California · General Sales

Best colleges for General Sales in California

Ranked by graduates a year

Santa Monica College, Cerritos College and Orange Coast College award the most General Sales degrees and certificates in California: 215, 80 and 64 graduates a year (IPEDS 2024–25). 57 California colleges offer General Sales and award 1,040 degrees and certificates a year in all.

The General Sales program, officially titled General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations, focuses on equipping students with essential skills in sales and marketing within the business sector. This program is ideal for…

Institutions
57
offering CIP 52.18
States offered
40
with a program page
Degrees / yr
1,040
IPEDS completions 2024–25
Median starting salary
—
1 yr after graduation, College Scorecard
With earnings data
0
College Scorecard
Median net price
—
IPEDS 2024–25
Avg graduation rate
38%
IPEDS 2024–25
State pay · Parts Salespersons
$48,860
BLS OEWS May 2025

57 institutions offering General Sales in California

Graduate earnings are not yet reported for these institutions; ordered by graduates a year.

Starting salary (1 yr): median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary), College Scorecard.
#InstitutionStarting salary (1 yr)Graduates / yrGrad rateNet priceMedian debt
1Santa Monica College
Santa Monica Public
—21536%——
2Cerritos College
Norwalk Public
—8031%——
3Orange Coast College
Costa Mesa Public
—6448%——
4Los Angeles Valley College
Valley Glen Public
—4832%——
5College of the Canyons
Santa Clarita Public
—3945%——
6Santa Rosa Junior College
Santa Rosa Public
—3337%——
7Diablo Valley College
Pleasant Hill Public
—3149%——
8Pasadena City College
Pasadena Public
—3048%——
9City College of San Francisco
San Francisco Public
—2940%——
10Sierra College
Rocklin Public
—2842%——
11Saddleback College
Mission Viejo Public
—2648%——
12Ventura College
Ventura Public
—2638%——
13MiraCosta College
Oceanside Public
—2341%——
14Fresno City College
Fresno Public
—2024%——
15Glendale Community College
Glendale Public
—2037%——
16Mt San Antonio College
Walnut Public
—1845%——
17San Jose City College
San Jose Public
—1834%——
18Allan Hancock College
Santa Maria Public
—1726%——
19De Anza College
Cupertino Public
—1668%——
20Long Beach City College
Long Beach Public
—1530%——
21Riverside City College
Riverside Public
—1537%——
22Chaffey College
Rancho Cucamonga Public
—1436%——
23Rio Hondo College
Whittier Public
—1425%——
24Santa Barbara City College
Santa Barbara Public
—1434%——
25Shasta College
Redding Public
—1223%——
26Southwestern College
Chula Vista Public
—1135%——
27Cosumnes River College
Sacramento Public
—1040%——
28Los Angeles Pierce College
Woodland Hills Public
—1046%——
29Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles Public
—1029%——
30Moreno Valley College
Moreno Valley Public
—1034%——
31Golden West College
Huntington Beach Public
—949%——
32East Los Angeles College
Monterey Park Public
—837%——
33Grossmont College
El Cajon Public
—837%——
34Santa Ana College
Santa Ana Public
—831%——
35Chabot College
Hayward Public
—747%——
36Coastline Community College
Fountain Valley Public Online
—734%——
37Fullerton College
Fullerton Public
—734%——
38Modesto Junior College
Modesto Public
—730%——
39Sacramento City College
Sacramento Public
—733%——
40Butte College
Oroville Public
—645%——
41Cypress College
Cypress Public
—637%——
42El Camino Community College District
Torrance Public
—642%——
43San Diego Mesa College
San Diego Public
—635%——
44American River College
Sacramento Public
—437%——
45College of the Desert
Palm Desert Public
—431%——
46Citrus College
Glendora Public
—341%——
47Merced College
Merced Public
—336%——
48Solano Community College
Fairfield Public
—336%——
49Las Positas College
Livermore Public
—353%——
50Canada College
Redwood City Public
—247%——
51Lake Tahoe Community College
South Lake Tahoe Public
—245%——
52San Joaquin Delta College
Stockton Public
—235%——
53Santiago Canyon College
Orange Public
—248%——
54Crafton Hills College
Yucaipa Public
—131%——
55Laney College
Oakland Public
—131%——
56Los Angeles Trade Technical College
Los Angeles Public
—135%——
57Napa Valley College
Napa Public
—143%——

Colleges awarding the most General Sales degrees in California

Top 10 by graduates a year (IPEDS 2024–25 completions). Online, degree-completion and graduate-only schools, and schools with a graduation rate under 30% are listed in full below.

