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Business Education

A program that prepares individuals to teach vocational business, innovation, and entrepreneurship programs at various educational levels. Includes instruction in business administration, business development, finance, idea generation, investing, logistics, management, and marketing. Examples: [Innovation and Entrepreneurship Teacher Education]

Types of Degrees Business Education Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Business Education may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1
Bachelor’s Degree	76
Master’s Degree	92

What Business Education Majors Need to Know

Programs in Business Education build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Business Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Business Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Business Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Business Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Business Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Business Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Business Education graduates include:

• Instructor
• Educator
• Business Education Teacher
• Teacher
• Industrial Arts Teacher
• Vocational Trainer
• Business Teacher
• Adjunct Instructor
• Associate Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Faculty Member
• Professor
• Computer Teacher
• Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher (FACS Teacher)
• Career Education Teacher

What Can You Do With a Business Education Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Business Education commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Education Teachers, Postsecondary	2.4%	$98,329	$80,157–$116,500
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary	0.6%	$86,398	$72,979–$99,816
Business Teachers, Postsecondary	10.6%	$80,576	$67,695–$93,458

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Business Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	39.7%
Bachelor’s degree	24.8%
Master’s degree	15.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	7.2%
Postsecondary certificate	3.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.8%
Some college courses	1.9%
First professional degree	0.1%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Business Education?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 48.5% women and 51.5% men among Business Education graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	82	48.5%
Men	87	51.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Business Education graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	130	76.9%
Asian	2	1.2%
Hispanic or Latino	6	3.6%
Black or African American	6	3.6%
Two or More Races	3	1.8%
Race Unknown	9	5.3%
International Students	13	7.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Business Education Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Business Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$49,919
4 years	$50,204
5 years	$56,331

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,331 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Business Education Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Business Education. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	6	5
Master’s	6	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Business Education Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Business Education graduates earn a median of $50,204 four years after completion — roughly 32% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	39,881
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching	6,964
Reading Teacher Education	5,986
Music Teacher Education	4,544
English/Language Arts Teacher Education	3,018
Mathematics Teacher Education	2,993
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas, Other	2,352
Social Studies Teacher Education	1,963
Art Teacher Education	1,860
Health Teacher Education	1,472
Agricultural Teacher Education	1,051
Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education	1,022

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.