ROI Major

Marketing at Texas A&M University - Commerce

TX · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.14

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Marketing degree from Texas A&M University - Commerce earn a median salary of $60,297 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $65,469. The degree typically pays for itself in 8.7 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

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

$47,856

Typical Career

$60,297

Top Performers

$76,854

Estimated break-even: 8.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$402

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,025. Most students can comfortably afford about a $402 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.6x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Texas buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 45.0%
Health Care & Social Assistance 10.0%
Manufacturing 7.2%

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

$65,469

Nominal: $60,297 in Texas (COL 92.1% of national avg) · 8.6% 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).

8.7 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 $29,804 $40,136 $53,560
5 Years After Graduation $47,856 $60,297 $76,854
10 Years After Graduation $51,223 $71,441 $107,824

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 $60,297 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in TX, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $60,297 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $65,469 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Marketing program at Texas A&M University - Commerce experience a positive earnings trajectory, with median earnings of $40,136 one year after graduation, increasing to $60,297 after five years, and reaching $71,441 after ten years. The purchasing-power-adjusted salary for five years post-graduation is approximately $65,469.06, indicating that graduates can expect a competitive salary relative to national standards, especially considering the cost of living index in Texas is lower than the national average.

The top industries for graduates are predominantly in Educational Services (45.0%), followed by Health Care & Social Assistance (10.0%) and Manufacturing (7.2%). The estimated break-even point for choosing a degree over a high-school-only path is approximately 8.7 years. This suggests that while the initial investment in education may take time to pay off, the long-term benefits in terms of earnings and career opportunities in these sectors can provide a favorable return on investment for graduates.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Marketing degree at Texas A&M University - Commerce 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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