College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is a General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 30 colleges (30 of 30 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$48,012

Graduates only, early career.$47,944 two years out.

Median federal debt

$21,819

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.46×

46% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is well under a single year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations report early-career pay between $40,256 and $54,952 — a spread of $14,696 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $40,256 median $48,012 75th pct $54,952

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Certificate 3 colleges $12,702 — —

Associate's 7 colleges $25,795 $18,604 0.77×

Bachelor's 30 colleges $48,012 $21,819 0.46×

Master's 3 colleges $72,657 $72,478 1.08×

Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

The 15 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

Western Governors University UT $81,520 $20,671 debt

Baylor University TX $71,388 $20,500 debt

Bellevue University NE $70,231 —

Texas A&M University-College Station TX $64,426 $20,787 debt

Purdue University-Main Campus IN $56,811 $19,451 debt

Kennesaw State University GA $56,385 $19,375 debt

Weber State University UT $56,374 $17,500 debt

Bowling Green State University-Main Campus OH $55,026 $25,000 debt

Tuskegee University AL $54,728 $27,000 debt

William Paterson University of New Jersey NJ $54,414 —

Fordham University NY $52,937 —

University of Wisconsin-Madison WI $52,840 $18,737 debt

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MN $50,056 $19,500 debt

University of Akron Main Campus OH $49,591 $25,750 debt

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh WI $48,122 $21,500 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard