Charlton College of Business

General Business Administration BS

Turn your experience into opportunity. Complete your BS in General Business Administration with a flexible, career-focused degree that builds broad expertise in strategy, operations, leadership, and decision-making to advance across industries.

Degree: Bachelor of Science; Accelerated degree options
Modality: On-campus; Also offered online

Duration: 4 years
Total Credits: 120
Accredited: AACSB

Mean starting salary:: $69,824 Mean starting salary. View career outcomes.

Apply now Plan a visit

Complete your degree. Expand your impact.

Designed for driven professionals and transfer students, the general business administration program gives you a flexible, high-impact path to finish your degree and accelerate your career. Whether online or on campus, you’ll build a broad, practical business foundation grounded in applied, career-relevant learning that positions you to lead in today’s fast-changing, competitive landscape — all within an AACSB-accredited business school recognized among the world's best.

You’ll develop core skills in strategy, operations, and decision-making while strengthening your ability to analyze problems, align teams, and drive results across organizations. With a focus on hands-on learning, industry relevance, and measurable career growth, this program helps you turn experience into opportunity — and momentum into long-term success and greater professional influence in a dynamic, evolving business environment.

Launch your career

Mean starting salary

Source: UMass Dartmouth NACE AY 2025 Data Collection of Undergraduate Alumni

What can I do with a General Business Administration BS degree?

A general business administration degree builds versatile skills you can apply across industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, banking, retail, government, and professional services. Graduates can advance their careers or pursue new opportunities in operations, management, sales, project coordination, human resources, and more.

Operations Manager
Project Manager
Business Analyst

Account Manager
Human Resources Manager
Sales Manager

Office Manager
Production Supervisor
Business Development Specialist

Top employers

Curriculum

The GBA curriculum prepares you for leadership in complex organizations. You’ll learn to evaluate business strategy, analyze internal and external environments, and drive informed, data-driven decision-making across functional areas.

You gain proficiency in:

managing the functional areas of business
analyzing and improving business processes
strategic thinking across dynamic business environments
aligning policies, systems, and teams to organizational goals

You'll complete the remaining credit hours in business courses to graduate with 120 credits overall.

Academic catalog

Explore the official academic catalog for detailed curriculum requirements, course descriptions and program information.

General Business Administration Major (opens in a new tab)

View the full academic catalog (opens in a new tab)

Marisa Heller at her undergraduate commencement in the spring of 2025

Student spotlight

Marisa Heller BS '25, JD '27: The business of law

Hometown: Bristol, CT
Major: General Business Administration
Minor: Management
Leadership: Sports Entertainment & Art Law (SEAL), First-Gen Lawyers Club, Pre-Law Society
Internship: Law Offices of Attorney Sarah Ann Cohen
Employment: Resident Assistant
Achievements: Chancellor's Scholarship, Academic Merit Scholarship

Accelerated degree options

Explore accelerated pathways that may help you complete your bachelor’s degree sooner, begin graduate coursework early, or pursue a streamlined path to a master’s, teaching, or law degree. Available options vary by program and eligibility.

4+1 Accelerated bachelor’s to master’s option

Qualified students in this program may be eligible to pursue an accelerated bachelor’s-to-master’s pathway at UMass Dartmouth. This option allows you to begin graduate coursework while completing your undergraduate degree and transition directly into a master's program.

Learn more

3+3 with UMass Law: a fast track to a law degree

Enrollment in the 3+3 joint degree program with UMass Law offers an accelerated pathway to an undergraduate and law degree, enabling qualifying students to substitute the first year of law school for the final year of their undergraduate program, thereby earning both a bachelor’s degree from UMass Dartmouth and a Juris Doctor from UMass Law in six rather than seven years.

Learn more

Online or on-campus - your choice

General Business Administration BS is also offered online

Transfer credits or earn your degree completely online.

Accolades

UMass Dartmouth is a nationally ranked R2 research university that combines the resources of a major university with a personalized educational experience. Ranked among the top 15 public research institutions with fewer than 10,000 students and in the top 17% nationally for return on investment, UMass Dartmouth is recognized for advancing research, social mobility, and career-ready education.

AACSB-accredited excellence at Charlton

The Charlton College of Business holds AACSB accreditation, a distinction earned by fewer than 6% of business schools worldwide. Nationally ranked undergraduate, graduate, and online programs combine rigorous academics with experiential learning, while strong employment and salary outcomes demonstrate the lasting value of a Charlton education.

Accreditations and distinctions

Charlton is proud to be one of less than 6% of business schools worldwide to earn AACSB accreditation, the gold standard for business schools.

Frequently asked questions

Have questions about the General Business Administration BS program? Here you will find answers to common questions about admissions, curriculum, career outcomes, and student experience.

This program is intended for transfer students and working professionals who have completed prior college coursework and want to finish their bachelor’s degree in business.

Yes. The program is offered fully online and is structured to support students balancing professional and personal commitments.

Yes. Employers value broad business knowledge combined with professional experience. The GBA prepares graduates for supervisory, management, and operations-focused roles across industries.

Graduates may continue into Charlton’s MBA program or other specialized master’s degrees to deepen expertise and accelerate career growth.

General Business Administration is available as a minor. Contact your academic advisor for more information.