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KEY TAKEAWAYS
- A degree in business administration qualifies you for at least six of the top 10 occupations with the most projected job openings in the coming years.
- Several high-demand roles, including general and operations managers and software developers, often require five or more years of experience on top of a degree, so building up your work history early matters.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has released the top 10 jobs projected to have the most openings through 2034. General and operations managers lead the list, with about 308,700 positions expected annually through 2034.
The degree that’s expected to open the most doors is business administration. The major is commonly needed or helpful in attaining many of the top 10 jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree over the next decade.
Why This Matters to You
Choosing the right bachelor’s degree can increase your chances of getting hired, especially as more recent college graduates have been struggling to find jobs. As of September, 5.8% of recent college graduates were unemployed, a rate higher than the one for all workers.
To be a general and operations manager, you can have a bachelor’s degree in business administration, management, or finance.
Workers in this position also typically have five years or more of prior work experience before becoming a general and operations manager, according to the BLS. Other managerial positions that require a bachelor’s degree also typically ask that you have some experience, although it’s not always as much.
A bachelor’s degree in business administration or business management would is also be helpful for entering many of the top jobs ranked by the BLS. However, some jobs, like registered nurses and accountants, which ranked second and third in projected openings, respectively, have a narrower degree path.
The table below shows the degrees typically required for each of the top 10 jobs. These aren’t the only credentials that can get you there, but they’re the most common in each field.
| Degrees Commonly Required for the BLS’s Top 10 Job Openings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Occupation | Degree Required | Prior Experience Typically Required |
| General and operations managers | Bachelor’s in business administration, management, or finance | 5 years or more |
| Registered nurses | Bachelor of Science in Nursing | None |
| Accountants and auditors | Bachelor’s in accounting | None |
| Software developers | Bachelor’s in computer science or software engineering | 5 years or more |
| Business operations specialists, all other | Bachelor’s in business administration or management | None |
| Managers, all other | Bachelor’s in business administration or management | Less than 5 years |
| Management analysts | Bachelor’s in business administration, finance, or public administration | Less than 5 years |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education | Bachelor’s in elementary education or child development. A teaching license is also required | None |
| Market research analysts and marketing specialists | Bachelor’s in marketing, psychology, or business administration | None |
| Human resources specialists | Bachelor’s in human resources, business administration, or social science | None |
