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Best Business Degree Jobs in 2023

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When it was your turn to select a major, you may have chosen business, thinking it would give you the most job options when you graduated. And, ultimately, that’s correct! For those with a business degree, jobs are plentiful. However, there are so many options that you might be a bit overwhelmed trying to figure out which career path to pursue.

>>MORE: How to Choose a Career: 6 Steps, Plus a Free Quiz

Don’t worry — we’ve got you covered. This guide covers the different types of business degrees you can earn, what kinds of business degree jobs you can pursue with them, and even some suggestions on how to decide which careers in business might be a great fit for you!

What Is a Business Degree?

Majoring in business exposes you to a broad range of business topics. You’ll study areas like marketing, finance, management, and entrepreneurship to help you understand what a business is and how it works.

Though some business degrees are general, you can choose a concentration (like health care management, human resources, or accounting). And no matter what business degree you receive, your coursework will help to prepare you to work in anything from a nonprofit to starting your own company.

What Kinds of Business Degrees Are There?

Business is one of the most common majors and degrees granted across all education levels. During the 2020-2021 school year, it was one of the top three most common majors and degrees awarded. There were: 

  • 116,100 associate business degrees (11% of all degrees)
  • 391,400 bachelor’s business degrees (19% of all degrees)
  • 202,334 master’s in business degrees (23% of all degrees)

Associate Degree in Business

Students can earn associate degrees after two years of successful study. While community colleges are most commonly associated with associate degrees, some four-year institutions offer associate degree programs.

When you complete an associate’s degree in business, you’ll have a general understanding of how businesses work, and most programs don’t offer a concentration. Though you’ll be prepared to enter the workforce, you may need to complete a bachelor’s degree to move up the career ladder.

Building with Cisco logo on the side

Career Readiness

Enhance the skills you'll need in the business world in this free course from Cisco. Take on a project, analyze the data, and present your findings.

Avg. Time: 2-3 hours

Skills you’ll build: Data analysis, data presentation, communication, project planning, project management

Bachelor’s Degree in Business

A bachelor’s degree in business prepares you for nearly any kind of business-oriented work. However, not all bachelor’s in business degrees are the same.

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)

Also known as a BBA, a bachelor’s degree in business administration is a general business major. It covers all the basics but doesn’t focus on one area of business over another, giving you the ability to start your business career in any sector or area of the business.

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA)

A Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) is a more specialized course of study. Your studies may focus on a specific area, like law or health care, or a type of business, like marketing or accounting. Unlike the BBA, the BSBA often prepares you for a specific career path.

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

A master’s of business administration (MBA) is a common requirement for upper-level business jobs (like consulting or a director or CEO level role). While you need a bachelor’s degree to enroll in an MBA program, it doesn’t have to be a bachelor’s in business. Many MBA students majored in something entirely different than business during their undergraduate years.

Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Business

You can also earn a Ph.D. in business. However, it’s unnecessary for most business careers and is commonly pursued by people interested in an academic career.

What Jobs Can You Get With a Business Degree?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics compiled data from several sources and found that of people majoring in business in 2021, 88% concentrated their studies in one of the following areas:

  • Business management and administration (27%)
  • General business (21%)
  • Accounting (18%)
  • Finance (12%)
  • Marketing and market research (11%)
  • Other (12%)

The BLS also reported that 75% of people with a business degree worked in:

  • Management occupations (24%)
  • Business and financial operations occupations (23%)
  • Sales and related occupations (12%)
  • Office and administration support occupations (10%)
  • Computer and mathematical occupations (5%)
  • Other (25%)

And finally, according to the BLS, nearly 13 million people worked in “business” in 2021 and had a median annual wage of $69,000.

Business Degree Jobs in 2023

So, what does this all mean for you? What careers in business are open to you, and what jobs can you get with a business degree?

The BLS groups business jobs under the business and financial occupation umbrella. This includes jobs as diverse as accountants and auditors, fundraisers, and property appraisers and assessors. Here are some excellent options for people with a business degree.

Accountants and Auditors

  • Median annual pay (2022): $78,000
  • Predicted job growth (2022 – 2032): 4% or as fast as average

Accountants and auditors provide financial insight and advice to private clients as well as corporate ones. They may review financial records, prepare tax returns, or suggest ways to reduce costs or improve finances.

Accounting for the Music Industry

Discover what it's like to work as an accountant in the music industry in this free course from ACCA. Learn how to keep costs under control, price for profitability, and so much more.

Avg. Time: 1-2 hours

Skills you’ll build: Accounting principles, data analysis, commercial awareness, data mining

PwC

Audit

Hone and strengthen your auditing skills in this free course from PwC US. You'll ask your client follow-up questions, test assumptions, and present your findings.

Avg. Time: 3-4 hours

Skills you’ll build: Analysis, policy interpretation, compliance analysis, issue documentation, control documentation

Financial Analysts

  • Median annual pay (2022): $96,220
  • Predicted job growth (2022 – 2032): 8% or faster than average

As a financial analyst you’ll spend a lot of time analyzing the performance of financial products. While that includes stocks, bonds, and other investment products (like real estate), you may also determine a company’s value as part of a merger and acquisition.

Financial Analyst

Strengthen your financial analyst skills in this free course from New York Jobs CEO Council. Analyze the financials of Big Tech company and present your findings.

Avg. Time: 2-3 hours

Skills you’ll build: Financial analysis, critical thinking, problem solving, Excel

Human Resources Specialists

  • Median annual pay (2022): $64,240
  • Predicted job growth (2022 – 2032): 6% or faster than average

Human resources specialist is a generalized job title that often refers to entry-level work. You’ll likely work in all aspects of human resources, including recruiting, payroll, compensation and benefits, and employee training.

