Which state pays business administration certificate graduates the most?

Texas, where the median program pays its graduates $37,686 in their first year, the highest of 3 state rankings. Kentucky is next, at $35,389.

Which business administration certificate program pays the most?

University of Georgia in Georgia reports the highest first-year pay of the 70 programs ranked here, $77,610. Its median federal debt is $19,500.

How much debt do business administration certificate graduates have?

The median program leaves its graduates with $15,084 in federal debt. Across programs, the median debt is 39% of first-year pay.

Highest-Paying Business Administration (Certificate) Programs in the US

74 programs report first-year pay
3 state rankings
Certificate in Business Administration, Management and Operations

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The median business administration certificate program in the US pays its graduates $38,381 in their first year and $45,851 five years after. Texas has the highest state median ($37,686), and North Carolina the lowest ($32,230). The median program leaves its graduates with $15,084 in federal debt.

Median first-year pay$38,381Across 74 programs

Median pay after 5 years$45,851Across 58 programs

Median federal debt$15,084Across 82 programs

Debt-to-earnings39%Across 61 programs

All 70 programs, ranked by graduate pay

Each program is ranked by the median pay of its graduates one year after they finished, from College Scorecard. This measures what graduates earn, not how good the teaching is. Pay also depends on where graduates live and work. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	School	Year 1 pay	After cost of living	Year 5 pay	Debt	Debt to pay
1	University of GeorgiaAthens, GA · public	$77,610	$80,598	$113,101	$19,500	25%
2	PurdueWest Lafayette, IN · public	$71,977	Not adjusted	$76,560	$19,500	27%
3	Ohio StateColumbus, OH · public	$66,278	$71,440	Not reported	$18,250	28%
4	Northcentral Technical CollegeWausau, WI · public	$60,405	$64,196	$48,709	$9,840	16%
5	Oklahoma StateStillwater, OK · public	$58,087	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
6	CU DenverDenver, CO · public	$56,979	$55,292	Not reported	$19,901	35%
7	Minnesota State MoorheadMoorhead, MN · public	$56,798	$57,592	Not reported	$21,860	38%
8	Cerritos CollegeNorwalk, CA · public	$56,738	$51,245	$45,562	$8,021	14%
9	University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, MN · public	$55,995	$56,778	$73,466	$20,984	37%
10	American Public University SystemCharles Town, WV · private for-profit	$54,480	Not adjusted	$53,536	$18,708	34%
11	Ferris StateBig Rapids, MI · public	$54,060	$56,185	$78,554	$22,656	42%
12	Columbia Southern UniversityOrange Beach, AL · private for-profit	$49,753	Not adjusted	$78,497	$25,876	52%
13	University of PhoenixPhoenix, AZ · private for-profit	$48,528	Not adjusted	$70,487	$12,928	27%
14	Arkansas Tech UniversityRussellville, AR · public	$47,708	$54,877	Not reported	$29,535	62%
15	Northern Virginia Community CollegeAnnandale, VA · public	$47,527	$47,008	$48,443	$10,699	23%
16	Dallas CollegeDallas, TX · public	$46,874	$48,295	$51,772	$17,452	37%
17	Marion Technical College (Ohio)Marion, OH · public	$46,334	$49,943	Not reported	$9,004	19%
18	ASUTempe, AZ · public	$45,356	$45,051	Not reported	$9,562	21%
19	Florida State College at JacksonvilleJacksonville, FL · public	$44,902	$43,420	Not reported	$17,134	38%
20	Northwestern Oklahoma StateAlva, OK · public	$43,590	$49,623	Not reported	$25,000	57%
21	Virginia Peninsula Community CollegeHampton, VA · public	$43,047	$42,577	Not reported	$15,280	35%
22	Tidewater Community CollegeNorfolk, VA · public	$42,521	$42,057	Not reported	$16,500	39%
23	GateWay Community CollegePhoenix, AZ · public	$42,264	$41,980	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
24	Front Range Community CollegeWestminster, CO · public	$41,596	$40,364	$43,389	$13,000	31%
25	Owensboro Community and Technical CollegeOwensboro, KY · public	$41,251	$45,754	Not reported	$7,246	18%
26	Western Technical College (Wisconsin)La Crosse, WI · public	$41,118	$43,698	$52,244	$17,054	41%
27	Elizabethtown Community and Technical CollegeElizabethtown, KY · public	$40,956	$45,426	Not reported	$11,560	28%
28	Blue Ridge Community College (Virginia)Weyers Cave, VA · public	$40,750	$40,305	$44,398	$11,500	28%
