ROI Major

Marketing at Providence College

RI · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.14

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Marketing degree from Providence College earn a median salary of $93,838 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in RI, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $83,412. The degree typically pays for itself in 4.5 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

$75,411

Typical Career

$93,838

Top Performers

$118,904

Estimated break-even: 4.5 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$626

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $7,820. Most students can comfortably afford about a $626 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 2.4x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.2x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Rhode Island buys what costs $1.13 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, Educational Services, Finance & Insurance.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 20.4%
Educational Services 16.2%
Finance & Insurance 15.0%

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

$83,412

Nominal: $93,838 in Rhode Island (COL 112.5% of national avg) · 11.1% lower 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).

4.5 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 $45,643 $56,412 $68,007
5 Years After Graduation $75,411 $93,838 $118,904
10 Years After Graduation $96,975 $135,503 $190,780

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 $93,838 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in RI, which has a cost-of-living index of 112.5% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $93,838 × (1.0 ÷ 1.1250) = $83,412 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

The earnings trajectory for Marketing graduates from Providence College shows a significant increase over time. Graduates can expect median earnings of $56,412 one year after graduation, which rises to $93,838 after five years and reaches $135,503 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median earnings five years post-graduation equate to approximately $83,411.56 nationally, indicating that graduates are positioned well in terms of salary relative to the cost of living in Rhode Island, where the cost of living index is 1.125.

Providence College Marketing graduates enter diverse industries, with notable concentrations in Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (20.4%), Educational Services (16.2%), and Finance & Insurance (15.0%). The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 4.5 years, suggesting a favorable return on investment for pursuing a degree in Marketing. Overall, the combination of strong earnings potential and diverse career opportunities supports a positive outlook for graduates in this field.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Marketing degree at Providence College 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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