50-50 Highlights: Colleges with the Most Business Majors

For those who are looking for a college degree to prepare them for a job in the “real” world, what could more real than a business major? According to the Center on Education and the Workforce’s report “What’s It Worth: The Economic Value of College Majors,” business is the most popular major with an average of 25% of student graduating with the major.

Furthermore, Business Majors ranked third in median wages at $60,000 with only Engineering and Computer & Mathematics majors with higher wages. Of course, “Business” major consists of a variety of majors, some paying better than others. Business Economics had the highest median earnings at $75,000 but the average earnings of $50,000 for Hospitality Management at the bottom of the category is still higher than four other major groups.

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, this category includes some of the projected fasted growing occupations such as Personal Financial Advisors, Market Research Analysts, Actuaries, and Financial Analysts.

It’s Not Just Business

It has long been known that liberal arts majors have been able get jobs in the “business” world. However, now an increasing number of business schools are including liberal arts as part of its curriculum. According to Businessweek, “At Bentley University, business students can double major in liberal studies focused on a theme such as ethics and social responsibility or earth, environment, and global sustainability.” At many colleges, “business as usual” for business majors is no longer the case.

Colleges You Can Get Into and Graduate From

The following table lists the 50-50 colleges with the most business majors. I included colleges if 25% or more of graduates had a business major or there were 500 or more graduates with a business major. A total of 18 colleges out of 151 met both qualifications. There are 66 private colleges and 85 public institutions on the list. Pennsylvania had the most, followed by New York and Ohio. The five-year graduation rate is used for public universities and the four-year rate for private institutions.

50-50 Colleges with Most Business Majors