General Business
General Business opens doors to diverse career paths, with graduates entering 6+ different occupations. With 130,740 professionals in the field earning competitive wages, this degree offers strong career prospects.
Key Statistics
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in General Business and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$8,448 Median In-State Public
$35,960 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for General Business majors are, on average, $8,448 for in-state public colleges, and $35,960 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for General Business programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
51,350 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in General Business from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in General Business.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,099 |
| 2 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 54,926 |
| 3 | Purdue University-Main Campus | IN | 39,637 |
| 4 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | NJ | 36,357 |
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | IL | 34,623 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering General Business programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tohono O'odham Community College | AZ | $932 |
| 2 | Woodland Community College | CA | $1,124 |
| 3 | Imperial Valley College | CA | $1,126 |
| 4 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
| 5 | Lassen Community College | CA | $1,144 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for General Business programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $29 |
| 2 | Coahoma Community College | MS | $560 |
| 3 | Reedley College | CA | $1,584 |
| 4 | Imperial Valley College | CA | $1,697 |
| 5 | Hartnell College | CA | $2,895 |
Schools with the lowest net price (after financial aid) for General Business programs.
Graduation Rates
50.75% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
51.74% Average Graduation Rate
768 Institutions Reporting
36.69% - 66.50% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for General Business programs across institutions.
Employment
Information on the businesses and industries that employ General Business graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$63,153 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for General Business majors is $63,153.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for General Business majors.
Occupations by Share
130,740 2023 Workforce
The number of General Business graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in General Business by share of the total number of graduates.
Return on Investment & Value
Financial analysis of General Business degree including debt, earnings, and return on investment metrics.
Financial Value Analysis
$45,797 Median Annual Earnings (10 years after enrollment)
783.40% Return on Investment (10-year earnings vs 4-year cost)
This degree shows strong ROI, with 10-year earnings significantly exceeding the cost of education.
$51,842 Estimated Total Cost (4 years at median net price)
Financial value comparison for General Business degree.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in General Business in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in General Business.
Age distribution for General Business degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
840,037 Total Degrees Awarded
415,791 Male (49.50%)
424,246 Female (50.50%)
Gender distribution of General Business degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
405,007 White (48.21%)
142,384 Hispanic or Latino (16.95%)
91,410 Black or African American (10.88%)
59,637 Asian (7.10%)
27,773 Two or More Races (3.31%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of General Business degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in General Business are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in General Business.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the General Business field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
General Business majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for General Business majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for General Business majors.
About
General Business
In 2023, 51,350 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in General Business.
CIP Code
52.0100 - General Business
Insights and Analysis
Exceptional Return on Investment: General Business offers an outstanding ROI of 783%, meaning graduates typically earn significantly more over 10 years than the total cost of their education. This makes it one of the most financially rewarding degree choices available.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.