General Business Administration & Management Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
General Business Administration & Management maps to BLS occupations averaging about $169,201, with roughly 456,720 workers nationwide in those roles. About 25,923 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; modeled 10-year ROI is about 501% on median net price.
Key Statistics
General Business Administration & Management: what the data shows
Common questions about general business administration & management degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a general business administration & management degree?
A General Business Administration & Management program is classified under NCES CIP 52.0101 in the Business/Commerce, General field family (52.01).
A program that focuses on the general study of business, including the processes of interchanging goods and services (buying, selling and producing), business organization, and accounting as used in profit-making and nonprofit public and private institutions and agencies. The programs may prepare individuals to apply business principles and techniques in various occupational settings.
IPEDS counted 25,923 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
How long does it take to get a general business administration & management degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 52.0101 in our file:
- 17,707 Associate (34.3% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 25,923 Bachelor's (50.2% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 8,023 Master's (15.5% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 3 Doctorate (0.0% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in general business administration & management?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Monitoring, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Coordination, Critical Thinking, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For General and Operations Managers (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 52.0101, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a general business administration & management degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links General Business Administration & Management to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | 3,584,420 | $102,950 |
| Sales Managers | 603,710 | $138,060 |
| Marketing Managers | 384,980 | $161,030 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a general business administration & management degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Business/Commerce, General bachelor's program family: median debt $23,535, median earnings $68,407 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.50.
About 4.9% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $11,790 and median net price is $16,866.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in General Business Administration & Management and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$11,790 Median In-State Public
$30,242 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for General Business Administration & Management majors are, on average, $11,790 for in-state public colleges, and $30,242 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for General Business Administration & Management programs.
Institutions awarding the most General Business Administration & Management degrees
| # | Institution | State | Completions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indiana University-Bloomington | IN | 3,530 |
| 2 | DeVry University-Illinois | IL | 1,275 |
| 3 | Northeastern University | MA | 1,146 |
| 4 | University of Missouri-Columbia | MO | 1,026 |
| 5 | George Mason University | VA | 1,005 |
| 6 | Strayer University-Global Region | DC | 886 |
| 7 | University of Central Florida | FL | 806 |
| 8 | San Jacinto Community College | TX | 781 |
| 9 | Lone Star College System | TX | 757 |
| 10 | Indiana University-Indianapolis | IN | 639 |
IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), all award levels for this CIP in our extract.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
25,923 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in General Business Administration & Management from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in General Business Administration & Management.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,398 |
| 2 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,099 |
| 3 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 54,926 |
| 4 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | 44,617 |
| 5 | Brigham Young University-Idaho | ID | 42,090 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering General Business Administration & Management programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Woodland Community College | CA | $1,124 |
| 2 | Imperial Valley College | CA | $1,126 |
| 3 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
| 4 | Lassen Community College | CA | $1,144 |
| 5 | College of the Redwoods | CA | $1,147 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for General Business Administration & Management programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $29 |
| 2 | Central Carolina Community College | NC | $616 |
| 3 | Fort Scott Community College | KS | $665 |
| 4 | Wiregrass Georgia Technical College | GA | $1,228 |
| 5 | West Shore Community College | MI | $1,335 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for General Business Administration & Management 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 Administration & Management programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for General Business Administration & Management is in IN (3,752 completions). That state represents about 14.5% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is MT (4.42% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| IN | 3,752 | 14.5% | 3.63% |
| TX | 2,097 | 8.1% | 0.72% |
| MO | 2,056 | 7.9% | 2.88% |
| VA | 1,788 | 6.9% | 1.46% |
| FL | 1,323 | 5.1% | 0.58% |
| MA | 1,295 | 5.0% | 1.02% |
| KY | 1,222 | 4.7% | 2.36% |
| NY | 1,090 | 4.2% | 0.40% |
| GA | 1,066 | 4.1% | 0.93% |
| PA | 1,042 | 4.0% | 0.61% |
| WV | 733 | 2.8% | 2.04% |
| OR | 674 | 2.6% | 1.53% |
| OH | 574 | 2.2% | 0.41% |
| AL | 556 | 2.1% | 0.82% |
| DC | 515 | 2.0% | 2.35% |
| MT | 496 | 1.9% | 4.42% |
| CO | 375 | 1.4% | 0.52% |
| WA | 364 | 1.4% | 0.53% |
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 52.0101 in the survey year used in our extract (51,656 total across levels below).
- 17,707 Associate (34.3% of IPEDS total)
- 25,923 Bachelor's (50.2% of IPEDS total)
- 8,023 Master's (15.5% of IPEDS total)
- 3 Doctorate (0.0% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $169,201. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of General Business Administration & Management graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | $166,358 | 3,584,420 |
| Sales Managers | $160,084 | 603,710 |
| Marketing Managers | $209,972 | 384,980 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Business/Commerce, General CIP family (108 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every General Business Administration & Management graduate.
- $23,535 median federal loan debt among completers
- $68,407 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.50 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 4.9% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$170,249 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for General Business Administration & Management majors is $170,249.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for General Business Administration & Management majors.
Occupations by Share
456,720 2023 Workforce
The number of General Business Administration & Management graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in General Business Administration & Management by share of the total number of graduates.
Return on Investment & Value
Debt and earnings fields below come from College Scorecard where present in our degree extract.
Financial value (extract)
$13,532 Median Student Debt
$40,568 Median Annual Earnings (10 years after enrollment)
33.36% Debt-to-Earnings Ratio
3.3 years Estimated Payback Period (assuming 10% of income)
501.30% Return on Investment (10-year earnings vs 4-year cost)
Ten-year earnings in this extract exceed four years of median net price.
$67,466 Estimated Total Cost (4 years at median net price)
Financial value comparison for General Business Administration & Management degree.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in General Business Administration & Management 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 Administration & Management.
Age distribution for General Business Administration & Management degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
25,923 Total Degrees Awarded
13,857 Male (53.45%)
12,066 Female (46.55%)
Gender distribution of General Business Administration & Management degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
14,306 White (55.19%)
3,533 Black or African American (13.63%)
3,219 Hispanic or Latino (12.42%)
1,755 Asian (6.77%)
1,065 Two or More Races (4.11%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of General Business Administration & Management degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in General Business Administration & Management are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in General Business Administration & Management.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the General Business Administration & Management field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
General Business Administration & Management majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for General Business Administration & Management 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 Administration & Management majors.
About
A program that focuses on the general study of business, including the processes of interchanging goods and services (buying, selling and producing), business organization, and accounting as used in profit-making and nonprofit public and private institutions and agencies. The programs may prepare individuals to apply business principles and techniques in various occupational settings.
In 2023, 25,923 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in General Business Administration & Management.
CIP Code
52.0101 - General Business Administration & Management
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $23,535 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $68,407, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.50. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual General Business Administration & Management graduate.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $169,201. The largest mapped role by headcount is General and Operations Managers (3,584,420 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $11,790 in-state at public colleges and $30,242 at private institutions for programs in this field.
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.