Explore Business Degrees

Doctorate in Business Administration

To enter a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree program, you must have an MBA or an equivalent graduate degree, although you can also find many combined MBA-DBA programs. A DBA usually takes between four and seven years to complete, depending on whether you are studying full- or part-time. Most programs require you to complete between 54 and 60 credits, divided into concentration courses, core courses, research skills, and electives. A dissertation is also required.

A DBA is the highest possible degree you can earn in the field of business administration. It is a good choice if your goal is to reach a high-level executive position. While many people pursue MBAs, earning your DBA places you in a small and elite category that will help you obtain better jobs throughout your career.

Types of Business Degrees

When you are ready to pursue a business degree, it is important to make the right choice. Whether you are entering college for the first time or a returning student, you want to choose a program and institution that’s a good match for your needs and objectives. Below is a list of common areas of business that are key in most companies and are often available as a business major. For each major below, we discuss what you can expect to learn while studying and possible job outcomes for each business degree type.

Business Administration

An online business administration degree gives students a good overview of business practices. This business degree is especially appropriate if you are seeking a leadership role in business. You will most likely take business management courses, marketing, finance, human resources management, and operations. You might choose an area of concentration, such as accounting, finance, or marketing.

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After earning your business administration degree, you can apply for administrative jobs in sectors such as retail, operations management, sales, or hospitality. You may hold job titles such as product manager, retail manager, systems analyst, or marketing executive. Your responsibilities may include negotiating contracts, analyzing financial data, overseeing budgets, and managing the company or departmental goals and policies. These are all positions that require you to communicate effectively, display leadership skills, and see the “big picture.”

Accounting

An accounting degree deals with the measurement, processing, and communication of financial information in business. It is possible to get an associate degree in accounting; however, most accountants obtain a bachelor’s degree, which requires a minimum of 150 credit hours in related subjects. Some of the subjects that will be covered in a bachelor’s accounting degree program or an online MBA in accounting program include taxes, auditing, financial reporting, and a certain number of business electives.

As an accountant, you may choose among many career and job specializations. For example, public accountants manage financial information for businesses, forensic accountants investigate financial crimes, and auditors analyze financial data for individuals or businesses to ensure all laws and regulations are followed.

Bachelor’s in Forensic Accounting | Bachelor of Science in Accounting – Managerial Accountancy | Masters in Accounting

Finance

Finance is the business area dealing with funding sources and the actions that business managers take to increase shareholders’ value. Depending on the kind of job you are seeking, you might also study real estate law, business ethics, investment banking, and many other topics related to the financial industry.

With a finance degree, you are qualified for many career options, including financial analyst, consultant, banker, and financial planner. You may work for a bank, large company, or an individual as a personal financial advisor.

Marketing

Marketing is the communication from a business to the consumer that aims to increase its value or its products. If you want to be in charge of marketing campaigns, a marketing degree provides the kind of training you need. You can find associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees in this diverse field. Some of the topics you might study include marketing analytics, consumer behavior, digital marketing, pricing strategies, and global business.

Because marketing is an essential function of every business, a degree in this field offers many possibilities. You could work in areas such as advertising, brand management, and digital marketing. You can apply for jobs such as marketing manager, marketing research analyst, public relations specialist, sales manager, or social media manager. You could also apply what you learn to start and grow your own business.

Human Resource Management

Human Resource (HR) Management is designed to maximize employee performance regarding a business’s key strategic objectives.

When earning a degree in human resources, you will be learning about subjects such as recruitment, employee training, legal issues, organizational theory, diversity issues, and how to manage employees’ compensation and benefits.

As a human resources specialist, you may work in the public or private sector. Some of the HR job options you may consider with this type of degree include labor relations specialists, compensation and benefits managers, training and development managers, and human resources managers. In general, an HR expert needs to be well organized, an excellent communicator, and understand and explain complicated information in a way that others can easily understand.

Entrepreneurship

If you prefer the idea of being your boss rather than reporting to a manager an entrepreneurship degree is something you should consider. This is a degree that prepares you for the challenge of starting, managing, and growing your own business. To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to acquire the business acumen needed to run your own business. This process will help study topics such as human resources, marketing, management, accounting, and finance in your degree program. You may also want to take courses related to an industry directly related to your future business, such as hospitality, sports, technology, or fashion. You can also choose electives based on your goals. For example, you can find courses that teach you how to start a digital business, raise funding, or recognize new technology trends.

Unlike most other business degrees, an entrepreneurship degree is designed to prepare you to start a business rather than get a typical job. Entrepreneurs benefit from a large amount of self-motivation, discipline, and perseverance. They also must be skilled in fundraising, supervising employees, and managing their time. A business degree in entrepreneurship will provide the educational base needed to become successful at managing your own business. You may also want to consider an online MBA in Entrepreneurship if you already have a bachelor’s level degree.

International Business

An international business degree prepares you for a career in the fast-growing world of global business. Your course of study is likely to include international finance, macroeconomics, marketing, and international trade law. Most international business degrees students also study at least two foreign languages since fluency in other languages is essential for working in other countries or communicating with people worldwide.

With a degree in international business, you may work in international banking, economics, accounting, or foreign trade. The Foreign Service, which is part of the US Department of Commerce, the CIA, and the US State Department, is good employment prospects for this business degree. You can also apply for jobs with multinational corporations and nonprofit organizations. These can be ideal careers for people who enjoy travel and interacting with people from many different cultures.

Operations Management

An operations management degree will prepare you for a career that involves helping businesses operate more efficiently. While earning this degree, you will study manufacturing strategies, supply-chain management, project management, and quality control. You may also be required to take courses in calculus, microeconomics, information systems, and finance. Because operations managers are responsible for a wide variety of tasks, it helps to have diverse backgrounds, including business, mathematics, economics, and finance.

