---

Business Education

Types of Degrees Business Education Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Business Education may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1
Bachelor’s Degree	76
Master’s Degree	92

What Business Education Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Business Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Business Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Business Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Business Education graduates include:

• Instructor
• Educator
• Business Education Teacher
• Teacher
• Industrial Arts Teacher
• Vocational Trainer
• Business Teacher
• Adjunct Instructor
• Faculty Member
• Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Associate Professor
• Computer Science Teacher
• Computer Teacher
• Technical Education Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	39.7%
Bachelor’s degree	24.8%
Master’s degree	15.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	7.2%
Postsecondary certificate	3.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.8%
Some college courses	1.9%
First professional degree	0.1%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Business Education?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 48.5% women and 51.5% men among Business Education graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	82	48.5%
Men	87	51.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	130	76.9%
Asian	2	1.2%
Hispanic or Latino	6	3.6%
Black or African American	6	3.6%
Two or More Races	3	1.8%
Race Unknown	9	5.3%
International Students	13	7.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Business Education Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Business Education 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	$49,919
4 years	$50,204
5 years	$56,331

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,331 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Business Education Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Business Education. 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	6	5
Master’s	6	1

^{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 Education Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Business Education graduates earn a median of $50,204 four years after completion — roughly 32% 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
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	13.13
Agricultural Teacher Education	13.1301
Art Teacher Education	13.1302
Biology Teacher Education	13.1322
Chemistry Teacher Education	13.1323
Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education	13.1339
Computer Teacher Education	13.1321
Drama and Dance Teacher Education	13.1324
Driver and Safety Teacher Education	13.1304
Earth Science Teacher Education	13.1337
English/Language Arts Teacher Education	13.1305
Environmental Education	13.1338

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.