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Business Economics

Types of Degrees Business Economics Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Business Economics have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	52
Associate’s Degree	37
Bachelor’s Degree	4,390
Master’s Degree	97
Doctor’s Degree	7

What Business Economics Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Business Economics build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Business Economics graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Business Economics emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Economics and Accounting — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Administration and Management — 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 built by a Business Economics program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Business Economics careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Business Economics graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.7 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Business Economics professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	—
StataCorp Stata	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
R	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Google Docs	Word processing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Business Economics graduates include:

• Professor
• Econometrics Professor
• Economic Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• Transportation Economics Teacher
• Economics Professor
• Economics Faculty Member
• University Faculty Member
• Economics Assistant Professor
• Economics Lecturer
• Accounting Lecturer
• Associate Professor
• Faculty Member
• College Professor
• Economics Instructor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	49.2%
Bachelor’s degree	22.2%
Master’s degree	16.6%
Post-master’s certificate	5.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.9%
Some college courses	2.9%
Post-doctoral training	0.3%
First professional degree	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Business Economics?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 68.5% of Business Economics degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,445	31.5%
Men	3,138	68.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,442	53.3%
Asian	552	12.0%
Hispanic or Latino	590	12.9%
Black or African American	247	5.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	9	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	5	0.1%
Two or More Races	189	4.1%
Race Unknown	89	1.9%
International Students	460	10.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Business Economics Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Business Economics graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$52,230
4 years	$71,518
5 years	$83,767

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $83,767 — roughly 60% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Business Economics Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Business Economics. 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
Bachelor’s	12	14
Master’s	2	1
Doctoral (Research)	1	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 Business Economics Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Business Economics graduates earn a median of $71,518 four years after completion — roughly 88% 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/Managerial Economics	52.06

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.