Michigan·Management Occupations·SOC 11-2022

Best Sales Manager programs in Michigan, ranked by enrollment

Plan, direct, or coordinate the actual distribution or movement of a product or service to the customer.

73 schools in Michigan run programs that feed this job, graduating 9,026 people a year. The job pays a median of $136,870 in Michigan across about 17,950 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledSales ManagerSales DirectorDistrict Sales ManagerSales VP (Sales Vice President)Zone ManagerExport ManagerAccount ManagerArea Supervisor
Graduates / yr
9,026
in Michigan
Median pay · Michigan
$136,870
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
17,950
people employed
Schools
73
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
45%
across those schools
Median net price
$20,357
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Michigan that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

3 programs in Michigan that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Michigan (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Michigan page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 52.0201In Michigan
6,235
69.1%
69$43,506$25,000
2
CIP 52.1401In Michigan
1,464
16.2%
38$44,670$24,250
3
CIP 52.0101In Michigan
1,327
14.7%
25$44,700$24,000

Top 25 schools in Michigan

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 37 of the 73 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
1,329Business Administration and Management, General$93,67493%16%
2Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI Public · 3 feeder programs
474Marketing/Marketing Management, General$57,27581%85%
3Wayne State University
Detroit, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
458Business Administration and Management, General58%81%
4Northwood University
Midland, MI Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
407Business Administration and Management, General$51,94363%$24,98665%
5Davenport University
Grand Rapids, MI Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
393Business Administration and Management, General$51,38457%$22,12698%
6Cleary University
Howell, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
385Business Administration and Management, General$50,57341%$20,87968%
7Grand Valley State University
Allendale, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
384Marketing/Marketing Management, General$46,02267%83%
8Oakland University
Rochester Hills, MI Public · 3 feeder programs
277Business Administration and Management, General$62,35958%88%
9Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
257Business Administration and Management, General$48,53547%91%
10Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
256Business Administration and Management, General$53,60559%90%
11Macomb Community College
Warren, MI Public · 3 feeder programs
251Business/Commerce, General$37,53218%
12Henry Ford College
Dearborn, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
218Business Administration and Management, General$37,86017%
13Washtenaw Community College
Ann Arbor, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
199Business Administration and Management, General$41,15233%
14Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, MI Public · 3 feeder programs
191Business Administration and Management, General$44,21446%80%
15Oakland Community College
Auburn Hills, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
190Business/Commerce, General21%
16Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
186Business Administration and Management, General$55,66058%85%
17University of Michigan - Flint
Flint, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
149Business Administration and Management, General$50,52840%70%
18Jackson College
Jackson, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
148Business Administration and Management, General$29,62416%
19Baker College
Owosso, MI Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
139Business Administration and Management, General$55,37236%$15,49382%
20Walsh College
Troy, MI Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
131Business Administration and Management, General
21Northern Michigan University
Marquette, MI Public · 3 feeder programs
128Business Administration and Management, General$38,84852%84%
22University of Michigan - Dearborn
Dearborn, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
114Business Administration and Management, General$57,10258%56%
23Hope College
Holland, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
112Business Administration and Management, General$45,59080%$21,74679%
24Grand Rapids Community College
Grand Rapids, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
105Business/Commerce, General21%
25Siena Heights University
Adrian, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
104Business Administration and Management, General$46,50639%$17,01569%

All 73 schools in Michigan

Every school in Michigan with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Michigan that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of Michigan - Ann ArborAnn ArborPublic1,3291
Michigan State UniversityEast LansingPublic4743
Wayne State UniversityDetroitPublic4582
Northwood UniversityMidlandPrivate not-for-profit4073
Davenport UniversityGrand RapidsPrivate not-for-profit3933
Cleary UniversityHowellPrivate not-for-profit3851
Grand Valley State UniversityAllendalePublic3842
Oakland UniversityRochester HillsPublic2773
Ferris State UniversityBig RapidsPublic2572
Central Michigan UniversityMount PleasantPublic2562
Macomb Community CollegeWarrenPublic2513
Henry Ford CollegeDearbornPublic2182
Washtenaw Community CollegeAnn ArborPublic1991
Eastern Michigan UniversityYpsilantiPublic1913
Oakland Community CollegeAuburn HillsPublic1902

What sales managers earn in Michigan

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Michigan
$136,870
Mean annual
$151,230
Jobs in state
17,950
What the range looks like
10th pct$69,790Median$136,87090th pct$230,070
Versus the national median
-7.7%

U.S. median $148,270. Michigan pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.00×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Michigan

Bay City, MI
$130,760median
110 jobs
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
$155,560median
8,760 jobs
Ann Arbor, MI
$148,630median
650 jobs
Battle Creek, MI
$132,120median
170 jobs
Niles, MI
$136,880median
240 jobs
Midland, MI
$128,280median
80 jobs
Jackson, MI
$151,710median
170 jobs
Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI
$131,030median
2,490 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+4.7%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
49,000
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
29,000
619,500 → 648,500
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Sales Managers page.

How to become a Sales Manager

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Work experience needed
Less than 5 years

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

Active ListeningSpeakingMonitoringCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionActive Learning

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Michigan

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 5 majors mapped to Sales Managers5 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 19.0203Consumer Merchandising/Retailing Management
  • 51.2011Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management
  • 52.0101Business/Commerce, General
  • 52.0201Business Administration and Management, General
  • 52.1401Marketing/Marketing Management, General

Common questions

Answers for people weighing sales managers programs in Michigan.

What degree do you need to become a Sales Manager?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Business Administration and Management, General, which awarded 6,235 degrees in Michigan in 2024-25, 69.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Sales Manager?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Business Administration, Marketing, Business/Commerce. Together they graduate about 9,026 people a year in Michigan.

How much do sales managers earn in Michigan?+

The median is $136,870 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 7.7% below the U.S. median of $148,270. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for sales managers growing?+

BLS projects a +4.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 49,000 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Michigan?+

73 institutions in Michigan reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do sales managers work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Sales Manager, Sales Director, District Sales Manager, Sales VP (Sales Vice President) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 11-2022.

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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