Marketing at University of Nevada-Las Vegas

UNLV's marketing program graduates start nearly $8,000 below the state median at $36,304, ranking in just the 25th percentile among Nevada's marketing programs. That's a significant gap when University of Phoenix-Nevada grads earn $63,570 and even UNR matches the state median. The low starting salary becomes more concerning when you realize UNLV performs at the 5th percentile nationally—meaning 95% of marketing programs nationwide see better first-year outcomes.

The redeeming factor here is trajectory: earnings jump 40% to $50,964 by year four, pulling ahead of both state and national medians. The debt picture helps too—at just $15,047, graduates carry roughly half the typical burden for this major, translating to a manageable 0.41 debt-to-earnings ratio even with that weak starting salary. For a school serving 40% Pell-eligible students, keeping debt this low matters.

Parents should recognize this is a slow-start program that eventually catches up. Your child will likely struggle financially those first couple years out of college compared to peers from other Nevada schools. If they can weather that period—perhaps by living at home or taking a survival job alongside their career search—the math improves substantially. But if they need immediate earning power after graduation, the state's other options deliver that from day one.