The 12 Best Business Majors to Pursue in 2025

College offers a myriad of opportunities for every type of student, but certain programs tend to attract the most attention. Through the past several years, business has been a reliable favorite—with data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) revealing that, during the 2020-2021 academic year, 391,375 business degrees were conferred at the bachelor’s level.

This popularity stems, in part, from the sheer diversity of the business major. After all, business-oriented concepts and skills are built into a variety of programs, including many of the most promising career-focused opportunities. This versatility is best evidenced by the aforementioned NCES report, which defines business majors as those involving “business, management, marketing, and related support services, as well as culinary, entertainment, and personal services.”

With so many business majors available, it can be difficult to determine which program is the best fit, both in terms of curriculum and career prospects. No one major is ideal in every situation, but we have compiled a guide to the best kinds of business majors and the types of students who might find these appealing.

12 Types of Business Majors

There are dozens of business majors and concentrations available. This can make the decision process trickier, especially if you have a general idea that you want to study business but aren’t sure what you will eventually do with your degree. To help, we identified several of the most noteworthy degree programs that qualify as business majors. Read on to learn what exactly distinguishes these programs and how they could help you meet your most ambitious career goals in the coming years.

1. Accounting

Centered on complex, business-related financial transactions, accounting provides a reliable structure for revealing how much money comes in and out of any given organization and how it is handled during that time. Also known as accountancy, this is a popular major, in part, because accountants are in such high demand in all areas of the business world. These degrees are available at all levels, including associate, bachelor’s programs, and diplomas.

Accounting degrees equip students with a unique blend of technical, number-crunching skills and core competencies (such as communication and collaboration) that allow professionals to put their technical expertise to good use in the real world. Providing a solid introduction into a stable and growing career field, accounting can be a wonderful fit for ambitious, detail-oriented students with an affinity for mathematics and a strong problem-solving drive.

2. Business Administration and Management

When you think of a “typical” business degree, you almost certainly picture business administration. This is undoubtedly an essential program, as it forms the foundation for the full scope of modern business processes and procedures. Business administration encompasses how a company’s time, resources, and employees are managed to drive maximum profits.

Sometimes referred to as general management or business management, this degree program covers a lot of ground: accounting principles, performance management, project management, and more. Its comprehensive nature makes business administration an excellent option for breaking into numerous sectors. If you feel a deep calling to work in management and climb the career ladder, business administration could be a great fit.

3. Digital Marketing

Concerning online forms of outreach that boost brand awareness and customer engagement, digital marketing is a rapidly growing field with a wealth of potential. Though it is possible to thrive in this industry after pursuing a liberal arts education, it is increasingly clear that a strong understanding of branding, metrics, and budgeting is crucial to success in modern digital marketing.

These high-level skills are best developed through business-oriented digital marketing degree programs that address a range of critical concepts—such as email marketing, search engine optimization, display advertising, and more. This deep dive would prepare you to embrace various digital marketing job opportunities, in which you’ll help organizations understand consumer behavior and use these insights to drive increased traffic and conversions.

4. Economics

Emphasizing the many ways in which goods and services are produced, distributed, and consumed, economics has long been regarded as a social science. There is a definite business component to this field, however, and economists are increasingly employed by major corporations, where their insight into market trends can prove transformative. While this is offered as a major, it is also covered in detail through many other degree programs like business administration, human resources, and accounting, among others. A solid foundation in economics can drive better decision-making across a number of sectors.

5. Finance

Driven by economic principles, finance focuses on how investments are acquired and managed. Finance students often aspire to work in the banking sector, although many go on to become venture capitalists or private equity partners.

Finance is sometimes designated as its own major but is frequently available as a concentration within broader business administration programs as well. Either way, the curriculum provides thorough coverage of business analytics, financial markets, and financial modeling. Relevant topics such as information systems may also be covered.

If you find the creation and use of capital compelling, finance could be well-suited to your interests. Otherwise, there are similarities between accounting and finance, and students drawn to one of these areas often find the other just as fascinating.

6. Health Administration and Management

Students who aspire to work in the healthcare profession but prefer to avoid clinical roles might gravitate towards health administration and management, which focus on boosting efficiency, cutting operational expenses, and driving revenue. This broad field encompasses everything from billing and coding to regulatory compliance. Health management is typically a concentration within business administration programs but may also constitute a separate degree program or certificate.

Also worth pursuing? A health services administration degree, which addresses not only foundational healthcare administration skills and topics but also disaster planning and public safety. Providing the opportunity to earn an associate or a bachelor’s degree, these programs can lead to meaningful roles like health services manager or patient services representative.

7. Hospitality

The hospitality industry has undergone significant changes in recent years, and these days, it takes a distinct and highly developed skill set to succeed in this competitive field. Hospitality management degrees and diplomas provide a significant edge, complete with a thorough understanding of accounting, human resources, and marketing as they relate to the hospitality sector.

