |
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 →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.