Sales and Merchandising Major: What It Includes, Classes and Careers

A Sales and Merchandising major teaches professional selling, retail management and merchandising. Sales and merchandising programs cover professional selling, customer relationship management, retail operations, buying and visual merchandising.

A Sales and Merchandising major includes coursework in professional selling, customer relationship management, retail management, merchandise buying, and visual merchandising and more. You build skills such as prospecting and closing sales, customer relationships, CRM software, and negotiation. Typical degrees: certificate, associate and bachelor's degrees.

Typical courses include professional selling, customer relationship management, retail management, merchandise buying, visual merchandising, and negotiation. Exact course names and requirements vary by college, and most degrees also include general education courses.

It depends on the level. Sales and Merchandising is offered as certificate, associate, and bachelor’s awards at U.S. colleges; certificates take from a few months to about two years, an associate degree usually takes about two years of full-time study, and a bachelor’s degree usually takes about four years of full-time study. Part-time study takes longer.

Certificate, associate and bachelor's degrees. In the latest federal data, 152 colleges reported certificate awards, 108 colleges reported associate awards, and 60 colleges reported bachelor’s awards.

Career paths connected to sales and merchandising include account executive, wholesale sales representative, technical sales representative, retail store manager, sales manager, visual merchandiser, and insurance agent. Some roles need additional training, experience, certification or a license.

Examples include account executive (typical training: 1–6 months), wholesale sales representative (typical training: 1–6 months), technical sales representative (typical training: 4 years plus product training), retail store manager (typical training: 2–5 years of retail experience), sales manager (typical training: 4 years plus 3–5 years in sales), and visual merchandiser (typical training: 1–6 months).

Sales and Merchandising majors build skills such as prospecting and closing sales, customer relationships, CRM software, negotiation, and product knowledge.

Good pairings include Marketing (connects selling to the wider marketing plan), Communications (sharpens persuasive speaking and writing), and Psychology (explains buyer motivation).

It can be a good fit if you are interested in the work it leads to, such as account executive, wholesale sales representative, and technical sales representative, and enjoy subjects like professional selling and customer relationship management. No major guarantees a job, so compare the coursework, the careers and the education each career requires before deciding.

How hard it feels depends on your strengths. Core coursework includes professional selling, customer relationship management, and retail management; if those subjects interest you, the major is likely to feel more manageable. Reviewing a college’s course list and talking to current students helps you judge.

249 U.S. colleges reported awarding degrees or certificates in this field in the latest federal (IPEDS) data. Programs can have different names at different schools.

California (58), Wisconsin (20), Illinois (18), Ohio (13), and Iowa (11), based on the colleges that reported awards in this field.

214 of the colleges that offer sales and merchandising also report offering at least one program entirely online, though not necessarily this one. Use the college search with this major and “Offers fully online programs”, then confirm with the school.

Sales and Merchandising teaches professional selling, retail management and merchandising. Business Administration is a broad business major that covers management, finance, marketing and operations. Sales and Merchandising leads to careers such as account executive and wholesale sales representative, while Business Administration leads to careers such as general and operations manager and administrative services manager.

Sales and Merchandising teaches professional selling, retail management and merchandising. Marketing studies how organizations understand customers and promote products and services. Sales and Merchandising leads to careers such as account executive and wholesale sales representative, while Marketing leads to careers such as marketing manager and digital marketing specialist.

Yes. Short online career training can help you understand a specific job and build practical knowledge alongside your classes. It does not replace your degree or any required license.

No. Career Education Institute is not a college and does not award degrees. It offers short, non-credit online trainings about jobs connected to sales and merchandising, such as Account Executive Training.