Business Majors

Every major business concentration explained: what you study, how long it takes and where it leads.

By the BusinessDegree Online editorial teamReviewed October 2026Data: U.S. BLS, NCES, ED

Business is the most common bachelor's field in the United States: 375,400 of about 2.0 million bachelor's degrees awarded in 2021-22 (19%), according to NCES. Inside that umbrella sit dozens of majors. The pay figures beside each one show the median for a closely related occupation from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not a promise of what a graduate will earn.

Business MajorsBusiness Administration DegreeA business administration degree is a broad, generalist business education: you study every major function of an organization, from accounting and finance to marketing and operations, then usually specialize. It is the most flexible business credential and leads to a wide range of jobs.Management occupations: $126,520 median
Business MajorsBusiness Management DegreeA business management degree prepares you to run teams, processes and projects: how to plan work, lead people, improve operations and make strategic decisions. It is narrower and more people-focused than business administration, and it branches into many specialized management degrees.Administrative services managers: $110,500 median
Business MajorsAccounting DegreeAn accounting degree teaches you to record, analyze, audit and report financial information, and it is the standard route into accounting careers and the CPA license. The right level, associate, bachelor's or master's, depends on whether you want bookkeeping work, a staff accountant job or licensure.Accountants and auditors: $83,680 median
Business MajorsOnline Accounting Degree ProgramsOnline accounting degree programs teach the same coursework as campus programs through recorded lessons, weekly problem sets and proctored exams. From an accredited school, an online degree counts the same for jobs and CPA eligibility; the real differences are format, pacing, support and price.Accountants and auditors: $83,680 median
Business MajorsWhat Degree Do You Need to Be a CPA?To become a CPA you need at least a bachelor's degree with substantial accounting and business coursework. Traditionally you also needed 150 semester hours; since May 2025, a large and growing number of states also accept a bachelor's plus two years of experience.Accountants and auditors: $83,680 median
Business MajorsFinance DegreeA finance degree teaches how individuals and companies raise, invest and manage money: valuing investments, analyzing financial statements, managing risk and planning capital. It leads to analyst, banking, corporate finance and advisory careers, and can eventually lead to some of the highest-paid management roles in business.Financial analysts: $103,570 median
Business MajorsMarketing DegreeA marketing degree teaches how organizations understand customers and turn that understanding into products, prices, messages and channels that sell. Modern programs blend classic marketing strategy with digital, social media and analytics skills, which is where much of the entry-level hiring now happens.Market research analysts: $78,760 median
Business MajorsEconomics DegreeAn economics degree trains you to model how people, firms and governments make choices under scarcity. It leads to analyst, policy, finance and research jobs, and it is a strong base for law school or graduate study, though the title "economist" usually requires a master's.Economists: $124,720 median
Business MajorsHuman Resources DegreeA human resources degree prepares you to recruit, pay, train and protect a workforce while keeping an employer on the right side of employment law. Most HR roles start at the bachelor's level, and online HR degrees are widely available for working adults.HR specialists: $75,940 median
Business MajorsEntrepreneurship DegreeAn entrepreneurship degree is worth it if you want structured practice building a venture with feedback, mentors and a safety net. It is not required to start a business, and its value depends heavily on how hands-on the program is and what you plan to do if your first venture fails.Top executives: $108,780 median
Business MajorsHealthcare Administration DegreeA healthcare administration degree prepares you to run the business side of hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and health systems. It leads to one of the fastest-growing management fields the BLS tracks, and both bachelor's and master's programs are widely available online.Medical and health services managers: $123,860 median
Business MajorsManagement Information SystemsA management information systems (MIS) degree sits between business and technology: you learn databases, systems analysis and networking alongside accounting, operations and management. Graduates translate business needs into technology solutions and often move toward IT management roles.Computer and IS managers: $175,140 median
Business MajorsBusiness Analytics Degree OnlineA business analytics degree teaches you to turn messy business data into decisions using statistics, SQL, Python or R, and clear visualizations. Online programs are common at both the bachelor's and master's levels, and the skills feed into some of the fastest-growing analyst jobs the BLS tracks.Operations research analysts: $88,940 median
Business MajorsInternational Business DegreeAn international business degree teaches how companies trade, invest, hire and compete across borders, from tariffs and currency risk to cultural negotiation. It leads to roles in trade compliance, global logistics, international sales, finance and multinational management, usually after a first job in a domestic function.Management analysts: $101,860 median
