Business Major

Business Administration major is one of the most popular undergraduate degrees. Students who are interested in the corporate world and in learning how companies are organized and run efficiently often choose a degree in Business.

A business administration degree encompasses many sub-fields. Business graduates are often employed in various sectors from jobs in auditing and accounting to human resources, marketing, research, and finance.

The guide below will provide you with a detailed guide of a business degree and it will include the expected learning outcomes and potential job opportunities for business graduates.

Table of Contents

Overview of Business Major

–  What is Business administration?

Business administration is the study of how organizations, big or small, manage their resources including time, money, and labor to ensure they are meeting their objectives effectively and profitably.

Students will learn the fundamental basics of a business through many aspects such as finance, marketing, management, accounting. Students will also have the opportunity to delve deeper into these fields according to their interests.

The curriculum of a business administration major teaches students how to create organizational value and to understand financial concepts very well. To do so, students will be leading projects, analyze real-life business cases, collect financial statements, analyze data, and other coursework which will offer them a wide range of valuable skills.

Also read: University Majors| All you need to know about college majors (oppgate.com)

Why Study Business?

Studying the main concepts and theories of business and how they best perform their activities will help you develop critical thinking skills. You will be able to assess and analyze problems given  data and apply the concepts you have learned to solve these  problemswhy study business

Nevertheless, a business degree will enhance your softs skills. As an undergraduate business student, you will be doing many presentations, which will teach you how to communicate your ideas in an informative manner, how to influence others, and how to be a better and confident speaker.

Business majors have also the opportunity to learn management skills which are valuable in the job market. Students majoring in business not only learn about management theories in classrooms, but they will also get to meet business professionals, interview managers. This offers them a chance to interact and network with professionals in the field, learn how they manage businesses in real life, and gain practical skills in management.

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What Can I Do With a Business Degree?

There are many career and academic paths that Business Administration graduates can choose from.

You can already tell from the diverse nature of the business that your future as a business major graduate is not just becoming a businessman or an accountant.

Business majors develop a set of transferrable skills that allows them to find employment opportunities in multiple sectors. Some of these options are the following:

Business Degree

  1. Pursue an MBA/ Work in research departments in universities and companies
  2. Business Consultant/Business Developer
  3. Financial Analyst
  4. Various marketing and advertising positions
  5. Human Resource Manager

Business Administration Concentrations

Most business schools allow students to concentrate on one of the main subfields of business administration. This is to provide students the opportunity to focus on one field of their interest to gain well-rounded knowledge in that field.

The most common areas of business administration major are the following:

The list below can vary depending on the university. Some universities offer

    • Accounting
    • Finance
    • Marketing
    • Computer Information Systems
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Management
    • International business

Business Administration Courses

Students majoring in Business Administration take the following courses:

  • Financial Accounting
  • Management Accounting
  • Business Data Analysis
  • Business Law
  • Business Ethics
  • Business Communication
  • Strategic Management
  • Business Finance
  • Foundations of Information Systems
  • Fundamentals of Management
  • Organizational Behavior
  • Principles of Marketing
  • Micro/Macro Economics

 The above are some of the core courses that students must take during their first two years or so. Students then get a chance of taking other elective courses according to the concentration they choose.

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Top Business Schools in the World

According to QS world ranking, the top universities that have the best business schools in the world are the following

Institution Name

Country

London School of Economics

United Kingdom

INSEAD

Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America

University of Pennsylvania

United States

University of Cambridge

United Kingdom

Harvard University

United States

HEC Paris

France

London Business School

United Kingdom

Stanford University

United States

Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi

Italy

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

United States

Prominent figures who studied Business

You might be curious to learn about some of the influential people who obtained a degree ether a degree Administration and are leading successful careers in some of the largest corporations worldwide.

We have listed below some of these figures for you to learn about their careers in business.   

Warren Buffett

Buffet is one of the most successful investors of all time with his net worth reaching up to 100 billion USD. Buffet graduated from the University of Nebraska with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and he completed his masters in Economics at Columbia University.

Warren Buffett business degree
Warren Buffett

Tim Cook

Cook is the current CEO of Apple. He graduated from Auburn University in Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and received a master’s in business administration from Duke University North Carolina.

Tim Cook studied business
Tim Cook

Doug McMillon

McMillion is the president and CEO of Walmart where he first joined the company as a summer associate during High School. McMillion made almost 22 million dollars in 2016 alone. McMillion graduated with a degree in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas and later on obtained an MBA from the University of Tulsa.

Doug-McMillon Walmart
Doug McMillon

 Marry Barra

Barra is an American Businesswoman and the current CEO of General Motors. Barra obtained her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from General Motors Institute( now known as Kettering University). She then received her masters’ degree in Business Administration from Stanford University.

Marry Barra business major
Marry Barra

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