Business Support & Assistance
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What Business Support & Assistance Majors Need to Know
O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to business support 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 Support Majors
According to O*NET survey takers, a major in business support should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:
- Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
- 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.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
- 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.
Skills for Business Support Majors
The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to business support:
- 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.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
Abilities for Business Support Majors
A major in business support will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:
- 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.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
How Much Do Business Support & Assistance Majors Make?
Salaries According to BLS
Average salaries range from $35,200 to $43,180 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to business support. 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 Support & Assistance
Some careers associated with business support 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.
How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to business support have obtained the following education levels.
| Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Less than a High School Diploma | 1.9% |
| High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 46.1% |
| 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) | 4.4% |
| Some College Courses | 13.2% |
| Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 21.1% |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 11.8% |
| 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. | 0.4% |
| Master’s Degree | 0.6% |
| 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. | 0.3% |
| 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. | 0.3% |
Online Business Support & Assistance Programs
In 2018-2019, 1,064 schools offered a business support 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) | 744 | 137 |
| Certificate (1-2 years) | 787 | 129 |
| Certificate (2-4 Years) | 9 | 2 |
| Associate’s Degree | 798 | 143 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 0 | 0 |
| Post-Baccalaureate | 744 | 137 |
| Master’s Degree | 1 | 0 |
| Post-Master’s | 0 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 0 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 0 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
Is a Degree in Business Support & Assistance Worth It?
The median salary for a business support grad is $41,160 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.
This is 3% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $25,200 after 20 years!
Majors Related to Business Support & Assistance
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to business support.
| Major | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Business Administration & Management | 410,147 |
| 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 |
| 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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