Over 3,000 U.S. colleges and universities offer four-year undergraduate programs in business at the bacherlor's degree level, and over 1,000 programs exist at the master's degree level. Over 500 programs at each level have earned professional accreditation in the field from AACSB International (www.aacsb.org, the most well-established of several professional groups involved in the review of business higher education program quality).

Also available are a much smaller number of doctoral-level programs and many two-year undergraduate associate degrees and a variety of certificate programs and other nondegree training opportunities related to the field. For the English language student, specialized programs exist both for the pre-M.B.A. student and for business professionals.

Undergraduate Study

If you’re interested in a degree program, you’ll want to start early (ideally a year or more before you plan to start classes). You need time to find the right program for you and have the best chance at admission and financial aid.

For undergraduate programs, admissions requirements are the same as for other majors. First, you need to demonstrate proficiency in English (typically by taking the TOEFL test). Some universities offer “conditional admission” if you are not quite good enough in English but meet other entrance requirements—this means that you would start in an English language program and then can continue immediately on to degree study once you successfully complete the training and/or achieve acceptable TOEFL scores.

Schools will also generally want to see your original high school transcripts, or notarized copies if originals are not available. You will need to fill out an application form and pay a processing fee. Often scores on the SAT Reasoning and/or two or three SAT Subject tests will be requested, though some schools do not require these of international students and others do not require them from any applicants. More selective institutions often have such additional requirements as recommendations from your teachers, information on extracurricular activities, and a written statement of purpose or other essay.

Curriculum

Core subjects for U.S. business administration programs include accounting; business statistics; marketing; finance; management information systems (computer technology as it relates to management); management and decision sciences; human resources management; operations management; organizational behavior and development; supply chain management (including transportation and logistics), and the business environment (including economic systems, legal and ethical considerations, and international and multicultural issues).

The current trend is towards cross-functional, interdisciplinary teaching. Internship and other “real world” experiences as well as team and individual pursuit of research and business projects are generally critical to programs.

Typically, bachelor’s of business administration (B.B.A.) and master of business administration (M.B.A.) programs would survey all the core disciplines and also allow time for specialization in a particular area. Most schools also offer more specialized programs focusing on more in-depth study of a single core discipline or on other areas such as entrepreneurship, as well as specialized programs focusing on particular business environments, such as international business or engineering management degrees. These most frequently lead to either a specialized M.B.A./B.B.A. or to a Master of Science (M.S.)/Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree.

M.S. programs are usually more research-oriented than the M.B.A. and in some cases are intended to lead to doctoral study. Doctoral management programs usually award either the Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.) or the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. Historically, the D.B.A. provided a more general perspective on management, while the Ph.D. emphasized research in a specialized area of management. However, the difference between the two degrees is no longer so precise and varies from institution to institution. The Ph.D. is the more commonly offered degree.

A doctoral degree provides preparation for an academic or research career. Graduates often move on to faculty positions in colleges and universities, though some may fill specialized staff positions in government and industry.

Graduate Study

It is not necessary to earn an undergraduate degree in business in order to attend a U.S. graduate business program, even at the doctoral level. All undergraduate majors are acceptable, and some business schools even prefer applicants who have majored in fields other than business.

The GMAT is usually a required entrance test for graduate programs, though some programs ask for the GRE instead or accept it as an alternative. Applicants will also generally be asked to write a “statement of purpose” and sometimes additional essays as well as submitting references from their professors and/or employers.

Work experience is a very important factor in admission to graduate programs. Many programs expect at least two years of full-time work experience. However, it is possible for students to enter a program directly from undergraduate school. Some business programs enroll mainly this type of student.