29	South Piedmont Community CollegePolkton, NC · public	$40,686	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
30	IU IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN · public	$40,659	$43,565	$67,769	$21,181	52%
31	Gateway Technical CollegeKenosha, WI · public	$40,426	$42,963	Not reported	$13,378	33%
32	Boise StateBoise, ID · public	$40,283	$42,184	Not reported	$27,676	69%
33	Guilford Technical Community CollegeJamestown, NC · public	$40,215	$42,634	$34,442	$21,719	54%
34	Gateway Community and Technical CollegeFlorence, KY · public	$39,306	$43,596	Not reported	$13,000	33%
35	Cleveland State Community CollegeCleveland, TN · public	$38,864	$42,303	$39,389	Not reported	Not reported
36	Community College of AuroraAurora, CO · public	$38,496	$37,356	$56,353	$15,235	40%
37	Jefferson Community and Technical CollegeLouisville, KY · public	$38,471	$42,670	Not reported	$11,770	31%
38	Ivy Tech Community CollegeIndianapolis, IN · public	$38,291	$41,028	$39,969	$10,125	26%
39	Tarrant County College DistrictFort Worth, TX · public	$38,168	$39,325	$48,794	$16,000	42%
40	Lone Star College SystemThe Woodlands, TX · public	$37,686	$38,829	$43,575	$10,015	27%
41	Hillsborough CollegeTampa, FL · public	$37,006	$35,784	Not reported	$14,933	40%
42	Daytona State CollegeDaytona Beach, FL · public	$36,843	$35,627	Not reported	$13,821	38%
43	Fayetteville Technical Community CollegeFayetteville, NC · public	$35,845	$38,001	$35,290	$14,699	41%
44	Full Sail UniversityWinter Park, FL · private for-profit	$35,779	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
45	Ashland Community and Technical CollegeAshland, KY · public	$35,588	Not adjusted	Not reported	$20,584	58%
46	Wake Technical Community CollegeRaleigh, NC · public	$35,574	$37,714	$41,466	$19,000	53%
47	Pitt Community CollegeWinterville, NC · public	$35,485	$37,620	Not reported	$21,625	61%
48	Somerset Community CollegeSomerset, KY · public	$35,189	$39,030	Not reported	$15,805	45%
49	Amarillo CollegeAmarillo, TX · public	$34,489	$35,535	Not reported	$17,500	51%
50	University of IowaIowa City, IA · public	$34,012	$38,755	$56,012	$26,033	77%
51	Davidson-Davie Community CollegeThomasville, NC · public	$33,263	$35,264	Not reported	$27,218	82%
52	Lenoir Community CollegeKinston, NC · public	$33,197	$35,194	$29,700	Not reported	Not reported
53	Maysville Community and Technical CollegeMaysville, KY · public	$33,107	$36,721	Not reported	$20,089	61%
54	Northeast Texas Community CollegeMount Pleasant, TX · public	$32,949	$33,948	Not reported	$14,500	44%
55	Miami Dade CollegeMiami, FL · public	$32,338	$31,270	$32,805	$8,750	27%
56	Catawba Valley Community CollegeHickory, NC · public	$32,230	$34,169	Not reported	$8,573	27%
57	Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical CollegeBowling Green, KY · public	$31,559	$35,004	Not reported	$12,080	38%
58	Southwestern Community College (North Carolina)Sylva, NC · public	$30,899	$32,758	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
59	Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community CollegeAsheville, NC · public	$29,126	$30,878	Not reported	$10,760	37%
60	Northeast Iowa Community CollegeCalmar, IA · public	$29,018	$33,064	Not reported	$20,635	71%
61	West Kentucky Community and Technical CollegePaducah, KY · public	$28,653	$31,781	Not reported	$12,445	43%
62	Stautzenberger College-MaumeeMaumee, OH · private for-profit	$28,501	$30,721	Not reported	$16,563	58%
63	Jackson CollegeJackson, MI · public	$27,911	$29,008	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
64	Johnston Community CollegeSmithfield, NC · public	$27,001	$28,625	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
65	Mitchell Community CollegeStatesville, NC · public	$26,976	$28,599	$40,052	Not reported	Not reported
66	Madisonville Community CollegeMadisonville, KY · public	$25,482	$28,263	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
67	Rowan-Cabarrus Community CollegeSalisbury, NC · public	$24,848	$26,343	$33,453	$10,253	41%
68	Isothermal Community CollegeSpindale, NC · public	$23,595	$25,014	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
69	Wayne Community CollegeGoldsboro, NC · public	$17,672	$18,735	$32,044	Not reported	Not reported
70	Sinclair Community CollegeDayton, OH · public	$13,181	$14,208	Not reported	$9,266	70%