Graduates / yr: degrees and certificates awarded in a year, IPEDS completions. Starting salary (1 yr): median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary), College Scorecard.
#InstitutionGraduates / yrStarting salary (1 yr)
1Santa Monica College
Santa Monica Public
215Not reported
2Cerritos College
Norwalk Public
80Not reported
3Orange Coast College
Costa Mesa Public
64Not reported
4Los Angeles Valley College
Valley Glen Public
48Not reported
5College of the Canyons
Santa Clarita Public
39Not reported
6Santa Rosa Junior College
Santa Rosa Public
33Not reported
7Diablo Valley College
Pleasant Hill Public
31Not reported
8Pasadena City College
Pasadena Public
30Not reported
9City College of San Francisco
San Francisco Public
29Not reported
10Sierra College
Rocklin Public
28Not reported
Show the other 47 California colleges offering General Sales
InstitutionCityControlGraduates / yr
Saddleback CollegeMission ViejoPublic26
Ventura CollegeVenturaPublic26
MiraCosta CollegeOceansidePublic23
Fresno City CollegeFresnoPublic20
Glendale Community CollegeGlendalePublic20
Mt San Antonio CollegeWalnutPublic18
San Jose City CollegeSan JosePublic18
Allan Hancock CollegeSanta MariaPublic17
De Anza CollegeCupertinoPublic16
Long Beach City CollegeLong BeachPublic15
Riverside City CollegeRiversidePublic15
Chaffey CollegeRancho CucamongaPublic14
Rio Hondo CollegeWhittierPublic14
Santa Barbara City CollegeSanta BarbaraPublic14
Shasta CollegeReddingPublic12
Southwestern CollegeChula VistaPublic11
Cosumnes River CollegeSacramentoPublic10
Los Angeles Pierce CollegeWoodland HillsPublic10
Los Angeles City CollegeLos AngelesPublic10
Moreno Valley CollegeMoreno ValleyPublic10
Golden West CollegeHuntington BeachPublic9
East Los Angeles CollegeMonterey ParkPublic8
Grossmont CollegeEl CajonPublic8
Santa Ana CollegeSanta AnaPublic8
Chabot CollegeHaywardPublic7
Coastline Community College (Online)Fountain ValleyPublic7
Fullerton CollegeFullertonPublic7
Modesto Junior CollegeModestoPublic7
Sacramento City CollegeSacramentoPublic7
Butte CollegeOrovillePublic6
Cypress CollegeCypressPublic6
El Camino Community College DistrictTorrancePublic6
San Diego Mesa CollegeSan DiegoPublic6
American River CollegeSacramentoPublic4
College of the DesertPalm DesertPublic4
Citrus CollegeGlendoraPublic3
Merced CollegeMercedPublic3
Solano Community CollegeFairfieldPublic3
Las Positas CollegeLivermorePublic3
Canada CollegeRedwood CityPublic2
Lake Tahoe Community CollegeSouth Lake TahoePublic2
San Joaquin Delta CollegeStocktonPublic2
Santiago Canyon CollegeOrangePublic2
Crafton Hills CollegeYucaipaPublic1
Laney CollegeOaklandPublic1
Los Angeles Trade Technical CollegeLos AngelesPublic1
Napa Valley CollegeNapaPublic1

Career outlook

What this program leads to: Parts Salespersons (SOC 41-2022).

Projected growth (2024–2034)
+3.1%
About as fast as average
Openings / yr (US)
~30,200
BLS Employment Projections
US median wage
$37,440
typically No formal educational credential

Top skills

Active ListeningSpeakingReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingMonitoringWriting

What Parts Salespersons earn in California

Jobs in California
26,990
BLS OEWS May 2025
State average pay
$48,860
median $44,440
Best-paying metro
$56,840
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

Related careers

Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
$95,130 avg · 156,110 jobs
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products
$88,460 avg · 134,800 jobs
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers
$57,140 avg · 109,180 jobs
Sales and Related Workers, All Other
$65,410 avg · 28,480 jobs
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products
$129,250 avg · 27,590 jobs
Parts Salespersons
$48,860 avg · 26,990 jobs

Common questions

Answers for students comparing General Sales programs in California.

Which California colleges award the most General Sales degrees?+

Santa Monica College (215 graduates a year), Cerritos College (80 graduates a year) and Orange Coast College (64 graduates a year) award the most General Sales degrees and certificates in California, per IPEDS 2024–25 completions. In all, 57 California colleges offer General Sales.

How much do Parts Salespersons earn in California?+

The average annual wage for Parts Salespersons in California is $48,860 (median $44,440), across about 26,990 jobs. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.

What is the focus of the General Sales program?+

The General Sales program, officially titled General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations, focuses on equipping students with essential skills in sales and marketing within the business sector. This program is ideal for…

What skills will I develop in this program?+

You will develop active listening, speaking, reading comprehension, critical thinking, and related professional skills.

What is the job outlook for Parts Salespersons?+

The national job outlook is about +3.1% growth with around 30,200 annual openings (BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034).

What is the typical education requirement?+

A No formal educational credential is the typical entry-level education for this field (BLS).

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDSFall 2025–26 release, published July 28, 2026
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
PSEO graduate earnings2019–21 graduation cohorts (release V4.13.0)
Earnings and employment outcomes of graduates by institution, degree level, and field of study, measured from state wage records.
BLS wages & outlookOEWS May 2025 release
Occupational employment and wage estimates plus 10-year job outlook, used to connect programs to real-world earnings.
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.

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