What is GE?

Explore Human Resources

Step into the shoes of human resources in this free course from GE Aerospace. Discover how to give constructive feedback, motivate staff, and coach a leader on compensation and benefits.

Avg. Time: 3-4 hours

Skills you’ll build: Giving feedback, pay metrics and positioning, datasets in Excel, basics of Lean, continuous improvement tools

Insurance Underwriters

  • Median annual pay (2022): $76,230
  • Predicted job growth (2022 – 2032): -2%

Insurance underwriters evaluate insurance applications and help decide if the policy should be written or not. Though open jobs in the field are expected to decline, this entry-level role is excellent exposure to the insurance industry and gives you much-needed experience to move into other roles, like account manager or loan officer.

NYC AIG office, working at AIG

Underwriting

Explore what it's like to work in underwriting in this free course from AIG. Learn all about risk management, analyze a company, and underwrite a submission.

Avg. Time: 3-4 hours

Skills you’ll build: Critical thinking, creativity, technical analysis, proposal drafting, presentation

Logisticians

  • Median annual pay (2022): $77,520
  • Predicted job growth (2022 – 2032): 18% or much faster than average

Logisticians are the wizards behind the scenes that coordinate, analyze, and optimize a company’s supply chain. They manage relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners, find ways to decrease costs while improving shipping times, and make sure everything is on time and where it needs to be.

What is GE?

Explore Supply Chain

Build your skills in logistics in this free course from GE Aerospace. You'll help the team by figuring out critical requirement for a part and take action when something is defective.

Avg. Time: 3-4 hours

Skills you’ll build: Critical thinking, problem solving, accountability, interpreting engineering data

Management Analysts

  • Median annual pay (2022): $95,290
  • Predicted job growth (2022 – 2032): 10% or much faster than average

Sometimes also known as a management consultant, a management analyst works with companies to improve their operational efficiency. A management analyst identifies problems or challenges the company is facing and offers solutions for optimizing operations or solving these problems.

PwC

Management Consulting

See what it's like to work as a management analyst in this free course from PwC US. Analyze a company, create a model, and present your findings.

Avg. Time: 4-5 hours

Skills you’ll build: Analysis, financial statements, business terminology, data collection, PowerPoint, Excel, presentation

Market Research Analysts

  • Median annual pay (2022): $68,230
  • Predicted job growth (2022 – 2032): 13% or much faster than average

In a nutshell, marketing analysts help companies figure out what consumers want, who will buy that product, and what people are willing to pay. The marketing analyst answers these questions by monitoring and forecasting trends, conducting research with consumers, and analyzing data to see how well a marketing campaign performs.

Omnichannel Marketing

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Avg. Time: 6-7 hours

Skills you’ll build: Project management, user research, market research, marketing principles, strategic thinking

Personal Financial Advisors

  • Median annual pay (2022): $95,390
  • Predicted job growth (2022 – 2032): 13% or much faster than average

As a personal financial advisor, you’ll provide your clients with top-notch financial expertise. This includes advising them on which stocks to invest in, helping them plan for special needs or future events, and educating them.

Citibank, citigroup logo

Personal Banking

Experience what it's like to work in personal banking in this free course from Citi. You'll help design and launch a new personal credit card and analyze its performance.

Avg. Time: 5-6 hours

Skills you’ll build: Identifying client needs, fact finding, product development, data extraction, quantitative analysis, PowerPoint, Excel

HSBC Logo - Guide to working at HSBC

Wealth and Personal Banking

Step into the shoes of a personal banker in this free course from HSBC. You'll advise your high-net-worth client and make investment suggestions to them.

Avg. Time: 2-3 hours

Skills you’ll build: Relationship management, quantitative analysis, PowerPoint, identifying investment profiles

Project Management Specialists

  • Median annual pay (2022): $95,370
  • Predicted job growth (2022 – 2032): 6% or faster than average

Project management specialists coordinate all the details — big and small — on a project. They collaborate with the stakeholders to ensure everyone’s goals are met, communicate with everyone on the project to ensure they have what they need to get their tasks done, and make sure everyone stays informed about the project’s progress.

working at Accenture

Keeping Track

Step into the shoes of a project manager in this free course from Accenture North America. Learn more about the different approaches to project management and apply your skills to a project.

Avg. Time: 2-2 hours

Skills you’ll build: Project management, strategic analysis, presentation

Is a Business Degree Worth It?

Only you can decide if a business degree is worth it for you and your career goals.

Looking at BLS predictions, some areas in business are expected to grow while others may experience employment loss between 2022 and 2032:

AreaPredicted Growth or Loss
Financial managers16%
Management analysts10%
Human resources specialists6%
Accountants and auditors4%
Managers, all others3%
Sales representatives1%
Customer service representatives-5%
Chief executives-8%

However, because a business degree allows you to pursue a range of job options, you’ll likely have many career paths open to you as you build your skills and experience.

What Job Will You Get With Your Business Degree?

As you can see, business degree jobs are plentiful. But if you aren’t sure which kind of business job is right for you, test-drive one (or several!) with a free Forage virtual job simulation. From accounting or entrepreneurship to life sciences and many more, there’s bound to be a virtual job simulation that’s right for you. Sign up for one today.

Image credit: Canva

Rachel Pelta is the Head Writer at Forage. Previously, she was a Content Specialist at FlexJobs, writing articles for job seekers and employers. Her work has been featured in Fast Company, The Ladders, MSN, and Money Talks News.

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