Pay after cost of living divides first-year pay by the Bureau of Economic Analysis price level of the school's state, where the US average is 100. It is shown for 62 programs where at least half of the graduates who work are working in the school's state. The other 8, whose graduates mostly work in other states or whose state has no price level, are listed last when you sort by it.

13 programs report pay but not debt, so they are ranked only by pay.

College Scorecard withholds pay for programs with too few graduates, to protect their privacy, so those programs can't be ranked. 4 more programs report pay but aren't listed, because College Scorecard's school file doesn't name their schools. The national medians above still count them.

Business Administration (Certificate) programs by state

Each row is the median across the state's business administration certificate programs. State names link to the full ranking of that state's programs.

#	State	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
1	Texas	5	$37,686	$15,250
2	Kentucky	10	$35,389	$12,080
3	North Carolina	15	$32,230	$16,804

Programs in 18 more states and territories report pay, but too few to rank. A state ranking needs at least five programs that report both pay and debt.

Quick picks nationwide

Lowest median debt

Owensboro Community and Technical College, KY$7,246
Catawba Valley Community College, NC$8,573
Lone Star College System, TX$10,015
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, NC$10,253
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, NC$10,760
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, KY$11,560
Jefferson Community and Technical College, KY$11,770
Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College, KY$12,080
West Kentucky Community and Technical College, KY$12,445
Gateway Community and Technical College, KY$13,000

Lowest debt for the pay

Owensboro Community and Technical College, KY18%
Lone Star College System, TX27%
Catawba Valley Community College, NC27%
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, KY28%
Jefferson Community and Technical College, KY31%
Gateway Community and Technical College, KY33%
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, NC37%
Dallas College, TX37%
Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College, KY38%
Fayetteville Technical Community College, NC41%

Only the 22 programs with their own page here are included. "Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to business administration, largest first. Pay is the median across the US and all experience levels.

General and Operations Managers

$105,770

Median pay in the US. 3,503,020 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 285,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $50,090Top 10%: $253,390

First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

$69,500

Median pay in the US. 1,436,680 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 127,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $45,610Top 10%: $104,710

First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers

$48,520

Median pay in the US. 1,121,800 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 113,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $33,120Top 10%: $77,080

Project Management Specialists

$102,320

Median pay in the US. 1,066,670 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 76,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $61,580Top 10%: $167,970

Common questions

The median business administration certificate program in the US pays its graduates $38,381 in their first year and $45,851 five years after.

Business Administration (Bachelor's) programs in the US, ranked1,105 programs by pay and debt Business Administration (Associate's) programs in the US, ranked337 programs by pay and debt

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Medians are across programs, not students: each program counts once, however many graduates it has.
National medians include every program in the 50 states, DC, and US territories, including schools that have since closed. Schools with several campuses that report one combined figure are counted once.
Programs are ranked by College Scorecard median pay one year after graduation. Pay after cost of living uses the price level of the school's state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025. Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024