Salary of International Business Majors

© 2012 by Aurelio Locsin.

International business majors take the economics, finance, accounting, management, and human resources courses necessary for a standard business degree. However, they also require a foreign language, such as French or Chinese, and geographic specialization related to that language, such as French politics or Chinese history. This allows them to earn a salary while engaging in business in another part of the world.

International business majors earned a median $55,000 a year, according to a May 24, 2011 salary survey by major compiled by Georgetown University.

• The 25^th percentile earned $38,000 per year and the 75^th percentile earned more than double that amount at $80,000 a year.
• Contrast this with the median $60,000 per year earned by all graduates in the business group, with the 25^th percentile earning $40,000 per year and the 75^th percentile making $90,000.
• Only about 1 percent of the degrees in this group were in international business. About 33 percent, the largest percentage was in business management and administration, with its median annual pay of $58,000.

About 59 percent of international business majors were female with median earnings at $48,000 per year.

• Male graduates earned $70,000 per year, a difference of $22,000.
• Contrast this with the gender distribution for the business major group, which was only 45 percent female. Females earned a median $50,000 per year, which was $16,000 less than the median $66,000 per year made by males.
• About 58 percent of international business graduates were white, 21 percent were Latino, 16 percent were Asian and 4 percent were African American. Salaries were not broken down by race.

About 28 percent of international business majors went on to obtain a graduate degree, which granted a 51 percent boost in income.

• This put median salaries for the advanced credential at $72,050 per year, with the 25^th percentile earning a median $57,380 and the 75^th percentile receiving $120,800 per year.
• Median annual earnings for females would be $72,480 and for males, it would be $105,700.
• Compare this with only 21 percent of majors in the business group earning the advanced degree for a smaller increase of 40 percent.

As for employment, 92 percent of international business majors found a job, with 88 percent working full time and 12 percent working part time.

• The most common occupation, with nearly 24 percent of the graduates, was management. about 20 percent went into sales, 16 percent into office work, 12 percent into business and 10 percent into finance.
• Typical job titles include cultural advisor, import compliance specialist, international economist and international sales rep.
• As for industries, 18 percent went into finance, 12 percent went into professional services, 9 percent went into retail, 7 percent went into wholesale durable goods and 7 percent went into education.