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MASTER'S DEGREE · DEGREE PAYOFF · FEDERAL FIELD 5202

Business Administration, Management and Operations: is this master's degree worth it?

National picture across 890 reporting college programs.

Personal baseline needed

$93,369 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$93,369Median year-4 earnings

$21,313Average institution net-price context

Not availableMedian federal debt

Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Observed national outcomes

$93,369Median reported earnings · year 4

$100,215Average reported earnings · year 5

Not availableMedian federal debt

64thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential

890Reporting programs

890With year-4 earnings

COMPARE CREDENTIAL LEVELS

The same field can produce a different equation.

Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings: $49,328
Federal debt: $14,600
Reporting programs: 137

125 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $48,685
Federal debt: $14,000
Reporting programs: 592

578 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $64,466
Federal debt: $26,000
Reporting programs: 1,282

1,253 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Year-4 earnings: $140,589
Federal debt: $20,114
Reporting programs: 5

3 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $93,369
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 890

890 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings: $109,689
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 18

18 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

First Professional Degree

Year-4 earnings: $166,604
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 5

5 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings: $88,594
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 42

42 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings: $74,472
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 9

9 report earnings →

COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median

25th percentile$80,624National median$93,36975th percentile$111,672

890 programs report year‑4 earnings.

WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1University of Pennsylvania$272,321 2Stanford University$261,816 3Columbia University in the City of New York$251,708 4Northwestern University$244,399 5University of Chicago$243,256 6Dartmouth College$239,178 7Yale University$234,034 8New York University$232,460 9Cornell University$226,632 10University of Virginia-Main Campus$224,229

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

WHERE THIS FIELD CAN LEAD

Related occupations

Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.

Business Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1011 · 9 crosswalk linksManagers, All OtherSOC 11-9199 · 7 crosswalk linksAdministrative Services ManagersSOC 11-3012 · 4 crosswalk linksGeneral and Operations ManagersSOC 11-1021 · 4 crosswalk linksIndustrial Production ManagersSOC 11-3051 · 4 crosswalk linksMedical and Health Services ManagersSOC 11-9111 · 4 crosswalk linksFacilities ManagersSOC 11-3013 · 3 crosswalk linksFirst-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support WorkersSOC 43-1011 · 3 crosswalk linksLogisticiansSOC 13-1081 · 3 crosswalk linksNatural Sciences ManagersSOC 11-9121 · 3 crosswalk linksProject Management SpecialistsSOC 13-1082 · 3 crosswalk linksTransportation, Storage, and Distribution ManagersSOC 11-3071 · 3 crosswalk links

BEST COLLEGES FOR BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS

Same degree, different outcomes

Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. Automated ROI is withheld when an exact program price or personal earnings baseline is required.

