Illinois · General Sales

Best colleges for General Sales in Illinois

Ranked by graduates a year

Lake Land College, McHenry County College and Danville Area Community College award the most General Sales degrees and certificates in Illinois: 30, 28 and 17 graduates a year (IPEDS 2024–25). 15 Illinois colleges offer General Sales and award 154 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
15
offering CIP 52.18
States offered
40
with a program page
Degrees / yr
154
IPEDS completions 2024–25
Median starting salary
—
1 yr after graduation, College Scorecard
With earnings data
0
College Scorecard
Median net price
$21,768
IPEDS 2024–25
Avg graduation rate
43%
IPEDS 2024–25
State pay · Parts Salespersons
$46,330
BLS OEWS May 2025

15 institutions offering General Sales in Illinois

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
1Lake Land College
Mattoon Public
—3058%——
2McHenry County College
Crystal Lake Public
—2837%——
3Danville Area Community College
Danville Public
—1745%——
4College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn Public
—1625%——
5Moraine Valley Community College
Palos Hills Public
—1040%——
6Joliet Junior College
Joliet Public
—921%——
7College of Lake County
Grayslake Public
—937%——
8Oakton College
Des Plaines Public
—837%——
9Black Hawk College
Moline Public
—740%——
10Illinois Valley Community College
Oglesby Public
—642%——
11Illinois Eastern Community Colleges
Olney Public
—463%——
12Sauk Valley Community College
Dixon Public
—449%——
13William Rainey Harper College
Palatine Public
—348%——
14Bradley University
Peoria Private not-for-profit
—276%$21,768—
15Parkland College
Champaign Public
—132%——

Colleges awarding the most General Sales degrees in Illinois

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)
1Lake Land College
Mattoon Public
30Not reported
2McHenry County College
Crystal Lake Public
28Not reported
3Danville Area Community College
Danville Public
17Not reported
4Moraine Valley Community College
Palos Hills Public
10Not reported
5College of Lake County
Grayslake Public
9Not reported
6Oakton College
Des Plaines Public
8Not reported
7Black Hawk College
Moline Public
7Not reported
8Illinois Valley Community College
Oglesby Public
6Not reported
9Illinois Eastern Community Colleges
Olney Public
4Not reported
10Sauk Valley Community College
Dixon Public
4Not reported
Show the other 5 Illinois colleges offering General Sales
InstitutionCityControlGraduates / yr
College of DuPageGlen EllynPublic16
Joliet Junior CollegeJolietPublic9
William Rainey Harper CollegePalatinePublic3
Bradley UniversityPeoriaPrivate not-for-profit2
Parkland CollegeChampaignPublic1

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 Illinois

Jobs in Illinois
8,500
BLS OEWS May 2025
State average pay
$46,330
median $42,240
Best-paying metro
$48,290
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

Related careers

Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
$82,330 avg · 69,910 jobs
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products
$83,240 avg · 51,310 jobs
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers
$53,330 avg · 36,940 jobs
Parts Salespersons
$46,330 avg · 8,500 jobs
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products
$117,270 avg · 7,350 jobs
First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers
$98,670 avg · 5,280 jobs

Common questions

Answers for students comparing General Sales programs in Illinois.

Which Illinois colleges award the most General Sales degrees?+

Lake Land College (30 graduates a year), McHenry County College (28 graduates a year) and Danville Area Community College (17 graduates a year) award the most General Sales degrees and certificates in Illinois, per IPEDS 2024–25 completions. In all, 15 Illinois colleges offer General Sales.

How much do Parts Salespersons earn in Illinois?+

The average annual wage for Parts Salespersons in Illinois is $46,330 (median $42,240), across about 8,500 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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