Field of study · CIP 52.02
Business Administration, Management and Operations
Offered at 5,249 college programs that reported results. Here is what graduates earn and owe at each credential level, and which programs pay best.
By credential level
| Credential | Programs | Typical earnings, 1 yr | Typical earnings, 5 yrs | Typical debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | 790 | $42,360 | $49,883 | $14,377 |
| Associate | 1,152 | $41,020 | $50,256 | $13,000 |
| Bachelor's | 1,555 | $51,573 | $67,779 | $24,500 |
| Post-bacc certificate | 8 | $92,422 | — | $20,000 |
| Master's | 1,172 | $78,255 | $100,286 | — |
| Doctoral | 192 | $102,685 | $107,093 | — |
| Professional | 18 | $161,903 | $161,685 | — |
| Graduate certificate | 362 | $71,486 | $93,202 | — |
"Typical" is the median across programs of each program's median, counting only programs with unsuppressed data (at least three). It describes a typical program, not a national median for all graduates. Certificate figures include certificates earned at four-year colleges, often alongside a bachelor's; see degrees vs. certificates for a cleaner comparison. Source: College Scorecard field of study data.
Our read
One year after finishing, a typical certificate program in this field reports median earnings of $42,360, versus $51,573 for a typical bachelor's program.
Highest-earning certificate programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Georgia | GA | $77,041 | $114,776 | $16,995 |
| 2 | University of Colorado Boulder | CO | $72,639 | $111,360 | $18,500 |
| 3 | Champlain College | VT | — | $94,849 | — |
| 4 | Purdue University-Main Campus | IN | $72,737 | $94,689 | $17,954 |
| 5 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | MN | $64,740 | $92,028 | — |
| 6 | University of Maryland Global Campus | MD | — | $86,323 | $16,542 |
| 7 | Columbus State Community College | OH | $55,696 | $83,218 | — |
| 8 | Columbia Southern University | AL | — | $82,903 | — |
| 9 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College | PA | — | $79,681 | — |
| 10 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Shenango | PA | — | $79,681 | — |
| 11 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Scranton | PA | — | $79,681 | — |
| 12 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Beaver | PA | — | $79,681 | — |
| 13 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg | PA | — | $79,681 | — |
| 14 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | PA | — | $79,681 | — |
| 15 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Mont Alto | PA | — | $79,681 | — |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
Highest-earning associate programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santiago Canyon College | CA | — | $87,961 | — |
| 2 | College of San Mateo | CA | — | $86,253 | $6,000 |
| 3 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach | FL | $81,005 | $85,083 | $12,500 |
| 4 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide | FL | $81,005 | $85,083 | $12,500 |
| 5 | Utah Valley University | UT | — | $81,603 | $10,667 |
| 6 | Thomas Edison State University | NJ | $54,034 | $80,129 | $13,724 |
| 7 | Northwood University | MI | — | $78,064 | $19,625 |
| 8 | Ensign College | UT | — | $76,952 | — |
| 9 | MiraCosta College | CA | — | $76,376 | — |
| 10 | Thomas More University | KY | — | $76,086 | $32,000 |
| 11 | Albertus Magnus College | CT | — | $72,972 | — |
| 12 | Cambridge College | MA | $72,937 | — | — |
| 13 | Quincy College | MA | $51,503 | $72,642 | $14,270 |
| 14 | Skyline College | CA | — | $71,935 | — |
| 15 | College of Alameda | CA | — | $71,518 | — |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
Highest-earning bachelor's programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | MI | $96,806 | $168,210 | $19,500 |
| 2 | University of California-Berkeley | CA | $94,811 | $159,620 | $10,656 |
| 3 | Carnegie Mellon University | PA | $97,419 | $152,349 | $19,000 |
| 4 | Manhattan University | NY | $97,889 | $150,562 | $17,250 |
| 5 | University of Pennsylvania | PA | $108,743 | $148,970 | $19,000 |
| 6 | Johns Hopkins University | MD | — | $148,240 | — |
| 7 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | NC | $88,182 | $147,870 | $9,500 |
| 8 | Emory University | GA | $87,830 | $137,599 | $17,500 |
| 9 | Stevens Institute of Technology | NJ | $78,620 | $135,207 | $26,000 |
| 10 | Georgetown University | DC | — | $134,123 | $8,125 |
| 11 | William & Mary | VA | $84,722 | $125,639 | $15,000 |
| 12 | Boston College | MA | $75,464 | $125,184 | $19,000 |
| 13 | Brigham Young University | UT | $75,525 | $124,983 | $10,375 |
| 14 | Franklin and Marshall College | PA | $70,650 | $122,449 | $22,625 |
| 15 | Babson College | MA | $75,834 | $121,878 | $18,497 |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
Highest-earning post-bacc certificate programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | PA | $129,844 | $149,927 | $21,105 |
