Management jobs often command higher salaries compared to other roles within an industry. The right education can open doors to these opportunities, allowing you to step directly into a career that either immediately or with some experience, can lead to a managerial position.
With an average of 1.1 million job openings projected each year, the prospects are promising. In this article, you’ll explore the various management jobs with just about any bachelor’s degree, across finance, marketing, operations, human resources, and more.
How Different Degrees Help You Become a Manager
This is an underrated fact. Senior executives in nearly all sectors typically only require a bachelor’s degree to kick off their careers, and you can become one with roughly five years of consistent work experience in your chosen field. They earn about $100K annually.
A Bachelor of Science (BS) in Business Administration degree is a favored and in-demand choice for many, as it allows you to pursue general and management-centric courses versus the specializations provided by the many degree programs.
Such degree programs are carefully crafted to arm you with industry-specific jargon, nuances, and skills, setting you up to enter the workforce right after graduation. This approach significantly cuts down the time needed to become job-ready.
With a BS in business administration, there are more than a dozen specializations at your disposal:
- Finance
- Human Resources
- Accounting
- International Business
- Marketing
- Public Administration, and more
On the other hand..
If you’re crystal clear about your career path and know exactly which field you want to invest your time in, a Bachelor’s in Business Administration (BBA) provides a specialized degree pathway to help you accelerate your education.
A BBA degree lets you concentrate on specific sectors such as social services, health care, marketing, and more. For instance, if you’re passionate about technology and envision a career in IT management, a BBA in Information Technology Management is a good choice for you.
A bachelor of arts (BA) can also pack a punch when it comes to landing a managerial role. Take the job of a case manager, for instance. You’d typically need a bachelor’s degree in social work or psychology, but a BA could get you there too.
You don’t need “management” or “administration” in your degree title to get a managerial role down the line. Following your passion can help you eventually land a management job in the field that you love.
For example,
- An undergrad degree in architecture or engineering could set you up (with a good chunk of architect or engineer experience) to be an architectural and engineering manager, bringing in a whopping $159,920 annually.
- If you’re interested in natural sciences, a bachelor’s degree in biology or a related discipline and some work experience can help you get promoted to a natural sciences manager role—pulling in a solid $144,440 per year.
On the other hand, there are certain careers that require a master’s degree. However, you have the option to substitute a master’s degree with on-the-job training and work experience you gain after your bachelor’s degree. Some careers that offer this flexibility include:
- K12 School Principals
- Postsecondary Ed Administrators
- Non Clinical Social Workers
- Anthropologists or Archeologists
- Mathematician or Statistician
NOTE:
- Even if you’re not in a finance role, understanding the financial implications of your decisions is crucial. Consider taking a course in financial management.
- Effective communication is key in management. You need to be able to lay out expectations clear as day, give feedback, and get the conversation going. A course in business communication can help you get started.
Industry-Wise Management Jobs With A Bachelor’s Degree
Just to clear the air—you may not necessarily need a master’s degree to work as a manager—if you ever had a doubt. There are enough and more management jobs in almost every industry that only require a bachelor’s degree to pursue.
Please keep in mind, many of the jobs listed below might not be readily available right after you graduate. You may need to gain some work experience in related or assistant roles first. Let’s check them out:
Emergency Management Jobs
Industry: Environmental and Public Safety
| Job/Role | Salary | What they do |
| Police Caption | $80,830 | Oversees department operations, supervises police staff, and acts as the department’s liaison within the community. |
| Community Development Specialist | $76,289 | Works with urban communities to foster growth and development. |
| Regional Human Services Planner | $54,197 | Coordinates planning activities for emergency response and service delivery. |
Community Engagement Manager
Industry: Non-Profit and Community Services
A community engagement manager identifies community needs, promotes initiatives, networks with local leaders, ensures compliance with laws, and oversees volunteers and donors. Their role is to connect the organization and the community for mutual benefit. Their average salary is $90,623 per year.
