What Is Business Administration? Degree and Definition

You’re detail-oriented and strategic. You have a passion for optimization, transforming workflow productivity and personnel conditions for the better. Maybe your background or expertise so far is in finance, human resources, or marketing. No matter your experience, a higher degree in business administration can elevate your career potential.

That’s because business administration is an exceptionally valuable and versatile career. Whether you seek out an entrepreneur degree, a general MBA, or a specialized MBA in finance, a fast track to C-suite positions awaits. Start with an understanding of what business admin is and what it can mean for you.

What Is Business Administration?

Business administration is the study of business operations as it pertains to day-to-day logistics, workflows, and personnel. It is a role with broad oversight but with a narrowed focus on the specifics of daily operations. 

In other words, business admin is about improving business strategy through a company’s organizational elements. Taking cues from human resources, accounting, and leadership, business administrators shape an operation for the better. 

A business administrator takes on a host of responsibilities in whatever industry they’ve chosen. A business administration degree can help ensure your choice of field.

Business Administrator Daily Responsibilities

Exploring your career in business administration should begin with an understanding of the daily responsibilities of the job. This career can be fulfilling and impactful, but you’ll need a passion for the work to make the most of a business admin degree.

Again, business administration is about attention to detail and strategy. These are some of the common daily responsibilities that define the job: 

• Initiates staff reorganization and recruitment for business scalability.
• Oversees marketing and branding efforts to align with business goals.
• Manages vendor relationships and negotiations to minimize overhead costs.
• Maintains the budget and business finances in conjunction with finance teams.
• Optimizes and inputs strategies for enhancing daily business operations and productivity.

While each open business administrator role might function somewhat differently due to the nature of the business model, these responsibilities are common across industries. However, you may be wondering where business administrators typically work.

Where Do Business Administrators Work? 

One of the best things about a business administration degree is that it allows you to work just about anywhere you’d like. While these jobs were once typically relegated to offices, now work-from-home policies have blown open the doors, meaning you can have a business administration career from just about anywhere.

Traditionally, most of these positions are based out of big cities where companies are headquartered. However, there’s no reason to relocate if you don’t want to. 

Ample opportunities, both in-office and remote, are available all over the world in sectors like the following: 

• Computer and information systems;
• Finance and banking;
• Consumer products and services;
• Healthcare;
• Training and development.

Each of these industries offers plenty of chances for you to grow professionally, optimize working conditions for companies, and earn a competitive salary. 

Business Administrator Average Salary

Before diving into a career as a business administrator, it helps to know what you can expect in terms of pay. 

According to Indeed, the average base salary for a business administrator in the U.S. is $55,258 per year. This is only a starting point. 

Depending on your experience, where you work, and who you work for, your salary can scale upwards quickly. Indeed lists the higher end of the pay scale at $106,431. 

Your expected salary depends on your role and experience. Taking the proper steps toward becoming a business administrator helps ensure you achieve your professional and financial goals.

Becoming a Business Administrator

Every business administrator has to fulfill certain actions to ensure their skill set aligns with the job. Naturally, higher education is an important step on this journey, as it can help you not only build your skills but cultivate the connections and know-how necessary to make a difference in the workforce. 

Start your journey by finding the right degree for you. The choice you make will influence the topics you study and the skills you pick up, eventually determining the path of your career. Then, with a degree in hand, find a business administration position that aligns with your passions and unique skill set. 

Find a Degree

The degree you choose lays the groundwork for the opportunities you’ll have as a business administrator. While you can get started with an undergraduate commendation in the field, obtaining a Master of Business Administration (MBA) can be your ticket to higher salaries. 

These are some of the degree options that can set you on your path to your dream career:

• General Master of Business Administration: A general graduate program in business admin is ideal for working professionals looking to expand their skills and opportunities. With a general MBA, students develop the ability to leverage data-driven analytics for greater financial and performance optimization. 
• Master of Science in Business Analytics: If you’re more interested in the analytical side of business admin, an MS in Business Analytics takes you through risk-based modeling and big data processing techniques. In turn, you’ll come away with the skills to monitor and improve business performance across the board.
• Other MBA specializations: Montclair State University offers a host of MBA specializations designed to help you succeed in your desired career path. Specializations include Digital Marketing, HR Management, Business Analytics, Marketing, Project Management, and Finance, all of which can be completed 100% online.

With a higher degree in hand, explore the career options open to you. 

Careers You Can Get With a Business Administration Degree

If we were to list all the industries in which business administrators are in high demand, you would be scrolling for a long time. Plus, more opportunities are being created constantly in some of the fastest-growing industries for graduates with MBA degrees.

For example, consulting is one of the hottest fields for business administrators right now. In the post-pandemic economy, all kinds of operations are pivoting to digital solutions and change management. Business administrators as consultants maximize the potential benefits of these changes for their clients. 

Consulting alone can present opportunities to work in many places and industries. However, you can also build a successful administration career in positions like the following:

• Management consultant;
• Marketing manager;
• Computer and information systems manager;
• Financial analyst;
• Training and development manager.

These examples are only the beginning. An MBA or other business administration degree can take you just about wherever you’d like your career to go — as long as you’re willing to oversee the organizational and strategic responsibilities of the job and have the skills to do so. 

Business Administration Skills 

From the soft skills you should already be working on, to the hard skills you can pick up through the right degree program, business admin success depends on your expertise. These are the skills you’ll need to cultivate in the course of your career.

Soft Skills:

• Written and verbal communication;
• Leadership and management;
• Time management;
• Problem-solving; 
• Attention to detail.

Hard Skills:

• Database management;
• Knowledge of accounting software;
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office suite and other documentation tools;
• Data analytics;
• Research and organization.

With soft skills as your baseline, a master’s degree in business administration makes you an ideal candidate for the many positions common to the field. Build these skills as you find a degree program that aligns with your day-to-day needs and long-term career goals.