Those who study business administration place themselves on the path to assuming leadership roles within a company, holding the top executive positions within an organization. Those who wish to reach the pinnacle of business administration will typically need years of experience in a specific industry and will most likely be required to attain a master’s degree in business administration.

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MBA Course Topics

Courses in business administration usually focus on basic business concepts of organization, strategy and execution within a business operation. Most professionals who enter business administration focus on a specific area of industry – those who wish to lead a university, for example, typically achieve a doctoral-level education. Those who aim to reach the top levels of a public organization will often add a master’s in public administration to their resume.

Some of the characteristics important to business administration students in all industries include:

  • Communications skills. To lead an organization, top executives must have the ability to effectively communicate their vision to all employees and other executives.
  • Decision-making skills. It’s difficult to lead without the ability to decide the direction of an organization in all phases. Such decisions sometimes must be made on a daily basis.
  • Leadership skills. Top executives must have the ability to lead employees by coordinating an organization’s overall business operation, employees and resources.
  • Problem-solving skills. Organizations often face complex issues on a daily basis, and leaders must be able to determine effective solutions.

Job Duties for Business Administrators

Professionals with business administration degrees work to lead organizations. In the case of private sector business, they look at the most efficient ways of providing a quality product while maximizing profit and providing a solid return for investors.

Those in the non-profit or public sector look to provide services in a way that is most effective for their customers, who are typically taxpayers (in the case of governments) or a specific segment of the population such as children or those in poverty (in the case of non-profits).

In almost all cases, top executives have spent many years in managerial roles, learning the ins and outs of a business.

Job Outlook for Top Executives

The number of jobs for top executives is expected to grow by 5% from 2010 to 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). As businesses grow, the number of top executives does not grow at the same rate as the employees, so competition can be fierce at this level. However, all organizations need leaders, and many start with earning a master’s degree in business administration (MBA).

Salaries for top executives vary depending on industry, location, education and experience. According to the BLS, top executives earned an average of more than $165,000 in May 2010. Even the lowest 10% of top executives earned more than $75,000 on average, according to the BLS, which is far higher than the average salary for all employees.