DegreeVerdict
ROI Calculator
Home›Majors›Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations
BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a bachelor's degree in Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 80 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff

−$110,747 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.

17.2 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−42%Estimated return after 10 years
$60,437Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$60,437 observed annual earnings · 4 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$60,437Typical earnings four years after completion
$58,625Average earnings five years after completion
$24,250Typical federal student debt
47thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
31Degrees awarded in 2024–25
73College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 12 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations

How much do Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations bachelor's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $60,437 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $24,250. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $50,236 to $69,534 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 6 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$55,488
Federal debt
$18,788
Programs in the comparison
14
10 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$38,419
Federal debt
$16,918
Programs in the comparison
8
8 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$60,437
Federal debt
$24,250
Programs in the comparison
80
73 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$72,411
Federal debt
$28,508
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$107,998
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
9
9 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings
$30,039
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 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$50,236National median$60,43775th percentile$69,534
73 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$69,53475th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$24,250Median federal debt across programs that report it
6Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Boston College

$132,903 four years after completionChestnut Hill, MA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Brown University

$18,000 among completer borrowersProvidence, RI · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Baylor University

125 reported awards in 2024–25Waco, TX · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$99,722Observed year-4 earnings$65,830
$9,597Annual college-wide average net price$41,555
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Boston College$132,9032Brown University$125,9553University of Arizona$99,7224Brigham Young University$97,0855Quinnipiac University$91,8286Syracuse University$87,8517Baylor University$86,3638Rollins College$85,5749Elon University$80,85010University of St Thomas$79,390

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

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Managers, All Other$141,900 median wage622,190 jobs nationwide+4.9% projected growth through 2035 · 100,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$74,300–$238,270 typical wage rangeChief Executives$213,990 median wage204,350 jobs nationwide+3.2% projected growth through 2035 · 19,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$75,700–$507,730 typical wage rangeGeneral and Operations Managers$105,770 median wage3,503,020 jobs nationwide+5.0% projected growth through 2035 · 285,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$50,090–$253,390 typical wage rangeBusiness Teachers, Postsecondary$99,080 median wage82,150 jobs nationwide+5.9% projected growth through 2035 · 7,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$47,180–$209,470 typical wage rangePersonal Service Managers, All Other$69,770 median wage10,450 jobs nationwide+6.2% projected growth through 2035 · 2,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$44,910–$118,710 typical wage rangeNO MATCHUnreported jobs nationwide

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Bachelor's Degree

Business Administration, Management and Operations

Year-4 earnings
$64,466
Federal debt
$26,000
1,282 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Accounting and Related Services

Year-4 earnings
$72,457
Federal debt
$25,000
856 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Marketing

Year-4 earnings
$66,477
Federal debt
$24,382
551 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Finance and Financial Management Services

Year-4 earnings
$77,504
Federal debt
$23,623
472 reporting programs →
EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

TX6 programs$65,101 average earningsPR6 programs$30,010 average earningsPA6 programs$67,342 average earningsOH5 programs$68,108 average earnings

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.