Here is a list of many of the most popular business majors to study at college or university. These majors for the future hold promising career paths for students of today, as each of these business majors offers unique intellectual challenges. Gaining a degree in one of these disciplines could set you on a path to thrive in this fast-paced and competitive business environment.
Business Administration
The value of a business administration major comes from your ability, as a graduate, to be useful to almost any organization. In a business administration course, you learn general skills that can be applied in office and corporate settings.
Basic training courses teach practical office competencies such as processing transactions, record keeping, scheduling meetings, document production, etc. However, at a degree level, the content of courses shifts towards management and leadership tasks such as performance management, communication strategy, marketing campaign management and strategic direction.
Business Management
Whether you plan on starting your own business or working for a large company, this course will extensively train you in directing and leading. A good business management program can provide you with a foundation skill set to run business operations and lead teams. Business management graduates are trained to identify business development opportunities to stay ahead of competitors and to ensure resources, including employees, are deployed productively.
MBA
A Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree is ideal for senior business professionals. MBA courses contain both business administration and business management elements. As well, any of the other majors identified in this list could be a minor or major specialization in an MBA program.
The masters degree is targeted towards business professionals with supervisory and, preferably, team management experience. Earning an MBA signals that you have learned leadership principles and are aiming for senior executive roles as part of your career progression. Many students are willing to pay premium tuition fees to gain entry into the top ranked MBA programs.
Marketing
Ever found yourself looking at a display advertisement and thinking you could do better? Or you’re confident with your strong communication skills, especially when it comes to persuasion? If that’s the case then marketing may be an exciting and rewarding field for you. This business major focuses on creating profitable relationships with the company’s existing and prospective customers through market research, advertisements, public relations, and community involvement.
Economics
Due to the increasing complexities in our society, the opportunities for economics graduates are as strong as ever. While the number of people with the title “economist” is perhaps falling, demand for the skills that economics graduates bring remains strong.
Economics involves heavy doses of critical thinking and math to study the intricacies of the modern world. Students who have acquired a degree in economics can pursue a career path in many industries and work as a professional economist, data analyst, financial risk analyst, economic researcher, equity consultant, and more.
Human Resources
From working as a high-level recruiter at an executive search firm to growing employee engagement internally, human resource (HR) management is a rewarding career field poised for growth. In fact, according to the article published by the U.S. News and World Report, HR careers are ranked among the best business jobs in America. The main responsibilities of HR managers include staffing, training employees, setting workplace policies, working on employee compensations and benefits, complying with organizational laws, and worker protection.
Finance
Finance is an ideal course for a mathematically inclined and detailed-oriented person. With financial degrees and jobs, you can focus on advising clients, creating budget reports, analyzing spending, analyzing stocks, and managing the finances of a company. One major benefit of pursuing a finance degree is that, while it offers a targeted focus of study, finance graduates are broadly valued for their analytical skills.
Accounting
A degree in accounting may open the door to many rewarding career opportunities for you. Typical coursework for this course includes auditing, tax accounting, business laws, and accounting information systems to name a few. And aside from your degree, you can also prepare to take the certified public account licensure exam for greater job stability and increased earning potential.
