International Business/Trade/Commerce Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
International Business/Trade/Commerce maps to BLS occupations averaging about $64,987, with roughly 1,596,050 workers nationwide in those roles. About 4,828 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median program completion runs near 60%.
Key Statistics
International Business/Trade/Commerce: what the data shows
Common questions about international business/trade/commerce degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a international business/trade/commerce degree?
A International Business/Trade/Commerce program is classified under NCES CIP 52.1101 in the International Business field family (52.11).
A program that prepares individuals to manage international businesses and/or business operations. Includes instruction in the principles and processes of export sales, trade controls, foreign operations and related problems, monetary issues, international business policy, and applications to doing business in specific countries and markets
IPEDS counted 4,828 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
How long does it take to get a international business/trade/commerce degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 52.1101 in our file:
- 105 Associate (1.7% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 4,828 Bachelor's (77.1% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 1,249 Master's (19.9% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 80 Doctorate (1.3% 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 international business/trade/commerce?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Writing, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Teachers, Postsecondary (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 52.1101, 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 international business/trade/commerce degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links International Business/Trade/Commerce 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,500,000 | — |
| Secondary School Teachers | 1,072,540 | $64,580 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a international business/trade/commerce degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the International Business bachelor's program family: median debt $43,287, median earnings $73,201 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.87.
About 5.4% 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 $5,324 and median net price is $13,710.
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 International Business/Trade/Commerce and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$5,324 Median In-State Public
$33,628 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for International Business/Trade/Commerce majors are, on average, $5,324 for in-state public colleges, and $33,628 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for International Business/Trade/Commerce programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
4,828 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in International Business/Trade/Commerce from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in International Business/Trade/Commerce.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 156,755 |
| 2 | Western Governors University | UT | 135,822 |
| 3 | University of Phoenix-Arizona | AZ | 76,996 |
| 4 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 68,619 |
| 5 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,398 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering International Business/Trade/Commerce programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 2 | Copper Mountain Community College | CA | $1,114 |
| 3 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 4 | Imperial Valley College | CA | $1,126 |
| 5 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for International Business/Trade/Commerce programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada College | CA | $10 |
| 2 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $29 |
| 3 | Reid State Technical College | AL | $131 |
| 4 | Cleveland Community College | NC | $414 |
| 5 | Coahoma Community College | MS | $560 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for International Business/Trade/Commerce programs.
Graduation Rates
59.97% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
59.45% Average Graduation Rate
658 Institutions Reporting
49.86% - 70.44% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for International Business/Trade/Commerce 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 International Business/Trade/Commerce is in FL (859 completions). That state represents about 17.8% 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 DC (0.66% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| FL | 859 | 17.8% | 0.38% |
| TX | 361 | 7.5% | 0.12% |
| NY | 354 | 7.3% | 0.13% |
| PA | 313 | 6.5% | 0.18% |
| CA | 267 | 5.5% | 0.06% |
| OH | 257 | 5.3% | 0.19% |
| SC | 180 | 3.7% | 0.33% |
| MA | 178 | 3.7% | 0.14% |
| GA | 164 | 3.4% | 0.14% |
| DC | 144 | 3.0% | 0.66% |
| NC | 137 | 2.8% | 0.11% |
| IL | 125 | 2.6% | 0.09% |
| LA | 121 | 2.5% | 0.26% |
| WI | 101 | 2.1% | 0.13% |
| MI | 100 | 2.1% | 0.09% |
| AZ | 96 | 2.0% | 0.07% |
| AR | 89 | 1.8% | 0.27% |
| MN | 80 | 1.7% | 0.09% |
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 52.1101 in the survey year used in our extract (6,262 total across levels below).
- 105 Associate (1.7% of IPEDS total)
- 4,828 Bachelor's (77.1% of IPEDS total)
- 1,249 Master's (19.9% of IPEDS total)
- 80 Doctorate (1.3% 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 $64,987. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of International Business/Trade/Commerce graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers, Postsecondary | $36,511 | 1,500,000 |
| Secondary School Teachers | $104,813 | 1,072,540 |
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 International Business CIP family (9 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every International Business/Trade/Commerce graduate.
- $43,287 median federal loan debt among completers
- $73,201 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.87 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 5.4% 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
$40,621 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for International Business/Trade/Commerce majors is $40,621.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for International Business/Trade/Commerce majors.
Occupations by Share
1,596,050 2023 Workforce
The number of International Business/Trade/Commerce graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in International Business/Trade/Commerce by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in International Business/Trade/Commerce in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in International Business/Trade/Commerce.
Age distribution for International Business/Trade/Commerce degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
4,828 Total Degrees Awarded
2,171 Male (44.97%)
2,657 Female (55.03%)
Gender distribution of International Business/Trade/Commerce degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
1,844 White (38.19%)
1,237 Hispanic or Latino (25.62%)
388 Asian (8.04%)
255 Black or African American (5.28%)
185 Two or More Races (3.83%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of International Business/Trade/Commerce degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in International Business/Trade/Commerce are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in International Business/Trade/Commerce.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the International Business/Trade/Commerce field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
International Business/Trade/Commerce majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for International Business/Trade/Commerce 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 International Business/Trade/Commerce majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals to manage international businesses and/or business operations. Includes instruction in the principles and processes of export sales, trade controls, foreign operations and related problems, monetary issues, international business policy, and applications to doing business in specific countries and markets
In 2023, 4,828 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in International Business/Trade/Commerce.
CIP Code
52.1101 - International Business/Trade/Commerce
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $43,287 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $73,201, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.87. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual International Business/Trade/Commerce graduate.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $64,987. The largest mapped role by headcount is Teachers, Postsecondary (1,500,000 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $5,324 in-state at public colleges and $33,628 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.