How to Choose a Concentration for Your Business Administration Degree
A strong business program builds a foundation in management, communication, finance, marketing, ethics, and decision-making. Your concentration adds focus and is designed to build deeper knowledge in a defined area aligned with your interests.
Understand What a Business Concentration Adds to Your Degree
Business administration degrees offer broad preparation that applies across industries. A specialization is designed to deepen that preparation in one defined area. You learn targeted skills, explore upper-level courses, and develop greater familiarity with roles that benefit from focused knowledge. Choosing the right concentration helps you approach your future with clarity.
Align Your Skills to a Specialization
A solid first step in choosing your concentration is understanding the different options that are out there and that best align with your goals and preferences. NAU offers a variety of specializations, each offering different pathways and opportunities.
Accounting
An accounting concentration may be a match if you’re good with numbers. You gain confidence in numerical accuracy, regulatory compliance, and financial decision support. This concentration fits roles that track money, support financial planning, or ensure compliance.
The core components of this concentration include:
- Financial statements
- Budget analysis
- Cost accounting
- Regulatory requirements
Entrepreneurship
If you like coming up with new ideas, evaluating opportunities, and understanding the fundamentals involved in starting or growing a business, entrepreneurship could be a good fit. You study business planning, small business operations, risk evaluation, and competitive strategy.
The core components of an entrepreneurship specialization include:
- Business plan development
- Startup budgeting
- Innovation
- Market evaluation
Financial Management
Financial management is a good fit if you like managing money, assessing risk, and planning for long-term growth. This concentration centers on financial strategy, investments, corporate finance, and economic evaluation.
The core components of a financial management concentration include:
- Financial analysis
- Investment strategy
- Corporate finance
- Risk evaluation
International Business
International business introduces concepts related to global markets and cross-cultural operations and fits well if you’re globally minded. Coursework covers global economics, international regulations, cultural considerations, and supply chain dynamics.
The core components of this business management specialization include:
- Global trade
- International regulations
- Cross-cultural communication
- Global supply operations
Management
Management is best if you like leadership, planning, and team coordination. You study problem-solving, decision-making, organizational behavior, and project oversight. The concentration supports roles that guide teams and support day-to-day operations.
The core components of a management concentration include:
- Leadership
- Organizational planning
- Strategic decision-making
- Team development
Management Information Systems (MIS)
MIS blends business strategy with technology and is a solid fit if you like tech. You learn how systems support operations, how organizations use data, and how technology enables efficient decision-making.
The core components of this concentration include:
- Information systems
- Data management
- Technology integration
- Digital operations
Marketing
Are you interested in consumer behavior, branding, research methods, and promotional strategy? Then marketing may be right for you and your creative tendencies. You learn how organizations reach audiences, shape brand identity, and measure campaign success.
The core components of a marketing specialization include:
- Consumer behavior
- Market research
- Branding and promotion
- Digital strategy
Organizational Culture, Change, and Conflict
The organizational culture, change, and conflict concentration examines how organizations handle change, navigate conflict, and build healthy work environments. In this concentration, you explore communication strategies, conflict resolution, leadership, and organizational health.
The core components of this concentration include:
- Conflict management
- Organizational behavior
- Cultural assessment
- Change strategy
Security Management
Security management focuses on evaluating and addressing risks within organizational and corporate environments. Coursework often includes asset protection, organizational safety, risk assessment, and continuity planning, and it makes sense if you like paying attention to details.
The core components of a security management concentration include:
- Threat assessment
- Security planning
- Continuity operations
- Risk prevention strategies
Supply Chain Management
Supply chain management focuses on logistics, inventory processes, purchasing, and distribution. Students learn how goods move from suppliers to customers and how companies work to maintain cost-effective, efficient operations.
The core components of this concentration include:
- Logistics coordination
- Procurement
- Inventory and demand planning
- Distribution strategy
Consider Which Business Concentration Fits Your Career Goals
Each concentration connects to different professional pathways:
- Accounting and Financial Management support financial analysis, budgeting, auditing, or corporate finance roles.
- Entrepreneurship supports business ownership, consulting, or innovation-focused environments.
- International Business connects to global operations, trade organizations, and multinational environments.
- Management supports supervisory, administrative, and leadership roles.
- MIS supports digital operations, systems management, or data-informed decision support.
- Marketing supports promotional planning, consumer research, and brand strategy.
- Culture, Change, and Conflict supports HR, training, organizational development, and leadership-focused environments.
- Security Management supports corporate security, risk coordination, and continuity planning.
- Supply Chain Management supports logistics, planning, procurement, and distribution roles.
A specific concentration can strengthen your business administration degree and can help you build skills aligned with your interests and professional goals.
If you’re ready to explore how these concentration paths fit into a flexible online degree, National American University offers accredited programs that allow you to tailor your business administration education to your goals. Request information to explore which concentration aligns with your next step.
