Higher education is almost a necessity in this day and age. More and more jobs have a college degree as a prerequisite. Unfortunately, college is becoming a lot less accessible at the same time. If so many people need work to afford a college education, how do you balance those two entities? Increasingly, the solution to that is getting an online business degree. An online business degree is much more accessible, both cost-wise and convenience-wise. They cost less than traditional, on-campus education and are more flexible with a work schedule. To find the best degree programs for you, start an online search.
Careers in Business
One of the wonderful things about business degrees is that they’re incredibly customizable. It’s a huge category and allows the opportunity to anyone so they can find a role that fits them.
Management
Management positions focus on strategic decision making, as well as personnel interaction. This is more of a leadership focus that is well-suited to people who can guide others in making changes and improvements while guiding an institution in a strategic direction.
At the lower level, you can expect to make an annual salary of $48,210 in management roles. Since it depends on the industry you’re in, you can easily surpass $100,000 annual salaries.
Moreover, the U.S. Bureau projects the jobs in this field to grow by five percent by 2029.
Operations
Operations specialize in logistics, quality control, and material management. This can be more of an intermediary role that can include making sure products are being manufactured properly and delivered on time.
As of 2018, the average salary for an operations role is $76,960 per year with a range between $38,420 and $123,000 annually.
Marketing
Much like operations, marketing focuses on strategy. More broadly, its role is about optimizing the customer experience and tapping into audience pools. One level is advertising, making sure you present a good message to increase sales and grow a customer base. On another level, it’s analyzing trends and figuring out who to tailor messages to based on the market’s trends.
The average annual salary for a marketing specialist is $71,570. However, if you’re able to rise into a management position, the average salary almost doubles. In fact, it can go as high as $122,630.
Business Development
Business development is an entrepreneurial focus that combines leadership skills with an understanding of consumer behaviors. These are necessary skills if you’re interested in developing your own business or strengthening your existing business. With business development, you can also pursue management, consulting, or market analyst roles.
Payment regarding business development roles is harder to quantify because it qualifies you for related roles or opening your own business. As mentioned above, management roles can make between $41,210 and $100,000. The average salary for Developmental Specialists is $61,210, while Market Analysts receive a little more at $63,790 per year.
Finance and Accounting
Finance and accounting roles handle the monetary ends of a business. Finance is more overarching and focuses on the broader strategies of money management. They work in financial planning or organizational evaluation.
Accounting has more of a ground-floor focus. It concerns the individual laws relating to tax and corporate tax reporting.
The average salary for accounting roles is $71,550 annually. That rate is higher for finance roles. For instance, financial analysts receive $81,590 per year.
The Benefits of an Online Degree
Getting an online degree is an increasingly preferred route for a lot of people, especially those who have a lot of existing family and work responsibilities.
An online degree provides you more control over your schedule, allowing you to work when you’re able to. Since everything you need to access is online, you don’t need to make time for classes. Furthermore, you can save time by not having to commute to campus multiple times per week.
You’ll also be able to save a significant amount of money by getting your degree online. Saving on transit fees, like the cost of gasoline or bus fare, is one thing, but most online degrees are less expensive than traditional degrees.
Best Online Degree Programs
University of Florida
Since launching in 2014, the University of Florida sees over 1,000 students join its online program every year. Moreover, the university has brought its rigorous on-campus teaching standards to its online programs.
Tuition for the University of Florida’s online program is $8,356 per year if you’re living in Florida. With a yearly rate of $21,060, out-of-state tuition costs are significantly higher.
Additionally, 61 percent of students find full-time employment within a year after graduating from the University of Florida, though many more pursue further education or find part-time roles.
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona offers a 120-hour business degree program that provides an incredible education while being fully accessible. The university has direct admissions for its online programs, which allows you to start — and finish — your education sooner. That way you’ll get a quicker start into the workforce. Plus, the program is fully flexible, allowing you to customize your courses and take classes on your own time.
The University of Arizona offers a tuition transparency tool, so you can get a full estimate before applying. However, expect the tuition for online courses to cost $500 to $610 per credit for undergraduate degrees and $650 to $1332 per credit for graduate degrees. Moreover, out-of-state students don’t need to worry about higher costs as the University of Arizona has no out-of-state tuition.
The University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management, which runs the online business programs, boasts a huge employment rate after graduating. In fact, 87 percent of undergraduates and 86 percent of full-time MBAs found employment or enrolled in further education within 90 days of graduation.
University of Missouri
In recent years, the University of Missouri has made big investments in its online program. The university’s online business program offers high accessibility and flexibility.
The University of Missouri is unique in that they offer in-state tuition rates for anyone joining their online program. The university offers an estimated tuition cost of $28,478.10 for a bachelor of science in business administration and $30,798.90 for a master of science in business. While tuition may be on the expensive side, 90.4 percent of MU students go on to have successful careers after graduation.
Conclusion
An online business degree can be transformative to your career development. It can open doors for you by allowing more choice and opportunity to find a job you can feel good about, while also making you more money to live a better life.
Online degrees are widely accepted as a standard degree when applying to jobs. Still, not every online program is the same. Do your research and make sure your program is credible and offers the education programs that interest you.
