Business Administration, Management and Operations: degree ROI, salary & best colleges
Business Administration, Management and Operations graduates earn a median $68,257 four years after finishing — $19,897/yr above the $48,360 high-school baseline. At a typical $16,906/yr net price ($67,624 over four years), that pays back in about 3.4 years. Federal data pools 1,150 bachelor's programs graduating roughly 155,630 students a year. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026 · our math.)
Business Administration, Management and Operations ranks #73 of 202 bachelor's fields by earnings — pays more than 64% of majors.
| # | College | State | Grad earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carnegie Mellon University | PA | $160,783 |
| 2 | Johns Hopkins University | MD | $147,384 |
| 3 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | MI | $144,654 |
| 4 | University of California-Berkeley | CA | $144,599 |
| 5 | University of Pennsylvania | PA | $136,806 |
| 6 | Emory University | GA | $136,731 |
| 7 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | NC | $135,874 |
| 8 | Boston College | MA | $123,144 |
| 9 | Bismarck State College | ND | $122,948 |
| 10 | Washington and Lee University | VA | $121,699 |
| 11 | Georgetown University | DC | $117,733 |
| 12 | Villanova University | PA | $114,211 |
College Scorecard field-of-study (2026), program-level median earnings for this CIP · our ranking.
How we compute this. Earnings are the national median for graduates of this field measured 1 and 4 years after completion (Scorecard field-of-study, bachelor's). Premium = 4-year earnings − the $48,360 high-school baseline. Payback = a representative 4-year net cost (median college net price × 4) ÷ premium. Field medians blend every school — a specific program can pay far more or less. Full method on the methodology page; the field ranking is on ROI by major.