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Purchasing & Acquisitions Management

Types of Degrees Purchasing & Acquisitions Management Majors Are Earning

Those studying Purchasing & Acquisitions Management can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	32
Associate’s Degree	94
Bachelor’s Degree	457
Master’s Degree	643
Doctor’s Degree	4

What Purchasing & Acquisitions Management Majors Need to Know

Studies in Purchasing & Acquisitions Management emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Purchasing & Acquisitions Management graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Purchasing & Acquisitions Management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Purchasing & Acquisitions Management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Purchasing & Acquisitions Management careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Purchasing & Acquisitions Management graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Purchasing & Acquisitions Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Oracle PeopleSoft	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—
Microsoft Dynamics	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Purchasing & Acquisitions Management graduates include:

• Purchasing Coordinator
• Business Manager
• Subcontract Associate
• General Purchasing Agent
• Procurement Agent
• Contractor Buyer
• Print Buyer
• Fuel Agent
• Contract Specialist
• Media Buyer
• Procurement Analyst
• Contracts Manager
• Replenishment Buyer
• Procurement Coordinator
• Price Analyst

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Purchasing & Acquisitions Management graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	43.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	15.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	14.5%
Master’s degree	7.6%
Postsecondary certificate	6.1%
Doctoral degree	5.5%
Some college courses	4.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.5%
Less than a high school diploma	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Purchasing & Acquisitions Management?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 40.4% women and 59.6% men among Purchasing & Acquisitions Management graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	497	40.4%
Men	733	59.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Purchasing & Acquisitions Management graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	552	44.9%
Asian	79	6.4%
Hispanic or Latino	150	12.2%
Black or African American	212	17.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	4	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.3%
Two or More Races	59	4.8%
Race Unknown	43	3.5%
International Students	127	10.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Purchasing & Acquisitions Management Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Purchasing & Acquisitions Management graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$62,537
4 years	$63,883
5 years	$71,749

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $71,749 — roughly 15% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Purchasing & Acquisitions Management Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Purchasing & Acquisitions Management. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	18	2
Bachelor’s	6	1
Master’s	6	4
Doctoral (Research)	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Purchasing & Acquisitions Management Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Purchasing & Acquisitions Management graduates earn a median of $63,883 four years after completion — roughly 68% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Business Administration, Management and Operations	402,942
Business Administration and Management, General	336,590
Accounting	58,956
Business/Commerce, General	57,976
Organizational Leadership	15,674
Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other	12,497
Operations Management and Supervision	12,273
Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management	10,865
Project Management	4,784
Accounting and Finance	3,502
Sales, Distribution, and Marketing Operations, General	3,325
Office Management and Supervision	3,126

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.