Business Administration Major: What It Includes, Classes and Careers

A Business Administration major is a broad business major that covers management, finance, marketing and operations. Business administration gives you a working knowledge of how organizations run.

A Business Administration major includes coursework in financial and managerial accounting, principles of management, marketing, business finance, and business law and ethics and more. You build skills such as business analysis, budgeting, team leadership, and professional communication. Typical degrees: associate and bachelor's degrees, plus the MBA.

Typical courses include financial and managerial accounting, principles of management, marketing, business finance, business law and ethics, operations and supply chain, and business statistics. Exact course names and requirements vary by college, and most degrees also include general education courses.

It depends on the level. Business Administration is offered as certificate, associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral awards at U.S. colleges; certificates take from a few months to about two years, an associate degree usually takes about two years of full-time study, a bachelor’s degree usually takes about four years of full-time study, a master’s degree usually takes one to two years after a bachelor’s, and a doctoral or professional degree takes several more years beyond that. Part-time study takes longer.

Associate and bachelor's degrees, plus the MBA. In the latest federal data, 779 colleges reported certificate awards, 1,241 colleges reported associate awards, 1,530 colleges reported bachelor’s awards, 1,024 colleges reported master’s awards, and 158 colleges reported doctoral awards.

Career paths connected to business administration include general and operations manager, administrative services manager, project manager, management analyst, office manager, executive assistant, administrative assistant, and account executive. Some roles need additional training, experience, certification or a license.

Examples include general and operations manager (typical training: 5+ years of experience), administrative services manager (typical training: Several years of experience), project manager (typical training: 1–4+ years), management analyst (typical training: Less than 5 years of experience), office manager (typical training: 3–5 years of administrative experience), and executive assistant (typical training: 2–5 years of administrative experience).

Business Administration majors build skills such as business analysis, budgeting, team leadership, professional communication, spreadsheets and business software, and decision-making.

Good pairings include Accounting (gives you the financial literacy managers rely on every day), Marketing (helps you understand customers and how businesses grow), Data Analytics (prepares you to base decisions on data, a skill employers ask for across business roles), and Project Management (gives you a structured way to plan and deliver work).

It can be a good fit if you are interested in the work it leads to, such as general and operations manager, administrative services manager, and project manager, and enjoy subjects like financial and managerial accounting and principles of management. No major guarantees a job, so compare the coursework, the careers and the education each career requires before deciding.

How hard it feels depends on your strengths. Core coursework includes financial and managerial accounting, principles of management, and marketing; if those subjects interest you, the major is likely to feel more manageable. Reviewing a college’s course list and talking to current students helps you judge.

2,496 U.S. colleges reported awarding degrees or certificates in this field in the latest federal (IPEDS) data. Programs can have different names at different schools.

California (218), Texas (147), New York (138), Pennsylvania (126), and North Carolina (114), based on the colleges that reported awards in this field.

2,128 of the colleges that offer business administration also report offering at least one program entirely online, though not necessarily this one. Use the college search with this major and “Offers fully online programs”, then confirm with the school.

Business Administration is a broad business major that covers management, finance, marketing and operations. Marketing studies how organizations understand customers and promote products and services. Business Administration leads to careers such as general and operations manager and administrative services manager, while Marketing leads to careers such as marketing manager and digital marketing specialist.

Business Administration is a broad business major that covers management, finance, marketing and operations. Accounting teaches you to record, analyze, report and audit financial information. Business Administration leads to careers such as general and operations manager and administrative services manager, while Accounting leads to careers such as accountant and bookkeeper.

Yes. Short online career training can help you understand a specific job and build practical knowledge alongside your classes. It does not replace your degree or any required license.

No. Career Education Institute is not a college and does not award degrees. It offers short, non-credit online trainings about jobs connected to business administration, such as General and Operations Manager Training.