Business Administration, Management and Operations

Is a Business Administration, Management and Operations degree worth it?

Across 1213 bachelor's programs that report earnings, the median pays its graduates $41,068 a year after graduation, and the middle half pay between $36,586 and $46,828. The median for all majors is $37,050. At the median program, graduates who borrowed owe $21,636. Debt is 0.53x first-year earnings, which ranks 29th of 147 majors, where 1st carries the least debt for the pay.

Business graduates start out earning more than the typical graduate across all majors, which ranks this major ahead of most others. The best-paying programs admit far fewer applicants than is usual for the major, and highly selective business schools send most of their graduates to banks and consulting firms. Two other top programs serve people who already have careers: Bismarck State College's energy management degree requires prior energy training or an applied associate degree, and City University of Seattle runs an online degree completion program for working adults.

Three of the lowest-paying programs are campuses of the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, and all three report identical earnings and graduate counts, so their figure looks pooled across campuses. Pay in Puerto Rico also runs well below the mainland in every major job group. Most business graduates go straight to work, and those who earn an MBA usually wait several years first, so first-year earnings show where this degree typically starts.

These are earnings one year after graduating, for students who received federal aid. Majors that lead to graduate school, or to careers that start slowly, look worse here than they will ten years on.