#	College	Location	Earnings, year 4	Federal debt	ROI status	Cost context
1	University of PennsylvaniaMaster's Degree	Philadelphia, PA	$272,321	Not available	Baseline needed	$28,699
2	Stanford UniversityMaster's Degree	Stanford, CA	$261,816	Not available	Baseline needed	$13,807
3	Columbia University in the City of New YorkMaster's Degree	New York, NY	$251,708	Not available	Baseline needed	$21,590
4	Northwestern UniversityMaster's Degree	Evanston, IL	$244,399	Not available	Baseline needed	$29,167
5	University of ChicagoMaster's Degree	Chicago, IL	$243,256	Not available	Baseline needed	$14,860
6	Dartmouth CollegeMaster's Degree	Hanover, NH	$239,178	Not available	Baseline needed	$29,519
7	Yale UniversityMaster's Degree	New Haven, CT	$234,034	Not available	Baseline needed	$23,777
8	New York UniversityMaster's Degree	New York, NY	$232,460	Not available	Baseline needed	$37,050
9	Cornell UniversityMaster's Degree	Ithaca, NY	$226,632	Not available	Baseline needed	$28,690
10	University of Virginia-Main CampusMaster's Degree	Charlottesville, VA	$224,229	Not available	Baseline needed	$21,565
11	University of California, Los AngelesMaster's Degree	Los Angeles, CA	$223,358	Not available	Baseline needed	$12,548
12	Duke UniversityMaster's Degree	Durham, NC	$222,160	Not available	Baseline needed	$29,612
13	Carnegie Mellon UniversityMaster's Degree	Pittsburgh, PA	$208,503	Not available	Baseline needed	$31,944
14	University of Michigan-Ann ArborMaster's Degree	Ann Arbor, MI	$206,293	Not available	Baseline needed	$13,138
15	University of North Carolina at Chapel HillMaster's Degree	Chapel Hill, NC	$203,447	Not available	Baseline needed	$11,655
16	Rice UniversityMaster's Degree	Houston, TX	$201,796	Not available	Baseline needed	$13,370
17	The University of Texas at AustinMaster's Degree	Austin, TX	$197,707	Not available	Baseline needed	$19,857
18	Emory UniversityMaster's Degree	Atlanta, GA	$196,191	Not available	Baseline needed	$22,585
19	Santa Clara UniversityMaster's Degree	Santa Clara, CA	$195,995	Not available	Baseline needed	$50,062
20	University of Washington-Seattle CampusMaster's Degree	Seattle, WA	$194,296	Not available	Baseline needed	$14,091
21	University of Washington-Bothell CampusMaster's Degree	Bothell, WA	$194,296	Not available	Baseline needed	$12,319
22	University of Washington-Tacoma CampusMaster's Degree	Tacoma, WA	$194,296	Not available	Baseline needed	$10,163
23	Vanderbilt UniversityMaster's Degree	Nashville, TN	$190,365	Not available	Baseline needed	$15,846
24	Southern Methodist UniversityMaster's Degree	Dallas, TX	$188,716	Not available	Baseline needed	$40,892
25	Georgetown UniversityMaster's Degree	Washington, DC	$188,160	Not available	Baseline needed	$40,815
26	University of Southern CaliforniaMaster's Degree	Los Angeles, CA	$181,250	Not available	Baseline needed	$32,740
27	Babson CollegeMaster's Degree	Wellesley, MA	$178,909	Not available	Baseline needed	$40,514
28	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusMaster's Degree	Atlanta, GA	$178,484	Not available	Baseline needed	$12,116
29	University of Massachusetts-AmherstMaster's Degree	Amherst, MA	$165,473	Not available	Baseline needed	$22,383
30	University of San DiegoMaster's Degree	San Diego, CA	$163,311	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,365
31	University of Minnesota-Twin CitiesMaster's Degree	Minneapolis, MN	$162,817	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,778
32	Saint Mary's College of CaliforniaMaster's Degree	Moraga, CA	$161,500	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,378
33	University of Maryland-College ParkMaster's Degree	College Park, MD	$160,946	Not available	Baseline needed	$15,678
34	Villanova UniversityMaster's Degree	Villanova, PA	$160,428	Not available	Baseline needed	$43,756
35	Brigham Young UniversityMaster's Degree	Provo, UT	$158,399	Not available	Baseline needed	$15,564
36	Lake Forest Graduate School of ManagementMaster's Degree	Lake Forest, IL	$157,852	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
37	University of ArkansasMaster's Degree	Fayetteville, AR	$157,358	Not available	Baseline needed	$18,209
38	California College of the ArtsMaster's Degree	San Francisco, CA	$157,122	Not available	Baseline needed	$53,909
39	Bentley UniversityMaster's Degree	Waltham, MA	$156,061	Not available	Baseline needed	$37,930
40	Hofstra UniversityMaster's Degree	Hempstead, NY	$155,876	Not available	Baseline needed	$34,176
41	Rutgers University-CamdenMaster's Degree	Camden, NJ	$155,535	Not available	Baseline needed	$18,745
42	Rutgers University-New BrunswickMaster's Degree	New Brunswick, NJ	$155,535	Not available	Baseline needed	$24,406
43	Rutgers University-NewarkMaster's Degree	Newark, NJ	$155,535	Not available	Baseline needed	$19,703
44	University of California, DavisMaster's Degree	Davis, CA	$155,416	Not available	Baseline needed	$14,741
45	Temple UniversityMaster's Degree	Philadelphia, PA	$155,271	Not available	Baseline needed	$28,198
46	Auburn UniversityMaster's Degree	Auburn, AL	$154,831	Not available	Baseline needed	$24,323
47	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityMaster's Degree	Blacksburg, VA	$154,688	Not available	Baseline needed	$24,953
48	Worcester Polytechnic InstituteMaster's Degree	Worcester, MA	$154,407	Not available	Baseline needed	$43,071
49	University of GeorgiaMaster's Degree	Athens, GA	$154,042	Not available	Baseline needed	$13,936
50	Washington University in St LouisMaster's Degree	St. Louis, MO	$153,933	Not available	Baseline needed	$21,786
51	Lehigh UniversityMaster's Degree	Bethlehem, PA	$153,638	Not available	Baseline needed	$36,931
