Best Market Research Analyst programs in Virginia, 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.
20 schools in Virginia run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,060 people a year. The job pays a median of $76,980 in Virginia across about 25,610 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Virginia that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
5 programs in Virginia that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Virginia (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 Virginia page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 52.1401In Virginia → | 823 | 77.6% | 15 | $44,670 | $24,250 |
| 2 | CIP 30.7102In Virginia → | 192 | 18.1% | 8 | — | — |
| 3 | CIP 45.0602In Virginia → | 22 | 2.1% | 1 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 4 | CIP 52.1499In Virginia → | 14 | 1.3% | 2 | $44,670 | $24,250 |
| 5 | CIP 52.1404In Virginia → | 9 | 0.8% | 1 | $44,670 | $24,250 |
Top 20 schools in Virginia
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 6 of the 20 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA Public · 3 feeder programs | 279 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $56,417 | 86% | — | 55% |
| 2 | Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 182 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $41,767 | 63% | — | 93% |
| 3 | James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 141 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $61,692 | 80% | — | 72% |
| 4 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 126 | Business Analytics | — | 68% | — | 87% |
| 5 | Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 87 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $43,395 | 46% | — | 90% |
| 6 | Radford University Radford, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 55 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $37,396 | 49% | — | 90% |
| 7 | Liberty University Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 40 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 65% | $28,911 | 99% |
| 8 | Virginia State University Petersburg, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 27 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 39% | — | 89% |
| 9 | William & Mary Williamsburg, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 22 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 89% | — | 34% |
| 10 | Marymount University Arlington, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 21 | Business Analytics | — | 54% | $25,803 | 93% |
| 11 | Hampton University Hampton, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $32,511 | 57% | $34,268 | 62% |
| 12 | Shenandoah University Winchester, VA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 18 | Business Analytics | — | 67% | $27,455 | 77% |
| 13 | Regent University Virginia Beach, VA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 11 | Business Analytics | — | 57% | $18,677 | 38% |
| 14 | Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach Virginia Beach, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Marketing, Other | — | 24% | $12,786 | — |
| 15 | Mary Baldwin University Staunton, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 39% | $18,500 | — |
| 16 | University of Lynchburg Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 57% | $19,488 | 43% |
| 17 | Strayer University - Virginia Arlington, VA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Marketing, Other | — | 36% | — | — |
| 18 | Eastern Mennonite University Harrisonburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 4 | Business Analytics | — | 67% | $21,933 | 100% |
| 19 | Ferrum College Ferrum, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 32% | $22,258 | 89% |
| 20 | Averett University Danville, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Business Analytics | — | 48% | $23,171 | 57% |
All 20 schools in Virginia
Every school in Virginia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Blacksburg | Public | 279 | 3 |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond | Public | 182 | 1 |
| James Madison University | Harrisonburg | Public | 141 | 1 |
| George Mason University | Fairfax | Public | 126 | 2 |
| Old Dominion University | Norfolk | Public | 87 | 1 |
| Radford University | Radford | Public | 55 | 2 |
| Liberty University | Lynchburg | Private not-for-profit | 40 | 1 |
| Virginia State University | Petersburg | Public | 27 | 1 |
| William & Mary | Williamsburg | Public | 22 | 1 |
| Marymount University | Arlington | Private not-for-profit | 21 | 1 |
| Hampton University | Hampton | Private not-for-profit | 18 | 1 |
| Shenandoah University | Winchester | Private not-for-profit | 18 | 2 |
| Regent University | Virginia Beach | Private not-for-profit | 11 | 2 |
| Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach | Virginia Beach | Private not-for-profit | 9 | 1 |
| Mary Baldwin University | Staunton | Private not-for-profit | 6 | 1 |
What market research analysts and marketing specialists earn in Virginia
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $78,760. Virginia pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Virginia
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, 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
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Virginia
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 Virginia.
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 823 degrees in Virginia in 2024-25, 77.6% 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, Data Analytics, Economics. Together they graduate about 1,060 people a year in Virginia.
How much do market research analysts and marketing specialists earn in Virginia?+
The median is $76,980 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 2.3% 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 Virginia?+
20 institutions in Virginia 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.
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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