Marketing major

Marketing: courses, careers, and where to study

Marketing majors learn how to identify, reach, and convert customers, combining strategy, consumer behavior, digital channels, brand management, and analytics.

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Marketing earn a median $69,303 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $49,728 to $93,152 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard). By credential and college

A Marketing major covers consumer behavior, marketing research, digital marketing, brand management, advertising, sales, marketing analytics, and channel strategy. Modern programs lean heavily into digital and analytics, search marketing, paid social, content marketing, marketing automation, and data-driven decision-making. Marketing pairs well with double majors in Communications, Computer Science (for marketing analytics), or Psychology (for consumer behavior).

Academic classification (CIP)

In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Marketing maps to CIP 52.1401, Marketing/Marketing Management, General, within the BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES family. The official definition:

A program that generally prepares individuals to undertake and manage the process of developing consumer audiences and moving products from producers to consumers. Includes instruction in buyer behavior and dynamics, principle of marketing research, demand analysis, cost-volume and profit relationships, pricing theory, marketing campaign and strategic planning, market segments, advertising methods, sales operations and management, consumer relations, retailing, and applications to specific products and markets.

Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov

What credential Marketing is awarded as

Of the 52,093 Marketing credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2024-25:

  • Certificate: 6%, 3,124 credentials.
  • Associate: 4%, 1,912 credentials.
  • Bachelor's: 86%, 44,628 credentials.
  • Graduate: 5%, 2,429 credentials.

This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 48 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 12 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.

Credentials conferred in 2024-25, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.

What you'll study

  • Marketing principles and the 4 Ps
  • Consumer behavior and decision-making
  • Digital marketing (SEO, paid search, paid social, email)
  • Marketing research and analytics
  • Brand management and positioning
  • Advertising and integrated communications
  • Sales fundamentals
  • Marketing strategy capstone

Typical careers

Typical salary range: $54,000–$78,000 early-career (BLS, 2024 market research analysts and marketing specialists median $76,950)Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.

How much do Marketing graduates earn?

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Marketing earn a median $69,303 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $49,728 to $93,152 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).

National median earnings four years after graduating for Marketing, by credential
CredentialNational medianMiddle half of programs
Bachelor's$69,303$49,728 to $93,152
Associate's$44,264$27,714 to $61,712
Undergraduate certificate$49,757$30,843 to $72,728
Master's$79,106$52,679 to $116,591

Compare Marketing programs in your state

Highest-earning bachelor's Marketing programs

Ordered by median earnings: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality. Federal program group: Marketing. Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars, for graduates who received federal aid, worked and were not enrolled. Programs need at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort to be listed; multi-state systems whose figures pool campuses are not listed. Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 10 June 2026. How much the college matters, by major. Graduate programs over the new federal loan caps.

Related occupations

Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Marketing, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.

Occupations associated with Marketing by the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, with median annual wage, projected annual openings, projected employment change, and the education most entrants typically hold.
OccupationMedian payOpenings / yrProjected changeMost entrants hold
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists$76,95087,200+6.7%Bachelor's degree
Sales Managers$138,06049,000+4.7%Bachelor's degree
Marketing Managers$161,03034,300+6.6%Bachelor's degree
Fundraisers$66,49010,200+4.3%Bachelor's degree
Business Teachers, Postsecondary$97,2708,100+5.7%Doctoral or professional degree
Fundraising Managers$123,4803,600+4.2%Bachelor's degree
Advertising and Promotions Managers$126,9602,100-2.2%Bachelor's degree

Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 7 of these 7 occupations report a median wage.

“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Marketing does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.

Before you commit to a Marketing major

CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Marketing program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.

Ask the Marketing department

  • Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
  • What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
  • What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
  • Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?

Ask current students & check the curriculum

  • How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
  • What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
  • Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
  • How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Accreditation & licensure: Business programs may hold AACSB, ACBSP, or IACBE accreditation (AACSB is the most selective). Accreditation can affect graduate-school admission and some employers, so confirm it for any Marketing program you shortlist.
Degree level & graduate study: Many Marketing careers are open with a bachelor's degree, but some, such as research, advanced-practice, or licensure-track roles, require a master's or doctorate. Check the typical entry-level education on each linked career page above before assuming a bachelor's is enough.

Find a Marketing program

CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.

Colleges that awarded the most Marketing credentials

Largest by credentials conferred in 2024-25. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.

Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2024-25. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.

Search Marketing schools

Where Marketing credentials were awarded

18 states have a distinct enough set of Marketing colleges to be worth its own page.

Marketing by state

Every Marketing program with its own CampusPin page

274 programs in 47 states, A to Z by state and then by college. Each page gives what the program's graduates earned four years after finishing, what they borrowed in federal loans, the monthly payment, and how the program compares with others in its state and the nation. The figure beside each college is the median for its largest credential with at least 30 graduates (U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23). The list is alphabetical; it is not a ranking.

Marketing programs in Alabama, 6 programs
Marketing programs in Arizona, 4 programs
Marketing programs in Arkansas, 2 programs
Marketing programs in California, 13 programs
Marketing programs in Colorado, 3 programs
Marketing programs in Connecticut, 6 programs
Marketing programs in Delaware, 1 program
Marketing programs in District of Columbia, 3 programs
Marketing programs in Florida, 11 programs
Marketing programs in Georgia, 9 programs
Marketing programs in Hawaii, 1 program
Marketing programs in Idaho, 2 programs
Marketing programs in Illinois, 14 programs
Marketing programs in Indiana, 3 programs
Marketing programs in Iowa, 5 programs
Marketing programs in Kansas, 4 programs
Marketing programs in Kentucky, 4 programs
Marketing programs in Louisiana, 5 programs
Marketing programs in Maine, 2 programs
Marketing programs in Maryland, 3 programs
Marketing programs in Massachusetts, 10 programs
Marketing programs in Michigan, 13 programs
Marketing programs in Minnesota, 8 programs
Marketing programs in Mississippi, 3 programs
Marketing programs in Missouri, 4 programs
Marketing programs in Nebraska, 2 programs
Marketing programs in Nevada, 2 programs
Marketing programs in New Hampshire, 2 programs
Marketing programs in New Jersey, 6 programs
Marketing programs in New Mexico, 1 program
Marketing programs in New York, 16 programs
Marketing programs in North Carolina, 5 programs
Marketing programs in North Dakota, 2 programs
Marketing programs in Ohio, 16 programs
Marketing programs in Oklahoma, 4 programs
Marketing programs in Oregon, 3 programs
Marketing programs in Pennsylvania, 15 programs
Marketing programs in Rhode Island, 6 programs
Marketing programs in South Carolina, 4 programs
Marketing programs in Tennessee, 5 programs
Marketing programs in Texas, 19 programs
Marketing programs in Utah, 5 programs
Marketing programs in Virginia, 6 programs
Marketing programs in Washington, 5 programs
Marketing programs in West Virginia, 2 programs
Marketing programs in Wisconsin, 8 programs
Marketing programs in Wyoming, 1 program

Related majors

Still deciding between Marketing and something else?

These guides put Marketing side by side with the major it is most often confused with, using the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk to show where the two actually lead.

Put this major in context

The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Marketing degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.

Explore Management careers

Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.

Explore Business & Finance careers

Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.

How one major leads to many careers

Why a single Marketing degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.

Why a median wage is not a starting salary

How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.

When accreditation and licensure matter

How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Marketing path before you enroll.

Does a pricier college pay off?

How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.

Does picking a major narrow your college list?

Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.

Certificate or degree?

What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.

How this guide is sourced

This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.