Business Administration · California

California colleges that awarded Business Administration credentials

216 colleges in California reported conferring Business Administration credentials to the federal IPEDS collection in 2023-24, and every one of them also awarded in the year before. 215 awarded a degree, and 1 awarded only a certificate. That is a record of credentials already awarded, not confirmation that a program is currently admitting.

Colleges and what they awarded

Largest first by credentials conferred in 2023-24. That order measures the size of the graduating class and nothing else: it is not a ranking, and the largest entry is often a certificate provider rather than the strongest degree program. The credential is labelled on every row for exactly that reason.

Colleges in California that conferred Business Administration credentials in 2023-24, with the number awarded and whether any was a degree.
CollegeCredentials awardedHighest level
University of the People3,292Degree
San Diego State University2,399Degree
California State University-Fullerton2,397Degree
Cerritos College1,870Degree
San Jose State University1,694Degree
California State University-Long Beach1,681Degree
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona1,422Degree
Ashford University1,393Degree
California State University-Northridge1,280Degree
California State University-Sacramento1,256Degree
San Francisco State University1,043Degree
California State University-Los Angeles1,004Degree
Pasadena City College969Degree
University of California-Riverside932Degree
California State University-San Bernardino837Degree
California State University-East Bay827Degree
California State University-Fresno781Degree
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo777Degree
Palomar College750Degree
Mt San Antonio College642Degree
Pepperdine University635Degree
California State University-San Marcos587Degree
University of California-Irvine585Degree
California State University-Chico576Degree
Grossmont College576Degree
California State University-Dominguez Hills556Degree
Westcliff University494Degree
National University467Degree
California State University-Stanislaus458Degree
University of California-Berkeley443Degree
Chapman University439Degree
De Anza College418Degree
Orange Coast College388Degree
Fullerton College383Degree
Santa Monica College382Degree
Saddleback College375Degree
Sonoma State University366Degree
Riverside City College361Degree
Golden Gate University352Degree
California Baptist University344Degree
California State University-Bakersfield338Degree
Coastline Community College331Degree
Citrus College329Degree
Southwestern College329Degree
Chaffey College326Degree
Long Beach City College324Degree
Sierra College321Degree
California State University-Monterey Bay320Degree
El Camino Community College District316Degree
Irvine Valley College313Degree
Mt San Jacinto Community College District308Degree
California State University-Channel Islands306Degree
University of Massachusetts Global293Degree
MiraCosta College287Degree
Northcentral University281Degree
Moorpark College277Degree
College of the Canyons263Degree
East Los Angeles College260Degree
Cuesta College258Degree
American River College253Degree

Showing the 60 largest of 216.

Looking for Business Administration programs in California? This page lists every college that reported awarding Business Administration credentials to the federal government in 2023-24 — 216 of them — with the credential level each one awarded. That is a record of credentials conferred, not a confirmation that a college is currently admitting students, so confirm current availability with the college before it changes where you apply.

How much of this field is in California

Credentials awarded
55,555
Share of U.S. total
17%
Colleges awarding it
216
Awarding a degree
215

California colleges conferred 55,555 Business Administration credentials in 2023-24, which is 17% of the 331,781 conferred across the 51 U.S. jurisdictions reporting any. Of the 216 colleges here, 215 awarded a degree and 1 awarded only a certificate. These counts measure the size of graduating classes, not program quality, and not how many students are currently enrolled.

What level those credentials were

  • Certificates7%3,905
  • Associate33%18,584
  • Bachelor's45%25,234
  • Graduate14%7,832

Most Business Administration credentials awarded in California were bachelor's degrees. The mix here is close to the national pattern for this field. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and the level a program awards is set by the program rather than by the student.

We measured how much this varies nationwide, and for most fields the credential level is set by the field rather than the state: is your major a certificate or a degree?

How concentrated it is. The single college with the largest reported graduating class in this field accounted for 6% of California’s Business Administration credentials. Activity is spread across several institutions rather than sitting with one.

What these California colleges cost

Median net price across the 139 of these 216 colleges that report it, by family income. Net price is what students receiving federal aid actually paid for the WHOLE college after grants and scholarships, so it is not the price of a Business Administration program specifically, and not a quote for any family.

0-30k
$7,302
30-48k
$7,949
48-75k
$9,980
75-110k
$14,025
110k+
$16,389

By the kind of college

The figure above averages very different institutions together. Split by federal sector, for a family earning under $30,000:

Median net price for a family earning under $30,000, by kind of college, among California colleges that reported awarding Business Administrationcredentials.
Kind of collegeCollegesMedian net price
Public two-year61$3,744
Public four-year37$6,476
Private41$23,788

Sector is the federal classification (IPEDS ICLEVEL and CONTROL). Private covers both nonprofit and for-profit colleges, which CampusPin does not split here because the for-profit sample in a single state is usually too small to publish a median. Each row needs at least five colleges reporting net price, so a sector with fewer is left out rather than estimated.

A family earning under $30,000 paid a median of $7,302 at these colleges, against $16,389 for a family earning over $110,000. Individual colleges vary widely around these medians. See every California college by income band.

What this evidence does and does not prove

This lists colleges that reported conferring credentials in this field to the federal IPEDS completions collection, in both 2022-23 and 2023-24. It does not confirm that any of them is currently admitting students to the program, and a college can appear here after deciding to close it. Confirm with the institution before it affects where you apply.

How this list was built

From the U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions collection, matched to each college on its exact federal program classification. A college appears only if it conferred credentials in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, which is what separates a running program from one that has already closed.

This page exists because its list of colleges is materially different from that of every closely related field in California — the fields a reader could otherwise mistake it for, such as two engineering disciplines, or nursing and practical nursing. Where a related field resolves to the same colleges, the second page would be the first one with its title changed, and CampusPin does not publish it. Sharing colleges with an unrelated field is different, and not a reason to withhold the page: in most states the same colleges award business, psychology and biology alike, which says something about the colleges rather than about the fields. We measured exactly how often that happens, and published the result: does choosing a major narrow your college list?

What Business Administration graduates go on to do

Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Business Administration, ordered by projected annual openings. National figures: openings and pay do not vary by where you studied, and the crosswalk describes related fields rather than a required or guaranteed path.

Occupations associated with Business Administration, with median annual wage, projected annual openings, and the education most entrants hold.
OccupationMedian payOpenings / yrMost entrants hold
General and Operations Managers$102,950308,700Bachelor's degree
Business Operations Specialists, All Other$81,270108,200Bachelor's degree
Managers, All Other$136,550106,700Bachelor's degree
Management Analysts$101,19098,100Bachelor's degree
Human Resources Specialists$72,91081,800Bachelor's degree
Project Management Specialists$100,75078,200Bachelor's degree
Sales Managers$138,06049,000Bachelor's degree
Construction Managers$106,98046,800Bachelor's degree
Logisticians$80,88026,400Bachelor's degree
Administrative Services Managers$108,39023,200Bachelor's degree

Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). “Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already in the occupation, not a legal requirement, an admission rule, or a guarantee of entry. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.

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