Home›Majors›Business Administration, Management and Operations

FIRST PROFESSIONAL DEGREE · DEGREE PAYOFF · FEDERAL FIELD 5202

Business Administration, Management and Operations: is this first professional degree worth it?

National picture across 5 reporting college programs.

Personal baseline needed

$166,604 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$166,604Median year-4 earnings

$23,864Average institution net-price context

Not availableMedian federal debt

Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Observed national outcomes

$166,604Median reported earnings · year 4

$180,556Average reported earnings · year 5

Not availableMedian federal debt

92thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential

5Reporting programs

5With year-4 earnings

COMPARE CREDENTIAL LEVELS

The same field can produce a different equation.

Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings: $49,328
Federal debt: $14,600
Reporting programs: 137

125 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $48,685
Federal debt: $14,000
Reporting programs: 592

578 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $64,466
Federal debt: $26,000
Reporting programs: 1,282

1,253 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Year-4 earnings: $140,589
Federal debt: $20,114
Reporting programs: 5

3 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $93,369
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 890

890 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings: $109,689
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 18

18 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

First Professional Degree

Year-4 earnings: $166,604
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 5

5 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings: $88,594
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 42

42 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings: $74,472
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 9

9 report earnings →

COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median

25th percentile$138,548National median$166,60475th percentile$258,635

5 programs report year‑4 earnings.

WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Harvard University$272,009 2University of California, Berkeley$258,635 3University of Notre Dame$166,604 4University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus$138,548 5The Catholic University of America$111,378

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

WHERE THIS FIELD CAN LEAD

Related occupations

Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.

Business Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1011 · 9 crosswalk linksManagers, All OtherSOC 11-9199 · 7 crosswalk linksAdministrative Services ManagersSOC 11-3012 · 4 crosswalk linksGeneral and Operations ManagersSOC 11-1021 · 4 crosswalk linksIndustrial Production ManagersSOC 11-3051 · 4 crosswalk linksMedical and Health Services ManagersSOC 11-9111 · 4 crosswalk linksFacilities ManagersSOC 11-3013 · 3 crosswalk linksFirst-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support WorkersSOC 43-1011 · 3 crosswalk linksLogisticiansSOC 13-1081 · 3 crosswalk linksNatural Sciences ManagersSOC 11-9121 · 3 crosswalk linksProject Management SpecialistsSOC 13-1082 · 3 crosswalk linksTransportation, Storage, and Distribution ManagersSOC 11-3071 · 3 crosswalk links

BEST COLLEGES FOR BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS

Same degree, different outcomes

Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. Automated ROI is withheld when an exact program price or personal earnings baseline is required.

#	College	Location	Earnings, year 4	Federal debt	ROI status	Cost context
1	Harvard UniversityFirst Professional Degree	Cambridge, MA	$272,009	Not available	Baseline needed	$19,066
2	University of California, BerkeleyFirst Professional Degree	Berkeley, CA	$258,635	Not available	Baseline needed	$13,481
3	University of Notre DameFirst Professional Degree	Notre Dame, IN	$166,604	Not available	Baseline needed	$26,780
4	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh CampusFirst Professional Degree	Pittsburgh, PA	$138,548	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,434
5	The Catholic University of AmericaFirst Professional Degree	Washington, DC	$111,378	Not available	Baseline needed	$29,561

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.