The Highest-Paying Business Majors

Whether you're interested in having a job in the business field or are considering starting your own company, getting a degree in business is the first step towards a successful career. This article presents some of the highest-paying business degrees to pursue. Read on to find out more about each of them and the job behind it.

Why Get a Business Degree?

If you are considering a degree in business but are not convinced, we give you four main reasons why a degree in business is more than worth it. The wide range of jobs to choose from, the skills you acquire, the job outlook, and the highly competitive salaries are among the reasons why you should get a business degree.

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Job variety

The first reason why you should pursue a degree in business is the variety of jobs available for you. When studying business, you can choose from many different areas, such as marketing, finance, human resources, management, accounting, informatics, logistics, entrepreneurship, banking, investment, and many more. Furthermore, if you were interested, you could specialize within those areas. 

Skills

Leadership, critical thinking, decision making, time management, communication, problem-solving, networking—these are only some of the skills you gain when pursuing a degree in business. Furthermore, the skills acquired through a business degree can be transferred to other fields.

Great job outlook

People get a degree with the intention of getting a job, or a better job if they already have one. With business being everywhere, chances you will get a job after graduating from a business program are significantly high. During this decade, an 8% employment growth is predicted in business. Furthermore, the chance to easily transition between different business jobs is high due to the job variety and versatility.

High salary

Last, but not least—salary. With business jobs being so in demand, a degree in business ensures a lucrative career ahead of you. Throughout this article, you can learn more about the highest business salaries.

Best Business Degrees

Below we present a list of degrees providing some of the highest salaries in business. Read on to find out more about the best business degrees.

Marketing

In this day and age, getting a degree in marketing is highly advantageous since every business needs a marketing strategy to succeed. A degree in marketing will equip you with knowledge in a variety of fields, including content marketing, consumer behavior, marketing strategy, digital marketing strategy, market research and analytics, search engine optimization, social media, and so on. This diversity will make you qualified for roles in marketing, advertising, market research, public relations, and sales. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that employment of advertising, promotions, and marketing managers will grow by 10% from 2020 to 2030, making a degree in marketing recommended for career success.

Below, we present a list of several jobs you can get by studying marketing and the job outlook and average annual salary for each one of them. 

  • Market Research Analyst—$60,280

  • Sales Managers—$68,587

  • Marketing Director—$124,962 

  • Director of Digital Marketing—$119,008 

  • Content Marketing Director—$122,473 

  • Product Marketing Manager—$120,239 

  • Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers—$141,490

  • Director of Email Marketing—$141,916

Human resource management

As a crucial part of every growing company, human resource management (HRM) is one of the smartest career choices you can make nowadays. Often referred to as HR (human resources), it is a business specialization that qualifies you for recruiting, hiring, training, and managing the employees of an organization or company. A degree in human resources will provide you with the skills and knowledge necessary to manage a company or organization's human assets, as well as to deal with various HR job aspects like:

  • recruiting, 

  • conducting interviews, 

  • planning human resources, 

  • orienting, 

  • training, 

  • implementing reward systems, 

  • providing internal development opportunities for employees, 

  • managing employee disciplinary meetings,

  • ensuring that federal employment laws and regulations are followed.

A degree in human resource management provides many job opportunities. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 9% employment growth for human resource managers from 2020 to 2030. Furthermore, the average salary for a human resource manager is $81,185 per year. Below we present a list of the jobs you can go after by studying human resource management and their annual average salaries.

  • Executive Recruiter—$57,720

  • Human Resources Analyst—$66,625

  • Administrative Services Manager—$68,298

  • Labor Relations Specialist—$73,071

  • Human Resources Consultant—$79,396

  • Training and Development Manager—$80,924

  • Global HR Manager—$82,251 

  • Compensation and Benefits Manager—$102,221

  • Human Resources Director—$112,613 

International business 

If you are interested in a lucrative business career that gives you the chance to travel the world and interact with different cultures, you should consider pursuing a degree in international business. This degree will equip you with the skills you need to succeed as a business person from a global perspective. While having an international focus, the program deals with the differences among world markets in various areas like economics, management, culture, or politics. It focuses on actual examples of international business in the world. As part of the program, you will study at least one foreign language while having many opportunities to study abroad and experience different business environments and cultures.

As an international business major, you will have numerous career prospects. Employment in business and financial operations occupations is predicted to grow 8% from 2020 to 2030. Whether you choose to work in global business corporations, governments, communities, or decide to run your own business, the world is your oyster. Below you can find a list of job positions to consider and their average salary per year.

  • International Marketing Assistant—$43,817

  • Food Service Manager—$47,542

  • Sales Representative—$49,913 

  • Budget Analyst—$67,556

  • Financial Analyst—$73,725

  • International Trade Specialist—$73,979 

  • International Sales Manager—$79,664

  • Management Analyst—$81,541 

  • International Marketing Manager—$95,052

Finance

The finance industry is a large part of the economy. As such, it opens doors to some of the highest-paying jobs. Obtaining a degree in finance provides you with an understanding of accounting, business law, management, banking, and economics. It equips you with a variety of skills, such as budgeting, analytical thinking, accounting, financial planning, communication, problem-solving, and many more.

A degree in finance comes with many career prospects across economic sectors. You can work with different individuals, companies, or governments. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for financial jobs is projected to grow by 8% from 2020 to 2030.

Understanding the various types of financial environments is essential when it comes to knowing where to focus your financial career. Below we listed a number of job positions you can choose from, together with the average annual salary for each of them. 

