ROI Major

Marketing at Ohio State University (The)

OH · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.14

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Marketing degree from Ohio State University (The) earn a median salary of $80,398 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OH, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $89,232. The degree typically pays for itself in 5.3 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$60,320

Typical Career

$80,398

Top Performers

$108,489

Estimated break-even: 5.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$536

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $6,700. Most students can comfortably afford about a $536 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 2.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.0x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Ohio buys what costs $0.90 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 15.6%
Educational Services 14.9%
Health Care & Social Assistance 14.0%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$89,232

Nominal: $80,398 in Ohio (COL 90.1% of national avg) · 11% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

5.3 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $40,547 $54,377 $69,670
5 Years After Graduation $60,320 $80,398 $108,489
10 Years After Graduation $76,411 $110,099 $157,091

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $80,398 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in OH, which has a cost-of-living index of 90.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $80,398 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9010) = $89,232 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates from Ohio State University who pursue a degree in Marketing can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $54,377, which increases to $80,398 five years post-graduation and reaches $110,099 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median earnings five years after graduation equate to approximately $89,231.96 nationally, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive salary relative to their peers across the country, especially given Ohio's lower cost of living index at 0.901.

The top industries that Marketing graduates enter include Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (15.6%), Educational Services (14.9%), and Health Care & Social Assistance (14.0%). With an estimated break-even point of approximately 5.3 years compared to a high school-only path, the return on investment for a Marketing degree from Ohio State University appears favorable. This suggests that students can expect to recoup their educational expenses relatively quickly while entering diverse and growing sectors.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Marketing degree at Ohio State University (The) stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.

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