What Can You Do with a Business Administration Degree?
A degree may open the door to a variety of opportunities and diverse career paths. The degree programs offered at AIU will not necessarily lead to the featured careers. This collection of articles is intended to help inform and guide you through the process of determining which level of degree and types of certifications align with your desired career path.
If you're considering what you can do with a business administration degree, you may be interested to know that, at the bachelor's level, business remains one of the most popular degree fields among recent college graduates.1 But what potential career paths in business might you choose to pursue?
Because business skills can apply across many industries and organizational functions, deciding what to do with a business administration degree could be an exciting endeavor. Business administration degrees may be connected to areas such as management, human resources, operations, project management, marketing, finance and entrepreneurship, depending on the role, employer, location and experience required.
Before we review potential career paths that usually require a bachelor's degree, such as an online business administration degree, we'll explore what business administration is and the types of business courses you might expect to encounter in a BBA degree program.
What Is Business Administration?
Business administration refers to the fundamentals of business practices and principles. A BBA degree program should be designed to give students an opportunity to explore foundational business administration skills, which generally include quantitative, analytical, interpersonal, and business management and leadership skills. These business administration skills can be useful in a range of corporate business career paths, small business management environments, organizational management functions and other business administration professional roles.
Typical bachelor’s-level business courses may include coverage of topics in accounting, marketing, finance, business ethics, and management. Some business programs may also offer the option to concentrate or specialize in a particular business area.
Schools may offer multiple types of business degree program attendance options, giving students more flexibility to select a pace and attendance format combination that works best for them. Full-time, part-time, in-person, online and hybrid options can make it more convenient and feasible to pursue a business program without putting your current life on pause.
Management Analysts
If you're researching career paths associated with a business administration degree and you have an interest in helping organizations improve the way they operate, then pursuing a position as a Management Analyst may be a good choice for you. Management Analysts advise organizations on how to make their operations more productive and efficient.
Some of their typical duties may include gathering and organizing information about the problem or procedure in question, interviewing personnel and conducting onsite observations to determine needed resources, analyzing financial data, recommending changes and conferring with managers to ensure that the recommended changes are working. These duties may draw on leadership and management skills, analytical thinking and an understanding of organizational management.2
Job Outlook: The BLS projects 9% growth in employment of management analysts from 2024 to 2034.2
Human Resources Specialists
What can you do with a business administration degree if you're interested in employee relations or company policy? You might consider pursuing a Human Resources Specialist role. Human resources career paths can involve helping organizations recruit, hire, train and support employees while following relevant policies and regulations.
Human Resources Specialists are responsible for various aspects of an organization's recruitment and hiring process and may also handle compensation and benefits, training and employee relations. Their duties may include consulting with employers to identify hiring needs, interviewing job applicants, checking references and conducting background checks, hiring or referring qualified applicants and running or assisting with employee orientation. They also need to ensure that HR functions are in compliance with all relevant laws and regulations.3
Job Outlook: Employment of human resources specialists is projected to grow 6% from 2024 to 2034.3
Other Potential Business Administration Career Paths to Consider
Career paths for Business administration majors can vary depending on your interests, experience, location and chosen concentration. In addition to Management Analysts and Human Resources Specialists, business administration coursework may be relevant to business functions such as operations management, project management, marketing, finance and entrepreneurship.
Students interested in potential business management career opportunities may want to explore how different business degree specializations align with their academic goals. For example, a project management focus may help students explore project coordination and planning concepts, while a human resource management focus may help students explore employee relations and workforce-related topics. A marketing focus may be useful for students interested in marketing-related business functions, while an entrepreneurship focus may be relevant for those interested in business development concepts or small business management.
When researching business administration degree salary information, it's important to remember that salary can vary widely based on industry, location, role, employer, education, experience and economic conditions. Some entry level business administration jobs may help graduates build experience before pursuing more advanced management career paths, administrative management responsibilities or long-term leadership goals.
Earn a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree
Choosing to pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration degree program could be among the most significant steps you take on the path toward pursuing a career path in the business world. AIU’s BBA program offers multiple specialization options and a general business administration track, making it possible to select a program that aligns with your academic interests:
- Accounting
- Entrepreneurship
- Finance
- Healthcare Management
- Human Resource Management
- Management
- Marketing
- Operations Management
- Project Management
Frequently Asked Questions
A business administration degree may be for you if you want to build a foundation in business concepts that apply across many industries. Potential business administration degree program benefits may include exposure to topics such as management, marketing, finance, operations, ethics, human resources and business strategy. Whether it is right for you depends on your academic goals, financial situation, prior experience and the type of roles you hope to pursue.
Yes, human resources career paths may be one possible option for business administration students, especially for those who study human resource management or related topics. Human Resources Specialists may help organizations with recruiting, hiring, onboarding, training, compensation, benefits and employee relations.
Entry level business administration jobs may vary by employer and location, but business graduates may choose to explore roles related to operations, project coordination, sales, customer service, administrative support, human resources or business support functions. Entry-level roles can help graduates build experience before pursuing more specialized or advanced business administration career paths.
A business administration degree can be versatile because business functions exist across many industries. Business administration skills for career paths, such as communication, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, management, leadership and ethical decision-making, may apply to corporate businesses, nonprofit organizations, healthcare organizations, small businesses, startups and other professional environments.
Looking for more information on what to do with a business degree? Contact us today.
1 National Center for Education Statistics, Condition of Education, Undergraduate Degree Fields. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cta (visited July 7, 2026).
2 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Management Analysts at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/management-analysts.htm (visited July 7, 2026). This data represents national figures and is not based on school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary.
3 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Human Resources Specialists, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/human-resources-specialists.htm (visited July 7, 2026). This data represents national figures and is not based on school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary.
AIU cannot guarantee employment, salary or career advancement. Not all programs are available to residents of all states.
REQ2237633 07/2026
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