Become a Leader in Business

A business administration degree provides the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in nearly any industry. Graduates can work in healthcare, technology, finance, government, and education. Most institutions offer undergraduate and graduate-level business degrees in various specializations, and some even extend to the doctoral level. Explore UMass Global’s full range of business programs.

A high-quality business degree should be structured to teach you the skills needed to be competitive in the workforce. Core concepts include financial reporting, ethical decision-making, organizational communication, leadership, and principles of management. Students can also align their program with their career goals by specializing in a certain area. 

You’ll graduate with a high-demand skill set that includes:

• Functional competence: Analyze and execute core business operations and strategic processes in diverse corporate environments.
• Global perspective: Apply cross-cultural insights and core business processes across domestic and global environments.
• Strategic communication: Demonstrate advanced oral and written communication proficiency across varied organizational and professional settings.
• Business ethics: Identify ethical conflicts to construct defensible, compliant resolutions across diverse corporate landscapes.
• Data-driven decision-making: Apply business intelligence tools and technology to analyze data, optimize operations, and provide strategic leadership.

Common courses in most bachelor’s-level programs include statistics, management, finance, accounting, organizational communications, operations management, leadership, and professional ethics. You can often choose from a range of electives to customize your degree. An MBA also has similar concepts but digs deeper into more advanced concepts within each field.

A traditional bachelor’s in business can take up to four years, and an MBA up to three.
 

With a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, you can explore diverse career paths. Common options include: 

• Business analyst: Analyzing data, identifying trends, and making informed business recommendations
• Marketing manager: Planning and executing marketing strategies to promote products or services
• Human resources manager: Overseeing employee recruitment, training, performance management, and organizational development
• Financial analyst: Evaluating financial data, conducting investment research, and providing financial guidance
• Operations manager: Optimizing processes, managing resources, and ensuring efficient business operations

The specific career path you choose may depend on your interests, specialization, and additional qualifications you may acquire. Discover more paths with our 9 Different Types of Business Degrees and Career Paths blog post.

An MBA can be beneficial in several ways. Earning one can help you achieve your long-term career goals, increase your earning potential, expand your professional network and even allow you to break into a new field.

Considered the gold standard in business, an MBA can help increase professional opportunities and even earning potential. Adding a specialization can help align curriculum with a certain career path. Example positions for MBA grads include financial analyst, risk solutions architect, health services manager, marketing director, benefits specialists, and more. Explore your options by checking out our resource "MBA specializations and why you should consider pursuing one."

In data analytics degree programs, students gain valuable data analysis skills that are applicable in various industries. They learn how to manipulate and analyze large datasets, identify patterns and trends, and communicate their findings effectively. Additionally, they develop expertise in data visualization tools and programming languages such as Python and SQL, which are essential for data analysis. These skills not only make graduates highly marketable but also equip them with the ability to drive data-informed decision-making in organizations.

With a GIS degree, you can pursue various career paths in fields such as urban planning, environmental management, and geospatial analysis. Graduates often find employment as GIS analysts, cartographers, or remote sensing specialists, utilizing their skills to collect, analyze, and visualize geographic data. Additionally, GIS professionals play a crucial role in disaster management, helping organizations respond to and mitigate the impact of natural disasters through spatial analysis and mapping.

Different from a business degree with a leadership emphasis, the UMass Global Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership builds a strong foundation in leadership, management, and organizational dynamics. These qualities make the BA in Organizational Leadership a versatile degree that can fit into various industries. Some of these roles would be more accessible if the person added an MAOL, but these are possible career options.

• Human Resources: HR managers, talent acquisition specialists, organizational development consultants
• Management: Operations managers, project managers, general managers
• Nonprofit and Government: Program managers, development directors, executive directors
• Healthcare: Healthcare administrators, patient care coordinators, quality improvement managers
• Consulting: Organizational consultants, management consultants

Organizational Leadership and Manager are related, yet they are also distinct concepts. The focus of each, while there is some overlap, are different. Here’s how.

Organizational Leadership is primarily about setting a vision, inspiring others, and guiding an organization or team towards achieving long-term goals. Organizational Leadership emphasizes motivation, influence, and the ability to drive change. Organizational Leadership will lead the necessary changes when organizations need to adapt and evolve. Those in these positions play a key role in setting strategic goals and help shape and maintain an organization’s culture and values.

Management is focused on day-to-day operations, ensuring the organization runs smoothly and efficiently. Management helps drive the organization forward toward the strategic goals set by leadership, but managers do this on a more granular level. Managers control resources, and handle planning and organizing to achieve short-term and long-term goals. You could think of managers as being responsible for the day-to-day workings of the organization as it strives to achieve the strategies set by leadership.

Organizational leadership degrees are available at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree levels. Many universities like UMass Global also offer emphasis or concentration options within specialized programs. Some even have a variety of certificate options and courses that can be used for professional development.

A Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership program equips students with a broad range of skills essential for effective leadership and management across various organizational contexts. Key skills developed in this program include:

• Leadership and Team Building — Understanding different leadership styles and techniques for motivating and guiding teams to achieve goals.
• Effective Communication — Mastering both verbal and written communication skills, including active listening, persuasive communication, and presenting ideas clearly.
• Strategic Planning and Decision Making — Learning to set long-term goals, develop strategic plans, and make informed decisions to guide organizations effectively.
• Conflict Resolution — Acquiring techniques to manage and resolve conflicts within teams or organizations constructively.
• Ethics and Social Responsibility — Understanding the importance of ethical decision-making and social responsibility in leadership roles.
• Organizational Behavior — Studying how individuals and groups act within organizations to improve management practices and enhance productivity.
• Change Management — Developing skills to effectively lead and manage change within an organization, ensuring smooth transitions and buy-in from stakeholders.
• Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving — Enhancing the ability to analyze complex problems, think critically, and develop innovative solutions.
• Cultural Competence — Gaining insights into managing and leading diverse teams, understanding cultural differences, and promoting inclusivity.

The great thing about a BAOL is that it is generally not industry-specific so students can apply their different backgrounds and look at how organizational leadership tools can be applied in any situation. The curriculum can include topics like marketing, HR, economics, ethics, team building, and finance.
 

An MAOL degree is great for those who want to learn about leadership styles while focusing on individual growths that contribute to organizational success. Example course topics include organizational research, democracy, and ethics, leading change, team development, and organizational dynamics.

In UMass Global MyPath, grading is mastery-based instead of using traditional letter grades or GPA. You demonstrate what you know through applied projects, case studies, presentations, written analyses, and other real-world assessments, with faculty providing feedback and chances to revise and resubmit work as you build toward mastery.

Your transcript reflects whether you have met the required competencies in each course, using M (Mastered), WC (Withdrawn), or NS (Not Satisfied, used only while work is in progress between terms), with mastery aligned to the equivalency of a “B” level of performance.

UMass Global MyPath is a competency-based learning experience where you progress by demonstrating mastery of defined competencies instead of earning credit for attendance, participation, or weekly assignments. Unlike traditional online courses that follow fixed weekly schedules and due dates, MyPath programs have no fixed time in class requirements, offering flexibility to study around your schedule while progressing through structured learning milestones.