By Charlene Lattea, WVU Online | Wednesday, May 03, 2023
Are you struggling to choose a major and thinking of business as a possibility?
Most colleges offer a business administration degree and it is a popular choice for students who know they would like to work in business, but aren’t sure exactly what they want to do.
With a business degree, you will get a well-rounded education, but you may feel conflicted. Is it too general for your needs? Does it provide enough opportunities for advancement?
We’re here to clarify some common misconceptions about majoring in this field and answer all your questions about business administration!
Yes, a business administration degree is a good major!
It is a top degree choice because there is a demand for it. Nearly every industry needs professionals with strong business and management skills.
Also, it is versatile, and you will have a wide variety of skills that will help you excel in a multitude of careers.
Finally, business administration prepares you to become a leader, with the management, technical, and organizational skills you need to advance in any organization.
But do you really need a degree to succeed?
The answer to that is also yes. Most entry-level jobs in business require a bachelor’s degree and without it you will have more difficulty advancing in your career. A bachelor’s degree in business administration opens many doors.
It also sets you up to attend graduate school, if you would like to go on and obtain an advanced degree, such as a Master of Business Administration (MBA).
The following are some of the major benefits of getting a business administration degree:
There are plenty of job opportunities in business. You will be contributing to an organization’s efficiency and effectiveness on a day-to-day basis and using your knowledge learned in the classroom in a wide range of industries.
Business is one of the highest-paid occupations today. Even in an entry-level position, you can expect to make $50,000 or more.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for careers in business and finance was $76,570 in May 2021, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations.
You’ll probably be able to choose an area of specialization for your business degree, depending on your individual interests.
For example, if you are a creative thinker, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing may be a good specialization for you. Or, if you love to travel, then a specialization in Hospitality and Tourism Management may be for you.
If you specialize while studying for your degree, you can start honing your skills to fit into the particular area where you would eventually like to have a career.
Businesses in every sector, large or small, need leaders with management skills, as well as technological skills, to solve complex issues.
As a business administration graduate, your degree will be more marketable than those of many other students. This is one of the reasons it is one of the most in-demand majors.
Networking while in school is very important and allows you to practice interpersonal communication skills such as elevator pitches, reading verbal and non-verbal cues, and exchanging information.
You’ll meet peers with similar interests and interact with professors and other professionals who can give you a good recommendation or alert you to job opportunities.
A degree in business administration gives you a well-rounded education with skills that are in demand in today’s fast-paced business world. Business administration is a degree that can help you enter almost any type of industry.
These are only a few of the skills you will learn in a business administration degree program that will serve you well in the workplace and in other areas of your life:
Leadership Skills - These include the ability to delegate, inspire and communicate effectively.
Market Research - To determine which marketing strategies would work best for a company, market research analysts must gather, interpret and present all available information.
Strategic Thinking - This is an ability to plan for the future and develop ideas that will take into account changing environments and other challenges that lie ahead.
Analytical Skills - From financials to human resources, you should be able to analyze the health of a business, diagnose problems, and offer informed solutions.
Communication Skills - Being a strong communicator is one of the most important skills, in order to effectively exchange information and understand others through verbal and non-verbal messages.
Accounting and Finance - You will become proficient in reading and understanding financial documents, including balance sheets.
Management Skills - It is important that you learn to be an effective manager, motivate your employees, and work with your business leaders to set goals and establish plans for accomplishing them.
Entrepreneurship - This means a professional business sense and it is the ability to learn, communicate, focus, strategize, and sell.
Data Analysis - It is important for business professionals to be able to gather, organize and analyze information to make strategic, data-driven decisions.
Project Management - You will learn and apply the knowledge, tools, and techniques necessary to effectively manage projects, large or small.
Creative Thinking - This is the process of innovative problem-solving — including analyzing facts, brainstorming, and working with others.
Organizational Skills - Your ability to manage time effectively, prioritize tasks, set goals, and develop systems for achieving those goals will help handle complex projects efficiently.
Self-discipline - The ability to push yourself forward, stay motivated, and take action, regardless of how you are feeling, physically or emotionally, is the mark of a true professional.
Statistics - A very important part of business is the ability to collect, organize, analyze, and interpret numerical data.
Delivering Presentations - You need to have confidence when explaining your ideas and persuading others. These skills are key if you want to advance to leadership positions.
Information Technology - From becoming an expert in Excel to navigating databases, a business administration degree will teach you how to maximize technology to solve business challenges.
Teamwork - Managing businesses sometimes necessitates working in groups and completing initiatives as a group. You must also be a team member your colleagues and superiors can rely on.
Decision-making - Someone with good decision-making skills can assess all the facts, understand the company's current condition, as well as its goals, and choose the best course of action for a particular situation.
If you can answer "yes" of any of the following questions, a Business Administration degree may be right for you:
If you answered "yes" to most of these questions, then business administration may be the perfect major for you, because you have the abilities and traits necessary to thrive in this field.
At WVU Online, we specialize in hands-on, real-world activities to give you the skills you need for a successful career as a business professional.
With our Bachelor of Science in Business Administration: General Business you will gain the versatility you need to enter any segment of the business world by learning how to run a business, including management skills, research skills, and the use of financial data. Students work with their advisors to plan a customized curriculum, taking 30 credits of upper-level business courses, but no more than 9 credits in any specific discipline. This program is for students who may desire an "individualized," or less rigidly structured business major.
WVU’s Bachelor of Science in Business Administration: Marketing students receive a rigorous education that helps them develop an understanding of the strategic marketing planning process. They are able to integrate the various facets of marketing and to apply these concepts to marketing decisions and the development of marketing plans. Students may select from three tracks: Integrated Digital Marketing Communications, Professional Sales, or Start-up/High-tech Marketing.
Our Bachelor of Science in Business Administration: Hospitality and Tourism covers all aspects of the hospitality and tourism industry from a management perspective. The curriculum balances theory and practice with "learning lab" experiences, as well as internships that take students all over the world.
This major has a placement rate of more than 90%, largely due to the requirements of two field experience or internship courses. Students who complete their internships successfully can expect full-time job opportunities after graduation.
All three of these programs give you a solid foundation in business core classes in accounting, business applications, statistics, business communication, information systems and technology, finance, marketing, supply chain management, management, business ethics, business strategy, and more, before you move into the courses that are part of your area of specialization.
If you choose a WVU Online business degree program from the John Chambers College of Business and Economics, you’ll be choosing one accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). This represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. Only 5% of business schools globally and 30% of business schools nationally have earned this distinction.
Yes, a business administration degree is a good major! Are you ready to start your journey?
Call us, write us, or fill out the request information form. Whichever communication style you prefer, there will be someone from WVU Online on the other end waiting to help.
Be a decision maker. First, your degree. World-class academics at an exceptional value.
Occasionally a student will encounter an issue with an online course that he or she doesn’t know how to resolve. Should this occur, please visit the link below.