Ten Types of Business Degree Specializations

There are not only different types of business degree fields (e.g., business administration, healthcare management, accounting) to choose from but also, potentially, different types of business degree specializations to choose from. With a specialization, instead of choosing your own electives from an institution’s list of business courses, you take a predetermined set of elective, business-related courses. Pursuing a specialization is one way to help focus your studies on an area that particularly interests you and which complements your program’s set of core business related courses. In this article, we will discuss ten of them:

1. Accounting
2. Business Management
3. Finance
4. Marketing
5. Entrepreneurship
6. Human Resource Management
7. Operations Management
8. Project Management
9. Fashion Marketing

1. Accounting Degree Specialization

Strong analytical, math and organizational skills and a high attention to detail are some of the important qualities accountants and auditors should have.¹ Pursuing a bachelor’s degree program in accounting is one way to work to develop these skills, but a bachelor’s degree program in business that offers an accounting degree specialization is another option.

American InterContinental University’s Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) with a specialization in Accounting degree program may be a good fit for those interested in studying fundamental accounting skills as part of a more holistic business degree curriculum. The accounting degree specialization provides an opportunity for students to study concepts and techniques that management accountants use in organizational decision-making, to explore current auditing standards and practices, to understand accounting in terms of a business’s activities, and more.

BBA in Accounting courses may include:

• Intermediate Accounting I
• Intermediate Accounting II
• Cost Accounting
• Auditing
• Accounting Information Systems

2. Business Management Degree Specialization

Although related, business administration courses tend to focus more on general business skills and principles, whereas business management courses tend to focus on management and leadership skills and principles.

A degree program that combines both, such as AIU’s Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) with a specialization in Management, may offer an opportunity to work to develop your understanding of general business fundamentals along with business management principles and their real-world application. The online business management degree specialization includes coverage of the basic aspects of policy writing for personnel selection, performance management, disciplinary process, employee motivation and management; principles of team building and conflict resolution; diversity; leadership and management strategies in an international context; and more.

BBA in Management courses may include:

• Personnel and Organization Policy
• Building Teams and Resolving Conflict
• Diversity in the Workforce
• Industrial Labor Relations
• Global Leadership and Management

3. Finance Degree Specialization

Understanding the fundamentals of finance and being able to apply them to various business contexts may lead to more efficient organizational decision-making, planning and investing.

Pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) with a specialization in Finance degree program is one way to work toward developing such knowledge and skills. Students who choose the online finance degree specialization may explore topics such as securities markets, instruments and terminology; asset and liability management; risk exposure and risk-management strategies; how to create financial budgets; and how to read, interpret and analyze financial statements, among other topics.

BBA in Finance courses may include:

• Financial Instruments
• Asset and Debt Management
• Risk Management
• Budgeting
• Financial Analysis

4. Marketing Degree Specialization

People can’t buy or use a product or service they don’t know about, which is at least one reason why businesses invest in marketing—a term that encompasses a range of responsibilities such as purchasing, promoting, distributing and selling. Building an effective marketing strategy requires market research and planning as well as the ability to evaluate performance and make adjustments to the strategy when necessary.

Students in AIU’s BBA degree program who choose the online marketing specialization have an opportunity to explore a number of key marketing principles and processes. Working to achieve an organization’s objectives via planning, implementing, controlling and evaluating marketing strategies; developing effective strategic and tactical solutions to public-perception problems; planning and managing programs for advertising products and services; and developing a marketing plan focused on customer relationship management (CRM) are just some of the topics covered.

BBA in Marketing courses may include:

• Marketing Management
• Public Relations
• Consumer Behavior
• Advertising and Promotion Management
• Marketing Campaign and Strategic Planning

5. Entrepreneurship Degree Specialization

There are many types of entrepreneurs: some run their own companies, some come up with new and innovative products or services, and some focus on business opportunities that address social or environmental issues. No matter what type of entrepreneur you are or aspire to be, pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) with a specialization in Entrepreneurship degree program could help you to hone a number of skills relevant to entrepreneurship.

Students in the BBA degree program who choose to pursue the online entrepreneurship specialization may explore principles of risk management and how to identify, analyze, measure and mitigate risk; work to develop skills for writing comprehensive business and implementation plans; examine potential challenges in teamwork, coordination and motivation, with attention paid to performance management, delegation and conflict resolution; examine the current legal environment and challenges of managing modern supply chain organizations; and more.

BBA in Entrepreneurship courses may include:

• Risk Management
• Advanced Entrepreneurship
• Managing Project Risks and Opportunities
• Team Leadership
• Contracts and Procurement

6. Human Resource Management Degree Specialization

Human resources encompasses a broad range of personnel-related matters, including employee recruitment, training, and compensation and benefits. Human resources specialists are typically trained to carry out tasks in all HR department disciplines.²

The BBA degree program’s online Human Resource Management degree specialization provides an opportunity to examine the process of recruitment, selection and HR record-keeping in organizations; study fundamental aspects of policy writing for personnel issues; work to develop an awareness of legal, social, economic and political forces impacting the law as it relates to labor; and explore how to apply organizational resources in a way that maximizes performance expectations.

