Best business school programs
April 3, 2012
A degree in business administration remains one of the most popular majors for undergraduate students in the United States. According to CareerBuilder.com, business is the second most common major among those pursuing a bachelor's degree, behind biology.
Majoring in business prepares students for careers in a variety of different business fields, including marketing, finance, human resources and accounting.
"Graduates with a degree in business administration and management are often on track to eventually assume leadership roles, including becoming managers, executives and CEOs," according to CareerBuilder.
This degree is also known to result in higher-than-average salaries for graduates. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), class of 2011 graduates with a business degree made an average starting salary of $48,144 per year.
Bloomberg BusinessWeek recently released its annual list of the best undergraduate business programs in the nation. The list was compiled based on interviews with senior business majors as well as employers. Several factors including academic quality, average class size, the percentage of students with internships, average starting salary and percentage of students that went to top MBA programs upon graduation were also taken into account.
For the third year in a row, the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business topped the list. Students and employers surveyed by Bloomberg BusinessWeek commended the program's strong alumni support and focus on ethics.
The research also revealed that business majors at Notre Dame enjoy an average class size of 33, students spend an average of 13 and a half hours per week on class work and 88 percent of have internships. In addition, Mendoza grads enjoy a 93 percent job placement rate and make an average starting salary of $55,000.
Other undergraduate business programs that ranked high on the list include the University of Virginia's McIntyre School of Commerce, Cornell University’s Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business and Emory University's Goizueta Business School.
Moms considering pursuing a bachelor's degree with a business major should know that there are many different career paths this field of study supports. Some of the jobs business majors may pursue include business office manager, business project manager, financial analyst and business development manager. These positions are expected to maintain steady growth over the next several years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Whether you choose a traditional college or university or an online degree program, paying for college can be made easier for moms through various grants for parents, scholarships for mothers, single mother scholarships and other financial aid.
