What Business Major Should I Choose?

If you’re interested in pursuing a career in business, you may be asking yourself: What business major should I choose? You also may be wondering: Is a business degree hard to complete? It’s important to know that any educational journey, regardless of the major or degree program, requires commitment, discipline and old-fashioned, roll-up-your-sleeves work. If you’re determined to make your mark in business, earning a business degree and exploring the broad variety of career opportunities that it can present is a good way to get started.

In this article, we’ll define what a business major is and look at the projected career outlook for the business world. We’ll also look at some of the different types of business majors, consider how you can determine which is right for you and explore some of the career options you might want to consider once you’ve earned a business degree.

A business major is an area of academic study that is designed to prepare students for a wide variety of careers in business administration or possibly management by studying how different types of businesses function.

Enrolled in a university or business school program, students majoring in business learn fundamental skills like finance and accounting, economics, business law, human resources, marketing, communication and entrepreneurship. Coursework typically begins with introductory classes then delves deeper into specific areas of business administration, depending on the specialization the student has chosen.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, of the 2 million bachelor’s degrees conferred in 2019-2020, 387,900 degrees were in the area of business.

But what is the job outlook for business majors? The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that overall employment in business and financial occupations will maintain steady growth of 7% on a national level between 2021 and 2031,¹ about as fast as the average for all occupations.  However, the BLS projects that some more specific business occupations will grow faster during this same period. For example, they project 19% growth on a national level for market research analysts between 2021 and 2031, which is much faster than the national average.²  Keep in mind that the local growth where you live can vary from these projections and they are not specific to DeVry University students or graduates. BLS data such as this may also include earners at all stages of their career and not just entry level.

At DeVry, you can earn bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration, Management, Accounting or Technical Management, gaining hands-on experience  along the way.

Some of our programs even allow you to customize your degree to line up with your personal and professional goals. When you enroll in our Bachelor’s in Business Administration program, for example, you can choose one of 11 specializations³:

• Accounting
• Business Administration General Plan
• Business Intelligence and Analytics Management
• Finance
• Global Supply Chain Management
• Health Services Management
• Hospitality Management
• Human Resource Management
• Project Management
• Sales and Marketing
• Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship

Considering the variety of business majors and specializations that are available, you may be wondering how to decide which is right for you. When you consider several factors, the choice may be easier than you think− 

Begin by thinking about the career path you’d like to pursue. Think about the industry or job titles that interest you most and look for the majors that match what employers ask for in their job listings.

Consider pursuing a career that your personal interests. You may find it easier to keep your motivation up while you earn your degree if you’re passionate about what you’re studying. 

You may have developed certain abilities and strengths through previous education, occupational experience, hobbies or through volunteer work. Certain skills may help you as you work toward success in different majors. For example, if you have always excelled in math or have strong analytical skills, you may find a major like accounting or finance could be a good path for you.

Lifestyle and work-life balance are not only important factors to consider when choosing a career but can be just as impactful the educational path you pick to help you get there. The flexibility of online learning lets you learn on your schedule, and can make it easier for you to balance your education with work, family and other aspects of your busy life.

At DeVry, you can earn a business degree 100% online, with access to the same tools and resources that our on-campus students have, including 24/7 tutoring,⁴ an extensive digital library and one-on-one academic advising. 

A degree in business administration or business management can help you prepare to pursue careers in many different roles in a broad variety of industries from banking and finance, to hospitality and tourism, technology, government and even nonprofits.

Many graduates with business degrees may find themselves wanting to pursue careers in accounting and finance, or sales and marketing – two major areas of business administration that can be found across virtually all industries.

As we mentioned, DeVry’s Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration can be paired with a variety of specializations that can help you gain skills and knowledge to pursue business administration roles that are aligned with your interests and goals. Here are a few examples of specializations and some of the corresponding roles for each of them:

• Our Accounting specialization may enable you to explore roles such as Accountant, Budget Analyst, Cost Accountant, General Ledger Accountant or Payroll Manager.
• Our Business Intelligence and Analytics Management specialization may help you build a pathway to pursue roles such as Business Analyst or Business Analysis Manager, Business Intelligence Administrator, Business Intelligence Analyst, Financial Analyst or Marketing Analyst.
• If you choose our Health Services Management specialization, you may prepare to pursue roles in medical office supervision, patient accounting and billing systems, managed care coordination, medical computer sales, or management of provider networks.
• With our Sales and Marketing degree specialization, you may consider a career as an Account Manager, Advertising or Brand Manager, Customer Service Representative, Digital Marketing Manager, Email Marketing Specialist or Marketing Analyst consultant.

It’s important to note, however, that jobs may vary depending on the company you’re applying to. Job titles and requirements are not standardized across the wider business industry, so while you may meet the application requirements for a position at one company, it doesn’t mean that you will meet those requirements for the same job at another.

Graduate business degrees, such as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) can help you further advance your knowledge and skills in corporate management and cross-functional business leadership, and may help you prepare to pursue more senior-level career opportunities. At DeVry, we offer MBA degree specializations in several areas of business, including entrepreneurship, global supply chain management, business intelligence and analytics management, human resource management, information systems, marketing and more.

¹https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/home.htm

²https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/market-research-analysts.htm 

³Students may start this program as "Undeclared," but must select a specialization after earning 30 semester-credit hours 

⁴Each student is allotted a set number of hours of tutoring per academic session through www.tutor.com (available 24/7). Additional tutoring services are also available through www.DevryTutors.com