By Brennan, B.S. Engineering · Published · Updated · Pay data: 2025, released August 2026
Quite a lot. Business administration, management, finance, accounting and marketing grads work in management, finance, sales, human resources, supply chain and marketing. Among workers with a business degree, 25% are in management jobs, 23% are in business and financial jobs such as accountants and analysts, and 12% are in sales, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Their median wage in 2024 was $80,000, compared with $73,000 for college graduates in all fields.
I'm a chemical engineer, so I see one slice of this. In chemical manufacturing, I work with a lot of project managers, supply chain folks, salespeople and plant managers. Most of the business grads I know studied finance. Several went into accounting or became CPAs or certified financial planners (CFPs), and some now hold high-level roles in the chemical industry.
What jobs can you get with a business degree?
Below are 21 common jobs for business majors. Most need only a bachelor's degree to start, but the manager jobs also expect years of related work experience. They're open across business majors, including business management and administration, the most common one (28% of business degree holders, per the BLS).
| Job | What they do | Median pay (2025) | Job growth, 2025-35 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing manager | Plan programs that build interest in a product | $166,790 | 7% |
| Financial manager | Run financial reports, investments and long-term plans | $166,570 | 10% |
| Human resources manager | Plan and direct an organization's HR work | $149,280 | 6% |
| Sales manager | Direct how products reach customers | $148,270 | 4% |
| Purchasing manager | Oversee buyers and purchasing agents | $148,080 | 4% |
| Industrial production (plant) manager | Run manufacturing plants | $126,060 | 3% |
| General and operations manager | Set plans and policies so a company meets its goals | $105,770 | 5%* |
| Personal financial advisor | Help people manage and plan their money | $105,070 | 1% |
| Financial analyst | Study financial data and make recommendations | $103,570 | 7% |
| Project management specialist | Handle a project's budget, schedule and staffing | $102,320 | 7% |
| Management analyst | Find ways to make an organization more efficient | $101,860 | 10% |
| Budget analyst | Help organizations plan their finances | $91,640 | 2% |
| Accountant or auditor | Prepare and check financial records | $83,680 | 5% |
| Logistician (supply chain) | Analyze and coordinate the supply chain | $82,320 | 18% |
| Insurance underwriter | Decide whether to approve insurance applications | $81,370 | -4% |
| Market research analyst | Estimate how well a product could sell | $78,760 | 7% |
| Cost estimator | Figure out the time, money and materials a job takes | $78,740 | -3% |
| Buyer or purchasing agent | Buy the goods and services a company needs | $77,710 | 6% |
| Loan officer | Review and approve loan applications | $76,690 | 1% |
| Wholesale and manufacturing sales representative | Sell goods to businesses and government agencies | $76,460 | 0% |
| Human resources specialist | Recruit, screen and place new hires | $75,940 | 6% |
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, pages updated August to October 2026 (median pay for May 2025). *Growth for general and operations managers covers all top executives.
Finance and accounting jobs with a business degree
Accountants and auditors prepare and check financial records, and the job usually calls for a bachelor's in accounting or a related field. Many go on to become a certified public accountant (CPA) by passing a national exam and meeting their state's other rules. Some states now also offer a route with a bachelor's in accounting plus two years of experience instead of the usual 150 credit hours, so check with your state board of accountancy. For pay, the CPA Exam and AI, see accounting jobs and pay.
Financial analysts usually have a degree in finance or a related field such as business. Some of these jobs need a securities license, and the employer usually sponsors it. Deciding between the two paths? See accounting vs. finance degree.
Budget analysts, personal financial advisors, insurance underwriters and loan officers fill out this group. Mortgage loan officers need a Mortgage Loan Originator (MLO) license, and advisors may need licenses for the products they sell. Underwriting is the one job here expected to shrink, down 4% by 2035.
Many of these paths lead to financial manager. It pays the most in this group, but it usually takes 5 years or more of experience, often as a loan officer, accountant, auditor or financial analyst.
Supply chain and operations jobs for business majors
Logistician is the fastest-growing job in the table, with 18% growth projected from 2025 to 2035. Logisticians analyze and coordinate an organization's supply chain, and their degrees may be in logistics and supply chain management, business or a related field. Buyers and purchasing agents buy what the company needs and learn on the job. Purchasing managers oversee them, usually after several years of related experience.
Project management specialists and management analysts both earn a median above $100,000. Project managers handle a project's budget, schedule and staffing, and many start with no related experience. Management analysts usually need several years first. Like the data side of this work? See business analytics jobs and pay. Cost estimators work out what a product, building or service will cost. Most of them work in construction, and the job is expected to shrink 3%.
Manufacturing is one big employer in this group. It employs 22% of logisticians, 22% of buyers and purchasing agents, and 23% of purchasing managers. Industrial production managers run the plants, which make everything from transportation equipment and metal products to chemicals and food. They need a bachelor's and several years of related experience, and common majors include business and engineering.
Chemical manufacturing is the setting I know. There, supply chain teams and plant managers are some of the business people I work with most.
Sales and marketing jobs for business majors
Sales is the third biggest group of jobs for business grads. Wholesale and manufacturing sales reps sell goods to businesses and government agencies. The product matters for pay: reps who sell scientific or technical products typically need a bachelor's degree and earned a median of $104,920, compared with $72,080 for other reps. Many sales managers move up from sales jobs like these.
