Business administration statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) show the scale and variety of postsecondary study in this area. In 2021–22, U.S. institutions conferred 58,049 associate’s degrees in business administration, management, and operations. The same broad field accounted for 7,109 bachelor’s degrees, 3,735 master’s degrees, and 369 doctor’s degrees in that academic year. The figures below use the academic-year measurement periods reported in NCES Digest tables 321.10 and 318.30.
Contents
- Associate’s degree trend
- Who earned the associate’s degrees
- Associate-level business fields
- Degrees by level in 2021–22
- Operations and supply-chain specializations
- Leadership, project, and organizational management
Associate’s degree trend
The long-run NCES series shows a generally rising number of associate’s degrees in business administration, management, and operations between 2011–12 and 2021–22, with one small decline near the end of the period. NCES reported 45,879 degrees in 2011–12 and 49,816 in 2012–13. The count reached 50,121 in 2013–14, followed by 52,668 in 2014–15 and 52,758 in 2015–16.
The series continued upward in the next three academic years. There were 53,930 associate’s degrees in 2016–17, 55,404 in 2017–18, and 56,307 in 2018–19. In 2019–20, the count was 56,291, slightly below the preceding academic year. It then rose to 59,628 in 2020–21 before reaching 58,049 in 2021–22.
| Academic year | Associate’s degrees |
|---|---|
| 2011–12 | 45,879 |
| 2012–13 | 49,816 |
| 2013–14 | 50,121 |
| 2014–15 | 52,668 |
| 2015–16 | 52,758 |
| 2016–17 | 53,930 |
| 2017–18 | 55,404 |
| 2018–19 | 56,307 |
| 2019–20 | 56,291 |
| 2020–21 | 59,628 |
| 2021–22 | 58,049 |
Source: NCES Digest table 321.10, which reports the business administration, management, and operations series by academic year. These are reported historical counts; the source label and measurement periods are retained as published.
Who earned the associate’s degrees
The 58,049 associate’s degrees awarded in 2021–22 included 25,342 degrees earned by men and 32,707 earned by women. These figures describe the sex categories reported in NCES Digest table 321.10 for that academic year. They are counts of degrees, not a measure of enrollment, employment, earnings, or later career outcomes.
The gender-specific counts sit within the broader total for business administration, management, and operations. Keeping the total and its reported components together is useful when reading degree statistics: the total describes the size of the award category, while the two component counts describe how the awards were distributed between the categories shown by NCES.
The 2021–22 total was also the latest year in the supplied NCES series. It followed 59,628 associate’s degrees in 2020–21 and 56,291 in 2019–20. Because the series is organized by academic year, each figure should be read as an award count for that specific period rather than as a calendar-year estimate.
Associate-level business fields
NCES table 321.10 also separates several associate-level business and business-adjacent fields in 2021–22. Business/commerce, general accounted for 17,244 associate’s degrees. Business and management, other accounted for 13,001, while accounting and related services accounted for 11,182.
Other categories were smaller but still distinct. Business operations support and assistant services produced 3,201 associate’s degrees. Management information systems and services produced 724. For context within the same table, culinary, entertainment, and personal services accounted for 9,669 associate’s degrees; this is a separate field category and should not be treated as a business administration subtotal.
These categories illustrate why the broad business administration, management, and operations total should not be read as one single curriculum. The NCES classification includes a wide range of programs and reports named fields separately. A reader comparing programs should therefore identify the exact field label and degree level before interpreting a count.
The largest named associate-level business categories in the supplied 2021–22 figures were business/commerce, general at 17,244, business and management, other at 13,001, and accounting and related services at 11,182. The other reported business categories were business operations support and assistant services at 3,201 and management information systems and services at 724.
Degrees by level in 2021–22
The broad business administration, management, and operations field appears at multiple degree levels in NCES Digest table 318.30. The reported counts were 7,109 bachelor’s degrees, 3,735 master’s degrees, and 369 doctor’s degrees in 2021–22. These figures are degree awards for the academic year and are not forecasts of future completions.
The same table gives a more detailed view of related management subjects. Purchasing, procurement/acquisitions, and contracts management produced 433 bachelor’s degrees and 162 master’s degrees. Logistics, materials, and supply chain management produced 6,342 bachelor’s degrees, 1,155 master’s degrees, and 2 doctor’s degrees.
| Field | Bachelor’s | Master’s | Doctor’s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business administration, management, and operations | 7,109 | 3,735 | 369 |
| Purchasing, procurement/acquisitions, and contracts management | 433 | 162 | — |
| Logistics, materials, and supply chain management | 6,342 | 1,155 | 2 |
| Operations management and supervision | 3,058 | 339 | 1 |
| Project management | 947 | 1,389 | 6 |
Source: NCES Digest table 318.30. A dash indicates that no doctor’s-degree figure was supplied for that row, not a claim that the value was zero.
Operations and supply-chain specializations
Operations management and supervision produced 3,058 bachelor’s degrees, 339 master’s degrees, and 1 doctor’s degree in 2021–22. Office management and supervision produced 305 bachelor’s degrees and 58 master’s degrees. Transportation/mobility management produced 121 bachelor’s degrees and 128 master’s degrees.
The supply-chain-related figures were larger at the bachelor’s and master’s levels. Logistics, materials, and supply chain management produced 6,342 bachelor’s degrees and 1,155 master’s degrees, plus 2 doctor’s degrees. Purchasing, procurement/acquisitions, and contracts management produced 433 bachelor’s degrees and 162 master’s degrees.
E-commerce/electronic commerce produced 190 bachelor’s degrees and 78 master’s degrees. Research and development management produced 15 bachelor’s degrees and 214 master’s degrees. The contrast between the reported bachelor’s and master’s counts differs by field: logistics and operations had more bachelor’s awards in the supplied figures, while research and development management had more master’s awards.
Together, these figures show several distinct routes through business learning. Operations management and supply chain management were reported separately from purchasing and procurement, while e-commerce and research and development management represented narrower specializations. The counts should be compared only within the same 2021–22 academic-year frame and degree-level definitions.
Leadership, project, and organizational management
Organizational leadership produced 4,989 bachelor’s degrees, 6,851 master’s degrees, and 1,029 doctor’s degrees in 2021–22. The master’s count was therefore the largest reported degree-level count for that field. Nonprofit/public/organizational management produced 372 bachelor’s degrees, 1,587 master’s degrees, and 7 doctor’s degrees.
Project management produced 947 bachelor’s degrees, 1,389 master’s degrees, and 6 doctor’s degrees. Retail management produced 211 bachelor’s degrees and 96 master’s degrees. These numbers place project management and organizational leadership among the reported specialization categories with substantial graduate-level award counts in the supplied NCES table.
Science/technology management produced 195 bachelor’s degrees and 143 master’s degrees. E-commerce/electronic commerce produced 190 bachelor’s degrees and 78 master’s degrees, while transportation/mobility management produced 121 bachelor’s degrees and 128 master’s degrees. The close relationship between bachelor’s and master’s counts in some smaller fields is a feature of the reported 2021–22 awards, not a projection.
The detailed specialization data also includes operations management and supervision at 3,058 bachelor’s degrees, 339 master’s degrees, and 1 doctor’s degree; office management and supervision at 305 bachelor’s degrees and 58 master’s degrees; and purchasing, procurement/acquisitions, and contracts management at 433 bachelor’s degrees and 162 master’s degrees. Reading these categories individually helps distinguish general business administration from the specific management subjects included in the NCES classification.
Source for the specialization figures: NCES Digest table 318.30, measured for the 2021–22 academic year.