What can I do with a business degree?

A business degree - like ARU’s online Business Management BSc - is one of the most versatile degrees you can study, offering an excellent grounding in business acumen that can be applied across all sectors. If you’re asking yourself - ‘what can I do with a business degree?’ - rest assured its versatility means it can be applied to many job roles and business graduates go into careers in consultancy, leadership and specialist roles amongst others. Here we explore the various careers with a business degree, as well as considering ‘is a business degree worth it?'

Here are four key reasons to choose a business degree:

1. Develop the transferable skills that are valued by employers. Skills like leadership, problem-solving, critical thinking, decision making, project management, people skills, communication and conflict management. All these skills adapt to nearly all job roles, making them widely sought after.

2. Versatility – business degrees can provide you will the versatility to approach and move across a wide range of sectors and specialisms. You could use your business skills in management, consultancy or analysis roles across a spectrum of industries from construction to healthcare, finance to publishing and many more. You can specialise in various roles (sometimes with extra training and/or qualifications) such as human resources, marketing, or business analysis.

Find out more about our portfolio of online business degrees.

3. Demand for business skills – employers value professionals who understand how organisations operate and can adapt to changing markets. As businesses increasingly use data, digital technologies and AI to improve performance, they're also looking for people who can combine commercial awareness with strong communication, leadership and analytical skills.

4. Business degrees such as the BSc Business Management or postgraduate MBA are a popular choice with career changers and professionals. These degrees provide the flexibility to move across sectors and progress to leadership positions.

There are many business graduate jobs – here are our top 10 pick:

Their remit covers managing operations, finance, team leadership, change and risk management, as well strategic planning in line with overall organisation goals. Business degrees provide the fundamental knowledge in business, covering all these topics. It’s also a job role that can lead to progression opportunities in senior management roles such as Director of Operations, Chief Finance Officer, or CEO.

Project managers plan and execute projects from start to completion. They are usually responsible for ensuring a project completes on time, on budget and meets the scope and goals set out from the start. They need good organisational skills and team management skills to co-ordinate the various steps to success. Business graduates are a good fit for this role as managing projects is usually a key topic of business management degrees.

Learn more about ARU’s online MSc in Project Management.

Business degrees will cover the principles of marketing, with graduates gaining an understanding of markets, consumer behaviour and market research. Therefore, business graduates are suited to marketing roles with their commercial awareness and understanding of business operations which are helpful as a marketing manager.

You’ll gain the knowledge, skills, and behaviours required by human resources (HR) professionals as well as exploring organisational culture and behaviours as a business graduate. This opens doors to job roles in human resources. Starting at more junior level, it’s possible to gain experience and perhaps work through more specialist HR qualifications to progress to HR management roles.

Operations managers specifically manage the day-to-day operations of a business or department. They can be responsible for the productivity and efficiency of the business whilst ensuring their operations are compliant. They’ll work with various teams to maximise efficiency and reduces risk that requires good communication, stakeholder engagement, and leadership skills – all skills developed on business management degrees.

Business analysts solve problems and challenges that a business might face. They will take to key business stakeholders to understand processes, issues and gain any data required to help their investigations. They draw on their analytical skills and make suggestions for improvement. They require an excellent understanding of business and business operations both in a local and global environment.

Management Consultants help businesses perform better. This can be through advising on strategies on growth, efficiency, structure, or systems. They analyse a business’ operations to make informed decisions and recommend solutions at a high level, requiring elevated business expertise and confidence.

Financial analysts look at company data and the wider picture – market and economic trends – to produce financial forecasts, reports, and recommendations. They help companies grow and reduce risk through their financial analysis. Business degrees provide graduates with a fundamental understanding of financial management within business settings making this a suitable career choice for business graduates.

Entrepreneurs need the business skills to start a business, as well as the creative talent that inspires new start-ups. If you’re a budding entrepreneur looking at your first start-up, you’ll likely be taking on lots of roles to start with so an understanding of all the areas of business – finance, marketing, HR, operations – is essential and a business degree will give you that.

Supply Chain Managers are responsible for the procurement, inventory, logistics and distribution of a company’s products. They’ll also forecast demand and manage risks across the supply chain. Many skills are required for this role and have in common with business graduates – skills like stakeholder engagement, reporting, project management, understanding business logistics and procurement.

You’ll find a wide range of industries that employ business graduates across various roles. Examples include:

• Finance
• Healthcare
• Education
• Technology
• Manufacturing
• Retail
• Public sector
• Charities
• Start-ups

Why is this important when considering investing in a business degree? It means you’ll have the flexibility to move across different industries as your career progresses. You may specialise as a Project Manager or Business Analyst or Management Consultant, but you’ll be able to apply your skills to all these industries, gaining more exposure to different experiences and environments – all beneficial to your career outlook.

Find out more about our online Management & Leadership in Health & Social Care BSc (top-up) or online MSc Healthcare Management.

Business graduates will develop many valuable transferable skills including:

• Leadership – whether that’s leading a team, a project, change or innovation – leadership qualities are coveted across all sectors.

• Strategic thinking – the ability to analyse a situation and plan towards the desired goal is an essential skill for any business professional.

• Communication – from writing reports to presenting at a board meeting, business degrees help practice the communication skills required to thrive in commercial enterprise.

• Problem solving – this is a key skill that’s part and parcel of strategic thinking but also solving problems daily whether that’s systems or personnel issues.

• Data analysis – with the rise of technology, obtaining vast amounts of data is getting easier but it’s important to have the skills to analyse it and interpret it to help make business decisions.

• Commercial awareness – business degrees will give you the knowledge of how businesses operate, gain customers and make money through the topics covered.

• Teamwork – you’ll learn the importance of teamwork and how roles within a team work together to complete projects or keep operations moving smoothly.

• Decision making – through gaining business expertise, graduates develop the skills and gain the confidence to make informed decisions.

• Project management – you’ll learn about the project management cycle, giving you the skills to plan and execute projects effectively.

Yes, a business degree is worth it. You’ll gain career flexibility and versatility because you’ll gain both the technical expertise and transferable skills for a variety of jobs across most industries. This provides progression opportunities as your career progresses, and you gain more experience. In turn this can boost your earning potential as you work your way towards senior roles, should you wish.

An undergraduate business degree is a good choice for career changers interested in business or entrepreneurship.

A business degree, whether undergraduate or postgraduate – can work well for professionals across most sectors looking to expand their business knowledge and progress their careers in that direction.

Yes you can and ARU offer a portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate business degrees.

Learning via distance learning is a viable option for many who need the flexibility to study around work and family commitments. It means you can progress your career prospects without having to stop working. If you’re working in a role that is linked to the degree, you can apply your learning immediately, benefitting you and your employer.

Distance learning doesn’t have to feel remote either. There are opportunities for networking with fellow students and there’s dedicated support available just for distance learners.

If you’re ready to take the next step, you can find out more about our business degrees here. You can also contact us and speak to our Distance Learning Advisers here.