Business
Business & Management · federal classification: Business/Commerce, General
Median earnings by degree level
| Degree | Median earnings | Typical range | Schools | Clear the bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $50,931 | $43,199 to $54,690 | 13 | 92% |
| Associate's Degree | $48,910 | $42,570 to $56,349 | 149 | 97% |
| Bachelor's Degree | $64,071 | $57,277 to $71,835 | 226 | 99% |
| Master's Degree | $104,164 | $85,239 to $121,270 | 80 | 100% |
"Clear the bar" is the share of programs whose graduates out-earn a typical high-school graduate (the federal earnings-premium test). Typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile of program medians.
Job outlook
Projected employment growth +6% (2025 to 2035), about 794,900 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.
| Occupation | Median pay | Growth | Openings/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | $105,770 | +5% | 285,000 |
| Managers, All Other | $141,900 | +4.9% | 100,900 |
| Management Analysts | $101,860 | +10.1% | 94,100 |
| Project Management Specialists | $102,320 | +6.7% | 76,500 |
| Construction Managers | $114,990 | +9.1% | 49,700 |
| Sales Managers | $148,270 | +4.5% | 47,300 |
Occupation pay and outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wages, Employment Projections). A field maps to several occupations, and the same occupations serve many majors, so these are the jobs this major commonly leads to, not positions reserved for its graduates; the openings should not be added up across majors.
Where this is studied
The 8 colleges where the most students complete a business program, of 796 that report one. Ordered by number of completions only: this is where people study it, not a judgement about where to.
- Indiana University-Bloomington
- Northeastern University
- DeVry University-Illinois
- University of Missouri-Columbia
- University of Central Florida
- Strayer University-Global Region
- Cuesta College
- San Jacinto Community College
Earnings source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10), median earnings of graduates measured up to four years after completing. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise. Method: methodology. Report an error.