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Business Administration

Franklin University's online Business Administration degree banner, with link to program video.
Program OverviewProgram DetailsWhy Choose Franklin

Elevate your career with a broad base of business knowledge

If you want to be in the thick of helping businesses flourish, make your move into middle or upper management by earning a bachelor’s degree with a major in Business Administration.

Business Administration is our most popular major—for good reason. It offers the broadest view of business operations, giving you a foundation of knowledge you can put to work in many different career paths. And that’s an especially good thing, considering the U.S. Department of Labor says the average person changes jobs 10 times in his or her career lifetime.

Acquire core skills that give you a 360º view of business

With Franklin University’s Business Administration curriculum, you’re preparing for a lifetime of career opportunities across virtually any industry. You’ll learn the core functions of business, giving you a holistic perspective of how each area contributes to overall success. You’ll also acquire essential skill sets employers are seeking, such as leadership and business strategy, management and operations, marketing, accounting, finance, and business ethics.

Gain practical, relevant experience right in the classroom

At Franklin, you’ll also get practical experience through hands-on curriculum and projects—the kind of experience that attracts employers. As part of your business administration studies, you’ll create a strategic plan for an organizational scenario presented through a highly innovative simulation program. You’ll start with performing a strategic competitive analysis, then formulate recommendations, before recommending a strategic implementation plan, including a complete risk assessment, contingency planning, and implications for the organization’s leadership and culture.

Tailor coursework to your career path and earn your degree faster

In addition to getting relevant studies and real-world experience, Franklin lets you customize your degree program for maximum impact and opportunity. That means you’ll stand out even more among a pool of degreed candidates. From 60 major area elective courses, you can select up to 16 credit hours to suit your personality, leverage your talents and interests, and build on your personal and professional experiences.

Finish faster by transferring credits into our IACBE accredited program

Our transfer-friendly program lets you bring more of your credits into the Business Administration Major than most other institutions. That means you’ll save time and tuition. If you have previous college credits or think you may want to switch majors, Franklin’s Business Administration degree program is the smarter choice.

At Franklin, you’ll learn from credentialed practitioners who freely share their years of professional experience to your benefit. They’ll show you how to apply business theory best practices to real-world situations through individual and team assignments in our small, interactive classes. And, Franklin’s Business Administration Major is accredited by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE), the leader in outcomes-based accreditation in business, so you know you’re earning a respected degree with value in the workplace.

Earn your degree from a university built for busy adults

Earn your degree on your terms by taking classes 100% online or pursue available coursework at one of our eleven Midwest locations. Regionally accredited and nonprofit, Franklin was built from the ground-up to satisfy the needs of adult learners. Our seamless transfer process and team of academic advisors will help ease your transition to becoming a student, while our flexible course schedules help to balance your education with work, family, and life. Get started on your future today!

