Business Administration Degree

1169 schools compared · Average earnings $46,892/yr

Students study organizational management, strategic planning, operations, leadership, and the principles of running businesses efficiently and effectively. Graduates typically pursue careers as business managers, operations directors, management consultants, and entrepreneurs across industries from healthcare to technology. This is one of the most versatile and widely applicable business degrees, with graduates found in leadership roles across every sector.

What Business Administration Graduates Do

Your degree prepares you to be the person who makes a business run. As an operations manager, you might spend your day troubleshooting a supply chain disruption, reallocating staff to cover a shortage, and analyzing performance data to find cost savings. Alternatively, as a management analyst, you’ll act as an internal consultant, interviewing teams to diagnose why a project is behind schedule and then presenting a new workflow to leadership.

Many careers begin in specialist roles like project management or as a first-line supervisor, directly leading teams. With experience, you can advance to oversee entire departments. Note that while strategic roles like management analyst are growing quickly, supervisory positions face significant headwinds from automation. Across these paths, AI will automate major parts of your routine work, from generating reports to initial data analysis. This isn't eliminating the jobs, but it fundamentally changes them. For roles like HR specialist, AI's impact is even more transformative. Your success will depend less on executing routine tasks and more on your ability to solve complex problems, lead people, and adapt to new tools.

Schools Offering
1169
Avg Grad Earnings
$46,892/yr
Avg DegreeOutlook Score
61/100
AI Automation Risk
High
52% task exposure

Common Career Paths

Where Business Administration graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 1,459,500 combined openings per year.

Career Path Salary Range Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Computer and information systems managers
$171,200
$134K$216K
55,600 +15.2% 53%
Financial managers
$161,700
$118K$214K
74,600 +14.8% 50%
Sales managers
$138,060
$96K$201K
49,000 +4.7% 45%
Managers, all other
$136,550
$100K$179K
106,700 +4.5% 47%
Medical and health services managers
$117,960
$89K$162K
62,100 +23.2% 43%
Construction managers
$106,980
$83K$139K
46,800 +8.7% 44%
General and operations managers
$102,950
$67K$164K
308,700 +4.4% 48%
Management analysts
$101,190
$77K$133K
98,100 +8.8% 40%
Project management specialists
$100,750
$77K$132K
78,200 +5.6% 55%
Business operations specialists, all other
$81,270
$61K$110K
108,200 +3.0% 52%
First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
$78,300
$61K$100K
52,400 +3.1% 41%
Human resources specialists
$72,910
$56K$97K
81,800 +6.2% 64%
First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
$71,190
$56K$87K
67,700 +1.2% 40%
First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
$66,140
$53K$82K
144,500 -0.3% 49%
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
$47,320
$38K–$61K
125,100 -5.0% 49%
Computer and information systems managers
$171,200
$134K $216K
55,600 openings/yr +15.2% growth 53% AI risk
Financial managers
$161,700
$118K $214K
74,600 openings/yr +14.8% growth 50% AI risk
Sales managers
$138,060
$96K $201K
49,000 openings/yr +4.7% growth 45% AI risk
Managers, all other
$136,550
$100K $179K
106,700 openings/yr +4.5% growth 47% AI risk
Medical and health services managers
$117,960
$89K $162K
62,100 openings/yr +23.2% growth 43% AI risk
Construction managers
$106,980
$83K $139K
46,800 openings/yr +8.7% growth 44% AI risk
General and operations managers
$102,950
$67K $164K
308,700 openings/yr +4.4% growth 48% AI risk
Management analysts
$101,190
$77K $133K
98,100 openings/yr +8.8% growth 40% AI risk
Project management specialists
$100,750
$77K $132K
78,200 openings/yr +5.6% growth 55% AI risk
Business operations specialists, all other
$81,270
$61K $110K
108,200 openings/yr +3.0% growth 52% AI risk
First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
$78,300
$61K $100K
52,400 openings/yr +3.1% growth 41% AI risk
Human resources specialists
$72,910
$56K $97K
81,800 openings/yr +6.2% growth 64% AI risk
First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
$71,190
$56K $87K
67,700 openings/yr +1.2% growth 40% AI risk
First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
$66,140
$53K $82K
144,500 openings/yr -0.3% growth 49% AI risk
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
$47,320
$38K–$61K
125,100 openings/yr -5.0% growth 49% AI risk

