Best degree programs for Travel Agents, ranked by enrollment
2 college programs and 100 schools train Travel Agents. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $50,160 median wage, 55,110 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
2 college programs at 100 schools train travel agents, graduating 1,988 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Selling Skills and Sales Operations. The job pays a median of $50,160 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About travel agents
Plan and sell transportation and accommodations for customers. Determine destination, modes of transportation, travel dates, costs, and accommodations required. May also describe, plan, and arrange itineraries and sell tour packages. May assist in resolving clients' travel problems.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
2 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 52.1804 | 1,847 | 92.9% | 85 | $50,281 | $24,250 |
| 2 | CIP 52.1905 | 141 | 7.1% | 15 | $35,157 | $26,750 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What travel agents earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utahmoderate | $56,670 | 440 | 0.72× | 4 | 205 |
| Indiana | $48,530 | 640 | 0.57× | 5 | 192 |
| Wisconsin | $47,080 | 810 | 0.77× | 13 | 165 |
| Kentuckylimited | $49,370 | 220 | 0.32× | 2 | 149 |
| Ohio | $46,000 | 1,140 | 0.58× | 11 | 148 |
| Kansaslimited | $53,600 | 250 | 0.50× | 1 | 136 |
| Iowamoderate | $45,440 | 290 | 0.53× | 3 | 123 |
| Illinois | $49,090 | 2,120 | 0.98× | 12 | 113 |
| California | $51,030 | 4,760 | 0.74× | 7 | 112 |
| North Carolinalimited | $56,180 | 1,250 | 0.71× | 1 | 96 |
| Oklahomalimited | $36,980 | 600 | 0.99× | 2 | 86 |
| Washingtonmoderate | $55,260 | 1,710 | 1.36× | 4 | 69 |
| Pennsylvanialimited | $47,720 | 1,470 | 0.68× | 2 | 64 |
| Georgiamoderate | $48,880 | 2,300 | 1.33× | 3 | 46 |
| Minnesota | $47,260 | 890 | 0.85× | 5 | 45 |
| North Dakotalimited | $44,740 | 150 | 0.97× | 2 | 45 |
| Tennesseelimited | $55,640 | 540 | 0.47× | 2 | 31 |
| Michiganmoderate | $46,250 | 1,150 | 0.74× | 4 | 28 |
| Alabamalimited | $47,640 | 380 | 0.50× | 1 | 24 |
| New Jerseylimited | $61,090 | 1,660 | 1.09× | 2 | 22 |
| Texaslimited | $49,500 | 4,310 | 0.86× | 2 | 20 |
| Idaholimited | $48,110 | 220 | 0.73× | 1 | 17 |
| Coloradolimited | $56,570 | 1,100 | 1.08× | 1 | 7 |
| Massachusettslimited | $56,450 | 1,810 | 1.41× | 2 | 7 |
| Nebraskalimited | $49,690 | 240 | 0.67× | 2 | 7 |
| Arizonalimited | $51,800 | 1,100 | 0.96× | 1 | 5 |
| Floridalimited | $50,060 | 9,430 | 2.68× | 1 | 3 |
| Mississippilimited | $49,050 | 160 | 0.39× | 1 | 2 |
| Wyominglimited | $48,030 | 50 | 0.50× | 1 | 2 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Collect payment for transportation and accommodations from customer.
- Plan, describe, arrange, and sell itinerary tour packages and promotional travel incentives offered by various travel carriers.
- Converse with customer to determine destination, mode of transportation, travel dates, financial considerations, and accommodations required.
- Compute cost of travel and accommodations, using calculator, computer, carrier tariff books, and hotel rate books, or quote package tour's costs.
- Record and maintain information on clients, vendors, and travel packages.
- Book transportation and hotel reservations, using computer or telephone.
- Print or request transportation carrier tickets, using computer printer system or system link to travel carrier.
- Provide customer with brochures and publications containing travel information, such as local customs, points of interest, or foreign country regulations.
Skills
- Active Listening4.1
- Speaking4.0
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Active Learning3.1
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Writing3.1
- Monitoring3.0
- Mathematics2.9
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.3
- English Language4.0
- Sales and Marketing3.9
- Geography3.4
- Computers and Electronics3.4
- Administrative3.2
Abilities
- Speech Recognition4.1
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Speech Clarity4.0
- Oral Expression3.9
- Near Vision3.9
- Written Comprehension3.9
Core activities
- Working with Computers4.6
- Getting Information4.6
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.2
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public4.1
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships3.9
- Processing Information3.9
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Travel Agent
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 2 majors mapped to Travel Agents2 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 52.1804Selling Skills and Sales Operations
- 52.1905Tourism and Travel Services Marketing Operations
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Travel Agent?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Selling Skills and Sales Operations, which awarded 1,847 degrees in 2024-25, 92.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Travel Agent?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are General Sales, Specialized Sales. Together they graduate about 1,988 people a year.
How much do travel agents earn?+
The median is $50,160 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $34,610 at the 10th percentile to $76,660 at the 90th. 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 travel agents growing?+
BLS projects a +2.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 7,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
100 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 2 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 travel agents work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Travel Agent, Travel Counselor, Travel Consultant, Destination Specialist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 41-3041.
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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