What Can You Do with a Business Management Degree? Understanding Your Options

Sometimes taking care of your family means taking care of yourself. Your decision to earn a degree is as much for you as it is for them. This is why you want to choose a career that will not only support the people you love, but also allow you to enjoy going to work every day.

You’ve worked various jobs all your life, but you’re ready to launch a career. You’re committed to take the steps needed to establish yourself in the business field, where the options are vast. It’s no wonder you’re considering earning a degree in Business Management to help you achieve this goal.

But what can you do with a Business Management degree? Both an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in this concentration can provide students the versatile training needed to build a solid foundation that can be put to use in several different jobs. Let’s take a closer look at what you can expect as a Business Management major.

What is a Business Management degree? Courses to expect

Before exploring the many Business Management degree jobs out there, it’s helpful to familiarize yourself with the educational elements that help equip students for such positions. The curriculum in a Business Management program covers the fundamental business acumen needed to succeed in this dynamic industry.

Regardless of the degree level, Business Management majors can expect to learn more about business principles, organizational effectiveness, data analytics, relationship management and more. Let’s take a closer look at the types of courses you can expect at the associate’s or bachelor’s degree level.

Common Business Management associate’s degree courses:

• Principles of Finance
• Business Analysis and Intelligence
• Human Resource Management
• Functional and Project Management
• Customer Service

Common Business Management bachelor’s degree courses:

• Accounting for Business Managers
• Business Law and Ethical Behavior
• Financial Decision Making and Risk Management
• Dynamic Team Development
• Organizational Behavior Analysis

Business Management jobs to consider

The courses listed above help equip Business Management majors with a versatile skillset that can be applied to a variety of positions in the field. There are plenty of viable options for both associate’s and bachelor’s degree holders. Let’s explore some common Business Management careers.

What can you do with an associate’s degree in Business Management?

Earning an associate’s degree in Business Management has the potential to have a positive effect on your job prospects and earning potential. In 2021, Associate’s degree holders earned an average of $8,008 more annually than those with only a high school diploma, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).1

That’s great to know, but what opportunities are out there for associate’s degree holders? To help give you a better idea of what’s available, we analyzed more than 155,000 job postings from the last year that called for a Business Management Associate’s degree.2 The data helped us identify five common jobs seeking professionals with this credential.

1. Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks

Workers in these realms focus on monitoring and maintaining a company’s financial records. Duties typically include coding documents according to procedure, recording and summarizing numerical data on behalf of the company and reconciling any financial discrepancies found all while complying with federal, state and company policies.

2. Administrative assistant

Administrative assistants typically answer phone calls, schedule meetings, update database information, prepare invoices and manage incoming and outgoing mail. These employees must be organized and detail-oriented, as they are responsible for a variety of clerical tasks that keep businesses running smoothly.

3. Sales associate

These workers can be found in a wide range of industries—if there’s a product or service, businesses need someone to help sell it. They offer expertise on merchandise, answer customer questions and process transactions. Many of these positions have the potential to earn commission, which can give you a nice boost to your earning potential if you find the right situation and pay structure.

4. Customer service associate

It’s right there in the title—customer service associates are all about serving the customer. Whether it’s listening to a customer’s questions or concerns, placing orders, providing information about products and services or recording details of customer contact information, these business professionals make sure customers and clients are seen to. Patience and understanding go far in this position, because customer service associates are often listening to customer complaints and working to solve them.

5. Personal banker

A personal banker handles a client’s entire relationship with a retail bank. From loans and personal accounts to trust funds and investments, these bankers have a wide range of knowledge about the products and services a bank offers. They can provide great customer service by answering clients’ questions and helping them make the right decision for their finances. They are the central point of contact for clients.

What can you do with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management?

The career opportunities are significantly higher for those with a bachelor’s degree. While a bachelor’s degree is traditionally a four-year investment, there are options available to earn your Bachelor’s at an accelerated pace.3

Since job opportunity and salaries tend to be higher with a bachelor’s degree, this option is a great choice if you can invest the time in the education upfront. Our job analysis of the same time frame found more than 1.3 million job postings that called for a Business Management bachelor’s degree.4 Learn more about the five most common jobs for professionals with this credential.

1. Marketing manager

Marketing managers estimate the demand for products and services that an organization, and its competitors, offer. They identify potential markets for the organization’s products and oversee a team that develops strategies to maximize profits.

2. Sales manager

Sales managers are the professionals responsible for setting the strategy behind sales initiatives and goals. They resolve customer complaints, prepare budgets, monitor customer preferences to determine the focus of sales efforts and analyze sales statistics.

Most sales managers direct the distribution of goods and services by assigning sales territories, setting sales goals and establishing training programs for the organization’s sales representatives. This may also involve recruiting and hiring new sales staff and evaluating their performances.

3. Business analyst

Business analysts spend their work days gathering data concerning problems or procedures within a company. They then analyze the collected information to conclude possible solutions or alterations. New procedures are designed based on interviews conducted with employees, on-site observation and close study of company documents.

4. Financial analyst

Financial analysts conduct qualitative analyses concerning a company’s finances and investments. They compose charts, graphs and spreadsheets; forecasting business, industry and economic conditions through analysis of financial information. They also determine the prices at which a company should offer its product to the public market and prepare investment plans that capitalize on their financial analysis.

5. Account manager

Account managers act as organization’s personal representative to a client. They foster client relationships, work with sales and marketing teams to find new clients, prepare presentations and sales pitches and communicate client agendas to the rest of the company.

Depending on their employers, these professionals may work with individual customers or clients who represent entire businesses. Monitoring budgets and explaining cost factors to clients are also part of this role.

Where will a Business Management degree take you?

So what can you do with a Business Management degree? As you can see, there are plenty of answers to that question. It all depends on your personal interests and what degree level you can commit to. You can learn more about the educational path ahead by visiting our Business Management program page. Alternatively, you can request more information to hear more from a Rasmussen University Admissions Advisor who’ll be able to help answer any questions you may have. 

1Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, [accessed November 2022]. Information represents national, averaged data for the occupations listed and includes workers at all levels of education and experience. This data does not represent starting salaries. Employment conditions in your area may vary.
2Burning-Glass.com (analysis of 155,856 job postings preferring candidates with an Associate’s degree in Business Management Jan. 01, 2019 – Dec. 31, 2019).
3Time to complete is dependent on accepted transfer credits and courses completed each quarter.
4Burning-Glass.com (analysis of 1,371,906 job postings preferring candidates with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management Jan. 01, 2019 – Dec. 31, 2019).

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was originally published in 2015. It has since been updated to include information relevant to 2020.