Business Degree Guide
Key Takeaways
- Business degrees help students prepare for lucrative jobs, no matter their degree level — average salaries for professionals who hold associate ($63,000), bachelor’s ($76,000), and master’s ($98,000) degrees in business are all well above average.
- Common business degree concentrations include accounting, AI, data analytics, finance, and marketing.
- Online business programs cover topics like ethics, organizational behavior, and business valuation, often through flexible and asynchronous classes.
A business degree can open doors to many exciting, high-paying careers in commerce, technology, manufacturing, finance, and other industries. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), business is the most popular major for undergraduates.
As one of the most versatile majors, a business degree can prepare you to work in fast-growing industries like marketing, information technology, and financial services. Business graduates often enjoy above-average salaries and strong job growth, and many schools have expanded to offer online degrees in business.
This guide explores business degrees at every level and their various concentrations. Explore professional pathways for graduates of business programs, including data on earning potential.
What Is a Business Degree?
A business degree is a broad academic program that can prepare you for a career in finance, marketing, entrepreneurship, human resources, or another business area. You can earn a business degree at any level, from a two-year associate’s degree to a research-based doctorate.
Business Degrees: Concentrations and Minors
There are many different types of business degrees offered at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. These may be offered as concentrations, minors, or separate majors entirely. Some of the most common business degree concentrations include human resources, marketing, finance, and management.
Can I Get a Business Degree Online?
Yes — you can find online business degrees at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. The rigor of these programs may increase at each level, but so can your earning potential.
Reality Check: Is a Business Degree Worth It?
In 2024, the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity reported that 87% of business degrees have a modest to positive return on investment. Featuring a challenging but practical curriculum, a business major can prepare you for entrepreneurship or corporate roles when paired with career resources and networking opportunities.
Business Degrees: From Associate to Doctorate
Business degrees vary range from two-year programs that prepare you for an entry-level role to Ph.D.s in business that can help you secure a leadership, teaching, or research position.
Associate Degree in Business
- Program Length: 2 years
- Required Credits: 60
- Potential Jobs: Travel agent, human resources assistant, executive assistant, facilities manager, insurance sales agent
Associate degrees in business provide foundational knowledge in the subject, preparing you for an entry-level business career or giving you a leg up on your bachelor’s degree.
Most associate programs require 60 college credits and two years of full-time enrollment. Community colleges and some four-year institutions offer these programs.
Bachelor’s Degree in Business
- Program Length: 4 years
- Required Credits: 120
- Potential Jobs: Accountant, budget analyst, loan officer, management analyst
Earning a bachelor’s degree in business can position you for a career in management, marketing, accounting, finance, or business development. You might focus on a field like cybersecurity, information technology, or another business subdiscipline.
A bachelor’s degree usually comprises 120 credits and takes four years of full-time study to complete. Liberal arts colleges and research universities offer bachelor’s degrees.
Master’s Degree in Business (MBA)
- Program Length: 2 years
- Required Credits: 30-40
- Potential Jobs: Market research analyst, financial analyst, training manager, top executive
Widely regarded as a critical stepping stone to leadership roles in business, the MBA is a flexible, immersive, and practical program for ambitious business professionals.
You can pursue this degree, with or without a specialization, through full-time or part-time enrollment and on-campus or online delivery. The degree usually takes 1-3 years to complete and requires coursework in ethics, management, and organizational behavior.
Doctoral Degree in Business
- Program Length: 4-5 years
- Required Credits: 60-120
- Potential Jobs: Postsecondary business teacher, survey researcher, postsecondary education administrator
A doctoral degree in business administration is the most advanced academic degree in the field.
While the doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) and the doctor of business administration (DBA) are both advanced research degrees, the Ph.D. can prepare you to become a researcher or professor, while the DBA equips practice-oriented researchers and industry leaders. Doctoral degrees can take 3-7 years to complete.
Types of Business Degrees: A Deeper Dive
Choose a business concentration where you feel satisfied, engaged, and well compensated for your skills and experience. If you’re unsure which area to focus on, talk to a mentor, professor, or career counselor about how to select the right path for your future.
- Accounting
- Data Analytics
- Economics
- Entrepreneurship (Corporate Strategy)
- Finance
- Hospitality Management
- Human Resources
- International Business
- Management (General)
- Marketing
- Organizational Leadership
- Supply Chain and Logistics (Operations)
1. Accounting
Accounting concentrations develop skills like budgeting, analyzing financial records, business taxation, and auditing. An accounting-focused degree can prepare you to help organizations navigate economic conditions and make better financial decisions.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), accounting professionals made a median annual salary of $81,680 as of May 2024.
