A business administration degree can prepare you for various careers and give you a leg up during the job search. In this guide, we will answer some of the most frequently asked questions regarding this degree. We’ll help you understand the skills it teaches, the demand for business administration graduates and the earning potential for degree-holders. Keep reading to learn more.
What Is Business Administration?
In essence, business administration refers to the management of time, resources and people. These professionals are essential in ensuring organizations run effectively, efficiently and profitably. They demonstrate soft skills like communication and teamwork, are able to solve complex problems, and possess the ability to evaluate employee performance.
What Is a Business Administration Degree?
A business administration associate degree is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary degree that includes multiple subjects such as marketing, accounting, business ethics, principles of management and business law. It provides students with a well-rounded education and understanding of how a business runs.
A business administration degree equips you with these skills:
- Strategic planning skills
- Analytical skills
- Organizational skills
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
- Problem-solving skills
- Active listening skills
- Empathy
- Attention to detail
Graduates use these skills to launch into different career paths, whether they want to become entrepreneurs, business consultants, human resources experts or financial advisors.
What Can You Specialize in With a Business Degree?
Once you have a business administration degree, you can specialize in a field of your choice. Consider the following degrees and specializations that you can choose from:
- Finance: If you enjoy working with numbers, you can choose to specialize in finance. You can learn more about investments, financial analysis, capital planning and other financial principles. A finance focus also enables you to apply financial and accounting principles in a business environment.
- Marketing: With this specialization, you’ll learn the key principles of marketing, including how to plan, implement, control and evaluate marketing strategies to achieve an organization’s goals.
- Entrepreneurship: If you have your own business or are thinking of starting one, a business administration degree can help you do so successfully. A degree with a focus on entrepreneurship teaches students important skills for running a business, such as employment law, budgeting and essential managerial skills.
- Human resources: Every organization requires a human resources department. This degree specialization will equip you with various skills, including conflict resolution and human asset management.
- Project management: If you’re interested in leading and managing teams within an organization, project management is a good choice. A project management specialization will equip you to create project plans and complete projects in the real world.
What Jobs Can You Get With a Business Administration Degree?
Businesses are constantly in need of employees who have business administration skills. After graduation, you can choose from various roles, these include:
- Procurement officer: In this role, your main responsibility is to buy essential products for your business. You must research and compare suppliers, including their offerings, quality and pricing. Once you’ve researched suppliers, you’ll need to choose one and monitor their delivery, products and relationship.
- Office administrator: Most businesses need an office administrator. As an office administrator, you must possess basic skills such as managing databases and using software like Microsoft Office. You’ll also communicate with clients and employees, which requires good people skills.
- Human resource manager: In this role, you’ll oversee recruitment, compliance, benefits, counseling, employee retention and more. You’ll also help the organization follow federal, state and local regulations.
- Sports operations manager: Professional sports organizations seek sports operations managers for both their front- and back-office operations. You also have the option to work in talent management firms, school academic programs, sports marketing agencies and even municipalities.
- Advertising and marketing specialist: A business administration degree can also equip you to manage clients’ accounts who need promotional work. As a marketing analyst, you can help organizations understand their target audience, what products they are looking for and how you can promote products to them.
- Franchising manager: Franchises often rely on business administrators to ensure operations run smoothly. As a franchise manager, it’s your responsibility to expand their brands continuously.
- Business developer or consultant: When businesses are looking to grow and expand, they rely on business consultants or developers. Business developers create strategies for business to expand their commercial footprint. In this role, you’ll develop new products and services, enter new markets, form partnerships and help businesses develop efficient operations.
What Is the Average Salary for Business Administration in Massachusetts?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual wage for individuals with business or financial jobs was $76,850 in May 2022. In Massachusetts, the average annual wage for business and financial operations occupations is over $96,000, while the average yearly salary for office and administrative support positions is around $53,000.
Here are several positions you can attain with a business administration degree and their median salaries:
- Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants: New employees earn around $43,000, and the median pay is closer to $63,000. Experienced employees can earn more than $92,000.
- Project management specialists: The median pay for this job in Massachusetts is around $90,000. New employees earn around $52,000, while experienced workers earn up to $148,000.
- Human resources managers: New employees can earn around $79,000, while experienced workers can earn upwards of $232,000. The median pay for this position is around $138,000.
- Office clerks: The median salary for this position is around $42,000. New employees earn closer to $29,000, while experienced employees can earn $61,000.
- Agents and business managers: Employees new to the industry earn around $24,000 annually, while experienced agents earn upwards of $234,000. The median pay is around $64,000.
- Payroll and timekeeping clerks: The median pay for this position is around $50,000. New worker salaries start around $30,000, and experienced employees earn up to $73,000.
- Chief executives: The salary for new workers is around $134,000, the median pay is $207,000 and the salary for experienced workers is $338,000.
If it’s not listed here, you can search for the career you’re interested in online and discover the average pay for business jobs in Massachusetts.
Is a Business Administration Degree Worth It?
Business administration is a worthwhile degree because every industry needs personnel with management and business skills. A business administration degree equips you to become a leader with the management, technical and organizational skills necessary to advance a business. Let’s look at some of the benefits of a business administration degree:
- Versatility: With a business administration degree, you can work in countless types of business. This degree equips you to excel in a multitude of careers.
- High earning potentials: Business is one of the highest-paying career paths today.
- Job security: Every business needs leaders to solve complex problems. Once you graduate with a business administration degree, you’ll have many in-demand skills.
Earn a Business Administration Associate Degree With MWCC
A business administration degree includes many disciplines that set the foundation for you to branch off into a field of your choice. You can work in finance, procurement, human resources or become an entrepreneur — endless options are available. You’ll learn real-world skills that apply to countless businesses and industries.
At Mount Wachusett Community College, our business administration degree program allows you to bolster your resume and become an excellent leader. You can complete your degree on campus or online at your own pace. To learn more about our program, request more information online or fill out an application!
