Bachelor's Degree in Business

BA Business Administration is Good for Getting a Job and an MBA

Oct 7, 2009

A BA in business is a stepping stone between the AA in business and the MBA. Most MBA programs prefer that students get work experience with their BA after graduation.

The bachelor's degree in business is sometimes regarded as an ugly stepchild to the MBA, or a slight upgrade from an associate's degree in business administration. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Associate's Versus Bachelor's Degree in Business

The lower division coursework typically taken by college freshmen and sophomores to get a business administration degree is usually the same for both the associate's degree and the bachelor's degree. This means students who delay or never finish a baccalaureate program can still leave school with an AA degree in business if they have two years worth of baccalaureate work completed.

Those who leave college after two years of studying business should read about the benefits of getting the associate's degree in business.

After the first two years, students take advanced, upper division courses in business during their junior and senior years to earn their bachelor's. Those courses teach business more depth, making them more useful in getting higher paying jobs requiring more skill.

Employment for Business Degree Graduates

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the minimum educational requirement for management analysts is a bachelor's degree. The same is true for many other fields in business. During periods of high unemployment in the job market, these minimum requirements are often strictly enforced.

Preparation for a MBA

Some competitive MBA programs require a few business related undergraduate courses before entering graduate school. Nearly all of those courses are also part of a typical AA or BA in Business. Some of the courses that are required as MBA prerequisite or MBA foundation courses include:

In addition to any prerequisite course requirements, most competitive MBA programs strongly recommend that candidates get a few years of work experience. A bachelor's in business administration helps get jobs that can prove helpful to MBA admissions committees.

Finally, the courses required for the bachelor's degree help with preparation for the GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test), especially courses in mathematics and English.

Where to Get a BA in Business?

Any accredited college may be used for the first two years of a BA in business, as long as the correct lower division courses are taken. Some of the schools that offer the required lower division courses include online colleges, trade schools, and community colleges.

The upper division courses needed for the BA in Business should be taken at the school that is going to grant the bachelor's degree. Most schools require that a certain number of courses be taken at their school before they will grant the degree.

After earning the BA in Business Administration, students should get a few years of work experience before applying to MBA programs. It's important that the baccalaureate business program chosen provides the skills necessary to get employment that will be helpful in advancing one's career as well as in getting admitted to an MBA program.

The copyright of the article Bachelor's Degree in Business in College Degrees/Programs is owned by John Wu. Permission to republish Bachelor's Degree in Business in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.