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Best Schools for Business Administration

Top 20 of 1169 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

# School DW Score Earnings ROI
1 Bismarck State College
Bismarck, ND
89
85–90
$100,668/yr 61.8x
2 University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
87
83–87
$90,008/yr 23.4x
3 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
87
83–87
$85,618/yr 33.9x
4 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI
86
82–87
$93,674/yr 19.4x
5 Brigham Young University
Provo, UT
85
80–85
$71,163/yr 37.3x
6 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA
84
79–84
$71,876/yr 22.2x
7 Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Atlanta, GA
83
78–83
$73,557/yr 19.5x
8 Colorado State University Global
Aurora, CO
83
78–83
$69,863/yr 25.2x
9 University of Maryland-College Park
College Park, MD
83
77–83
$65,842/yr 21.2x
10 Thomas Edison State University
Trenton, NJ
82
77–83
$69,147/yr 29.5x
11 University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI
82
76–82
$67,699/yr 19.6x
12 The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX
82
76–82
$66,289/yr 19.4x
13 Weber State University
Ogden, UT
82
77–83
$65,966/yr 31.9x
14 Great Basin College
Elko, NV
82
77–83
$64,807/yr 50.5x
15 Western Governors University
Salt Lake City, UT
81
76–81
$66,432/yr 22.9x
16 Utah Valley University
Orem, UT
81
75–82
$60,132/yr 31.5x
17 City University of Seattle
Seattle, WA
80
76–81
$79,592/yr 14.1x
18 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide
Daytona Beach, FL
80
75–81
$66,999/yr 17.4x
19 University of Maryland Global Campus
Adelphi, MD
80
75–81
$62,634/yr 23.8x
20 Bellevue University
Bellevue, NE
80
74–81
$60,931/yr 21.7x

Highest Earning Business Administration Programs

Schools where Business Administration graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School 1-Year Earnings DW Score
Manhattan College $113,777/yr 77
Bismarck State College $100,668/yr 89
Maine Maritime Academy $98,743/yr 73
Carnegie Mellon University $95,891/yr 77
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor $93,674/yr 86
University of Pennsylvania $91,443/yr 74
University of California-Berkeley $90,008/yr 87
Emory University $85,682/yr 74
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill $85,618/yr 87
City University of Seattle $79,592/yr 80

Best ROI for Business Administration

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Business Administration.

School ROI Multiple Earnings DW Score
Haskell Indian Nations University 180.7x $25,941/yr 51
Bismarck State College 61.8x $100,668/yr 89
Florida State College at Jacksonville 53.2x $47,898/yr 75
St Petersburg College 52.9x $46,632/yr 73
Santa Fe College 52.3x $45,590/yr 71
Great Basin College 50.5x $64,807/yr 82
Eastern Florida State College 49.5x $42,854/yr 68
Pensacola State College 48.6x $43,704/yr 67
Broward College 48.1x $48,880/yr 73
University of Florida-Online 46.6x $52,032/yr 78
Want to compare two Business Administration programs side by side? Use the comparison tool →

Related Majors

Explore similar fields of study.

Consider the Trade Route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Business Administration offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Business Administration graduates earn?
Across 1169 schools, Business Administration graduates earn an average of $46,892 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $14,895 to $113,777 depending on the school.
What is the AI automation risk for Business Administration?
Business Administration is rated "High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 52% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means most career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.
Which school has the best Business Administration program?
Based on our DegreeOutlook Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), Bismarck State College ranks #1 for Business Administration with a score of 89/100 and graduate earnings of $100,668/yr.
What's the outlook for a Business Administration degree?
On average, Business Administration graduates earn 10.2x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a strong return on investment.
Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →