What Jobs Can I Get with a Business Management Degree?

To excel in business, you need a broad range of skills strengthened by a solid educational background. You’ll need a foundational understanding of planning, directing, mentoring, organizing, and controlling business activities. That's the role of business managers. Business managers must be flexible, communicative, and diligent. They must have agility for coordinating resources and maximizing the chances of reaching organizational objectives. And every manager should have an acute sense of leadership and problem-solving. 

Sound management is critical to business health and success. Without it, there will always be risk. You can't maintain a competitive edge. The company won't be able to adapt and will subsequently languish.

Coursework for a business management/leadership degree explores aspects of business operations, providing the fundamentals for analysis, organization, and oversight of a company. A business management degree provides the skills needed for a variety of jobs in the business world.

Let’s explore the jobs you can get with a business management degree.

Versatility of Business Management Degrees

There isn't a business sector in the world that doesn't need effective management. With a business management degree, you can find employment in:

• Education 
• Finance
• Healthcare
• Hospitality
• Human resources
• Manufacturing
• Retail sports management
• Technology

Business Management vs. Business Administration

While there is a good deal of overlap between the two, there is a difference between a general business administration degree and a degree in business management or leadership. There is a business adage that applies here — While not all managers are great leaders, all great leaders must also be strong managers. A management or leadership degree can facilitate career advancement.

Business administration consists of studies about day-to-day business processes. The curriculum involves the development of practical skills in:

• Accounting
• Analytical thinking
• Human resources
• Finance
• Entrepreneurship
• Leadership
• Marketing
• Strategic planning

These skills are valuable for entry-level positions and practical for a variety of settings. That makes a business administration degree a great start for anyone looking to get into the corporate world or start their own business.

On the other hand, business management and leadership entails learning how to organize and manage a company, specifically how to use resources to the company's advantage. Business managers must be adept at making decisions. They design and monitor strategies and infrastructure.

A business administrator oversees the day-to-day nuts-and-bolts aspects of operations. Business managers need to consider the broader picture, looking to scale business growth. A good example would be the admin's immediate monitoring of training and onboarding for the day. The business manager, on the other hand, would gauge how that day's work plays into the company's goals for the next quarter.

Deciding which degree is best for you encompasses your desired career path. If your interests lie in projects and the steps necessary to complete them, business administration would be a good degree. If your skills and interests involve people and motivating them, management or leadership degrees would be a good fit.

Business Management Degrees: Associate vs. Bachelor's vs. Master’s

To rise in management, a business degree will basically be a requirement. As associate degree typically only provides the groundwork to earn a bachelor’s in business administration or business management/leadership. You can opt to specialize in management and leadership with a BBA in Organizational Leadership or a BA in Organizational Leadership. From there, a master’s degree will burnish your resume, potentially accelerating your upward career trajectory. This could be an MBA in Organizational Leadership or a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership.

How far you take your education is a personal decision, of course. It can be dependent upon other commitments, finances, and your goals. Let’s get into a sample of jobs available with a business management degree.

What a Business Management Degree Offers

To get an associate degree in business, in addition to education fundamentals such as English, humanities, and communication, coursework will focus on general business. Degrees in this category can have varying names, such as ABA (Associate of Business Administration), ABA (Associate of Science in Business Administration), or AABA (Associate of Arts in Business Administration). Coursework will typically consist of:

• Two-year programs for full-time study, three for part-time (the UMass Global AA degree is self-paced, allowing students to finish more quickly)
• Studies in marketing, accounting, management, and other business-related skills
• Core study and electives in HR, entrepreneurship, and supply chains
• Hands-on learning with cooperative education, internships, and simulated business projects

Jobs Available with an AA in Business

While a bachelor’s degree is typically preferred, particularly for management positions, having an AA in Business can open doors to the following roles. Roles will be limited, but that can be addressed by adding a bachelor’s degree when you are able.

Personal Banker

Personal bankers manage financial relationships. They help customers make decisions about finances, retirement, savings, loans, investments, and more. A personal banker needs analytical skills to develop financial strategies.

Executive Assistant

Often called an admin, an executive assistant plays an organizational and support role in an executive's day-to-day workflow. While an admin's function may not seem to require an advanced degree, in today's market, executives prefer an assistant who has a broader understanding of the business world beyond answering phones or managing schedules.

Accounting, Bookkeeping, Auditing

Monitoring, analyzing, and recording financial records is required in any organization. Candidates are expected to adhere to guidelines for coding documents, recording numerical data, and reconciling financial statements. Management depends on this information to project financial goals and find discrepancies in money management. Candidates are also expected to comply with company, local, state, and federal policies.

Customer Service

Any organization of scale (health insurance, equipment manufacturers, airlines, software providers) needs customer service reps. Whether it's taking orders or dealing with complaints, no organization can afford to not have an outlet for customer and client interaction.

Sales Representative

Businesses need people to sell their products or services. This is the role of the sales representative. The degree gets you in the door, but you’ll succeed with people skills, knowledge of the products/services, and attention to detail (such as following through on orders). These positions typically utilize commissions, bonuses, and other incentives to encourage success.

Jobs Available with a Bachelor's Degree in Management

A bachelor's degree is a four-year commitment, but there are options for shortening that path. For instance, those who have earned their associate degree can typically transfer up to 90 credits toward a 120-credit bachelor’s degree, allowing the student to earn a bachelor’s in as little as 1-2 years (full-time versus part-time). A bachelor's degree carries more weight than an associate degree because of the deeper level of business exploration and skill development. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis on management also have a better chance of starting in management at a higher level.

Business Analyst

Also called a management analyst, business analysts gather data to manage issues, procedures, and compliance. They use data to develop and implement solutions or alterations within the organization. Analysts use input such as employee surveys, management concerns, on-site observation, company records, and local regulations. Identifying issues in corners of the organization, they utilize the aid of IT, supervisors, staff, and others to fix problems. The business analyst is responsible for how the company manages operational glitches. 

Sales Manager

A sales manager's job boils down to helping a business maintain its brand and customer base. The sales manager is responsible for teams that prepare budgets, resolve customer complaints, analyze sales metrics, and focus on the company's reach in the market. They may be responsible for distributing goods and services based on territories or products. Managers set and guide teams to sales goals and can oversee training programs. They interview potential hires and evaluate performance.

Account Manager

Account managers are tasked with customer/client relationships. Account managers work with marketing and sales teams to build and convert leads. They conduct presentations and pitches and keep clients up to date on the latest company offerings. Managers may represent the entire company, be part of a team, or have assigned clients. Part of the job may be monitoring budgets so that clients understand what they are paying for and how it benefits them.

Marketing Manager

Marketing managers are charged with communicating about the company’s products and services to the target market, as well as keeping an eye on what the competition is doing. They identify markets and targets. While responsibilities will change between industries, regions, and companies, marketing managers generally design strategies that maximize profits, manage resources and productions, implement promotional campaigns, and supervise the marketing staff. They interact with heads of departments to ensure everyone is on the same page. The position requires a strategic organizer with a talent for practical application, techniques, and methods that acquire and retain customers.

HR Manager

Human resources managers are responsible for the organization’s most valuable resource, its people. HR managers coordinate, research, and recruit. They conduct evaluations, onboard new hires, and do interviews. Human resource managers play a part in employee disputes, payroll and benefits, compliance, and supervising incentive programs. A bachelor's degree in business management shows employers that candidates have an educational background in communications, organization, and business structure for efficiently maintaining human operations.

Jobs Available with a Master’s in Business Management or Leadership

Adding a graduate degree to your resume, whether in business management or organizational leadership can open higher-level career opportunities across the business landscape. For a broader business perspective, you can opt for a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in organizational leadership. To pursue leadership more directly, a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership could be the answer. 

From the jobs available with a bachelor’s degree in management, a master’s degree can increase the upward mobility. For instance, adding a master’s degree could potentially enable a marketing manager to move up to a Chief Marketing Officer position. Other potential corporate roles could be Chief Executive Officer or Chief Operating Officer. Outside the corporate sphere, a graduate degree could position a person for a nonprofit director post or higher levels in education, such as superintendent.

Interested in a Career in Business Management?

No business can succeed without sound management and leadership. Management directly affects financial health, employee morale, adaptability, competitiveness in the marketplace, and more. A business management or leadership degree shows a candidate is prepared for managerial and executive roles. 

UMass Global offers flexible learning and career-driven options in business management and organizational leadership designed for working adults. For over 65 years, we’ve helped adult learners change their lives through education. Our online coursework meshes seamlessly into the busiest lives, enabling our students to juggle work, life, and school on the way to new career horizons. Contact UMass Global, and let’s discuss your future.