Marketing Research

Types of Degrees Marketing Research Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many marketing research graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	138
Graduate Certificate	40
Basic Certificate	27
Bachelor’s Degree	20
Undergraduate Certificate	3
Associate Degree	1

What Marketing Research Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to marketing research and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Marketing Research Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in marketing research should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• 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.
• 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.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Marketing Research Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to marketing research:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• 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.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Marketing Research Majors

A major in marketing research 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.
• 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.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Marketing Research Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with marketing research:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists	23.2%	$63,120
Marketing Managers	10.1%	$134,290

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing Research?

This major attracts more men than women. About 75% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of marketing research majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	0
Black or African American	5
Hispanic or Latino	0
White	12
International Students	3
Other Races/Ethnicities	0

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Marketing Research, too. About 15.0% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Marketing Research Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Marketing Research majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $63,240 to $103,330 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

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 Marketing Research

Some careers associated with marketing research require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for marketing research careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	1.1%
Some College Courses	0.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	0.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	28.4%
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.	1.0%
Master’s Degree	21.4%
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.	0.9%
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.	3.4%
Doctoral Degree	23.0%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.8%

Online Marketing Research Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 40 schools offered some type of marketing research program. 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)	1	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	1	0
Bachelor’s Degree	9	3
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	16	1
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Marketing Research Worth It?

The median salary for a marketing research grad is $70,960 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 78% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $621,200 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Marketing Research

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to marketing research.

Major	Number of Grads
Marketing/Marketing Management, General	50,275
Other Marketing	1,353
International Marketing	582
Digital Marketing	477

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
• Image Credit: By Nick Youngson under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.