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Business Administration

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.

Schools
1169
Programs analyzed
Earnings
$46,892
Avg 1-yr grad earnings
Range $14,895–$113,777
AI Risk
High
52% task exposure
Field Overview

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.

Career Trajectories

Where Business Administration graduates work

Common career paths for Business Administration graduates, with median salaries, projected growth, and AI exposure per role. Roughly 1,459,500 combined openings per year across these roles.

Role Median Pay Annual Openings 10-yr Growth AI Exposure
Computer and information systems managers
$171,200
$134K–$216K
55,600 +15.2% High · 53%
Financial managers
$161,700
$118K–$214K
74,600 +14.8% High · 50%
Sales managers
$138,060
$96K–$201K
49,000 +4.7% Moderate · 45%
Managers, all other
$136,550
$100K–$179K
106,700 +4.5% Moderate · 47%
Medical and health services managers
$117,960
$89K–$162K
62,100 +23.2% Moderate · 43%
Construction managers
$106,980
$83K–$139K
46,800 +8.7% Moderate · 44%
General and operations managers
$102,950
$67K–$164K
308,700 +4.4% Moderate · 48%
Management analysts
$101,190
$77K–$133K
98,100 +8.8% Moderate · 40%
Project management specialists
$100,750
$77K–$132K
78,200 +5.6% High · 55%
Business operations specialists, all other
$81,270
$61K–$110K
108,200 +3.0% High · 52%
First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
$78,300
$61K–$100K
52,400 +3.1% Moderate · 41%
Human resources specialists
$72,910
$56K–$97K
81,800 +6.2% High · 64%
First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
$71,190
$56K–$87K
67,700 +1.2% Moderate · 40%
First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
$66,140
$53K–$82K
144,500 -0.3% Moderate · 49%
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
$47,320
$38K–$61K
125,100 -5.0% Moderate · 49%
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).
Top Institutions

Best schools for Business Administration

Schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score (earnings × AI resilience × ROI × job-market size). Top 10 of 1169.

Rank #1 · DegreeOutlook Score 89
Bismarck State College
Bismarck, ND · Public
$100,668 1-yr earnings
61.8x ROI multiple
High AI risk
# School DW Score 1-yr Earnings ROI
5 Brigham Young University
Provo, UT · Private nonprofit
85 $71,163 37.3x
6 California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public
84 $71,876 22.2x
7 Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Atlanta, GA · Public
83 $73,557 19.5x
8 Colorado State University Global
Aurora, CO · Public
83 $69,863 25.2x
9 University of Maryland-College Park
College Park, MD · Public
83 $65,842 21.2x
10 Thomas Edison State University
Trenton, NJ · Public
82 $69,147 29.5x
11 University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI · Public
82 $67,699 19.6x
12 The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX · Public
82 $66,289 19.4x
13 Weber State University
Ogden, UT · Public
82 $65,966 31.9x
14 Great Basin College
Elko, NV · Public
82 $64,807 50.5x
15 Western Governors University
Salt Lake City, UT · Private nonprofit
81 $66,432 22.9x
16 Utah Valley University
Orem, UT · Public
81 $60,132 31.5x
17 City University of Seattle
Seattle, WA · Private nonprofit
80 $79,592 14.1x
18 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide
Daytona Beach, FL · Private nonprofit
80 $66,999 17.4x
19 University of Maryland Global Campus
Adelphi, MD · Public
80 $62,634 23.8x
20 Bellevue University
Bellevue, NE · Private nonprofit
80 $60,931 21.7x
Find the top Business Administration schools — ranked by actual earnings data from 1169 programs →

Highest Earnings Top 5

Manhattan College
NY
$113,777
Bismarck State College
ND
$100,668
Maine Maritime Academy
ME
$98,743
Carnegie Mellon University
PA
$95,891
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
MI
$93,674

Related majors

Similar fields of study often offered alongside Business Administration.

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.

Compare Business Administration trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →
FAQ

Frequently asked about Business Administration

What do Business Administration graduates make in their first year?

The median first-year salary across 1169 Business Administration programs is $46,892. School selection matters — the gap between the lowest ($14,895) and highest ($113,777) earning programs is significant.

How exposed is Business Administration to AI disruption?

Business Administration is rated "High" for AI automation risk, with 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.

Where should I study Business Administration?

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 ROI on 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.