A Better Picture of Entry-Level Business Management Jobs

Are you considering a career upgrade? Many people seek an education in business because they recognize the total versatility of the degree. Who needs accountants, finance experts or savvy managers? Pretty much everyone!

The wide array of options a business degree can open for your career is a huge benefit—but this can also be a little overwhelming when getting started. What kind of employers are looking for candidates in business management? Where could you wind up working? With so many options, it can be a little tricky to get a feel for where a Business Management degree could take you.

The entry-level jobs seeking business management graduates come in all shapes, sizes—and industries! As you can imagine, employers in a huge number of fields are looking for professionals who will be ethical and effective managers of both finances and people in their companies.

We gathered the details on business management education as well as the top industries seeking entry-level business management graduates to give you a better picture of where you could be headed after you don that cap and gown.

What do you learn in a Business Management degree program?

Unlike subjects like nursing or graphic design, business management is much more open-ended when it comes time to determine what you can actually do with the degree. Studying this subject doesn’t come with a supply bag filled with industry-specific tools. In business management, the top tool is your own mind.

But you can get a better picture of what graduates in business management are trained to do if you dig into a business management program and take a look at some courses. Typical program goals include mastering foundational concepts in organizational leadership, management and business ethics.

Courses at the Rasmussen University Business Management program also include essential topics for great business leaders such as: Accounting for Business Managers, Negotiation and Conflict Management, Organizational Behavior Analysis and Strategic Management. As you can see, this dynamic training will prepare you to pursue many different career paths.

Entry-level business management job titles

So what entry-level positions are seeking candidates with a Business Management degree? We analyzed over 248,000 job postings from the last year that are seeking candidates with a Business Management degree and less than two years of experience. Here’s what we found:¹

1. Financial analyst
2. Relationship banker
3. Business analyst
4. Sales representative
5. Account manager
6. Accountant
7. Accounts payable clerk
8. Assistant manager
9. Administrative assistant
10. Office manager

As you can see, business management grads can put their skills to use in a broad selection of business-related roles ranging from sales and marketing to payroll and accounting-related roles. The people management portion of your business management education will become increasingly valuable as you advance in your career from specialist roles to potential management and leadership positions.

Top industries offering entry-level business management jobs

The beauty of a Business Management degree is that it can open doors to a huge variety of industries—which gives you some flexibility when mapping your career path. We analyzed more than 248,000 job postings to identify these top fields for entry-level business management jobs:¹

• Depository credit intermediation (banks, financial institutions and lenders)
• General medical and surgical hospitals
• Colleges, universities, professional schools
• Insurance carriers
• Traveler accommodation

Even just this small cross-section of industries paints a picture of the variety of options available to business management graduates. While there are plenty of differences between each individual role, the foundational skills developed through earning a Business Management degree will help make you versatile enough to adapt and thrive.

Making a business management career work

There’s plenty to consider when you are trying to decide which entry-level business management jobs you want to pursue. But no matter where you are leaning, you’ll want to think about your education. All of these job postings are seeking candidates with at least an Associate’s degree.

If you’re thinking a Business Management degree is the right fit for you, you’ll still want to consider the level of education you pursue. See our article “What Can You Do with a Business Management Degree? Understanding Your Options” for a further breakdown of the jobs available to Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree holders.

¹Burning-Glass.com (Analysis of 248,000 job postings seeking candidates with a Business Management degree Mar. 01, 2018 and Feb. 28, 2019).
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on May 1, 2010. It has since been updated to reflect information relevant to 2019.