An operations management degree prepares you for jobs such as an operations manager, quality control manager, or production manager. These are all jobs that require you to be an expert in the day-to-day functioning of business, demanding organizational and communication skills as well as a thorough knowledge of business operations.

Public Relations

The public relations degree has long been one of the most attractive and useful business degrees you can pursue. While the field has changed a great deal with the digital age’s dawn, the basic principles remain the same. PR specialists exist to promote businesses, manage reputations, and build brands. To learn to do this, you will have to study areas such as mass media, communications, digital media, and the nuts and bolts of planning public relations campaigns.

As a public relations specialist, you will be responsible for generating publicity for individuals or businesses. This may involve sending press releases, arranging interviews, helping CEOs or celebrities write speeches, and managing the impact of negative publicity. Today, social media plays a significant role in the public relations field, so this type of job requires you to be an effective communicator and a good networker. The best PR specialists excel at building relationships with people in the media and others who can generate positive publicity for clients.

Economics

Economics is a field that studies the economic activities of individuals and societies. The field is divided into microeconomics (which focuses on individuals or particular institutions) and macroeconomics (which is concerned with entire countries or the world). In addition to micro and macroeconomics, you will study subject areas such as statistics, economic theory, and public policy. Economists today must also be able to work with sophisticated software, so computer-related courses are also helpful. Many jobs in economics require a graduate degree.

Economics is a broad field that can prepare you for a career in politics, law, academia, and business or nonprofit business. An economics degree can prepare you for jobs such as an economist, financial risk analyst, economics professor, or attorney who specializes in financial issues. All jobs in this field require advanced analytical skills to be comfortable working with interpreting complex data.

Business Management

If you are seeking a career in business management, many types of degrees can prepare you. A business management degree, however, is specifically geared for this kind of job. To earn this degree, you will have to complete core business courses in business management, economics, statistics, and business ethics. Some programs allow you to choose electives based on your desired area of concentration.

With a management degree, you will be able to apply for a variety of management jobs, including business manager, financial analyst, marketing manager, or sales representative. Leadership positions require excellent communication and management skills. Job responsibilities include supervising employees, setting departmental and company goals, and delegating tasks. You have a wide choice of industries to choose from with this degree, as all enterprises and organizations need management skills. Enrolling in an undergraduate business management degree program is an especially good choice if you plan to pursue an MBA later.

Logistics

Logistics is concerned with tasks such as supply chain management, transportation, and warehousing. Today, the field includes subjects related to e-commerce as well as operating traditional brick and mortar facilities. To get a logistics degree, you will study general business topics and logistics management, supply chain management, and transportation management.

With a logistics degree, you can apply for jobs for which you will oversee tasks such as the distribution, production, and transportation of goods. You could become a logistics manager, transportation director, supply chain manager, or inventory manager. These jobs require organizational skills, the ability to oversee a variety of tasks, and supervisory skills.

Compare Business Degrees

Compare the best business degrees in America.

Business Program Accreditation and Other Resources

Business Degree Accreditation

As you discover business degrees, one of the primary factors you must consider is accreditation. A few organizations provide business school and business degree accreditation, each with a slightly different focus. It will help you familiarize yourself with the different types of business accreditation as you narrow your business school search.

Institutional Accreditation

Institutional accreditation means the entire college or university has been approved by a recognized agency that accredits higher education institutions. When this type of accreditation is in place, you can assume that all of the school’s programs are accredited.

Business Accreditation Bodies

Program accreditation, on the other hand, means that a particular program is accredited. If the program you are considering has been accredited, you will have confidence in the program, regardless of whether every school program has been accredited. When schools or programs claim to be accredited, you should also make sure that the accreditation has been performed by a recognized and respected organization, such as the following:

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

The AACSB provides accreditation for bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate programs throughout the world. AACSB-accredited business degrees are widely recognized as the most selective type of accreditation for business programs. Fewer than 25% of business schools in the United States have AACSB accreditation.

Accreditation Council For Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)

The ACBSP was founded in 1988 and is another widely recognized organization that provides accreditation to business degree programs. Unlike the AACSB, the ACBSP provides accreditation for associate programs and baccalaureate, master’s, and doctorate programs. The ACBSP accredits close to 3,000 business programs around the world.

Association of MBAs (AMBA)

The AMBA is an organization that offers accreditation to MBA programs around the world. This is a more specialized accreditation type that is useful if you are applying for an MBA program. You can quickly lookup a program to see if the AMBA accredits it or find accredited programs in your area. The AMBA accredits MBA programs in more than 70 countries.

EQUIS

EQUIS, which is affiliated with the Management Development Network (EFMD), is an international accreditation body that is a partner with the United Nations Global Compact, whose goal is to produce quality managers and leaders. EQUIS-EFMD has a network of more than 600 business schools and companies around the world. EQUIS provides institutional accreditation for schools that meet the organization’s standards. It does not just evaluate degree programs, but all institution activities, including research and community outreach. EFMD also offers EPAS, which is an international program accreditation system.

International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE)

The IACBE was founded in 1997 and is another accreditation body that recognizes business education programs. The IACBE has an accreditation philosophy based on measurable results achieved by institutions.

Business School Resources

Check out our in-depth guides and other resources for studying smarter so that you can get the most out of your business degree. We have an ever-expanding list of guides to study for the GMAT, the GRE, the ACT, the last SAT, and TOEFL tests. We also have a wide variety of resources on paying for your degree, as well as curated scholarship lists.