The Most Versatile Degree

1. The Most Versatile Degree Business Degrees What Can You Do With A Business Degree? Learn why majoring in business could make good business sense. Forget about skinny jeans. The most popular accessory in school these days is a business degree. Over 300,000 students graduated with a bachelor's in business in 2008, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That's more degrees than social sciences, history and health sciences, combined, according to the "Digest of Education Statistics, 2009" report. Business is a popular degree with employers too. "In general, the average employer views business majors as very solid job candidates, thanks to their broad-based education and business know-how," writes Kate Walsh in her book "What Can You Do With A Major In Business: Real People. Real Jobs. Real Rewards." Wondering what you could do with a business degree? Keep reading for five increasingly popular business career choices that could offer great average earning potential and opportunity. By Chris Kyle

2. #1 - Eco-Investor • Many experts believe green energy - and environmental investment - is America's next big bubble, and eco-investors will help sway what companies and sustainable practices take off. Like any kind of investing, eco-investing requires informed decisions, based on solid business practices taught in school. • "Eco-investors have diverse educational backgrounds," writes Pamela Fehl in "Green Careers: Business & Construction", "but most people in this field have a bachelor's degree in business." • Average Salary: $83,000* • Related Degree:BusinessAdministration

3. #2 - Entrepreneur • Entrepreneurship is all the rage these days, with 4 out of 10 young people having already started or would like to start their own business, according to an August 2010 Harris Interactive survey. • In business school, you could benefit by reading case studies of famous startups. You'll also likely network with other entrepreneurially-minded students while learning how to build and sustain a business. • Average Salary: $111,000* • Related Degree: Business Administration

4. #3 - Pharmaceutical Sales • Pharmaceutical sales leapt from $40 billion in 1990 to $234 billion in 2008. Since commission can often factor heavily into sales salaries, the sky could be the limit for your earning potential. • Closing, forecasting, prospecting, networking, and management techniques are all sales topics you are likely to study in business school. • Average Salary: $88,150* • Related Degree:Marketing/Communications

5. #4 - Human Resources Specialist • Human resources are a key part of any business, regardless of the industry. As companies look to streamline budgets, HR departments are looking for employees who can contribute from day one. This goes for human resources specialists as well, so studying HR in a business school program could help get your career rolling. • Average Salary: $59,070* • Related Degree:HumanResources

6. #5 - Accountant • Some of the newer industries already mentioned - like green technology and social media - share the same dollars and cents approach that forms the bedrock of any business. Accountants help all types of companies turn a profit by paying their bills and taxes on time and performing budget analyses. • Accounting may also be one of the more valuable business degrees you can earn, since the U.S. Department of Labor forecasts a 22 percent jump in employment opportunities for accountants and auditors through 2018. • Average Salary: $67,430* • Related Degree:Accounting/Finance *Average salary comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, using 2009 median salary information, except Eco-Investor and Entrepreneur, which come from January 2011 salary data from SimplyHired.com.

7. What Are The Most Effective Degrees? Check out these five degrees that experts say could be the most effective for today's job market. • Thinking of going back to school to improve your job prospects? Remember: Some degrees are more valued by employers than others. • In fact, you might be interested to know that different majors have different average salary outlooks - some brighter than others. As one example, the National Association of Colleges and Employers' (NACE) October 2011 Salary Survey found that the average starting salary offer to bachelor's degree graduates rose from $48,288 for the class of 2010 to $51,171 for the class of 2011. • Read on to check out five degrees that the experts say provide the best chances at landing a good career. By Terence Loose

8. Effective Degree #1 - Business Administration • Want to earn a degree that you could potentially apply in just about any industry? A bachelor's in business administration is a good fit, says Michael Brandt, chief operating officer of the recruiting software firm BrightMove, Inc. • "When businesses hire, they look for that broad range of basic skill sets that they can build on," Brandt says. Perhaps that's why, as a person who finds people jobs, he says a business administration degree is his number one pick. • That sentiment seems to be backed up by the NACE Salary Survey. More than 58 percent of the businesses surveyed said they planned to hire business administration grads. And what did they plan to pay them? The average starting salary jumped 5.4 percent to $46,372. Related Career Paths, Average Salary Potential, and Future Job Growth* • Personal Finance Advisor: $91,220, 30 percent • Financial Analyst: $86,040, 20 percent

9. Effective Degree #2 - Psychology • Looking for a degree that's nearly as versatile as business but focused more on the human condition? You might want to check out a bachelor's degree in psychology, says Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., and author of many books on education including "The 10 Best College Majors for Your Personality.“ • "Psych majors go into fields such as public relations, advertising, and management because they understand something about the way people's minds tick. Also, they learn statistics and that kind of analytical ability is very useful in managerial jobs. I think hiring people realize that," says Shatkin. • According to the NACE studies, they sure do. NACE's July 2011 Salary Survey reported that psychology bachelor's degree grads saw their average starting salary increase 23.8 percent to $40,069. Related Career Paths, Average Salary Potential, and Future Job Growth* • Market Research Analyst: $66,850, 28 percent • Probation Officer: $51,240, 19 percent

10. Effective Degree #3 - Accounting • If you're a numbers person, get ready to read some very encouraging ones - regarding people earning bachelor's degrees in accounting. • First, the NACE 2012 Job Outlook study found that nearly 60 percent of employers planned to hire grads with accounting degrees. Second, they planned to pay those graduates two percent more, or $49,671, from a year before. Why is accounting such an effective degree? • "The U.S. Department of Labor is very optimistic about accounting because they've seen that the complexity of business transactions keeps increasing. That means accountants have to keep track of things. Also, people want companies to be answerable to stockholders, and for that they need accountants. So I would say that is one of the more successful majors," says Shatkin. Related Career Paths, Average Salary Potential, and Future Job Growth* • Accountant: $68,960, 22 percent • Budget Analyst: $70,660, 15 percent

11. Effective Degree #4 - Information Technology (IT) • You may have heard that we now live in the information age. So it's no wonder that IT is one of the most effective bachelor's degrees in today's job market. • "There's a whole new platform of smart phones and other devices, like tablets, that mean computers are being used in ways and places that never existed before," says Shatkin. "Also, everything that used to be analog is now digital, so we need people to deal with the systems that support them.“ • Computer and information science grads matched accounting grads at 59.3 percent of the employers planning to recruit them, according to the NACE studies. As for NACE's October 2011 Salary Survey, computer science grads had an average starting salary that increased 9.3 percent to $66,084. Nice numbers indeed. Related Career Paths, Average Salary Potential, and Future Job Growth* • Computer Systems Analyst: $81,250, 20 percent • Network and Computer Systems Administrator: $72,200, 23 percent

12. Effective Degree #5 - Health Care Administration • Are you the efficient, managerial type but also attracted to the health care industry? Consider a bachelor's or master's degree in medical and health services management. • "There's a real need for people with associate's degrees or even certificates in health care administration," says Shatkin. "This is because there are many different insurance companies that doctors need to communicate with, and each has its own set of forms. Look at the typical doctor's office today; half of it is dedicated to the business side." • According to the U.S. Department of Labor, health care is projected to be the fastest growing industry from 2008-2018. Related Career Paths, Average Salary Potential, and Future Job Growth* • Medical Service Manager: $93,670, 16 percent • Health Service Manager: $93,670, 16 percent