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General Business & Commerce

Types of Degrees General Business & Commerce Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Business & Commerce may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1,541
Associate’s Degree	17,707
Bachelor’s Degree	25,923
Master’s Degree	12,447
Doctor’s Degree	190

What General Business & Commerce Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing General Business & Commerce emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Administration and Management — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Personnel and Human Resources — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a General Business & Commerce program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to General Business & Commerce careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Business & Commerce graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Business & Commerce professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Business & Commerce graduates include:

• Plant Manager
• Project Coordinator
• Gym Manager
• Industrial Production Manager
• Plant Superintendent
• Service Director
• Safety Manager
• Program Manager
• Commercial Property Appraiser
• Gem and Jewelry Appraiser
• Certified Appraiser
• Tangible Personal Property Appraiser
• Personal Property Assessor
• Accredited Appraiser
• Physical Appraiser

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	43.9%
Master’s degree	14.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	10.4%
Some college courses	9.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	7.7%
Postsecondary certificate	6.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.8%
Doctoral degree	1.8%
First professional degree	0.9%
Post-master’s certificate	0.8%
Less than a high school diploma	0.7%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Business & Commerce?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 50.6% women and 49.4% men among General Business & Commerce graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	29,318	50.6%
Men	28,658	49.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	29,406	50.7%
Asian	3,689	6.4%
Hispanic or Latino	9,834	17.0%
Black or African American	7,663	13.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	310	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	120	0.2%
Two or More Races	2,186	3.8%
Race Unknown	1,715	3.0%
International Students	3,053	5.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Business & Commerce Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of General Business & Commerce graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$57,182
4 years	$62,451
5 years	$70,051

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $70,051 — roughly 23% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online General Business & Commerce Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for General Business & Commerce. 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	179	80
Bachelor’s	89	82
Master’s	37	33
Doctoral (Research)	2	0

^{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 General Business & Commerce Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General Business & Commerce graduates earn a median of $62,451 four years after completion — roughly 64% 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.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Business/Commerce, General	52.01
Business Administration and Management, General	52.0201
Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management	52.0206
Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies	52.0701
Finance, General	52.0801
Management Science	52.1301
Operations Management and Supervision	52.0205
Construction Project Management	52.2002
International Business/Trade/Commerce	52.1101
Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management	52.0203

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.