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Small Business Administration

Types of Degrees Small Business Administration Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Small Business Administration can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	296
Associate’s Degree	416
Bachelor’s Degree	329
Master’s Degree	1,772

What Small Business Administration Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Small Business Administration emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Administration and Management — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Administrative — 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 developed in a Small Business Administration 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 3.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Coordination — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Abilities

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

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

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Small Business Administration graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Small Business Administration professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Small Business Administration graduates include:

• Gym Manager
• Travel Agency Manager
• Compliance Director
• Electric Power Superintendent
• Dental Services Director
• Protective Signal Operations Supervisor
• Media Traffic Manager
• House Manager
• Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President
• State Board of Nursing Educational Consultant
• Relocation Director
• Revenue Settlements Administrator
• Digital Project Manager
• Shift Manager
• Testing Director

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	52.2%
Master’s degree	17.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	10.3%
Postsecondary certificate	7.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	6.5%
Some college courses	4.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.0%
Doctoral degree	0.5%
Post-master’s certificate	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Small Business Administration?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 57.6% women and 42.4% men among Small Business Administration graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,797	57.6%
Men	1,321	42.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,229	39.4%
Asian	186	6.0%
Hispanic or Latino	835	26.8%
Black or African American	441	14.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	23	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.1%
Two or More Races	166	5.3%
Race Unknown	92	3.0%
International Students	144	4.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Small Business Administration Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Small Business Administration 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	$51,538
4 years	$61,024
5 years	$67,263

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $67,263 — roughly 31% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Small Business Administration Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Small Business Administration. 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	12	9
Bachelor’s	7	0
Master’s	2	0

^{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 Small Business Administration Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Small Business Administration graduates earn a median of $61,024 four years after completion — roughly 61% 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
Business Administration and Management, General	336,590
Business/Commerce, General	57,976
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations	14,306
Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies	10,661
Tourism and Travel Services Management	921
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations, Other	437
Social Entrepreneurship	77
Franchising and Franchise Operations	13

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.