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Business Administration & Management

Types of Degrees Business Administration & Management Majors Are Earning

Those studying Business Administration & Management have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	6,391
Associate’s Degree	63,272
Bachelor’s Degree	160,404
Master’s Degree	168,442
Doctor’s Degree	3,454

What Business Administration & Management Majors Need to Know

Programs in Business Administration & Management build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Business Administration & Management graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Business Administration & Management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Administration and Management — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Business Administration & Management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Business Administration & Management careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Business Administration & Management graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Business Administration & Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	✓
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	✓
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	✓
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Business Administration & Management graduates include:

• Call Center Supervisor
• Call Center Manager
• Business Manager
• Food Checkers and Cashiers Supervisor
• Front End Manager
• Business Office Manager
• Administrative Coordinator
• Administrative Officer
• Inventory Control Supervisor
• Production Control Supervisor
• Switchboard Operator Supervisor
• Stock Supervisor
• Boxing and Pressing Supervisor
• Facilities Manager
• Office Manager

What Can You Do With a Business Administration & Management Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Business Administration & Management commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers	-0.4%	$27,636	$23,670–$31,602
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	5.3%	$53,224	$45,316–$61,133
Medical and Health Services Managers	8.8%	$129,557	$109,003–$150,111

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

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	48.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	10.7%
Master’s degree	10.6%
Some college courses	8.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	8.5%
Postsecondary certificate	5.5%
Doctoral degree	2.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.4%
Less than a high school diploma	1.0%
Post-master’s certificate	0.7%
Post-doctoral training	0.6%
First professional degree	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Business Administration & Management?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 50.3% women and 49.7% men among Business Administration & Management graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	202,744	50.3%
Men	200,198	49.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	184,310	45.7%
Asian	26,452	6.6%
Hispanic or Latino	75,990	18.9%
Black or African American	52,160	12.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2,588	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1,249	0.3%
Two or More Races	13,417	3.3%
Race Unknown	25,904	6.4%
International Students	20,872	5.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Business Administration & Management Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Business Administration & 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	$62,537
4 years	$63,883
5 years	$71,749

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $71,749 — roughly 15% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Business Administration & Management Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Business Administration & 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
Associate’s	602	261
Bachelor’s	614	585
Master’s	863	484
Doctoral (Research)	86	30

^{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 Business Administration & Management Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Business Administration & Management graduates earn a median of $63,883 four years after completion — roughly 68% 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
Accounting and Related Services	81,835
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods	62,236
Business/Commerce, General	57,976
Finance and Financial Management Services	57,564
Marketing	53,750
Human Resources Management and Services	25,424
Business Operations Support and Assistant Services	16,153
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations	14,306
Hospitality Administration/Management	13,333
Management Information Systems and Services	12,092
Real Estate	7,906
International Business	6,933

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.