| 2 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh | NC | $97,943 | — | — |
| 3 | CUNY Graduate School and University Center | NY | $86,901 | — | $20,000 |
| 4 | University of Georgia | GA | $51,676 | $62,878 | $22,051 |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
Highest-earning master's programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Pennsylvania | PA | $202,471 | $281,006 | — |
| 2 | Stanford University | CA | — | $277,054 | — |
| 3 | Columbia University in the City of New York | NY | $85,220 | $272,858 | — |
| 4 | University of Chicago | IL | $207,003 | $251,625 | — |
| 5 | Dartmouth College | NH | $211,114 | $245,200 | — |
| 6 | Yale University | CT | $198,968 | $242,597 | — |
| 7 | New York University | NY | $221,814 | $237,441 | — |
| 8 | Cornell University | NY | $196,713 | $235,273 | — |
| 9 | University of California-Los Angeles | CA | — | $230,735 | — |
| 10 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | VA | $198,087 | $229,449 | — |
| 11 | Duke University | NC | $180,247 | $227,874 | — |
| 12 | Carnegie Mellon University | PA | — | $214,695 | — |
| 13 | Rice University | TX | — | $214,289 | — |
| 14 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | MI | $168,634 | $210,396 | — |
| 15 | Lehigh University | PA | $129,715 | $210,300 | — |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
Highest-earning doctoral programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Temple University | PA | $214,825 | — | — |
| 2 | Creighton University | NE | $151,229 | — | — |
| 3 | Florida International University | FL | $145,098 | — | — |
| 4 | Liberty University | VA | $108,233 | $136,036 | — |
| 5 | University of South Florida | FL | $136,024 | — | — |
| 6 | Columbia Southern University | AL | $134,402 | — | — |
| 7 | The Chicago School at Chicago | IL | $123,374 | $127,848 | — |
| 8 | The Chicago School at Anaheim | CA | $123,374 | $127,848 | — |
| 9 | The Chicago School at Los Angeles | CA | $123,374 | $127,848 | — |
| 10 | The Chicago School at Washington DC | DC | $123,374 | $127,848 | — |
| 11 | Capella University | MN | $104,743 | $126,938 | — |
| 12 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | $126,722 | — | — |
| 13 | Vanderbilt University | TN | $124,602 | — | — |
| 14 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | NC | $113,816 | — | — |
| 15 | The University of Arizona Global Campus | AZ | $112,020 | — | — |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
Highest-earning professional programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University | MA | $219,183 | $288,437 | — |
| 2 | University of Florida | FL | $193,468 | — | — |
| 3 | University of Notre Dame | IN | $130,339 | $188,286 | — |
| 4 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | PA | $119,291 | $135,084 | — |
| 5 | The Catholic University of America | DC | — | $107,589 | — |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
Highest-earning graduate certificate programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Iowa | IA | $122,311 | $150,440 | — |
| 2 | Weber State University | UT | $109,166 | $137,493 | — |
| 3 | University of Southern California | CA | $97,538 | $134,120 | — |
| 4 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh | NC | $130,140 | — | — |
| 5 | Champlain College | VT | $94,431 | $121,782 | — |
| 6 | St Catherine University | MN | — | $118,940 | — |
| 7 | University of St Thomas | MN | $116,216 | — | — |
| 8 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | MA | $106,040 | $115,415 | — |
| 9 | East Carolina University | NC | $79,221 | $113,804 | — |
| 10 | George Washington University | DC | $93,410 | $113,418 | — |
| 11 | Central Michigan University | MI | — | $109,395 | — |
| 12 | The University of Tampa | FL | $109,280 | — | — |
| 13 | Missouri State University-Springfield | MO | $69,254 | $107,739 | — |
| 14 | Endicott College | MA | — | $102,188 | — |
| 15 | Colorado State University Global | CO | $95,673 | — | — |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
Related fields
Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's typical 5-yr earnings $77,352Entrepreneurial and Small Business OperationsBachelor's typical 5-yr earnings $68,377Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's typical 5-yr earnings $83,701MarketingBachelor's typical 5-yr earnings $71,160Business/Managerial EconomicsBachelor's typical 5-yr earnings $83,514Human Resources Management and ServicesBachelor's typical 5-yr earnings $70,804Management Information Systems and ServicesBachelor's typical 5-yr earnings $87,204Real EstateBachelor's typical 5-yr earnings $89,083
Quick answers
- How much do business administration, management and operations graduates earn?
- One year after finishing, a typical bachelor's program in business administration, management and operations reports median earnings of $51,573. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field of study data.
