Business Degree Overview

Listed below are colleges and universities that offer online degrees or certificates in Business and a detailed list of offered programs. Tuition, financial aid, course offerings, online classes are available by request.

Strictly Business

’It’s not personal Sonny. It’s strictly business,’ says mafia king Michael Corleone in ‘The Godfather,’ after taking out yet another opponent.

Although the business world is not as intimidating as cutthroat mafia life, it still deals less with creative whims and more with finance, leadership, and strategy. Often times business decisions made from a gut feeling are not as well received in the industry as cold hard facts. That is why business executives need analysts to make the best decisions about where to spend money and when, they need accountants for precise financial accuracy, they need purchasers and sellers, and they need intelligent leadership to make sure each part of the business machine is working efficiently.

Career Outlook for Business Professionals

Trying to generalize about the entire business industry is very difficult and prone to be inaccurate, but some statistics can point prospective business people in the right direction. Take a look at these statistics from the last quarter of 2010. Business can be divided into two large subgroups: goods producing industry, and service industry.

• Number of private establishments gaining jobs at the end of 2010: 1,829,000
• Goods producing industry saw a net loss in jobs in the end of 2010, of about 50,000. 50,000 more jobs were lost than gained.
• Service industry saw gross employment loss substantially lower than gross employment gain, at about a 600,000 difference.

This data shows that business providing service rather than goods might be a safer bet when it comes to entering the business world. That said, when you think about all the goods and services that businesses provide, saying that goods producing businesses are really risky is inaccurate. Companies providing service can be just as risky. Apple produces goods. That is certainly a better company to work for than your local car wash, which provides a service.

Providing the service of financial analysis, planning, investment counseling, and things of this nature are often very profitable, but also very competitive. Individuals and companies that have money to invest will make sure they go to the best service.

Here are some other facts to consider:

• Firms with 250 or more employees accounted for 72.8 percent of total net job gains in the fourth quarter of 2010 (1.7 million).
• 6.4 million was the net job loss in the fourth quarter of 2010, 7 million was the net job gain.

Salary Forecast for Business Careers

Salaries of different specialties within this field tend to vary. Consider the following statistics:

Education Requirements for Business Professionals

Minimum Business Requirements?

There is no minimum requirement for starting or running a business. In fact, many people have become successful in business with nothing but a high school diploma. But that doesnt mean you wont do better without an education. Your chances of getting hired by a large, successful business or corporation are much greater with at least a bachelors degree in business under your belt.

Work Experience and Masters Programs

Many successful business owners, CEOs, and entrepreneurs have advanced degrees as well, usually a Masters of Business Administration (MBA). Although some students go directly from their undergraduate degree to an MBA program, many schools require students to have 2-3 years of work experience before entering an advanced degree program for business. And earning an MBA will open you up to better, higher-paying business opportunities for the rest of your career.

Earnings vs. Education

Remember, in 2008, the average earnings for a young adult holding a masters degree was over $55,000 annually, a bachelor’s degree was over $46,000 annually. The average earnings for an associate’s degree holder were over $36,000. For those holding a high school diploma, it was only $23,500 annually, according to the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.

Business Degree Educational Options

When it comes to post-secondary training in the field of business there are lots of choices. These options include:

Business Career Educational Program Lengths

As already mentioned, there are almost endless career choices available in the business industry that require different types of educational training. Below is a list of a few of the more common career types and the type of educational degree or training required to become employed in that career type.