Types of Degrees Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	435
Master’s Degree	231
Graduate Certificate	171
Undergraduate Certificate	39
Basic Certificate	31
Associate Degree	25
Doctor’s Degree	7

What Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management Majors

A major in purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management Majors

A major in purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Administrative Services Managers	10.1%	$96,180
Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes	4.7%	$66,040
Purchasing Managers	5.4%	$118,940

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in ?

This major attracts more men than women. About 57% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	64
Black or African American	9
Hispanic or Latino	59
White	207
International Students	78
Other Races/Ethnicities	18

Geographic Diversity

Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management appeals to people across the globe. About 17.9% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $90,930 to $106,050 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to

Some degrees associated with purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.1%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	14.2%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	4.4%
Some College Courses	10.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	6.1%
Bachelor’s Degree	33.3%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	1.6%
Master’s Degree	9.7%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.1%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.8%
Doctoral Degree	19.5%

Online Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	20	19
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	24	20
Bachelor’s Degree	11	3
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	9	2
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Worth It?

The median salary for a purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management grad is $103,330 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 159% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,268,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to purchasing, procurement/acquisitions and contracts management.

Major	Number of Grads
General Business Administration and Management	343,412
Organizational Leadership	15,220
Interior Design Management	13,728
Supply Chain Management	10,601
Operations Management	6,424
Project Management	4,189
Office Administration	3,577
Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management	2,736
Retail Management	959
Transportation/Mobility Management	641
E-Commerce	469
Science/Technology Management	359
Research and Development Management	284
Customer Service Management	178
Risk Management	37

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.