52	Boston CollegeMaster's Degree	Chestnut Hill, MA	$152,252	Not available	Baseline needed	$41,704
53	Johns Hopkins UniversityMaster's Degree	Baltimore, MD	$152,108	Not available	Baseline needed	$18,809
54	University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignMaster's Degree	Champaign, IL	$151,907	Not available	Baseline needed	$14,355
55	Texas Christian UniversityMaster's Degree	Fort Worth, TX	$151,190	Not available	Baseline needed	$36,660
56	California Lutheran UniversityMaster's Degree	Thousand Oaks, CA	$150,979	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,109
57	University of ConnecticutMaster's Degree	Storrs, CT	$150,756	Not available	Baseline needed	$25,097
58	University of Connecticut-Waterbury CampusMaster's Degree	Waterbury, CT	$150,756	Not available	Baseline needed	$10,875
59	University of Connecticut-Avery PointMaster's Degree	Groton, CT	$150,756	Not available	Baseline needed	$13,807
60	University of Connecticut-StamfordMaster's Degree	Stamford, CT	$150,756	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,798
61	University of Connecticut-Hartford CampusMaster's Degree	Hartford, CT	$150,756	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,403
62	James Madison UniversityMaster's Degree	Harrisonburg, VA	$150,316	Not available	Baseline needed	$23,322
63	University of St ThomasMaster's Degree	Saint Paul, MN	$149,456	Not available	Baseline needed	$29,155
64	University of California, San DiegoMaster's Degree	La Jolla, CA	$149,271	Not available	Baseline needed	$12,470
65	University of California, IrvineMaster's Degree	Irvine, CA	$148,411	Not available	Baseline needed	$14,251
66	West Chester University of PennsylvaniaMaster's Degree	West Chester, PA	$147,635	Not available	Baseline needed	$23,331
67	Texas A&M University-College StationMaster's Degree	College Station, TX	$147,453	Not available	Baseline needed	$21,315
68	Boston UniversityMaster's Degree	Boston, MA	$147,178	Not available	Baseline needed	$24,402
69	George Washington UniversityMaster's Degree	Washington, DC	$146,816	Not available	Baseline needed	$36,586
70	University of Wisconsin-OshkoshMaster's Degree	Oshkosh, WI	$146,587	Not available	Baseline needed	$14,305
71	University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusMaster's Degree	Norman, OK	$145,191	Not available	Baseline needed	$15,300
72	DePaul UniversityMaster's Degree	Chicago, IL	$144,859	Not available	Baseline needed	$30,902
73	University of UtahMaster's Degree	Salt Lake City, UT	$144,680	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,200
74	CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeMaster's Degree	New York, NY	$144,308	Not available	Baseline needed	$3,033
75	Washington State UniversityMaster's Degree	Pullman, WA	$144,028	Not available	Baseline needed	$14,971
76	Roseman University of Health SciencesMaster's Degree	Henderson, NV	$143,873	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
77	University of San FranciscoMaster's Degree	San Francisco, CA	$143,796	Not available	Baseline needed	$41,431
78	University of ArizonaMaster's Degree	Tucson, AZ	$143,150	Not available	Baseline needed	$16,674
79	Fordham UniversityMaster's Degree	Bronx, NY	$143,127	Not available	Baseline needed	$44,338
80	Michigan State UniversityMaster's Degree	East Lansing, MI	$142,927	Not available	Baseline needed	$19,680
81	University of Michigan-DearbornMaster's Degree	Dearborn, MI	$142,710	Not available	Baseline needed	$9,492
82	Marist UniversityMaster's Degree	Poughkeepsie, NY	$142,180	Not available	Baseline needed	$41,544
83	Miami University-OxfordMaster's Degree	Oxford, OH	$142,034	Not available	Baseline needed	$28,384
84	Pepperdine UniversityMaster's Degree	Malibu, CA	$141,949	Not available	Baseline needed	$58,098
85	Saint Cloud State UniversityMaster's Degree	Saint Cloud, MN	$141,749	Not available	Baseline needed	$13,529
86	Arizona State University Campus ImmersionMaster's Degree	Tempe, AZ	$141,437	Not available	Baseline needed	$14,967
87	Arizona State University Digital ImmersionMaster's Degree	Scottsdale, AZ	$141,437	Not available	Baseline needed	Not available
88	Marquette UniversityMaster's Degree	Milwaukee, WI	$140,858	Not available	Baseline needed	$31,487
89	The University of Texas at DallasMaster's Degree	Richardson, TX	$140,481	Not available	Baseline needed	$18,267
90	University of IowaMaster's Degree	Iowa City, IA	$139,677	Not available	Baseline needed	$22,531
91	Ohio State University-Main CampusMaster's Degree	Columbus, OH	$139,427	Not available	Baseline needed	$17,339
92	University of HoustonMaster's Degree	Houston, TX	$138,841	Not available	Baseline needed	$14,276
93	Syracuse UniversityMaster's Degree	Syracuse, NY	$138,634	Not available	Baseline needed	$38,793
94	University of Nebraska-LincolnMaster's Degree	Lincoln, NE	$138,487	Not available	Baseline needed	$17,747
95	University of South Carolina-ColumbiaMaster's Degree	Columbia, SC	$138,445	Not available	Baseline needed	$22,811
96	University of RochesterMaster's Degree	Rochester, NY	$138,177	Not available	Baseline needed	$29,278
97	Drake UniversityMaster's Degree	Des Moines, IA	$137,890	Not available	Baseline needed	$29,127
98	University of Colorado BoulderMaster's Degree	Boulder, CO	$137,635	Not available	Baseline needed	$25,346
99	University of FloridaMaster's Degree	Gainesville, FL	$137,404	Not available	Baseline needed	$6,541
100	Colorado State University-Fort CollinsMaster's Degree	Fort Collins, CO	$136,709	Not available	Baseline needed	$21,279

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.