Gain The Skills Employers Desire

  • Leadership & Business Strategy
    • Perform comprehensive analyses and strategy development related to financial performance, outcomes, metrics, and bottom-line improvements
    • Prioritize project portfolios based on growth potential, required resources, financial returns, and strategic alignment
    • Participate in business analyses, generating strategic recommendations related to organizational and competitive markets
    • Develop business plans to achieve sales goals and improve profitability
    • Keep abreast of market needs, industry trends, and competitive climates, determining business impact and developing course-correction and action plans where necessary
    • Drive critical growth initiatives based on current business contexts, applying core organizational competencies to leverage market opportunities.
    • Collaborate with key stakeholders, including leadership, marketing, sales, industry analysts, and relationship management teams, in gathering data to define market positioning, product needs and go-to-market strategies
    • Evaluate organizational performance using a strategic decision-making process
  • Management & Operations
    • Ensure that business strategies are incorporated into organizational activities in order to create industry or market competitive advantage
    • Support best-in-class delivery of customer experiences by monitoring activities and resolving issues effectively and efficiently
    • Review and improve operational activities to meet best practice standards and achieve workflow efficiencies
    • Use statistical models and tools in the development of corporate demand forecast, long-term infrastructure planning, and project prioritization
    • Lead planning and execution of administrative initiatives, ensuring high-quality, customer-focused, cost-effective operations
    • Analyze business and sales processes, identifying opportunities and defining strategic initiatives to improve operations, enhance margins, expand channels, and optimize offerings
    • Work within various business functions to develop and execute tactical projects, sustainability initiatives and business-generating activities to achieve business goals and revenue targets
    • Lead operations planning activities to drive strategic plan alignment and tactical plan achievement
    • Create cross-functional processes and procedures for effective and efficient operations and workforce utilization
    • Employ analytics, such as customer segmentation, acquisition and retention models, and forecasting to identify meaningful efficiencies and drive financial outcomes
    • Apply risk assessment and contingency planning to determine optimal approaches for strategic plans
  • Marketing
    • Develop and execute annual marketing plans to achieve market share, volume, and profit objectives
    • Analyze and report on current market data and trends, making recommendations to position organizations for growth and response to market changes
    • Review all elements of the marketing mix, including product formulation, price, packaging, and promotion to build brand equity and optimize sales, market share, and profitability
    • Manage lifecycle marketing and brand advocacy programs, including establishing metrics and benchmarks to measure program success
    • Provide strategic and tactical leadership in the implementation of marketing action plans to ensure effective implementation of strategic plans
    • Partner in implementing promotional and/or community relations programs to enhance overall market share, organizational identity, and customer acceptance
    • Closely monitor and analyze sales volumes, market share trends, and competitive activity
    • Complete post-promotion analyses, comparing results to established objectives and assure effectiveness of marketing programs
    • Apply marketing theory to strategy formulation
  • Accounting
    • Maintain accounting standards, ensuring compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
    • Prepare consolidated financial statements, including balance sheets, income statements, and statements of cash flow
    • Produce required financial statements to meet regulatory requirements, such as Form 10-Q, 10-K, and Annual Report
    • Prepare account reconciliation and analyze accounts for unusual fluctuations
    • Consolidate and submit financial transaction reports, summarizing current activities and projected financial position
    • Analyze balance sheets and income statements to determine organizational performance
    • Collaborate with business development in tracking and reporting sales efforts
    • Determine how changes in business and organizational structures impact reporting and operating results
    • Analyze transactions to identify issues, determine root causes of variances, and recommend appropriate corrective action
    • Ensure integrity of financial data for decision support and cost accounting systems, maintaining cost standards
    • Provide costing reports and insight to support change in resource allocations, work methods, and materials
    • Recommend competitive strategic paths based on accounting data
    • Develop and execute cost-effective actions and expense-saving initiatives in support of financial objectives
    • Use accounting principles and practices to inform and recommend process improvement changes to accounting systems, methods, and procedures
  • Finance & Economics
    • Conduct proactive, insightful analyses to identify key operational issues, providing timely, focused reporting of income, expenses and loss
    • Facilitate strategic and financial planning efforts, including development of annual financial plans, quarterly projections, and long-term financial and business planning
    • Review and analyze data to identify key performance indicators (KPIs) and cost-driving attributes
    • Determine organizational and industry trends using ratio analysis for effective strategic planning
    • Manage high-level financial and analytical analyses, including budgeting, forecasting, and reporting
    • Provide meaningful analyses, draw conclusions from financial results and make appropriate cost-behavior recommendations
    • Develop a keen understanding of key business-drivers and build robust financial models to project future cash flows and balance sheets
    • Prepare financial- and business-related research and analysis on financial performance, costing, budgeting, rate of return, depreciation, and working capital
    • Develop frameworks, models, and financial metrics to help facilitate senior-level decision-making on a variety of business issues and/or problems
    • Analyze industry trends and business conditions, using findings to forecasts and develop competitive strategic plans
    • Evaluate pricing, customer, competitor, and economic data in the analysis of past performance, contributing to strategic go-forward business planning to improve outcomes
    • Provide analysis and economic counsel on strategic business objectives such as market integration, growth, and expansion
    • Articulate potential effects of business, competitive, and global economic climates
    • Interpret the impact of organizational policies on individuals, the organization, and the community
    • Apply ethical decision-making processes to gain different perspectives of the interrelationships and social responsibilities of domestic and global organizations
    • Formulate analyses of ethical dilemmas using the ethical decision making model
  • Business Ethics & Corporate Responsibility
    • Ensure adherence to laws and regulations, promoting a culture of integrity that includes high standards of individual and organizational ethics and business practices
    • Model compliance with company policies and procedures in support of mission, values, and ethical standards
    • Lead and develop comprehensive global corporate social responsibility strategies to enhance culture and reputation
    • Participate in development opportunities to further the effectiveness of the corporate responsibility programs (CRPs)
    • Develop, implement, and monitor various controls and systems, complying with regulations and contract requirements to avert risk
    • Assure ethical compliance with process flows, including contracts, internal controls, regulatory mandates, and quality management standards, such as ISO
    • Identify and monitor key internal controls, responsible control owners and requirements throughout project lifecycle, documenting and remediating control gaps
    • Interpret the impact of organizational policies on individuals, the organization, and the community
    • Apply ethical decision-making processes to gain different perspectives of the interrelationships and social responsibilities of domestic and global organizations
    • Formulate analyses of ethical dilemmas using the ethical decision making model

Career Opportunities

  • Account Manager

    Account Managers cultivate client relationships, serving as the primary liaison between the client and the client account team.

