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Other General Operations

Types of Degrees Other General Operations Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Other General Operations have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1
Associate’s Degree	11
Bachelor’s Degree	52
Master’s Degree	159

What Other General Operations Majors Need to Know

Studies in Other General Operations emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Other General Operations graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Other General Operations emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Sales and Marketing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Other General Operations program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Negotiation — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Persuasion — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Other General Operations careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Other General Operations graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	3.9 / 7
Working with Computers	3.9 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.8 / 7
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others	3.7 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Other General Operations professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	✓
Oracle Database	Data base user interface and query software	—
FileMaker Pro	Data base user interface and query software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Other General Operations graduates include:

• Exporter
• Sporting Goods Sales Representative
• Hobbies and Crafts Sales Representative
• Commercial Equipment Sales Representative
• Salesman
• Key Account Manager (KAM)
• Barber and Beauty Equipment Sales Representative
• Importer
• Home Furnishings Sales Representative
• Wool Merchant
• Bottling Equipment Sales Representative
• Agricultural Produce Commission Agent
• Factory Representative
• Food Products Sales Representative
• Architectural Supplies Sales Representative

What Can You Do With a Other General Operations Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Other General Operations commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products	6.0%	$29,657	$23,253–$36,061
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	5.3%	$53,224	$45,316–$61,133
First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	4.0%	$28,072	$23,165–$32,979

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Other General Operations graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	37.1%
Bachelor’s degree	32.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	10.0%
Some college courses	9.3%
Less than a high school diploma	5.3%
Postsecondary certificate	3.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.6%
Master’s degree	1.0%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Other General Operations?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 50.7% women and 49.3% men among Other General Operations graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	113	50.7%
Men	110	49.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Other General Operations graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	149	66.8%
Asian	3	1.3%
Hispanic or Latino	19	8.5%
Black or African American	43	19.3%
Two or More Races	5	2.2%
Race Unknown	2	0.9%
International Students	2	0.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Other General Operations Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Other General Operations graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$52,294
4 years	$56,564
5 years	$66,475

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $66,475 — roughly 27% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Other General Operations Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Other General Operations. 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	2	1
Bachelor’s	2	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 Other General Operations Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Other General Operations graduates earn a median of $56,564 four years after completion — roughly 49% 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
General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations	6,171
Sales, Distribution, and Marketing Operations, General	3,325
Fashion Merchandising	2,847
Selling Skills and Sales Operations	1,566
Retail Management	1,434
Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management	1,230
Retailing and Retail Operations	1,000
E-Commerce/Electronic Commerce	467
Special Products Marketing Operations	145
Apparel and Accessories Marketing Operations	77
Merchandising and Buying Operations	57
Reserved	—

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.