On the marketing side, market research analysts estimate how well a product or service could sell, and they can start with no related experience. Marketing managers top the table, but they need experience in advertising, marketing, promotions or sales first. Weighing the major itself? Read whether a marketing degree is worth it.
HR and management jobs with a business degree
Human resources specialists recruit, screen and interview applicants and place new hires. Most have a bachelor's in human resources, business or a related field. HR managers usually need several years of related work experience, and some of their jobs ask for a master's degree.
General and operations managers belong to the BLS top executives group, which plans strategies and policies so an organization meets its goals. Top executives typically need considerable work experience, and those at large corporations may have an MBA.
Entry-level business jobs you can get right out of college
Twelve of the 21 jobs don't list related work experience to start: accountant or auditor, financial analyst, budget analyst, personal financial advisor, insurance underwriter, logistician, buyer or purchasing agent, wholesale and manufacturing sales rep, cost estimator, market research analyst, project management specialist and human resources specialist.
The business grads I've seen do best had varied internships in college. They worked in more than one area, such as accounting, finance, supply chain or marketing.
What are the highest paying business jobs?
Management jobs. Marketing, financial, HR, sales and purchasing managers all earned medians above $148,000 in 2025, and chief executives earned $213,990. All of them need experience, so most people start as an analyst, accountant, buyer or specialist and work their way up. In my experience, business grads move into management fastest in money-focused roles, such as supply chain and accounting.
What do business majors do after college?
They spread out. In 2024, workers with a business degree were employed in these kinds of jobs, according to the BLS:
- Management jobs: 25%
- Business and financial jobs, such as accountants and analysts: 23%
- Sales: 12%
- Office and administrative support: 10%
- Computer and math jobs: 6%
- Everything else: 25%
The single most common job is accountant or auditor, held by 8% of business degree holders. The most common business majors in the same data were business management and administration (28%), general business (19%), accounting (17%), finance (12%) and marketing (12%).
Is a business degree worth it?
It can be. Whether business is a good major comes down to which business major you pick. Business degree holders earn a median of $80,000, above the $73,000 median for all fields. But only 54% work in jobs that require at least a bachelor's degree, compared with 61% of all graduates, according to the BLS.
The New York Fed's data on recent graduates (ages 22 to 27) shows the gap. Only 21% of accounting majors and 28% of finance majors worked in jobs that typically don't require a college degree, compared with about half of general business (50%), marketing (49%) and business management (53%) majors. When I compare the data, the majors tied to a specific profession did much better. To compare pay and job prospects across seven business majors, see the best business majors.
The main benefits of a business degree are range and pay. Business grads work in many kinds of jobs, from finance to supply chain, earn more than the median for all fields, and can start in more than half the jobs above without related experience.
Do you need an MBA with a business degree?
Not to get started. Most of the 21 jobs above typically need only a bachelor's degree. Business grads are also less likely than college graduates overall to hold an advanced degree: 27% compared with 39%, according to the BLS. An MBA can help later, especially for moving into management.
My advice is to work for a year or two after your bachelor's, then go back for an MBA. A lot of companies help pay for it as continuing education. Under IRS rules, an employer's educational assistance program can pay up to $5,250 a year tax-free, and it can cover graduate courses.
Not sure business is right for you at all? Take the free quiz and see what else comes up.
Business degree FAQ
What is the most common job for business majors?
Accountants and auditors. About 8% of workers with a business degree have that job, the largest share of any single occupation, according to the BLS.
Which business jobs are growing fastest?
Logisticians, with 18% growth projected from 2025 to 2035. Financial managers and management analysts come next on this list, at 10% each.
Can a business major become a plant manager?
Yes. Industrial production managers, who run manufacturing plants, typically need a bachelor's degree and several years of related work experience, and business is one of the common majors.
Do you need a license for some business jobs?
Some. Mortgage loan officers need a Mortgage Loan Originator (MLO) license, financial advisors may need licenses for the products they sell, and some financial analyst jobs need a securities license, which the employer usually sponsors.
More to read
Wondering how tough the classes are? Read is business a hard major? See how business majors compare with every other field in our list of the highest paying college majors. Thinking of pairing business with a STEM major? Read is a double major worth it. Still deciding on a field? See how to choose a college major, or add business to another major with a minor.
Sources
Job pay and growth are from the BLS handbook, where business grads work is from its Field of Degree data (2024), and recent-grad numbers are from the New York Fed. Each number was checked against the original source, and the stories about people I work with come from my own job in chemical manufacturing.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Field of Degree: Business (2024 Census Bureau data; last modified October 29, 2026). bls.gov
- National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA). New CPA Licensure Pathways and CPA Mobility (December 23, 2025). nasba.org
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025 median pay, 2025-35 projections; pages last modified August to October 2026): accountants and auditors, financial analysts, personal financial advisors, project management specialists, logisticians, market research analysts, human resources specialists, management analysts, sales managers, advertising, promotions, and marketing managers, financial managers, top executives.
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates (outcomes by major, 2024 data). newyorkfed.org
- Internal Revenue Service. Updates to frequently asked questions about educational assistance programs (FS-2026-10, April 2026). irs.gov