South Carolina·Business and Financial Operations Occupations·SOC 13-1161

Best Market Research Analyst programs in South Carolina, ranked by enrollment

Research conditions in local, regional, national, or online markets. Gather information to determine potential sales of a product or service, or plan a marketing or advertising campaign.

18 schools in South Carolina run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,358 people a year. The job pays a median of $69,440 in South Carolina across about 11,920 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledMarket AnalystDigital Media PlannerPaid Search StrategistMarket Research AnalystMarket Research ConsultantMarket Research SpecialistOnline Marketing ConsultantSEO Strategist (Search Engine Optimization Strategist)
Graduates / yr
1,358
in South Carolina
Median pay · South Carolina
$69,440
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
11,920
people employed
Schools
18
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
51%
across those schools
Median net price
$21,848
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in South Carolina that lead to this job

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

5 programs in South Carolina that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in South 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 South Carolina page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
11,299
95.7%
13$44,670$24,250
238
2.8%
2$44,670$24,250
310
0.7%
1$35,157$26,750
49
0.7%
3$44,670$24,250
52
0.1%
1

Top 18 schools in South Carolina

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 8 of the 18 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Clemson University
Clemson, SC Public · 3 feeder programs
575Marketing/Marketing Management, General$47,60687%38%
2University of South Carolina - Columbia
Columbia, SC Public · 1 feeder programs
316Marketing/Marketing Management, General$52,37479%60%
3Coastal Carolina University
Conway, SC Public · 1 feeder programs
177Marketing/Marketing Management, General$35,92448%75%
4College of Charleston
Charleston, SC Public · 1 feeder programs
119Marketing/Marketing Management, General$40,72366%60%
5Anderson University
Anderson, SC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
32Marketing/Marketing Management, General$37,06666%$24,81255%
6Francis Marion University
Florence, SC Public · 1 feeder programs
30Marketing/Marketing Management, General$32,49443%86%
7University of South Carolina - Upstate
Spartanburg, SC Public · 1 feeder programs
30Marketing/Marketing Management, General43%67%
8Citadel Military College of South Carolina
Charleston, SC Public · 1 feeder programs
21Marketing/Marketing Management, General75%23%
9Charleston Southern University
Charleston, SC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
18Marketing/Marketing Management, General47%$21,84896%
10North Greenville University
Tigerville, SC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
11Marketing/Marketing Management, General$33,77255%$20,32767%
11Claflin University
Orangeburg, SC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
8Marketing/Marketing Management, General$26,01452%$23,69865%
12Benedict College
Columbia, SC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
6Marketing/Marketing Management, General24%$19,58996%
13Erskine College
Due West, SC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
6Digital Marketing45%$21,53463%
14South Carolina State University
Orangeburg, SC Public · 1 feeder programs
3Marketing/Marketing Management, General37%83%
15Columbia College
Columbia, SC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
2Business Analytics37%$23,98694%
16Newberry College
Newberry, SC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
2Digital Marketing45%$20,30690%
17Southern Wesleyan University
Central, SC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Digital Marketing52%$19,568100%
18Strayer University - South Carolina
Greenville, SC Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Marketing, Other17%$22,134

All 18 schools in South Carolina

Every school in South 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.

All schools in South Carolina that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Clemson UniversityClemsonPublic5753
University of South Carolina - ColumbiaColumbiaPublic3161
Coastal Carolina UniversityConwayPublic1771
College of CharlestonCharlestonPublic1191
Anderson UniversityAndersonPrivate not-for-profit321
Francis Marion UniversityFlorencePublic301
University of South Carolina - UpstateSpartanburgPublic301
Citadel Military College of South CarolinaCharlestonPublic211
Charleston Southern UniversityCharlestonPrivate not-for-profit181
North Greenville UniversityTigervillePrivate not-for-profit111
Claflin UniversityOrangeburgPrivate not-for-profit81
Benedict CollegeColumbiaPrivate not-for-profit61
Erskine CollegeDue WestPrivate not-for-profit61
South Carolina State UniversityOrangeburgPublic31
Columbia CollegeColumbiaPrivate not-for-profit21

What market research analysts and marketing specialists earn in South Carolina

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

Median annual in South Carolina
$69,440
Mean annual
$81,470
Jobs in state
11,920
What the range looks like
10th pct$39,950Median$69,44090th pct$153,090
Versus the national median
-11.8%

U.S. median $78,760. South Carolina pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.89×

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

Metro areas in South Carolina

Spartanburg, SC
$74,510median
570 jobs
Columbia, SC
$68,600median
1,800 jobs
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC
$71,910median
2,430 jobs
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
$71,330median
450 jobs
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
$65,650median
2,160 jobs
Florence, SC
$59,280median
250 jobs
Sumter, SC
$54,980median
100 jobs
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC
$57,840median
590 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+6.7%
Faster than average
Openings per year
87,200
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
63,000
941,700 → 1,004,700
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 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists page.

How to become a Market Research Analyst

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

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

Reading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingActive ListeningWritingSpeakingActive Learning

The same job in other states

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

Related careers in South Carolina

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 16 majors mapped to Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists16 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
  • 30.7102Business Analytics
  • 45.0602Applied Economics
  • 52.1401Marketing/Marketing Management, General
  • 52.1402Marketing Research
  • 52.1403International Marketing
  • 52.1404Digital Marketing
  • 52.1499Marketing, Other
  • 52.1904Apparel and Accessories Marketing Operations
  • 52.1905Tourism and Travel Services Marketing Operations
  • 52.1906Tourism Promotion Operations
  • 52.1907Vehicle and Vehicle Parts and Accessories Marketing Operations
  • 52.1908Business and Personal/Financial Services Marketing Operations
  • 52.1909Special Products Marketing Operations
  • 52.1910Hospitality and Recreation Marketing Operations

Common questions

Answers for people weighing market research analysts and marketing specialists programs in South Carolina.

What degree do you need to become a Market Research Analyst?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Marketing/Marketing Management, General, which awarded 1,299 degrees in South Carolina in 2024-25, 95.7% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Market Research Analyst?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Marketing, Specialized Sales, Data Analytics. Together they graduate about 1,358 people a year in South Carolina.

How much do market research analysts and marketing specialists earn in South Carolina?+

The median is $69,440 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 11.8% below the U.S. median of $78,760. 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 market research analysts and marketing specialists growing?+

BLS projects a +6.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 87,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in South Carolina?+

18 institutions in South Carolina reported graduates from at least one of the 5 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 market research analysts and marketing specialists work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Market Analyst, Digital Media Planner, Paid Search Strategist, Market Research Analyst, Market Research Consultant, Market Research Specialist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 13-1161.

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists in other statesTexasFloridaOhioUtahNew YorkPennsylvaniaMassachusettsIllinois

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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