Business FAQs

A business administration degree provides the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in nearly any industry. Graduates can work in health care, technology, finance, government and even education. Most institutions offer undergraduate and graduate-level business degrees in a variety of 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. Find a business program that fits your career goals.

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 concentrations to specialize in. 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.

A business degree is extremely versatile and can apply to nearly any industry. But concentrations and different types of business degrees can help turn an interest into a career. Some example positions include network systems administrator, marketing manager, GIS technician, environmental compliance analyst and public relations specialist. Discover more paths with our resource 5 Types of online business degrees and corresponding careers.

A degree in international business combines fundamentals like leadership and accounting with foreign market concepts and financial dynamics. Students learn basic U.S. accounting rules as well as financial practices of other countries, multinational consolidations, foreign currency translation and international taxation principles. Learn more about the MBA in International Business at UMass Global.

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. Need more inspiration? Check out these MBA success stories.

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 "10 MBA specializations and why you should consider pursuing one."

Some top career paths for MBA finance grads include senior financial analyst, financial manager, investment banker and chief financial officer just to name a few. Learn more about typical job duties for these positions and find out what to expect from this type of degree program by checking out our resource What to expect when earning an MBA in finance.

An MBA in finance provides students with the same foundational knowledge as a general MBA, covering topics like statistics, economics, leadership and marketing. But the finance emphasis also allows students to broaden their expertise in areas like stock market analysis, global economy, corporate finance and investment banking.

In addition to the core MBA courses in finance and economics, students interested in data analytics can expect to dig deeper into data visualization, modeling and business applications using industry leading Esri GIS software. Graduates of the UMass Global MBA in Business Intelligence and Data Analytics will be able to synthesize multiple data sources to evaluate business trends. Learn more by checking out our resource What to expect from an MBA in Data Analytics.