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

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

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 50 colleges (50 of 50 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$35,690

Graduates only, early career.$35,420 two years out.

Median federal debt

$25,625

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.69×

69% of a first year's earnings.

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

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations report early-career pay between $31,359 and $39,055 — a spread of $7,696 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $31,359 median $35,690 75th pct $39,055

By degree level

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

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Associate's 9 colleges $26,451 $14,626 0.48×

Bachelor's 50 colleges $35,690 $25,625 0.69×

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.

Northwood University MI $53,419 $25,000 debt

Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia PA $51,025 $26,250 debt

Marist University NY $45,004 $25,000 debt

Fashion Institute of Technology NY $44,667 $19,905 debt

Academy of Art University CA $44,653 —

Seattle Pacific University WA $44,294 $19,500 debt

Baylor University TX $43,995 $20,625 debt

Texas Christian University TX $43,817 $17,750 debt

LIM College NY $41,027 $24,429 debt

Texas Woman's University TX $40,619 $20,950 debt

University of North Texas TX $40,106 $21,250 debt

Mount Mary University WI $39,282 $21,500 debt

Ferris State University MI $39,068 $25,500 debt

Thomas Jefferson University PA $39,017 $25,750 debt

University of Georgia GA $38,422 $19,500 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Specialized Sales, Merchandising and 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