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Business, Management & Marketing

Types of Degrees Business, Management & Marketing Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Business, Management & Marketing can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	18,440
Associate’s Degree	104,171
Bachelor’s Degree	386,261
Master’s Degree	318,391
Doctor’s Degree	4,514

What Business, Management & Marketing Majors Need to Know

Programs in Business, Management & Marketing emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Business, Management & Marketing graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Business, Management & Marketing emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Business, Management & Marketing program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Business, Management & Marketing careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Business, Management & Marketing graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Business, Management & Marketing professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	✓
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	✓
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	✓
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Business, Management & Marketing graduates include:

• Administrative Coordinator
• Assistant Professor
• Associate Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Professor
• College Faculty Member
• College Professor
• Instructor
• Call Center Manager
• Call Center Supervisor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Lecturer
• Faculty Member
• Sales Specialist
• Front End Manager

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Business, Management & Marketing graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	40.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	16.6%
Master’s degree	11.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	9.0%
Some college courses	8.4%
Postsecondary certificate	4.9%
Doctoral degree	4.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.2%
Less than a high school diploma	1.4%
First professional degree	0.8%
Post-master’s certificate	0.4%
Post-doctoral training	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Business, Management & Marketing?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 50.5% women and 49.5% men among Business, Management & Marketing graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	424,246	50.5%
Men	415,791	49.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Business, Management & Marketing graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	405,007	48.2%
Asian	59,637	7.1%
Hispanic or Latino	142,384	16.9%
Black or African American	91,410	10.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	4,499	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2,136	0.3%
Two or More Races	27,773	3.3%
Race Unknown	43,477	5.2%
International Students	63,714	7.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Business, Management & Marketing Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Business, Management & Marketing graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$59,795
4 years	$62,861
5 years	$71,005

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $71,005 — roughly 19% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Business, Management & Marketing Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Business, Management & Marketing. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	3,130	1,368
Bachelor’s	3,052	2,606
Master’s	3,398	1,882
Doctoral (Research)	246	78

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Business, Management & Marketing Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Business, Management & Marketing graduates earn a median of $62,861 four years after completion — roughly 65% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.