Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations at Marymount University

Marymount's marketing operations program shows a concerning early earnings gap—graduates start at just $29,825, landing in the 20th percentile nationally and trailing the national median by $6,000. The 60th percentile state ranking is misleading here: this is literally the only program of its kind reported in Virginia, making state comparisons meaningless. What matters is that these graduates are starting behind most of their peers nationwide, even though the debt load at $27,000 is relatively manageable.

The trajectory offers some redemption. Earnings climb 34% to nearly $40,000 by year four, which narrows but doesn't close the gap with national norms. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.91 means borrowers face less than a year's salary in debt, which is workable but not impressive given the weak starting position. For an open-admission school where only 22% of students receive Pell grants, these outcomes suggest the program isn't leveraging its DC-metro location as effectively as it could for a sales and marketing degree.

The critical caveat: this data reflects fewer than 30 graduates, so individual circumstances heavily influence these numbers. Still, starting $6,000 below the national average in a field where networking and location should matter is a red flag. Families should expect their graduate will need several years to reach typical industry earnings, and that initial year will likely require significant budgeting discipline.