Business MajorsSupply Chain Management and Logistics DegreeA supply chain degree teaches you to move materials, products and information from suppliers to customers at the right cost and speed. Graduates work in logistics, procurement, operations and planning, and the BLS projects logistician jobs to grow much faster than average through 2035.Logisticians: $82,320 median
Business MajorsProject Management DegreeYou do not strictly need a project management degree to manage projects, but a bachelor's is the typical entry education for project management specialists, who earned a median $102,320 in May 2025 (BLS). Here is when a degree, a master's or a certification makes the most sense.Project management specialists: $102,320 median
Business MajorsConstruction Management DegreeA construction management degree teaches you to run building projects from bid to closeout: estimating, scheduling, contracts, safety and people. A bachelor's is the usual degree for construction managers, who earned a median $114,990 in May 2025, according to the BLS.Construction managers: $114,990 median
Business MajorsSports Management DegreeA sports management degree applies business skills (marketing, finance, law, operations) to teams, leagues, colleges, facilities and recreation. It can open doors, but the field is competitive, so internships and networking matter as much as the diploma.Event planners: $61,160 median
Business MajorsHospitality and Hotel Management DegreeA hospitality degree prepares you to manage hotels, restaurants, resorts, events and tourism businesses. Many managers rise through experience instead, so the degree pays off most when you want to move faster into management or into corporate hospitality roles.Lodging managers: $69,250 median
Business MajorsOrganizational Leadership DegreeAn organizational leadership degree focuses on the people side of running organizations: motivating teams, leading change, communicating and making ethical decisions. It is especially popular with working adults finishing a bachelor's or moving into supervisory and training roles.Training and development managers: $133,000 median
Business MajorsPublic Administration DegreeA public administration degree trains you to manage government agencies and nonprofits: budgets, policy, people and programs. The bachelor's is the BPA; the master's is the MPA, the standard management degree for public service, much as the MBA is for business.Budget analysts: $91,640 median
Business MajorsReal Estate DegreeYou do not need a real estate degree to sell homes: agents need a state license, and the BLS lists a high school diploma as typical entry education. A degree matters for commercial real estate, development, finance, appraisal and investment careers.Property and real estate managers: $69,990 median
Business MajorsEvent Management DegreeAn event management degree teaches you to plan, budget, market and run conferences, weddings, festivals, trade shows and corporate events. Meeting, convention and event planners earned a median $61,160 in May 2025, and the BLS lists a bachelor's as typical entry education.Event planners: $61,160 median
Business MajorsAviation Management DegreeAn aviation management degree is a business degree built around airports, airlines and the federal rules that govern them. You study finance, operations and leadership alongside airport planning, air transportation economics and safety regulation, and it is available at associate, bachelor's and master's level, often online.Logisticians: $82,320 median
Business MajorsNonprofit Management DegreeA nonprofit management degree teaches you to run mission-driven organizations: raising money, managing grants, leading volunteers and boards, and proving results to donors. It is offered as a bachelor's, a specialized master's (MNM or MNA), an MPA concentration, or an MBA concentration, and much of it is available online.Fundraisers: $72,550 median
Business MajorsRetail Management DegreeA retail management degree teaches the business of selling to consumers: store operations, buying, inventory, pricing and customer experience. Fashion merchandising and fashion business degrees are close cousins with an apparel focus. All three lead to roles such as buyer, merchandiser, planner and store or district manager, and many are offered online.Purchasing managers and buyers: $81,670 median
Business MajorsAgribusiness DegreeAn agribusiness degree applies business, economics and finance to the food and farm economy, from running a farm or ranch to selling seed, trading grain, lending to farmers and managing food supply chains. It is offered as an associate, bachelor's or master's, and a growing number of programs are online.Agricultural managers: $89,900 median
Business MajorsActuarial Science DegreeAn actuarial science degree is a math-heavy bachelor's that prepares you to measure financial risk for insurers, pension plans and consultancies. It covers probability, statistics, financial mathematics and insurance, and lines up with the first professional exams. Actuaries earned a median of $130,000 in May 2025, according to the BLS.Actuaries: $130,000 median

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Every salary and job outlook figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Education costs come from the College Board and federal aid rules from the U.S. Department of Education. We do not rank schools or accept payment for placement. Read our editorial policy.