Business school is a major milestone for many aspiring leaders and entrepreneurs. Those who desire to oversee, direct, and run a business often choose to major in business administration, as this degree path provides a range of management, technical, and organizational skills. If you’re a prospective student, a college applicant, or an undecided learner, you may be wondering, “Is business administration a good major?” Keep reading to find out.
Today, many private, public, and non-profit business jobs require some higher education to apply. However, this is just one reason to pursue a business administration degree. Once business administration students cross the commencement stage, they become well on their way toward high earning potential, career advancement, and long-term job security.
Read below to discover the top seven advantages of majoring in business administration.
1. Enter an innovative and in-demand field.
Across sectors, every business, big and small, needs business leaders with organizational expertise, forward-thinking approaches and strategy, and senior management skills. Business administration graduates have the ability to utilize technology to solve some of the industry’s most complex issues. Graduates can also optimize organizations more effectively and efficiently, making their degrees more marketable than their counterparts. For these reasons, business administration consistently tops the charts as one of the most in-demand majors among employers today.
2. Gain leadership skills to promote business longevity.
A business administration degree can strengthen student resumes and prepare graduates for leadership and management roles in any organization, whether climbing up the corporate ladder or launching your own company. After commencement, graduates then have the skills to be successful managers, with a solid understanding of motivating employees, setting goals, and establishing plans to pursue them — giving former business administration majors a critical, competitive advantage.
3. Earn a valuable and versatile degree.
Studying business administration is all-encompassing, and the universal field allows students to have a solid foundation of business acumen while developing cross-functional skills for several career paths. In addition, employers recognize that business administration graduates are an asset, as former students study common business theories and apply the concepts to real-world situations.
As technology advances, many business administration programs offer flexible remote, hybrid options so students can continue their education at their convenience. Similarly, employers hiring business administration graduates are quickly following suit — offering accessible, work from home and hybrid options to their employees. In fact, it’s estimated that nearly 25% of all professional jobs in North America will be remote by the end of 2022.
4. Develop fundamental knowledge in business.
Business administration students learn to gather and organize data while identifying and analyzing organizational pain points to offer practical solutions. In a business administration program, learners study how to conduct competitor research and create sales strategies to outperform the market competition. Students also research business operations – including making and managing intelligent investments. In addition, those enrolled in a business administration program will learn the lifecycle of a project, the tools and techniques of task management, and team dynamics.
5. Strengthen your soft skills.
Majoring in business administration will enhance your communication, critical thinking, presentation, and teamwork skills. In a business administration program, learners practice explaining their ideas, persuading others, and collaborating. Business administration students gather information to efficiently problem-solve, triage tasks as needed, and analyze quantitative and qualitative methods to make sound operational decisions. Creativity can also be developed during a business administration degree when students invent original ideas for outdated practices and facilitate positive outcomes.
6. Grow your professional network and goals.
Networking while still in school allows business administration students to practice interpersonal communication like exchanging contact information, elevator pitches, and reading professional verbal and non-verbal cues. Additionally, networking will enable students to meet peers with similar interests and interact with their program director and professors, who could write them letters of recommendation or give learners a heads up about potential job opportunities after graduation.
7. Qualify for countless opportunities and optimistic earning potential.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, business and financial occupations are projected to grow eight percent from 2020 to 2030, adding 750,800 new jobs to the field.
Computing and creative career titles for business administration graduates include:
- Advertising, promotions, or marketing manager
- Budget analyst
- Financial analyst
- Human resources specialist
- Management analyst
- Market research analyst
- Public relations
- Training and development specialist
A business administration degree offers a well-rounded education that complements an array of careers. Whether employed by a corporation, government entity, or small business startup, business administration graduates can enter various professional industries prepared and ready for success — from insurance and manufacturing to publishing, sales, teaching, and more.
Earning a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration is also an ideal steppingstone toward obtaining a graduate degree like a Master’s of Science in Organizational Leadership and moving into upper-level management positions.
Getting Started as a Business Administration Major
Business leaders are in-demand everywhere. With high emotional intelligence and a specific set of strategic business skills in their back pockets, business administration majors have a bright future by networking, gaining rewarding employment, and earning higher salaries in today’s most exciting and emerging fields.
If you are wondering whether business administration is a good major, consider this: It is estimated that almost 60% of employers will hire candidates with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Due to the level of knowledge, skill, and motivation that these graduates hold, business administration majors are listed among the top three in-demand graduates by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). So, rather than questioning the value of a business administration major, or the reasons to study business administration, ask yourself: What’s next? What do you need to get started in this in-demand field?
Are you interested in discovering what a business administration degree can do for you? Click here to learn more about earning your certificate, associate, or bachelor’s degree in Business Administration!
Goodwin University is a nonprofit institution of higher education and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), formerly known as the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Goodwin University was founded in 1999, with the goal of serving a diverse student population with career-focused degree programs that lead to strong employment outcomes.