2. Data Analytics
A concentration in data analytics can prepare you to draw insights from various information sets, which can improve business decisions and your understanding of market conditions.
A specialization in this field may cover data analytics technology, marketing, and market research analysis. The median annual salary for market research analysts was $76,950 as of May 2024, according to the BLS.
3. Economics
In an economics concentration, you’ll gain an understanding of financial markets and corporate finance. You may encounter this subject as a concentration or a standalone economics program.
This discipline can teach you about consumer behaviors and how businesses can maneuver through the global marketplace. Economists earn a median annual salary of $115,440 as of May 2024, though they may need advanced education beyond a bachelor’s degree.
4. Entrepreneurship (Corporate Strategy)
Entrepreneurship concentrations can prepare you to launch and manage your own business venture. You can learn to develop and commercialize ideas and innovations, handle early venture financing, and create business models.
Entrepreneurship programs can lead to many business careers, including management analyst, who earned a median annual salary of $101,190 in May 2024.
5. Finance
In a finance concentration, you can learn to analyze an organization’s finances, spot investment opportunities, identify risk, and improve financial decisions. Coursework fosters skills in capital budgeting, investment analysis, and business valuation and forecasting.
Finance degrees can prepare you to pursue many finance- and leadership-related positions, including financial manager. As of May 2024, these professionals earned a median annual salary of $161,700.
6. Hospitality Management
Hospitality and tourism management concentrations focus on lodging operations, international tourism, and destination marketing.
You can explore unique management challenges in the hospitality and service industry and ways to approach these issues. Lodging management roles earned a median annual salary of $68,130 as of May 2024.
7. Human Resources
If you specialize in human resources, you can learn to manage people and help connect management professionals to their employees.
You might study subjects like recruitment, compensation and benefits management, and employee and labor relations in these concentrations. Data from the BLS indicates that human resources specialists earned a median annual salary of $72,910 as of May 2024.
8. International Business
An international business concentration examines standard business topics in global contexts. For example, you might examine how foreign language, culture, and policy shape finance, marketing, and consumer behavior.
International business specializations can lead to many business roles in international organizations, such as an operations research analyst. These professionals earned a median annual salary of $91,290 as of May 2024.
9. Management (General)
A management concentration in a business administration program develops leadership skills across various sectors. Your studies may cover business ethics and analysis, organizational behavior, operations management, and strategic management.
A business management degree can lead to most careers in management, a field that reported a median annual salary of $107,360 in May 2023.
10. Marketing
Marketing concentrations delve into advertising planning and development strategies in greater depth than general business programs.
You can learn to research and capitalize on market and consumer data and opportunities in this concentration. Marketing and advertising managers earned a median annual salary of $159,660 as of May 2024.
11. Organizational Leadership
You can study the latest leadership theory and practice developments in an organizational leadership specialization.
This discipline explores the best methods for building and motivating a cohesive team while managing conflict resolution. This specialization can prepare you to pursue a career in training and development, among other business roles. Top executives were reported to earn a median annual salary of $105,350 in May 2024.
12. Supply Chain and Logistics (Operations Management)
Supply chain and logistics concentrations explore ways organizations can improve the procurement and delivery of goods and services.
Supply chain management studies can cover sourcing, inventory management, forecasting, and sustainability. Logisticians earned a median annual salary of $80,880 as of May 2024.
What to Consider Before Applying to a Business Program
Business is a popular degree, and many online business schools are competing for your enrollment. Make sure to choose the right program for you, one that offers strong student outcomes and affordable tuition.
Accreditation
Your college or university should hold institutional accreditation with an accrediting body, such as the Higher Learning Commission or the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Institutional accreditation gives you access to financial aid resources and makes your degree much more valuable after graduation.
While programmatic accreditation is not vital, it can signal that your university has invested in its business program. Agencies that oversee business programs specifically include:
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
- Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
- International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE)
Ensure Your Concentration Is Offered
Business degrees can provide a general business education, but most also offer concentration options in areas such as entrepreneurship, finance, human resources, accounting, or international business.
Not every school offers every concentration, so look for universities that offer a series of courses in your specific field of interest.
