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Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management

A program that combines the study of basic and pharmaceutical sciences with marketing and management studies; and that prepares individuals for careers in pharmaceutical sales, marketing, management, and related fields within the health care industry. Includes instruction in biology, chemistry, pharmaceutics, pharmacology, health care systems, issues and structure of pharmaceutical industry, management, pharmaceutical marketing, pharmaceutical and medical product management, and legal issues. Examples: [Pharmaceutical Marketing]

Types of Degrees Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	33
Master’s Degree	51

What Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
Medical condition coding software	Medical software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management graduates include:

• Dietitian Teacher
• Infant Care Teacher
• Dental Hygiene Teacher
• Childbirth Teacher
• Surgical Technology Instructor
• Nutrition Aides Teacher
• Physiology Teacher
• Opticianry Teacher
• Public Health Aides Teacher
• Hygiene Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Dentistry Professor
• Teacher
• Public Health Professor
• Dietetics Teacher

What Can You Do With a Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022
Marketing Managers	-4.4%	$90,143	$73,874–$106,412
Sales Managers	-0.6%	$68,051	$57,646–$78,456

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	29.9%
Bachelor’s degree	28.1%
Doctoral degree	15.3%
Post-doctoral training	12.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.6%
Postsecondary certificate	3.2%
First professional degree	2.2%
Some college courses	2.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 70.2% of Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	59	70.2%
Men	25	29.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	45	53.6%
Asian	14	16.7%
Hispanic or Latino	7	8.3%
Black or African American	6	7.1%
Two or More Races	2	2.4%
International Students	10	11.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$100,486
4 years	$129,383
5 years	$140,029

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $140,029 — roughly 39% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management graduates earn a median of $129,383 four years after completion — roughly 240% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Public Health, General	25,004
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration	18,055
Pharmacy	12,167
Public Health, Other	2,803
Community Health and Preventive Medicine	2,571
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Other	1,079
Industrial and Physical Pharmacy and Cosmetic Sciences	1,000
Pharmaceutics and Drug Design	603
Clinical and Industrial Drug Development	244
Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry	185
Natural Products Chemistry and Pharmacognosy	181
Pharmacoeconomics/Pharmaceutical Economics	150

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.