As students navigate a rapidly shifting job market, college business programs in the U.S. continue to attract strong interest — and the numbers back it up.
Hundreds of thousands of students graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business in the U.S. each year, and it’s typically the most popular field of study, according to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics.
Those graduates can expect relatively high earnings, per BLS data. Business and financial occupations carried a median annual income of $80,920 in 2024, far exceeding the average $49,500 median yearly pay across all occupations. The field is also projected to grow faster than average from 2024 to 2034, generating roughly 942,500 job openings each year.
For Luke Bickel, senior director of graduate programs for the Andre B. Lacy School of Business at Butler University in Indiana, those figures reflect what he has seen in more than 25 years in higher education: business degrees remain among the most versatile credentials available.
“There are skills that are developed in a school of business that are applicable in the for?profit sector, in the nonprofit sector, in state, local and federal government,” Bickel says. “They’re all built around the idea of managing people, managing budgets and making good decisions with resources.”
That flexibility, he says, makes business an appealing choice for students with wide?ranging interests. A student who loves art but isn’t sure about pursuing it professionally, for example, could build a career on the business side of an art gallery.
“They can still have both sides of their passions satisfied,” he says.
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Supply Chain Logistics
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted one of the fastest?growing business fields: supply chain logistics.
“Since COVID, I think we’ve all become hyper aware of supply chain,” Bickel says. “There are enormous job opportunities in supply chain logistics and analytics.”
In 2024, the median annual pay for logisticians was about $81,000, according to the BLS, which projected 17% growth in the profession between 2024 and 2034.
As technology evolves, it tends to create jobs in the business sector rather than absorb jobs, Bickel adds.
Small Business
Small businesses, which make up the majority of U.S. companies, offer another path for graduates seeking rapid advancement or entrepreneurial experience.
“That’s very appealing to students today, who are not necessarily thinking about a one?career organization for 40 years,” Bickel says.
He sees the value of business education up close, as one of his children is studying engineering and business at Butler with the goal of designing medical devices. Beyond career preparation, he says, business programs teach life skills students often don’t get elsewhere — basic accounting, economics and budget management.
Students can pursue business training as undergraduates or return later for an MBA. Either way, Bickel says, the payoff is clear.
“There’s a huge opportunity to move up in an organization. Leadership often has advanced business education because they’re in charge of people and budgets that are so critical to keeping a business afloat.”
Value of a Business Degree
Bickel sees few drawbacks to business degrees and benefits to any level of education in business. Students can double?major, pair business with unrelated fields or take business electives to strengthen their professional tool kit.
“The skills are both professionally developmental and personally developmental,” he says. “They lead to strong careers, strong salaries, all of these options.”
One challenge is correcting misconceptions, he says. “There’s this misperception that business is buttoned?up, only for profit. Most of our students want to have an impact. They want to change things.”
At Butler, all business students take coursework exploring how business development affects communities. They visit neighborhoods to see how local leaders and businesses collaborate to create stable, well?paying jobs.
“In business, you can do good and do well,” Bickel says.
Smaller schools often stand out by offering multiple internships, he says. Butler requires two for graduation and pairs students with retired executives who mentor them throughout their four years.
For Kamaria King, an MBA from Mercer University in Georgia proved transformative. She entered Mercer’s one?year accelerated program immediately after earning an undergraduate degree in education from the University of Montevallo in Alabama.
“It was hard — a very fast?paced environment to learn the front and back end of business development,” she says. “Everything you need to know to run a business.”
King, 37, says the degree has been a “leveraging tool,” opening doors across industries. “If you’re a baker and you know how to bake, with an MBA you know how to position a bakery, how to do market research, what the financials will look like.”
Her business training has allowed her to work in restaurant and hospitality management and help family and friends administer their businesses. Beyond the coursework, she says, the prestige and networking that come with an MBA matter.
“It will help you land the job and get in front of the people who need to see your work.”
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Top 5 Jobs for Bachelor’s Degrees in Business
According to the BLS, they are:
Financial Manager
Oversee financial health, investments and budgeting for organizations.
Management Analyst or Consultant
Improve organizational efficiency, analyze problems and develop solutions.
Accountants and Auditor
Prepare and examine financial records, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
Marketing Manager
Plan and direct marketing campaigns, bridging business goals with customer engagement.
Human Resources Manager
Handle employee relations, recruitment and compensation.
Top 6 Jobs You Can Get With an MBA
According to the BLS, they are:
Financial Manager
Roles include overseeing budgets, investments and financial planning.
Marketing or Product Manager
MBA programs emphasize strategic thinking and market analysis, helping graduates compete for leadership roles.
Management Consultant
High demand in strategy, analytics and digital transformation.
Human Resources Manager
Manage recruitment, employee relations and training.
Operations or Supply Chain Manager
Supply chain and operations roles are highlighted as strong growth areas for MBA graduates.
Health Care Administrator or Manager
Health care is one of the fastest?growing sectors hiring MBAs, especially for roles that blend business strategy with health care operations.
What You Can Do With an Associate Degree in Business
An associate degree in business allows graduates to enter the workforce quickly, typically within two years. The degree qualifies graduates for entry-level jobs in fields such as health care, finance and retail.
Career paths include administrative assistants, who support executive leadership with scheduling and financial reporting, and relationship bankers, who manage client accounts and loan applications.
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Graduates also find success as human resources assistants and bookkeeping clerks, where they apply fundamental skills in accounting and personnel management.
The degree provides a significant boost in earning potential when compared to a high school diploma. Many students use the associate degree as a stepping stone to further their education. For example, credits can transfer toward a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Houston Community College in Texas is one of the largest producers of business graduates across various sectors, including marketing and accounting, while Valencia College in Florida has associate business programs that prepare graduates to transfer to four-year universities.
Benefits of a Doctorate Degree in Business
Doctoral degrees in business, such as the Doctor of Business Administration and the Ph.D. in business administration, offer distinct advantages.
A Ph.D. is designed for those who want to pursue a careers in higher education, scholarly research or policymaking. The DBA is a professional doctorate tailored for experienced executives who want to apply advanced research methodologies to solve real-world organizational challenges.
Both degrees provide a significant boost in credibility and earning potential. Graduates are often positioned for leadership roles, such as CEO or CFO, as well as high-level consulting and advisory positions.
The degrees also qualify individuals for faculty positions at universities, although the Ph.D. is traditionally preferred for research-intensive institutions while the DBA is valued for clinical or practice-based teaching roles.
Two examples of well-established doctoral programs are at the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business, which offers a DBA that combines online work with monthly weekend residencies on campus, and the hybrid part-time Executive DBA at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business in Pennsylvania that can be completed in under three years.
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What Can You Do With a Business Degree? originally appeared on usnews.com
