What You Need to Know About Becoming a Business Administration/Business Management Major

Business administration majors study a wide range of topics related to work in corporate settings. The major typically includes coursework in management, analytics, accounting, finance, operations, marketing and human resources. Business administration is a highly flexible major that allows students to specialize their studies as they go along.

Business administration and business management degrees prepare students for jobs, and potentially graduate study, in the business world, particularly at the managerial level. You can expect to gain a comprehensive understanding of how companies set goals, implement processes, track progress, manage their people and keep their books.

While most businesspeople ultimately specialize in one particular industry or aspect of their trade, a degree in business administration provides graduates with a wide base of knowledge that forms a solid foundation. Many colleges facilitate hands-on experience opportunities – like internships or projects for real-world clients – which also help students learn more about their own interests during their undergraduate program.

Students considering a business administration major may also be considering a major in accounting. Both majors focus on aspects of business, but accounting is a more specialized degree. It’s a good fit if you’re drawn to the financial side of running a business. If you’re more interested in general management and corporate strategy, a business administration major might be a better fit.

Because business administration is an intentionally broad major, course offerings may vary significantly from one college to another, and from one specialization to another even within the same school. If you’re receiving a liberal arts degree, you’ll have general education requirements in addition to your specialized business classes.

Business administration majors can expect to enroll in courses that provide the basics of corporate operations in both theory and practice, including:

Business administration programs often provide the opportunity for students to specialize in a specific subfield by taking additional coursework in that area. Typical options include:

Other possible concentrations include accounting, international business, project management and supply chain management. Some schools also offer specializations in specific fields of business, such as real estate or health care.

While specific requirements vary among schools, full-time students typically are able to complete a bachelor’s degree in business administration in four years, earning a minimum of 120 credit hours. Students who transfer credits at the time of enrollment may be able to graduate faster.

Students who do well as business administration majors typically thrive in team-oriented work settings and have a sharp eye for analysis. Since business administration coursework is so wide-ranging, it can also help you determine where your particular skills and interests lie.

That said, it’s possible to start your career with a variety of degrees. If you do have a strong interest elsewhere, consider choosing a different major and minoring in business administration to add some business skills to another course of study.

Graduates with a degree in business administration can be good candidates for management-track positions at a wide range of employers. They typically apply for entry-level positions in the department they choose to pursue, working their way up to higher-level management positions within that area or even eventually to senior-level management roles.

Most industries have some business component, so you may choose to focus on a particular sector that piques your interest. Below are five common jobs sought by business administration degree-holders. While you likely won’t attain a management-level position straight out of college, a business administration degree will provide you with the skills to become qualified for one with the right amount of post-college experience.

Data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A bachelor’s degree in business administration is also a step toward further training and credentials, including graduate degrees such as a master’s of business administration (MBA). Many businesspeople also pursue professional certifications, which can demonstrate deep knowledge in a particular area and can bolster a resume. These include Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) and Project Management Professional (PMP), as well as certifications on specific platforms such as Salesforce.

“Since my college degree is very versatile, I can take on any job — besides the jobs that have specific requirements for schooling — in the future. My college coursework has helped me prepare tremendously for any real-world professional experience as the classes I have taken have taught me many soft skills as well as different technical skills for my career after college.” – Maci Arjes, University of Iowa Tippie College of Business, Class of 2024

“Last semester, I participated in Questrom Core which is a semester-long team-based core project, integrating coursework across finance, operations management, marketing, and data analytics. This is a team project that requires developing a comprehensive new product or business service plan, and one of the end results is a formal presentation for the project. As challenging as this project was, it served a great purpose in equipping my teammates and I with the skills to solve problems, make pitches, work together creatively and bring different perspectives to the table. I think this helps prepare us for the real world.” – Shazaib Khan, Boston University Questrom School of Business, Class of 2024

“My biggest piece of advice is that you don’t need to know what career path you want to pursue as soon as you step on campus. As you take classes in the business administration major, you’re able to explore career paths and subjects. Make sure to make the most of these introductory classes to talk with your professors about your interests, their experiences, and the topics they cover. Further, make sure to open yourself up to experiences outside the Business Administration major as most colleges like UT Austin offer a ton of unique classes through different colleges.” – Scott Fonseka, University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business, Class of 2024

“I was able to participate in a competition for business students from 30 different universities: we had to create a multifaceted environmental justice toolkit. That was the exact experience where I saw most of the business administration content applicable, extracting information and being able to apply it in a real-world company. Honestly, I think this is a major that you can’t go wrong with. It’s applicable in pretty much any field of work just because it’s so broad, and there are so many different ways that you can get into concentrations like sports business or marketing. It’s just such a diverse major.” – Lorena Garcia, University of Oregon Lundquist College of Business, Class of 2024