Admission Requirements
Public community colleges are usually required to admit every applicant with a high school diploma or GED certificate, but other schools are more selective — sometimes, much more selective. You may need a minimum GPA, a college-track high school curriculum, or a professional background in business for admission. Common application requirements include:
- Official transcripts
- Letters of recommendation
- Standardized test scores
- Personal statement or essay
- Resume or CV highlighting experience (graduate level)
- GRE or GMAT scores (graduate level)
What Can You Do With a Business Degree?
A business degree can provide the foundation for many diverse career paths across virtually all industries. For example, you can pursue work as a management consultant, a marketing manager, or an entrepreneur in industries like healthcare, manufacturing, and technology development.
The table below includes 12 career paths you could pursue with a business degree.
| 12 Business Careers | Median Annual Salary (2024) | Ideal Business Degree Program | Typical Degree Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Assistants | $74,260 | Administration (General) | Associate |
| Facilities Managers | $106,880 | Management | Associate |
| Accountants | $81,680 | Accounting | Bachelor’s |
| Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers | $156,660 | Marketing | Bachelor’s |
| Financial Managers | $161,700 | Finance | Bachelor’s |
| Human Resources Specialists | $72,910 | Human Resources | Bachelor’s |
| Logisticians | $80,880 | Supply Chain (Operations Management) | Bachelor’s |
| Management Analysts (Consulting) | $101,190 | Management | Bachelor’s |
| Market Research Analysts | $76,950 | Marketing or Data Analytics | Bachelor’s |
| Top Business Executives | $105,350 | General MBA | Master’s |
| Economists | $115,440 | Economics | Master’s |
| Business Professors | $97,270 | Ph.D. | Doctorate |
Business Degree Salary
In business, the more education you have, the more money you can earn. Attaining an MBA or other master’s degree in business can position you for leadership positions that put you into a different payscale entirely.
How Much Does a Business Degree Cost?
The cost of a business degree depends on several factors, including where you live, the prestige of your school, and whether it’s public or private. Universities with national or international reputations typically charge more than schools with less brand recognition, and public institutions are usually cheaper than private schools.
For the 2022-2023 academic year, NCES reported that public four-year in-state schools had an average sticker price of $9,750 for tuition and fees, public out-of-state institutions quoted an average of $28,297, and private nonprofit schools averaged $35,248. NCES’s most recent postsecondary student aid report provides even greater insight into the cost of business programs by degree level.
| Degree Level | Online Business Programs | Traditional, On-Campus Business Programs |
|---|---|---|
| Associate | $2,239 | $2,207 |
| Bachelor’s | $7,367 | $11,749 |
| Master’s | $8,025 | $13,332 |
| Doctorate | $10,902 | $14,310 |
Frequently Asked Questions About Business Degrees
How much can you make with a business degree?
In 2024, the BLS reported that the median annual salary for business professionals was $80,920. However, the highest-paid business careers can almost double that. Marketing managers, for example, bring in an annual median wage of $161,030, and financial managers claim $161,700.
Earning an MBA or another master’s degree in business can help you land one of these top-paying leadership or technical positions.
What degree is best for consulting?
Although an MBA program focused on consulting may be considered the ideal path for a consulting career, the truth is that many types of business degrees can set you up for success as a consultant. Management consulting firms like Deloitte and Bain hire candidates from a wide range of academic backgrounds.
Business management and finance are always good majors for aspiring consultants; however, degrees in business or leadership with a concentration in consulting or executive management are especially well suited for a consulting career.
Is an MBA better than an MS in business?
An MBA may be better recognized than an MS in business, but these two degrees serve different purposes. The MBA primarily suits business professionals with at least three years of experience pursuing higher education to advance their current careers.
The MS in business, by contrast, is often tailored to prospective students working in other fields who want to transition to business careers.
What’s the difference between a BBA and BS in business?
The bachelor of business administration (BBA) and the bachelor of science in business (BS) both offer rigorous academic study of the field, but they differ in many ways.
The BBA provides a comprehensive curriculum covering many of the skills needed for success in the marketplace, while the BS emphasizes the analytical and technical skills required to make data-driven decisions in the 21st-century business landscape.
Why is a business degree useful?
A business degree is a practical, versatile major that can help foster the technical, analytical, and leadership skills you need to succeed in nearly any career. For many undecided majors, business can offer a diverse and in-demand skillset that can help you find a place to land after graduation.
Business majors work in hospitals, public agencies, small businesses, banks, enterprise-level corporations, and universities. They may manage HR departments, oversee accounting teams, or analyze mountains of data.