What Could You Do with a Business Development Degree?
A degree may open the door to a variety of opportunities and diverse career paths. The degree programs offered at CTU will not necessarily lead to the featured careers. This collection of articles is intended to help inform and guide you through the process of determining which level of degree and types of certifications align with your desired career path.
If you’re interested in studying theories and methods relevant to growing a business, a business degree program could be just what you’re looking for. But what type of business degree program could you pursue? If you’re looking to develop your fundamental skills and knowledge in this area, you might choose to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration or a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Business Development degree concentration.
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What Is Business Development?
Business development is a broad term and so can be difficult to define. Generally speaking, the purpose of business development is to cultivate business relationships that will facilitate an organization’s growth. Business development activities typically focus on generating more revenue, expanding the business, leveraging partnerships to improve profitability and making strategic business decisions that improve the organization’s net income or bottom line.1
What Is a BS in Business Administration with a Business Development Degree Concentration?
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree programs are designed to provide an opportunity to explore topics and skills relevant to pursuing business opportunities in the real world. These undergraduate degree programs generally include courses covering core business disciplines like accounting, finance, marketing, human resources and management.
Colorado Technical University’s BSBA degree program offers students the ability to choose a business development degree concentration—an option for those who want to develop skills and knowledge tailored to developing new business ventures and/or pursuing entrepreneurship opportunities. CTU’s online business development degree concentration contains a number of courses specifically designed to focus on entrepreneurship and development of business ventures, including:
- Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship
- Psychology and Mass Media
- Sales and Advertising
- Consumer Behavior: Groups and Society
- Psychology of Entrepreneurship/Intrapreneurship
- Psychology and Social Media
- Leadership
In addition to the business development concentration, Colorado Technical University’s online Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree program is available with the following concentrations:
- Data Analytics
- Digital Marketing
- Finance
- Healthcare Management
- Human Resource Management
- Information Technology
- Logistics and Supply Chain Management
- Management
- Marketing
- Project Management
Other Degree Programs in Business Development
If you have already earned your bachelor’s degree and are interested in pursuing an MBA degree program, then you might be interested in exploring CTU’s MBA with a concentration in Entrepreneurship or the MBA with a concentration in Marketing degree programs.
The Master of Business Administration—Entrepreneurship degree program is designed to cover the challenges involved in developing and running small firms, growing a business, securing funding and more, with a particular focus on these topics as they relate to new business ventures.
The Master of Business Administration—Marketing degree program focuses on the skills used in making critical marketing decisions and offers an overview of how marketing is used to contribute to an organization’s growth.
What Could You Do with a Degree in Business Development?
Because business degree programs are designed to cover foundational business skills and knowledge applicable to many different types of industries, they can help you prepare to pursue a number of different career paths in business and financial fields or management fields.
However, it’s important to understand that different fields and different employers may have different requirements that applicants must meet in order to be considered for a role. Professional experience and your level of education—for example, whether you have an associate degree in business administration or an MBA—will also factor into which opportunities you could pursue.
What Career Paths Could You Pursue with a Business Degree?
Sales Manager
Overview: Sales managers set sales goals, analyze data and develop training programs for sales representatives. They are involved in the recruitment, hiring and training of new sales team members, and they also advise sales reps on how to improve their performance. In larger organizations, sales managers direct regional and local sales managers as well as their staffs. Sales managers also work closely with marketing managers (who identify new customers for sales reps to target) as well as research and design managers and warehousing managers.2
Education & Experience: Although some employers may be satisfied with a high school diploma, sales managers typically possess a bachelor’s degree. Additionally, work experience in sales (ranging from one to five years) is typically required.2
Outlook: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment of sales managers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2022 to 2032.2
Management Analyst
Overview: Management analysts make recommendations to managers on how to reduce costs and increase revenues. Many are contractors as opposed to full-time employees, although some do work for the organization they analyze. They may work independently or on teams, depending upon the assignment. Management analysts can specialize in a particular area (e.g., inventory control) or on a particular industry (e.g., health care), though management analysts working for the government tend to specialize by agency.3
Education & Experience: Management analysts typically need a bachelor’s degree to enter the profession, but some employers prefer an MBA. They also typically need to have several years of related work experience. Seeking voluntary certification, like the Certified Management Consultant (CMC) designation offered by the Institute of Management Consultants USA (IMC USA), could help give candidates a competitive edge.3
Outlook: According to the BLS, employment of management analysts is projected to grow 10 percent from 2022 to 2032. It anticipates that this growth will be fueled by a general increased demand for consulting services that help organizations identify ways to increase their efficiency. Information technology consultants in particular are expected to see increased demand as organizations continue to prioritize cyber security and want their IT systems to be efficient and current.3
The list of career paths related to this program is based on a subset from the Bureau of Labor Statistics CIP to SOC Crosswalk. Some career paths listed above may require further education or job experience.
Explore CTU’s Bachelor of Science in Business Administration—Business Development degree program, or apply now.
1 “What Is Business Development?,” CO by U.S. Chamber of Commerce (6/9/2022), http://www.uschamber.com/co/start/strategy/business-development-explained.
2 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Sales Managers,”
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/sales-managers.htm (visited 6/18/2023).
3 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Management Analysts,” http://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/management-analysts.htm (visited 6/18/2023).
Colorado Technical University cannot guarantee employment, salary, or career advancement. Not all programs are available to residents of all states. REQ1963877 6/2024