If you’re thumbing through your prospective schools’ brochures and debating majors, there are a lot of considerations, including cost, program length and flexibility. Chief among these considerations is what doors your business degree might open up for you. Indeed, marketing is a huge field and that can make the decision daunting, but it’s also an industry with plenty of space to specialize and carve out a niche. With that in mind, let’s look at some of the careers a marketing degree can lead to.

Advertising Managers

Advertising managers are in charge of building a company’s branding and drawing in consumers. They do this by planning ad campaigns, choosing the most effective advertising mediums (including radio, television, web or social media) and negotiating contracts with advertisers. At smaller companies, these managers might be the entire advertising department, meaning they wear a range of hats — graphic designer, copy editor, social media manager, and website developer. 

At larger businesses and at advertising firms, advertising managers might work within a large team of professionals to develop sales strategies that speak to their target market. Advertising managers typically need a bachelor’s degree in marketing and some experience in the industry. 

In 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that advertising managers made a median salary of $117,130. The top-earning 10% brought home over $208,000 per year. Jobs in the field are expected to grow by 3% between 2018 and 2028. 

Market Research Analysts

In the broadest sense, market research analysts figure out what consumers want and how much they’re willing to pay for it. That’s a tall order, but they do it by analyzing sales data, looking at historical trends and conducting surveys to gauge the public’s buying temperature. They combine all of this into projections that companies can use to craft more effective marketing campaigns.

Market research analysts might also be brought in to evaluate the effectiveness of current marketing campaigns. For entry-level positions, they need a bachelor’s degree but many employers prefer a master’s degree in marketing. 

These professionals made a median salary of $63,120 as of 2018; market research analysts in the publishing industry made the highest median salary — $74,360. The BLS projects job growth of 20% in the field between 2018 and 2028, which is well above the average for all occupations (5%).

Marketing Managers

Marketing managers scout potential customers and markets for a company’s products or services and plan strategies to tap those resources. Much like a market research analyst, they might look at consumer behavior data and trends to maximize the effectiveness of a campaign and identify unexplored areas of the market. However, where market research analysts take a broad view, marketing managers are more likely to specialize, analyzing competitors in one field or an individual product’s marketability. 

They might also work with staff from product development, public relations and sales to determine pricing strategies. Marketing managers typically need a bachelor’s degree in a marketing-related field. 

The BLS reported in 2018 that marketing managers made a median salary of $134,290 and would see a job growth outlook of 8% between 2018 and 2028. Marketing managers in New York made the highest average annual salary at $187,860.

Sales Managers

Sales managers oversee and direct an organization’s sales team. This might include training and assessing sales staff, analyzing sales statistics and developing new marketing strategies to draw customers and meet quotas. These managers are also often asked to prepare budgets for promotional campaigns, monitor shoppers buying habits and work closely with distributors and manufacturers to maintain inventory. 

In addition, sales managers are often where to buck stops with customers. That means they’re in charge of dealing with and resolving customer complaints in ways that work for both the company and the customer. Employers in this field usually prefer candidates with a bachelor’s degree and coursework or experience in marketing.

Sales managers made a median salary of $124,220 in 2018 and the BLS predicts jobs in the field to increase by 5% between 2018 and 2028, which is right in line with all occupations. 

All salary and job growth data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics