Business Administration & Management
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Types of Degrees Business Administration & Management Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many business administration and management graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Bachelor’s Degree | 172,408 |
Master’s Degree | 128,188 |
Associate’s Degree | 60,528 |
Basic Certificate | 34,964 |
Undergraduate Certificate | 6,490 |
Graduate Certificate | 4,965 |
Doctor’s Degree | 2,604 |
What Business Administration & Management Majors Need to Know
O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to business administration and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.
Knowledge Areas for Business Administration Majors
According to O*NET survey takers, a major in business administration should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

- Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Skills for Business Administration Majors
business administration majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Abilities for Business Administration Majors
As you progress with your business administration degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
What Can You Do With a Business Administration & Management Major?
People with a business administration degree often go into the following careers:
Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration & Management?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of business administration majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 11,683 |
Black or African American | 18,923 |
Hispanic or Latino | 25,128 |
White | 89,005 |
International Students | 10,443 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 17,226 |
Geographic Diversity
Business Administration appeals to people across the globe. About 6.1% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:
- China
- India
- Saudi Arabia
- South Korea
- Vietnam
How Much Do Business Administration & Management Majors Make?
Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary
According to 2017-2018 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration have a median salary of $40,200 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $35,100 (25th percentile) and $44,375 (75th percentile).

Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a business administration degree.
Salaries According to BLS
Average salaries range from $71,670 to $123,880 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to business administration. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.
To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Business Administration & Management
Some degrees associated with business administration may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.
How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to business administration have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
---|---|
Less than a High School Diploma | 0.6% |
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 12.0% |
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) | 5.8% |
Some College Courses | 9.2% |
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 8.9% |
Bachelor’s Degree | 44.6% |
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. | 3.7% |
Master’s Degree | 10.9% |
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. | 1.1% |
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. | 0.2% |
Doctoral Degree | 3.1% |
Post-Doctoral Training | 0.4% |
Online Business Administration & Management Programs
In 2018-2019, 2,725 schools offered a business administration program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.
Degree Level | Colleges Offering Programs | Colleges Offering Online Classes |
---|---|---|
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) | 1,168 | 371 |
Certificate (1-2 years) | 661 | 207 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 17 | 2 |
Associate’s Degree | 1,821 | 654 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 521 | 236 |
Post-Baccalaureate | 1,168 | 371 |
Master’s Degree | 1,755 | 950 |
Post-Master’s | 96 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 213 | 56 |
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 11 | 2 |
Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 3 | 1 |
Is a Degree in Business Administration & Management Worth It?
The median salary for a business administration grad is $103,110 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.
This is 158% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,264,200 after 20 years!

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Majors Related to Business Administration & Management
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to business administration.
Major | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Accounting | 105,123 |
General Business/Commerce | 58,451 |
Finance & Financial Management | 56,186 |
Marketing | 51,241 |
Human Resource Management | 26,823 |
Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods | 23,738 |
Business Support & Assistant Services | 19,483 |
Hospitality Management | 19,042 |
Management Information Systems | 14,747 |
Entrepreneurial Studies | 10,427 |
International Business | 10,181 |
Business/Managerial Economics | 6,345 |
Specialized Sales, Merchandising & Marketing | 5,873 |
Other Business, Management & Marketing | 5,834 |
General Sales & Marketing | 5,734 |
Real Estate | 5,700 |
Construction Management | 3,664 |
Insurance | 2,218 |
Taxation | 1,783 |
Business/Corporate Communications | 968 |
Telecommunications Management | 71 |
References
- College Factual
- College Scorecard
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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