What Can I Do With a Business Administration Degree?
According to a recent USA Today article, business administration is one of the top 10 most popular college majors. But what exactly can you do with a business administration degree?
There are many different career paths you can take in the areas of marketing, finance, management, transportation and logistics, general business, economics and more, depending on what your interests are.
Check out these eight possible business administration career paths.
Wondering what you can do with a business administration degree?
Here are some great options:
Business analyst: Simply put, business analysts help an organization or company do business better. They identify areas of potential change in how an organization works and develop solutions to help a business implement those changes. Learn more about this career path via the International Institute of Business Analysis. According to GlassDoor.com, the average annual salary for a business analyst is $65,991. A different salary survey, however, says the average annual salary is more than $91,000.
Entrepreneur: If you’ve always wanted to start your own business, a business administration degree is sure to help you understand the ins and outs of how to establish and run a business successfully. Salaries vary greatly for entrepreneurs. Forbes recently published an article, “Does It Pay to Be an Entrepreneur?” that has additional information.
Human resources managers: Handling staff issues isn’t the only thing a human resources manager does. Human resources managers also oversee employee benefit programs, coordinate staff recruitment efforts and help an organization use its employees to the best of their talents. The median annual pay for human resources managers is $102,780, according to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics.
General or operations manager: These types of managers manage daily operations at a company or organization. They help plan for the use of materials and human resources, formulate policies and more. The median annual salary is $97,270, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Marketing specialist: Also called a market research analyst, a marketing specialist researches market conditions and gathers information on competitors to help determine the potential sales of a product or service. These specialists also may create marketing campaigns. The annual median salary for this career path is $61,290, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Personal financial advisor: A personal financial advisor provides advice to individuals and families regarding investments, insurance, mortgages, estate planning, taxes, college savings and retirement. The median annual salary for a personal financial advisor is $81,060. With additional training beyond a bachelor’s degree, you can become a certified financial planner, a designation that means your education, experience and ethics meet a certain set of standards. Depending on the area of expertise you pursue (such as a financial advisor who buys and sells stocks), additional licensures may be required.
Sales manager: A sales manager is the head of a company’s sales team, and is the person who sets goals, analyzes data, creates plans for how best to sell a product or services (such as direct sales techniques, cold calling, business-to-business marketing, etc.) and develops training programs for sales employees. The median annual pay for sales managers is more than $110,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Chief information officer: An executive-level position, a chief information officer is typically responsible for overseeing the technological direction of a company managing its information technology systems. According to GlassDoor.com, chief information officers earn an average salary of $157,325, while Payscale.com says they earn a median annual salary of $149,730. Many CIOs have a master’s degree, in addition to a bachelor’s degree.
Ever consider earning your business administration degree online?
If any of these business careers sound like attractive options, you can begin pursuing a business administration degree online from the comfort of home. Dozens of accredited universities now offer business, accounting, marketing, finance, and management degrees online!