Business Administration major

Business Administration: courses, careers, and where to study

Business Administration is the most popular U.S. major, a broad foundation in accounting, finance, marketing, management, and economics that prepares graduates for nearly any industry.

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Business Administration earn a median $68,257 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $47,618 to $93,584 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard). By credential and college

A Business Administration (BBA or BA Business) major is the most-awarded U.S. undergraduate degree, with about 390,000 conferred annually. Programs typically require a common business core (accounting, finance, marketing, management, operations, business analytics, business law, ethics) plus a concentration (Finance, Marketing, Management, Entrepreneurship, Supply Chain, etc.) and an internship.

CAACSB-accredited business schools meet the highest standard; AACSB accreditation is held by about 5 % of business schools worldwide. Business majors are versatile, every industry hires them, and the major pairs naturally with double majors in Computer Science, Economics, or Communications.

Academic classification (CIP)

In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Business Administration maps to CIP 52.0201, Business Administration and Management, General, within the BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES family. The official definition:

A program that generally prepares individuals to plan, organize, direct, and control the functions and processes of a firm or organization. Includes instruction in management theory, human resources management and behavior, accounting and other quantitative methods, purchasing and logistics, organization and production, marketing, and business decision-making.

Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov

What credential Business Administration is awarded as

Of the 349,759 Business Administration credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2024-25:

  • Certificate: 12%, 40,319 credentials.
  • Associate: 17%, 60,955 credentials.
  • Bachelor's: 41%, 142,938 credentials.
  • Graduate: 30%, 105,547 credentials.

This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 51 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 22 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.

Credentials conferred in 2024-25, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.

What you'll study

  • Financial and managerial accounting
  • Corporate finance and investments
  • Marketing principles and consumer behavior
  • Management and organizational behavior
  • Operations and supply-chain management
  • Business statistics and analytics
  • Business law and ethics
  • Strategic management capstone

Typical careers

Typical salary range: $58,000–$95,000 early-career (NACE 2024 business graduate average $61,326)Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.

How much do Business Administration graduates earn?

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Business Administration earn a median $68,257 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $47,618 to $93,584 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).

National median earnings four years after graduating for Business Administration, by credential
CredentialNational medianMiddle half of programs
Bachelor's$68,257$47,618 to $93,584
Associate's$48,733$31,704 to $67,604
Undergraduate certificate$47,440$29,959 to $68,346
Master's$103,485$69,982 to $153,484
Professional degree$214,836$143,078 to $322,932
Doctoral$113,566$70,833 to $164,979
Graduate certificate$94,506$65,091 to $135,936
Post-baccalaureate certificate$104,114$64,744 to $140,477

Compare Business Administration programs in your state

Highest-earning bachelor's Business Administration programs

Ordered by median earnings: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality. Federal program group: Business Administration, Management and Operations. Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars, for graduates who received federal aid, worked and were not enrolled. Programs need at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort to be listed; multi-state systems whose figures pool campuses are not listed. Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 10 June 2026. How much the college matters, by major. Graduate programs over the new federal loan caps.

Related occupations

Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Business Administration, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.

Occupations associated with Business Administration by the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, with median annual wage, projected annual openings, projected employment change, and the education most entrants typically hold.
OccupationMedian payOpenings / yrProjected changeMost entrants hold
General and Operations Managers$102,950308,700+4.4%Bachelor's degree
Business Operations Specialists, All Other$81,270108,200+3%Bachelor's degree
Managers, All Other$136,550106,700+4.5%Bachelor's degree
Management Analysts$101,19098,100+8.8%Bachelor's degree
Human Resources Specialists$72,91081,800+6.2%Bachelor's degree
Project Management Specialists$100,75078,200+5.6%Bachelor's degree
Sales Managers$138,06049,000+4.7%Bachelor's degree
Construction Managers$106,98046,800+8.7%Bachelor's degree
Logisticians$80,88026,400+16.7%Bachelor's degree
Administrative Services Managers$108,39023,200+4.6%Bachelor's degree
Chief Executives$206,42022,200+4.3%Bachelor's degree
Social and Community Service Managers$78,24018,600+6.4%Bachelor's degree
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers$102,01018,500+6.1%High school diploma or equivalent
Human Resources Managers$140,03017,900+5%Bachelor's degree
Industrial Production Managers$121,44017,100+1.9%Bachelor's degree
Cost Estimators$77,07016,900-4.2%Bachelor's degree

Showing 16 of 23 associated occupations. Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 23 of these 23 occupations report a median wage.