Offering a thorough overview of fundamental hospitality management principles, these programs may also touch on conventions and events, hospitality technology, or even the ethics of hospitality. Available as a diploma or as an associate degree, this is an excellent option for quickly gaining new skills and promptly entering the field.

8. Human Resources

Workforces are only as successful as their human employees allow them to be. Therein lies the value of human resources (HR), which brings structure and support to the entire employee lifecycle: recruitment, hiring, onboarding, training, and so on. Students who seek HR training often go on to work as HR specialists or managers. In these roles, professionals function as powerful liaisons between management and employees.

The right HR degree program would provide powerful preparation for the many challenges and opportunities that today’s HR professionals face. Students develop a range of leadership and communication skills while closely examining employment laws, ethical practices, HR technology, company culture, and more. A bachelor’s degree can lead to high-level HR management positions, while an associate degree provides a chance to quickly enter the field as an HR specialist.

9. International Business

There’s no denying the global nature of the modern market. Cultural competency is a must in all types of business roles, but with international business expertise, professionals are poised to take advantage of various global opportunities. As an interdisciplinary degree, international business touches on many essentials, such as macroeconomics, supply chain concerns, and foreign languages. This far-reaching coursework develops unique skills that make it easier to translate business concepts and competencies to a multitude of global scenarios.

10. Leadership

Leadership and management are both crucial components of business success, but they are not (as many people believe) one and the same. Leadership is idea-centric, with the intention of motivating and influencing team members to produce impressive results. That being said, graduates with leadership-oriented degrees can thrive in many management roles and across sectors.

As a comprehensive field of study, leadership draws on multiple business and social science concepts to reveal the underpinnings of organizational behavior and to demonstrate how this can be shaped to help businesses achieve ambitious objectives. As demand grows for strategic leadership, experienced leaders with relevant degrees will be highly sought after.

11. Marketing

Marketing is a comprehensive process allowing organizations to craft messaging that resonates with consumers and drives sales by getting customers or clients more deeply engaged. This is a rapidly evolving field, but amid such swift changes, there is still great value in seeking a management degree.

Similar in many respects to the digital marketing degree discussed above, this major takes a more comprehensive approach—also touching on classic marketing strategies and emphasizing the big picture of marketing initiatives. Graduates are well-equipped to become marketing specialists or managers but can thrive in roles revolving around modern digital marketing, too.

12. Sales

There is an art and a science to the process of selling products and services. While this could potentially be mastered through the school of hard knocks, majoring in sales removes much of the learning curve and helps prepare students for a bright future in sales management. Success in sales is possible not only with a dedicated major but also by completing related degree programs, such as business administration or even marketing.

Which Business Degree Is Best?

None of the business degrees highlighted above are objectively better than the others. However, some may be more ideal based on your situation, interests, natural abilities, and career aspirations. It may take some soul-searching to determine which degree best aligns with both your current learning goals and your future plans. Along the way, be mindful of these key factors:

Your Interests and Past Experiences

Think back to high school or other previous learning experiences. Which topics did you find most fascinating? This can play into the subjects you’ll find just as compelling as a business major. Additionally, other experiences beyond school or college can inform this decision. For example, if you’ve long enjoyed cultivating a purposeful social media presence, a digital marketing diploma could help you refine those skills and add to your portfolio. Also consider past extracurricular activities, particularly if you handled leadership tasks or roles on behalf of your favorite teams or clubs.

Personal Strengths and Skills

One of the main functions of a business degree is to develop a comprehensive skill set that serves you well in your future career. Many such qualities might be developed largely from scratch, but it doesn’t hurt to get a head start. If you already possess strong analytical skills or soft skills like creativity or collaboration, these can be expanded upon through targeted coursework. For instance, students who naturally excel in math courses often gravitate toward accounting or finance, while creative types may be drawn to marketing.

Planning Your Future Career Path

Do you have big plans to rise through the ranks in a particular career field? This should streamline the college decision-making process, as there is likely a program tailor-made for your career plans. Many business majors focus on specific sectors (such as hospitality or healthcare) whereas others emphasize dedicated roles that exist across several industries.

Keep in mind that career considerations are important even if you’re still not quite sure which direction you’ll take after graduation. Often, it is through actual coursework that students gain valuable insight into the areas they find most interesting and which one might be the makings of a rewarding career path. Otherwise, a well-rounded degree could be a good fit, especially if it equips you with transferable skills you can use in a range of different positions or sectors.

Start Your Business Major Journey Today

As you begin mapping a bright future as a business major, look to Bryan & Stratton College for support. We offer numerous business degree programs, designed to meet the needs of the modern working student. Request information to learn more about our business majors and the role they could play in preparing you for today’s most compelling career paths.