Top Business Administration Degree Programs and Courses

Rapid globalization of the business and industrial world is pushing professionals to the hilt. Business professionals once excelled by their sheer seat of the pants savvy, but now a more mainstream prerequisite has usurped the business maverick. A compelling argument can be made for new world business fundamentals packaged into competitive degree programs. The world is communications-centered and rapid transport of information across multi-media requires advanced management skills. Decision-making savvy must be founded on traditional business principles combined with real-world know-how.

Business Administration Degrees

Business administration programs synthesize a growing and disparate array of business related fields. Management, information systems, economics, international business, and organizational design are but a few examples of the topics covered. Degrees come in Associates, Bachelors, and Masters versions. Elusive Ph.D. degrees are also possible.

Associates Degree

The fastest track to an entry-level business job is the Associates degree. This two-year degree requires students master a range of liberal arts courses besides the introductory business curriculum. Limitations exist, however. This is not the degree choice for an aspiring business manager, but might be more well-suited to a highly trained business administrative assistant or office manager. An Associates degree does position a professional to earn a more advanced degree if so desired.

Bachelors Degree

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration is a four-year undergraduate program that engages students across dual academic plateaus. Candidates reap the benefits of a solid liberal arts education wrapped within a theoretical and practical business program. Many colleges and universities involve students in co-operative educational opportunities that provide hands-on real world experience. Required fundamentals include such courses as: information systems, finance, statistics, organizational management, and marketing. Specializations in the major may be in fields related to accounting and finance, information systems, and marketing.

Masters Degree

The Masters in Business Administration is one of the most competitive degrees in the field. These two or one-year, business-intensive programs often require candidates complete the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) as prerequisite to an MBA program. Over the last decade the MBA has emerged as the corporate ladder must-have, the degree accomplishment that separates the motivated professional from the mediocre.

• Full-time MBA programs require professionals break from work. However, these programs pack the most concentrated coursework that reveal closely related theories and necessary fundamentals. Most full-time programs also allot time for valuable internships that give students ample opportunity to apply skills within real-world business environments.
• Part-time MBA programs have grown out of necessity. Career-changers and adult learners with non-negotiable real life responsibilities often must seek alternative educational degrees. This does not mean a part-time degree is any less lucrative, but must be designed and delivered differently.

Executive MBA Degrees

The Executive MBA degree is almost custom-designed to challenge business executives charged with complex and multifarious responsibilities. Think of it as high-level, spoon-fed continuing education for upper echelon professionals. Course work is designed to cater to working professionals who have no time to take a sabbatical. Courses synthesize current job issues facing professionals and include team-building and decision-making skills.

Doctoral Degrees

By far the most academically exclusive degrees are the Ph.D. degrees. Elite business professionals with an MBA under their belt, may pursue fields that support research in business specialties such as accounting and finance, management, and Agribusiness, and in many cases advance into professorships.

The business world cannot help but require the innovations of next generation leaders. Jobs in management are competitive and designed on the corporate ladder model. In other words, professionals with their foot in the door had best be well-endowed with academic credentials.