BBA in Human Resource Management courses may include:

• Employee Recruitment and Selection
• Personnel and Organization Policy
• Diversity in the Workforce
• Employment and Labor Law
• Performance Management and Employee Services

7. Operations Management Degree Specialization

Operations management doesn’t fit into a single management or business administration functional area but rather is something that can be applied to processes in all of them. Operations managers may be involved in formulating policies, managing daily operations and planning the use of materials and human resources.³

Pursuing an online business administration degree program with an operations management specialization is one way to study a range of relevant topics such as supply chain management, logistics and cost-control measures.

BBA in Operations Management courses may include:

• Industrial Labor Relations
• Cost Control Management
• Production Planning and Quality Management
• Supply Chain Management and Purchasing
• Strategic Manufacturing Policy

8. Project Management Degree Specialization

Project managers are responsible for ensuring that projects are completed on time and on budget. To do this, they must guide teams through all phases of the project lifecycle—a task that requires utilizing an array of skills, including problem-solving, time-management, organizational, analytical and interpersonal skills.

Choosing to pursue a business degree program with a specialization in project management could help you work to develop project-management skills and knowledge. AIU’s BBA in Project Management online degree program is designed to explore fundamental project-management principles, examine how to effectively set and manage project costs and schedules, offer a review basic project risk-management concepts and processes, present basic concepts of contract law and examine both government- and civil-procurement practices.

BBA in Project Management courses may include:

• Project Management
• Project Cost and Time Management
• Managing Project Risks and Opportunities
• Team Leadership
• Contracts and Procurement

9. Healthcare Management

The healthcare field is growing: As the baby boomer generation continues to advance in age, they will need more healthcare services, which will in turn drive up the need for more healthcare workers, which in turn will drive up the need for more medical health and service managers. Furthermore, as the use of electronic medical records continues to grow, managers with knowledge of health information technology and informatics systems will be needed.⁴

Both online healthcare management degree programs and business administration degree programs with a specialization in healthcare management are designed to address various topics in business and healthcare. However, the core focus the latter is on general business skills applicable to any industry. Our BBA with a specialization in Healthcare Management degree program is designed to explore management issues in healthcare, healthcare finance, healthcare information systems and more.

BBA in Healthcare Management courses may include:

• Survey of Healthcare Management
• Ethical and Legal Issues in Healthcare
• Healthcare Finance
• Healthcare Information Systems
• Healthcare Resource Allocation and Policy Making

10. Fashion Marketing Degree Specialization

Fashion marketing is a type of marketing focused on clothing and accessories. The campus-based Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) with a specialization in Fashion Marketing degree program is designed for learners who want to work to develop their understanding of marketing in the fashion world, key retail concepts and general business concepts.

BBA in Fashion Marketing courses may include:

• Fashion Trends
• Fashion Branding
• Fashion Buying
• CAD for Fashion Marketing
• Visual Merchandising

Potential Career Paths to Pursue with a Business Degree

Because they are designed to cover general business principles and skills, earning a business administration degree could help you prepare to pursue a number of different career paths, including:

• Management Analysts
• General and Operations Managers
• Sales Managers
• Administrative Services Managers
• Industrial Production Managers
• Transportation, Storage and Distribution Managers
• Social and Community Service Managers
• Cost Estimators*

* The list of career paths related to this program is based on a subset from the Bureau of Labor Statistics CIP to SOC Crosswalk. Some career paths listed above may require further education or job experience.

Which Type of Business Degree Specialization Is a Good Fit for You?

Now that you know a bit more about different types of business degree specializations and business-related courses that are potentially available, it may be time for a bit of self-reflection. For example: What interests you? What types of career paths might you want to pursue? What level of education do employers typically require? How far do you want to take your education? Taking the time to consider what you want and to thoroughly research potential business degree programs should help to guide you toward a path that is right for you.

Explore AIU’s full range of business degree programs to learn more, or apply now.

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¹ Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Accountants and Auditors,” https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/accountants-and-auditors.htm (last visited Feb. 20, 2025). This data represents national figures and is not based on school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary.
² Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Human Resources Specialists,” https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/human-resources-specialists.htm (visited Feb. 20, 2025). This data represents national figures and is not based on school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary.
³ O*NET Online, “General and Operations Managers,” https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/11-1021.00 (last visited Feb. 20, 2025).
⁴ Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Medical and Health Services Managers,” https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm (visited Feb. 20, 2025). This data represents national figures and is not based on school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary.

American InterContinental University cannot guarantee employment, salary, or career advancement. Not all programs are available to residents of all states. REQ2106887 2/2025