“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Business Administration does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.

Before you commit to a Business Administration major

CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Business Administration program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.

Ask the Business Administration department

  • Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
  • What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
  • What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
  • Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?

Ask current students & check the curriculum

  • How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
  • What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
  • Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
  • How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Accreditation & licensure: Business programs may hold AACSB, ACBSP, or IACBE accreditation (AACSB is the most selective). Accreditation can affect graduate-school admission and some employers, so confirm it for any Business Administration program you shortlist.
Degree level & graduate study: Many Business Administration careers are open with a bachelor's degree, but some, such as research, advanced-practice, or licensure-track roles, require a master's or doctorate. Check the typical entry-level education on each linked career page above before assuming a bachelor's is enough.

Find a Business Administration program

CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.

Colleges that awarded the most Business Administration credentials

Largest by credentials conferred in 2024-25. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.

Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2024-25. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.

Search Business Administration schools

Where Business Administration credentials were awarded

29 states have a distinct enough set of Business Administration colleges to be worth its own page.

Business Administration by state

Every Business Administration program with its own CampusPin page

928 programs in 51 states, A to Z by state and then by college. Each page gives what the program's graduates earned four years after finishing, what they borrowed in federal loans, the monthly payment, and how the program compares with others in its state and the nation. The figure beside each college is the median for its largest credential with at least 30 graduates (U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23). The list is alphabetical; it is not a ranking.

Business Administration programs in Alabama, 14 programs
Business Administration programs in Alaska, 1 program
Business Administration programs in Arizona, 5 programs
Business Administration programs in Arkansas, 10 programs
Business Administration programs in California, 62 programs
Business Administration programs in Colorado, 14 programs
Business Administration programs in Connecticut, 12 programs
Business Administration programs in Delaware, 4 programs
Business Administration programs in District of Columbia, 4 programs
Business Administration programs in Florida, 43 programs
Business Administration programs in Georgia, 26 programs
Business Administration programs in Hawaii, 2 programs
Business Administration programs in Idaho, 6 programs
Business Administration programs in Illinois, 34 programs
Business Administration programs in Indiana, 14 programs
Business Administration programs in Iowa, 17 programs
Business Administration programs in Kansas, 9 programs
Business Administration programs in Kentucky, 10 programs
Business Administration programs in Louisiana, 12 programs
Business Administration programs in Maine, 5 programs
Business Administration programs in Maryland, 14 programs
Business Administration programs in Massachusetts, 33 programs
Business Administration programs in Michigan, 35 programs
Business Administration programs in Minnesota, 25 programs
Business Administration programs in Mississippi, 9 programs
Business Administration programs in Missouri, 16 programs
Business Administration programs in Montana, 1 program
Business Administration programs in Nebraska, 12 programs
Business Administration programs in Nevada, 4 programs
Business Administration programs in New Hampshire, 5 programs
Business Administration programs in New Jersey, 26 programs
Business Administration programs in New Mexico, 5 programs
Business Administration programs in New York, 85 programs
Business Administration programs in North Carolina, 36 programs
Business Administration programs in North Dakota, 6 programs
Business Administration programs in Ohio, 32 programs
Business Administration programs in Oklahoma, 15 programs
Business Administration programs in Oregon, 12 programs
Business Administration programs in Pennsylvania, 50 programs
Business Administration programs in Rhode Island, 8 programs
Business Administration programs in South Carolina, 19 programs
Business Administration programs in South Dakota, 5 programs
Business Administration programs in Tennessee, 22 programs
Business Administration programs in Texas, 57 programs
Business Administration programs in Utah, 7 programs
Business Administration programs in Vermont, 4 programs
Business Administration programs in Virginia, 29 programs
Business Administration programs in Washington, 13 programs
Business Administration programs in West Virginia, 10 programs
Business Administration programs in Wisconsin, 28 programs
Business Administration programs in Wyoming, 1 program

Related majors

Put this major in context

The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Business Administration degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.

Explore Management careers

Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.

Explore Business & Finance careers

Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.

How one major leads to many careers

Why a single Business Administration degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.

Why a median wage is not a starting salary

How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.

When accreditation and licensure matter

How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Business Administration path before you enroll.

Does a pricier college pay off?

How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.

Does picking a major narrow your college list?

Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.

Certificate or degree?

What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.

How this guide is sourced

This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.