Marketing Research Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Marketing Research maps to BLS occupations averaging about $85,953, with roughly 2,006,820 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $7,610; common paths include First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers and First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers.
Key Statistics
Marketing Research: what the data shows
Common questions about marketing research degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a marketing research degree?
A Marketing Research program is classified under NCES CIP 52.1402 in the Marketing field family (52.14).
A program that prepares individuals to provide analytical descriptions of consumer behavior patterns and market environments to marketing managers and other business decision-makers. Includes instruction in survey research methods, research design, new product test marketing, exploratory marketing, consumer needs and preferences analysis, geographic analysis, and applications to specific products and markets
IPEDS counted 6 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of marketing research degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 52.14 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Digital Marketing (CIP 52.1404)
- International Marketing (CIP 52.1403)
- Marketing (CIP 52.1401)
How long does it take to get a marketing research degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 52.1402 in our file:
- 3 Associate (4.0% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 6 Bachelor's (8.0% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 66 Master's (88.0% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a marketing research degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Marketing Research to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | 219,010 | $84,130 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | 1,113,160 | $47,320 |
| Real Estate Sales Agents | 190,600 | $56,320 |
| Marketing Managers | 384,980 | $161,030 |
| Driver/Sales Workers | 417,420 | $37,130 |
| Sales and Related Workers, All Other | 99,070 | $46,370 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a marketing research degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Marketing bachelor's program family: median debt $32,425, median earnings $69,303 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.72.
About 3.2% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $7,610 and median net price is $17,296.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Marketing Research and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$7,610 Median In-State Public
$35,740 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Marketing Research majors are, on average, $7,610 for in-state public colleges, and $35,740 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Marketing Research programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Marketing Research from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Marketing Research.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 2 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 3 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 4 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 5 | Western Governors University | UT | 155,088 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Marketing Research programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of the Canyons | CA | $1,166 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Valley College | CA | $1,238 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Valley College | CA | $1,238 |
| 4 | Los Angeles City College | CA | $1,238 |
| 5 | Modesto Junior College | CA | $1,282 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Marketing Research programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wiregrass Georgia Technical College | GA | $614 |
| 2 | Wiregrass Georgia Technical College | GA | $614 |
| 3 | Southern Regional Technical College | GA | $813 |
| 4 | Southern Regional Technical College | GA | $813 |
| 5 | South Georgia Technical College | GA | $1,164 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Marketing Research programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Marketing Research programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Marketing Research is in MI (4 completions). That state represents about 66.7% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is MI (0.00% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| MI | 4 | 66.7% | 0.00% |
| IN | 2 | 33.3% | 0.00% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 52.14 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Digital Marketing CIP 52.1404
- International Marketing CIP 52.1403
- Marketing CIP 52.1401
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 52.1402 in the survey year used in our extract (75 total across levels below).
- 3 Associate (4.0% of IPEDS total)
- 6 Bachelor's (8.0% of IPEDS total)
- 66 Master's (88.0% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $85,953. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Marketing Research graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | $96,985 | 219,010 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | $57,578 | 1,113,160 |
| Real Estate Sales Agents | $77,936 | 190,600 |
| Marketing Managers | $209,972 | 384,980 |
| Driver/Sales Workers | $49,239 | 417,420 |
| Sales and Related Workers, All Other | $68,570 | 99,070 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Marketing CIP family (219 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Marketing Research graduate.
- $32,425 median federal loan debt among completers
- $69,303 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.72 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 3.2% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$93,589 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Marketing Research majors is $93,589.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Marketing Research majors.
Occupations by Share
2,006,820 2023 Workforce
The number of Marketing Research graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Marketing Research by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Marketing Research in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Marketing Research.
Age distribution for Marketing Research degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
6 Total Degrees Awarded
3 Male (50.00%)
3 Female (50.00%)
Gender distribution of Marketing Research degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
4 White (66.67%)
2 Black or African American (33.33%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Marketing Research degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Marketing Research are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Marketing Research.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Marketing Research field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Marketing Research majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Marketing Research majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Marketing Research majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals to provide analytical descriptions of consumer behavior patterns and market environments to marketing managers and other business decision-makers. Includes instruction in survey research methods, research design, new product test marketing, exploratory marketing, consumer needs and preferences analysis, geographic analysis, and applications to specific products and markets
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Marketing Research.
CIP Code
52.1402 - Marketing Research
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $32,425 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $69,303, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.72. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Marketing Research graduate.
Women earned 70.5% of 200 Marketing Research completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $85,953. The largest mapped role by headcount is First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers (219,010 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $7,610 in-state at public colleges and $35,740 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.