Schools For Business Administration

Business - Career Information

Business Career Overview

Although the broad category of Business can be applied to a huge collection of occupations, any of which can be said to contribute in some fashion to the success of a business enterprise, the term is widely accepted to refer to professions related in some way to finance. Many professions fall in this category; however, most of them are subsets of two general business career fields: Accountant/Auditor and Financial Planner.

Accountants and auditors are responsible for preserving the fiscal health and integrity of a business enterprise. Specific duties may include things such as verifying financial documents, maintaining records, ensuring that taxes get paid properly and on time, and making transactions involving capital or income. Clients can be corporations, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, or individuals. Most accountants and auditors work a standard 40-hour week in a typical office setting. However, those who specialize in taxes tend to put in long hours during the tax season.

Financial planners help individuals or businesses manage their money by collecting financial information, analyzing it, and making recommendations. Corporate financial planners work for business enterprises including investment banks, insurance companies, securities firms, and general corporations. Personal financial planners work for individuals, assessing a person's financial needs and then recommending financial options which best meet the individual's short- and long-term goals. Specific duties may include tax advice, retirement and estate planning, and general investment strategies. Financial planners usually work standard business hours in offices or in their own homes but at times may be called upon to work longer hours and to meet with clients in the evenings or on weekends.

Business Career Education

For those seeking an entry level position in business fields, companies may hire graduates of a certificate, associate degree or bachelor's degree program in accounting, economics, finance, or a related area. However, those with a master's degree or an MBA (Masters of Business Administration) tend to have much higher levels of opportunity. For jobs in accounting, computer proficiency in terms of coursework and/or work experience is a significant asset. In order to obtain a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license (required for many accountants), most states require 150 semester hours of college coursework, which entails an additional 30 hours beyond the typical four-year bachelor's degree. Most CPA licenses must be renewed periodically and a certain number of hours of continuing professional education is a requirement for renewal.

A bachelor's degree in finance, mathematics, accounting, statistics, economics, law, or business is strongly advised for anyone wishing to become a financial planner. Ideally, a degree program should include courses in taxes, estate planning, investments, and risk management. To an increasing extent, many colleges and universities are now offering specialized programs in financial planning.

Schools for Business are listed in the column to the left.

Careers and Salary Data

This table shows summary data on occupations in the US. Clicking on any occupation name brings you to a page showing job prospects and salaries for that occupation in hundreds of metro areas across the country, with data updated through 2008.(Where data is denoted by an asterisk (*), summary info was not available.

The green bars in the table below indicate the relative salary levels and growth rates of each occupation, compared to the others. The levels are determined by sorting the occupations (by salary or growth rate, separately) and then dividing them into ten groups corresponding to the the ten possible green bar levels. So a single bar means the occupation is in the bottom 10% for that characteristic compared to others on this page.

Click each Occupation title for more details.

 

Business

Occupation	Jobs	Median Pay	% Growth 2006-2016	Video
Accountants and Auditors	1,133,580	$59,430	17.7%
Bookkeeping and Accounting Clerks	1,855,010	$32,510	12.5%
Budget Analysts	62,630	$65,320	7.1%
Claims Adjusters	277,230	$55,760	8.9%
Compensation and Benefits Managers	38,810	$86,500	12%
Compensation and Benefits Specialists	116,250	$53,860	18.4%
Credit Analysts	74,400	$55,250	1.9%
Economists	12,600	$83,590	7.5%
Emergency Management Specialists	12,260	$50,460	12.3%
Employment Specialists	205,800	$45,470	18.4%
Financial Analysts	236,720	$73,150	33.8%
Financial Examiners	26,020	$70,930	10.7%
Financial Managers	500,590	$99,330	12.6%
Financial Specialists	145,110	$57,150	11.8%
Health Services Managers	258,130	$80,240	16.4%
Human Resources Managers	60,980	$96,130	11.4%
Human Resources Specialists	217,440	$55,710	16.5%
Insurance Underwriters	98,690	$56,790	6.3%
Loan Counselors	29,430	$37,470	4%
Loan Officers	321,850	$54,700	11.5%
Logisticians	98,590	$66,480	17.3%
Management Analysts	535,850	$73,570	21.9%
Market Research Analysts	230,070	$61,070	20.1%
Personal Financial Advisors	146,690	$69,050	41%
Purchasing Agents	286,990	$53,940	0.1%
Tax Examiners and Revenue Agents	66,030	$48,100	2.1%
Training and Development Managers	29,350	$87,700	15.6%
Training Specialists	206,890	$51,450	18.3%
Wholesale and Retail Buyers	132,420	$48,710	0%

Schools for Business (including online schools)

Business Schools by State

We have some additional detailed pages at the state level for Business.

Numbers in parentheses are counts of relevant campus-based schools in the state; online schools may also be available.

• Alabama (4)
• Alaska (1)
• Arizona (10)
• Arkansas (1)
• California (17)
• Colorado (10)
• Connecticut (2)
• Delaware (2)
• District Of Columbia (3)
• Florida (21)
• Georgia (9)
• Hawaii (3)
• Idaho (4)
• Illinois (10)
• Indiana (9)
• Iowa (4)
• Kansas (4)
• Kentucky (8)
• Louisiana (1)
• Maine (1)
• Maryland (5)
• Massachusetts (3)
• Michigan (5)
• Minnesota (11)
• Mississippi (1)
• Missouri (12)
• Nebraska (3)
• Nevada (6)
• New Hampshire (1)
• New Jersey (7)
• New Mexico (7)
• New York (7)
• North Carolina (6)
• North Dakota (1)
• Ohio (15)
• Oklahoma (7)
• Oregon (7)
• Pennsylvania (11)
• Rhode Island (1)
• South Carolina (6)
• South Dakota (2)
• Tennessee (10)
• Texas (16)
• Utah (8)
• Virginia (13)
• Washington (6)
• West Virginia (2)
• Wisconsin (6)
• Wyoming (2)

Data Sources and Career Resources

• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• O*NET OnLine Occupation and Career Analysis