ROI Major

Marketing at University of Central Oklahoma

OK · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.14

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Marketing degree from University of Central Oklahoma earn a median salary of $63,681 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OK, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $73,876. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.7 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

$47,777

Typical Career

$63,681

Top Performers

$83,893

Estimated break-even: 7.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$425

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,307. Most students can comfortably afford about a $425 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 Oklahoma buys what costs $0.86 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 19.2%
Health Care & Social Assistance 17.1%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 10.4%

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

$73,876

Nominal: $63,681 in Oklahoma (COL 86.2% of national avg) · 16% 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).

7.7 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 $33,222 $44,706 $57,912
5 Years After Graduation $47,777 $63,681 $83,893
10 Years After Graduation $53,343 $73,565 $118,711

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 $63,681 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in OK, which has a cost-of-living index of 86.2% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $63,681 × (1.0 ÷ 0.8620) = $73,876 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the University of Central Oklahoma's Marketing program experience a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $44,706, which increases to $63,681 five years post-graduation and reaches $73,565 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median earnings five years after graduation align closely with the national equivalent at $73,875.87, indicating that graduates can expect a competitive salary relative to their peers across the country, despite the lower cost of living in Oklahoma.

The top industries that UCO Marketing graduates enter include Educational Services (19.2%), Health Care & Social Assistance (17.1%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (10.4%). With an estimated break-even point of approximately 7.7 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a degree in Marketing at UCO appears favorable. This suggests that graduates can expect not only to recoup their educational expenses but also to benefit from a solid career trajectory in diverse 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 University of Central Oklahoma 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.

Explore More