Best programs to become a marketing manager in North Carolina
22 North Carolina schools offer programs that train marketing managers, graduating 1,385 people a year. Marketing managers in North Carolina earn a median of $165,480 across about 10,790 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for marketing managers. It also expects 5 years or more of related work experience. The field of study that leads most directly to this job in North Carolina is Marketing (IPEDS completions).
Plan, direct, or coordinate marketing policies and programs, such as determining the demand for products and services offered by a firm and its competitors, and identify potential customers.
3 programs in North Carolina that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in North Carolina (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 North Carolina page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marketing/Marketing Management, Generalmain feeder CIP 52.1401In North Carolina → | 1,281 | 92.5% | 20 | $44,670 | $24,250 |
| 2 | Marketing, Othermain feeder CIP 52.1499In North Carolina → | 54 | 3.9% | 2 | $44,670 | $24,250 |
| 3 | Digital Marketingmain feeder CIP 52.1404In North Carolina → | 50 | 3.6% | 1 | $44,670 | $24,250 |
Top 22 schools in North Carolina
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 12 of the 22 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Carolina University Greenville, NC Public · 1 feeder program | 270 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $45,870 | 63% | — | 89% |
| 2 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC Public · 1 feeder program | 246 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $43,619 | 69% | — | 80% |
| 3 | Appalachian State University Boone, NC Public · 1 feeder program | 211 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $42,999 | 75% | — | 90% |
| 4 | Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC Public · 2 feeder programs | 126 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $33,197 | 60% | — | 82% |
| 5 | Elon University Elon, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 96 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $55,893 | 84% | $33,688 | 66% |
| 6 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC Public · 1 feeder program | 90 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 56% | — | 89% |
| 7 | High Point University High Point, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 70 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 74% | $37,072 | 75% |
| 8 | North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC Public · 1 feeder program | 69 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $48,042 | 57% | — | 50% |
| 9 | Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 50 | Digital Marketing | — | 89% | $20,914 | 22% |
| 10 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC Public · 1 feeder program | 32 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $117,557 | 85% | — | 42% |
| 11 | Wingate University Wingate, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 24 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $36,777 | 46% | $21,585 | 91% |
| 12 | Campbell University Buies Creek, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 17 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $40,572 | 61% | $23,331 | 87% |
| 13 | Lenoir - Rhyne University Hickory, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 15 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 48% | $23,920 | 85% |
| 14 | Meredith College Raleigh, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 14 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $45,883 | 70% | $19,552 | 74% |
| 15 | Belmont Abbey College Belmont, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 10 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 47% | $22,639 | 75% |
| 16 | Gardner - Webb University Boiling Springs, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 10 | Marketing, Other | — | 55% | $22,863 | 77% |
| 17 | University of Mount Olive Mount Olive, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 9 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 52% | $16,473 | 76% |
| 18 | North Carolina Wesleyan University Rocky Mount, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 8 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $45,880 | 42% | $18,905 | 80% |
| 19 | Queens University of Charlotte Charlotte, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 8 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 61% | $24,872 | 62% |
| 20 | Methodist University Fayetteville, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 7 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 44% | $24,551 | 75% |
| 21 | Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte Charlotte, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 2 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $41,544 | 49% | $29,446 | 80% |
| 22 | William Peace University Raleigh, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 1 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 45% | $23,108 | 94% |
All 22 schools in North Carolina
Every school in North Carolina 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.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Carolina University | Greenville | Public | 270 | 1 |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte | Public | 246 | 1 |
| Appalachian State University | Boone | Public | 211 | 1 |
| Western Carolina University | Cullowhee | Public | 126 | 2 |
| Elon University | Elon | Private not-for-profit | 96 | 1 |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro | Public | 90 | 1 |
| High Point University | High Point | Private not-for-profit | 70 | 1 |
| North Carolina A & T State University | Greensboro | Public | 69 | 1 |
| Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem | Private not-for-profit | 50 | 1 |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh | Raleigh | Public | 32 | 1 |
| Wingate University | Wingate | Private not-for-profit | 24 | 1 |
| Campbell University | Buies Creek | Private not-for-profit | 17 | 1 |
| Lenoir - Rhyne University | Hickory | Private not-for-profit | 15 | 1 |
| Meredith College | Raleigh | Private not-for-profit | 14 | 1 |
| Belmont Abbey College | Belmont | Private not-for-profit | 10 | 1 |
Fields of study in North Carolina that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
What marketing managers earn in North Carolina
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $166,790. North Carolina pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in North Carolina
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
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 and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Marketing Managers page.
How to become a marketing manager
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience needed
- 5 years or more
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in North Carolina
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 9 majors mapped to Marketing Managers9 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 19.0203Consumer Merchandising/Retailing Management
- 19.0905Apparel and Textile Marketing Management
- 51.2011Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management
- 52.1401Marketing/Marketing Management, General
- 52.1402Marketing Research
- 52.1403International Marketing
- 52.1404Digital Marketing
- 52.1499Marketing, Other
- 52.1910Hospitality and Recreation Marketing Operations
Common questions
Answers for people weighing marketing managers programs in North Carolina.
What degree do you need to become a marketing manager?+
BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for marketing managers. It also expects 5 years or more of related work experience. The field of study that leads most directly to this job in North Carolina is Marketing (IPEDS completions).
Which college majors lead to becoming a marketing manager?+
The field of study that leads most directly to this job in North Carolina is Marketing (IPEDS completions). In all, 3 feeder programs graduate about 1,385 people a year in North Carolina (IPEDS completions).
How much do marketing managers earn in North Carolina?+
The median is $165,480 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 0.8% below the U.S. median of $166,790. 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 marketing managers growing?+
BLS projects a +6.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 34,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in North Carolina?+
22 institutions in North Carolina 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 marketing managers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Brand Manager, Marketing Manager, Marketing Director, Business Development Manager among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 11-2021.
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 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected 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 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, 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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