Business Administration Degrees and Careers
Business degree output remained broadly stable, while 15 connected careers showed distinct combinations of scale, pay, growth, and openings.
Compare growth in business-administration bachelor’s degrees with the careers connected to the field. Combine IPEDS, College Scorecard earnings, ACS and NSCG alignment, CIP–SOC links, BLS employment, wages and openings, Occupational Requirements Survey measures, and both AI-use datasets. Identify which connected careers combine scale, pay, growth, and documented AI use. Create one chart and keep structural links separate from graduate outcomes.
Business degree output remained broadly stable
Colleges reported 135,520 business-administration bachelor’s degrees in 2014–15 and 134,295 in 2023–24.
The revised series peaked at 143,129 degrees in 2021–22.
College Scorecard reports broader-field median earnings of $46,383 one year after leaving college.
The four-year median is $68,231. These are broader business-field outcomes, not earnings for this exact degree.
Several connected careers combine scale, pay, and openings
General and Operations Managers had 3,503,020 jobs and a $105,770 median wage in May 2025.
BLS projects 308,700 annual openings during 2024–34.
Management Analysts combined 898,280 jobs, a $101,860 median wage, and 98,100 projected annual openings.
Their projected employment growth is 8.8% for 2024–34.
Logisticians had 251,040 jobs and an $82,320 median wage in May 2025.
Their projected growth is 16.7% for 2024–34, with 26,400 annual openings.
AI use comes from two separate periods
Microsoft Working with AI describes U.S. Bing Copilot observations from January through September 2024.
Anthropic reports separate Claude.ai and first-party API observations for May–June 2026.
The chart does not plot either AI source. These observations cannot predict displacement, productivity, or employment effects.
ACS 2024 and NSCG 2023 provide separate alignment context, but not a national placement rate.
Occupational Requirements Survey coverage was too limited for a consistent comparison across these careers.
The career connections show preparation pathways. They do not show where business graduates work or their likelihood of entering each career.
Employment, May 2025 median wages, and 2024–34 annual openings in connected business careers
The chart compares 15 careers connected to business administration through a structural preparation crosswalk. General and Operations Managers has the largest May 2025 employment and the most projected annual openings for 2024–34. Chief Executives has the highest May 2025 median annual wage among the displayed careers. The chart does not show AI use or graduate destinations.
| Occupation Title | Employment, May 2025 | Median annual wage, May 2025 | Average annual openings, 2024–34 |
|---|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | 3,503,020 | $105,770 | 308,700 |
| Business Operations Specialists, All Other | 1,087,090 | $83,050 | 108,200 |
| Human Resources Specialists | 912,430 | $75,940 | 81,800 |
| Management Analysts | 898,280 | $101,860 | 98,100 |
| Sales Managers | 637,080 | $148,270 | 49,000 |
| Managers, All Other | 622,190 | $141,900 | 106,700 |
| Construction Managers | 380,360 | $114,990 | 46,800 |
| Administrative Services Managers | 263,960 | $114,130 | 23,200 |
| Logisticians | 251,040 | $82,320 | 26,400 |
| Industrial Production Managers | 246,250 | $126,060 | 17,100 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | 221,180 | $107,230 | 18,500 |
| Human Resources Managers | 220,660 | $149,280 | 17,900 |
| Social and Community Service Managers | 209,330 | $80,390 | 18,600 |
| Chief Executives | 204,350 | $213,990 | 22,200 |
| Facilities Managers | 156,180 | $106,660 | 13,200 |