Entrepreneurship

Whether you're interested in establishing your own business or developing business strategies for different companies, pursuing a degree in entrepreneurship is the first step towards a lucrative career. Graduating in entrepreneurship will equip you with practical skills for your career. You will learn to identify market gaps and think critically about developing innovative business strategies. Apart from the leadership skills obtained from an entrepreneurship program, you will also acquire written and verbal communication skills. You will become a creative problem solver, prepared to work in various industries—independently or in leadership roles in different companies. As an entrepreneurship graduate, you will have many job opportunities ahead of you. Below we present some of the highest-paying jobs you can choose from and their annual median salaries.

Healthcare management

With healthcare being one of the fastest-growing industries today, getting a degree in healthcare management ensures a profitable career ahead of you. You will learn public health organization and management, human resource management, health system planning, finance, business and operation management, and more. As a healthcare manager, you will be in charge of:

  • managing and coordinating health services, 

  • training staff members, 

  • scheduling, 

  • communicating with patients, and more.

If you are inclined to care for the well-being of people and at the same time are interested in business, a career in the field of healthcare management is a perfect choice, offering high salaries and significant employment growth. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in health services administration is projected to grow 32% from 2020 to 2030. That's much faster than the average occupational growth rate. On the other hand, the average salary of a healthcare administrator or manager is $74,191 per year, with professionals earning up to $133,000 annually. Below you can find other jobs in the field of healthcare management and their average salaries.

  • Home health care administrator—$51,815 

  • Healthcare management consultant—$63,939

  • Physician practice manager—$69,009

  • Mental health administrator—$71,569

  • Healthcare manager—$79,223

  • Ambulatory care manager—$82,310

  • Clinical quality improvement manager—$86,674 

  • Healthcare finance manager—$98,561

Environmental management

If you want a career that will help you make a difference in the world, consider a degree in environmental management. It will equip you with the knowledge necessary to comprehend different environmental situations and problems, together with the skills to find solutions. The program explores the impact the economy has on the environment. Various corporations and organizations hire environmental managers to oversee their use of natural resources and create environmental policies. As an environmental manager, your duties may include:

  • helping businesses go green,

  • managing environmental strategy budgets, 

  • conducting experiments,

  • writing policies to control pollution,

  • ensuring compliance with environmental legislation,

  • organizing public hearings on environmental issues, and more.

With an employment growth of 8% for environmental jobs from 2020 to 2030, and high salaries for environmental managers, pursuing this degree will be profitable. The median salary of an environmental manager is $88,238 per year, with top earners making up to $135,000 per year. Below we present some more specific environmental manager jobs you can choose from and their annual average salaries.

  • Environmental program coordinator—$48,363

  • Technical representative—$56,257

  • Community liaison officer—$59,946 

  • Energy efficiency consultant—$77,521

  • Business development advisor—$83,878

  • Government policy analyst—$99,243

Master of business administration

Strong leaders are essential in the business world. The perfect degree for anyone interested in acquiring strong leadership skills and getting top leader jobs is an MBA (master of business administration). The program typically provides you with knowledge in accounting, management, finance, marketing, and business law, while focusing on leadership and business strategy. When studying for your master's in business administration, you have the chance to specialize in a variety of fields, like finance, accounting, human resources, entrepreneurship, information technology, healthcare management, logistics, and many more. You can apply a master's degree in business administration to numerous career paths. Find below the most popular ones together with their average salaries per year.

  • Health services manager—$77,199 

  • Investment fund manager—$93,439

  • Business operations manager—$95,329

  • Management consultant—$103,853

  • Marketing manager—$104,295 

  • Financial manager—$108,475

  • Information technology director—$123,435

  • Computer and information systems manager—$175,585

  • Chief technology officer—$191,126

Information systems management

If you want a lucrative career in business, but the digital world also interests you, a degree in information systems management, one of the best business majors, is the way to go. Nowadays, businesses need qualified management information systems (MIS) professionals to develop and manage computer and network systems in order to be more successful by operating more efficiently and serving their customers better. MIS helps businesses track processes, finances, staff, and customers data for analysis. A degree in management information systems provides an understanding of network security, project management, analytics, and systems management. It equips you with a number of skills, including time management, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, analytical, and strong programming skills.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment for computer and information systems managers will increase by 11% from 2020 to 2030. Furthermore, the average salary of an information systems manager is $85,100 per year. In this case, pursuing a degree in management information systems is a smart career investment. Below you can find some of the job opportunities that come with an MIS degree, and their average salaries per year.

  • Web developer—$70,863

  • Database administrator—$83,700

  • Computer systems analyst—$92,936

  • Application developer—$93,283

  • Information security analyst—$99,275

  • Software engineer—$108,249 

  • Computer and information systems manager—$175,585

Supply chain management

Today more than ever, businesses that sell products require professionals to manage their distribution of goods. Supply chain management includes everything about producing, shipping, and distributing products. A degree in supply chain and logistics management will prepare you with the knowledge and technical skills required to land a career in leading supply chain management roles. It covers areas such as supply chain technologies, contract management, product development, distribution management, pricing analysis, brand management, strategic sourcing, and more. With a supply chain management degree under your belt, you will be prepared for various job positions at both local and global levels. 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 30% employment growth from 2020 to 2030, making supply chain management one of the fastest-growing occupations. In addition, the average salary for a supply chain manager is $87,261 annually. Below we present a list of more specific supply chain management jobs and their average salaries.

Conclusion

Getting a degree in business requires a lot of effort and sacrifice, but it also comes with many job opportunities and high salaries. Now that you have gone through some of the highest-paying majors in business, you will have a chance to reflect on what your interests, goals, and strengths are and decide which degree to pursue according to that. 

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