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  • Business Analyst

    Business Analysts assess strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities, recommending improvements and solutions to help organizations enhance performance and competitive advantage.

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  • Business Consultant

    Business Consultants monitor existing business practices in order to make recommendations on how to maximize growth and performance.

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  • Customer Service Manager

    Customer Service Managers establish and implement policies for dealing with customers, work to ensure customer satisfaction, and resolve customer concerns.

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  • General Manager

    General Managers plan, direct, and manage organizational performance, productivity, and profitability.

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  • Planning Analyst

    Planning Analysts research and report data regarding cost, feasibility, and profitability on short- and long-range strategic plans.

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  • Project Manager

    Project Managers oversee project activities and teams to ensure that project goals, timelines, and budgets are met.

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  • Sales Manager

    Sales Managers direct the business development activities of sales personnel, ensuring revenue targets are met or exceeded.

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  • Small Business Owner

    Small Business Owners plan, direct and manage all business functions from operations to marketing to accounting, ensuring business health and profitability.

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  • Store Manager

    Store Managers oversee employee activities and production, including hiring and training, ensuring that employees maintain productivity levels and meet sales goals.

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  • Supervisor

    Supervisors organize and manage resources and staffing, ensuring performance, quality, cost containment, and safety.

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  • Training Specialist

    Training Specialists create course content, educational materials, manuals, and other jobs aids, using them to educate and teach employees specific job responsibilities and/or corporate policies and procedures.

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  • Division Manager

    Division Managers oversee, review, and direct the actions of team assignments and projects, ensuring employees meet goals, deliverables, and deadlines.

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  • Department Manager

    Department Managers oversee a business or employee group, ensuring effective operations or production in order to achieve objectives and profitability.

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Employment Outlook

In 2010 there were 7.5 million job openings related to Business Administration. It is estimated that in 2020 there will be 8.6 million.

In 2010 there were 7.5 million job openings related to Business Administration. It is estimated that in 2020 there will be 8.6 million.
Occupations Job Openings (2010) Expected Growth
(2010-2020)
Chief Executives 20,797 10.5%
General and Operations Managers 58,545 2.3%
Sales Managers 24,002 17.5%
Administrative Services Managers 10,263 12.0%
Industrial Production Managers 9,555 9.3%
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers 5,456 12.0%
Social and Community Service Managers 5,792 19.7%
Managers 85,096 22.0%
Cost Estimators 9,934 22.0%
Management Analysts 64,644 31.6%
First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers 7,280 1.4%
Gaming Supervisors 2,199 20.5%
First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers 14,495 18.5%

Source information provided by Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI)

Our Recipe For Your Success

Academic & Industry Experts

Classes are taught and designed by credentialed professionals with real-world experience.
 

  • Programs are designed by combining the insight of industry leaders with the academic expertise of our faculty, ensuring what you learn translates into on-the-job success.

  • Academic concepts and theories are brought to life through our teaching faculty’s professional expertise, and can be immediately applied in your career.

  • Faculty with industry experience teach our courses, not graduate students or life-time academics, so you learn not only the theories behind the practice but also how to apply them in real-world situations.

Relevant & Consistent Curriculum

What you learn is a reflection of the program you choose, not the format in which it’s applied.
 

  • All programs are designed for learning outcomes to flow from the program level into actual coursework.

  • This top-down approach allows credentialed professionals to customize assignments based on trending industry topics without deviating from a program’s core outcomes.

  • Regardless of your professor or the format of your class, you receive the same quality education.

Hands-On Learning Experience

Franklin's coursework teaches not only theories and concepts, but also how they apply to practical situations.

 

  • Professional course designers ensure that class activities such as learning simulations, case studies, interactive videos, and group exercises are relevant and appropriate.

  • A curriculum development team is dedicated to making sure all courses are intuitively designed so content is taught in a logical manner that facilitates your success in the classroom and beyond.

Continuously Evolving Programs

Consistent program reviews ensure our programs stay at the forefront of industry trends.
 

  • Survey results and feedback from student and faculty assessments are reviewed regularly so that our programs are always improving and up-to-date.

  • A structured review process helps identify industry gaps that guide curriculum enhancements allowing our academic and industry experts to regularly implement new industry trends.

  • Regular assessment provides hard data that is used to improve student learning and teaching methods.

Get the details

Read course descriptions, learn about degree options, and meet program faculty.

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