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 |
---|---|
Master’s Degree | 128,188 |
Graduate Certificate | 4,965 |
Doctor’s Degree | 2,604 |
What Business Administration & Management Majors Need to Know
In an O*NET survey, business administration majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.
Knowledge Areas for Business Administration Majors
This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

- 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?
Below is a list of occupations associated with business administration:
Who Is Getting a Master’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 | 8,462 |
Black or African American | 17,683 |
Hispanic or Latino | 11,512 |
White | 61,510 |
International Students | 15,196 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 13,825 |
Geographic Diversity
Business Administration appeals to people across the globe. About 11.9% 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?
Master’s Degree Starting Salary
Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that business administration and management students who graduated in 2015-2017 with a master’s degree made a median starting salary of $61,300 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $53,500 (25th percentile) and $73,900 (75th percentile).

It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in business administration, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their 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 you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.
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 careers associated with business administration require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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.
Find out what the typical degree level is for business administration careers below.

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 the 2018-2019 academic year, 2,725 schools offered some type of business administration and management program. 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!

Top Ranking Lists for Business Administration & Management
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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 | 21,904 |
Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods | 14,136 |
Human Resource Management | 10,770 |
General Business/Commerce | 10,236 |
Finance & Financial Management | 6,277 |
Marketing | 3,308 |
Management Information Systems | 3,158 |
International Business | 2,417 |
Entrepreneurial Studies | 1,778 |
Taxation | 1,611 |
Other Business, Management & Marketing | 1,240 |
Real Estate | 1,186 |
Hospitality Management | 1,072 |
General Sales & Marketing | 637 |
Construction Management | 507 |
Business/Managerial Economics | 267 |
Specialized Sales, Merchandising & Marketing | 221 |
Insurance | 173 |
Business/Corporate Communications | 80 |
Telecommunications Management | 38 |
Business Support & Assistant Services | 0 |
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- 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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