Property Management Jobs
Industry: Real Estate and Construction
| Job/Role | Salary | What they do |
| Transaction Manager | $85,565 | A real estate transaction manager oversees property transactions, ensuring their successful completion or total rollback, and maintains consistency in the system. |
| Community Association Manager | $62,998 | These managers oversee property affairs, handle finances, negotiate contracts, resolve complaints, and ensure rule compliance. |
| Property and Real Estate Manager | $60,670 | They oversee residential and commercial properties, handle finances, report to owners, and market vacancies. |
Construction Management Jobs
Industry: Real Estate and Construction
| Job/Role | Salary | What they do |
| Construction Superintendent | $118,534 | Oversees the daily operations of a construction site, ensuring work is done safely, on time, and within budget. |
| Construction Operations Manager | $94,759 | Operations managers ensure timely completion of project, budget compliance, and adherence to safety regulations. |
| Permit Manager | $63,151 | The go-to person for getting all the necessary permits, making sure everything’s up to code and on the level with local building regulations. |
Case Manager Jobs
Industry: Healthcare
Case managers act as champions for their clients, helping them steer through healthcare or social service systems, and teaming up with other members of the group to secure the best results. They supervise client care, formulate service strategies, track case advancement, and determine when a case can be concluded. Their average salary is $93,089 per year.
Healthcare Management Jobs
Industry: Healthcare
| Job/Role | Salary | What they do |
| Medical and Health Services Manager | $104,830 | Also known as healthcare administrators, they are the linchpins of healthcare facilities—coordinating between medical personnel and administrative functions. |
| Health Information Manager | $97,947 | They oversee the secure and accurate handling of healthcare data to optimize patient care and comply with regulations. |
Related: How to Get an MBA in Healthcare Management?
Product Manager Jobs
Industry: Technology and Digital Services
A product manager is a key player in product-led companies, responsible for steering the success of a product. This includes planning and executing throughout the product lifecycle, which involves understanding the market, defining the product vision, and working closely with engineering, sales, marketing, and support to ensure revenue and customer satisfaction goals are met. Their average salary is $79,562 per year.
Risk Management Jobs
Industry: Business and Finance
| Job/Role | Salary | What they do |
| Risk Manager | $123,618 | Identifies, evaluates, and mitigates potential risks that could negatively impact an organization’s operations and objectives. |
Supply Chain Management Jobs
Industry: Business and Finance
| Job/Role | Salary | What they do |
| Sourcing Manager | $133,160 | A sourcing manager is responsible for locating, evaluating, and procuring goods or services from suppliers to meet an organization’s requirements. |
| Logistics Manager | $117,715 | A logistics manager coordinates the transportation, distribution, and warehousing of goods within a company to ensure operations run smoothly and on time. |
| Distribution Manager | $105,568 | A distribution manager oversees the process of moving goods from manufacturers to warehouses and from these facilities to consumers. |
Conclusion
Pursuing a bachelor’s degree can unlock a wide array of management roles for you. From operations and project management to human resources and marketing, the opportunities are limitless. However, your ability to excel in these positions also depends on how well you can adapt to shifts in business, lead teams effectively, and make savvy decisions.
Decision-making is the bedrock of management. As a manager, you’ll be constantly making decisions – some are routine, others are strategic and have far-reaching effects. Your ability to make informed, savvy decisions – often under pressure and with incomplete information – is what will set you apart as a successful manager.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You can work as an accountant, financial or healthcare analyst, marketing and sales manager, project manager, among many other roles.
Store managers make an average of around $76,794 per year. Any bonuses are on top of that. Retail store managers handle the day-to-day operations of a retail store. They supervise and organize the activities of the retail sales team, manage stock, and make sure customers are happy.
As of 2022, there were 509,500 positions open in the field of hospital or nursing management. In addition, over the next decade, you can expect to see an increase of 144,700 new roles in this space, thanks to a robust job growth rate of 28%, which is significantly faster than the national average.
