Business Administration, B.S.

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Carnegie Mellon University

Program Overview

The B.S. in Business Administration at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business combines management science, quantitative analysis, economics, leadership and communication to prepare students for business careers in a data-driven environment. Students build a broad business foundation, then develop deeper expertise through a concentration such as AI and Business, Business Analytics and Technologies, Finance, Marketing Management, Product Management or Strategic Management, while also completing a minor outside Tepper.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students establish their analytical and business foundation through subjects such as 70-106 Business Science, 73-102 Principles of Microeconomics, and 21-120 Differential and Integral Calculus. They also begin developing communication and broader intellectual skills through Carnegie Mellon’s university core, including writing and liberal arts coursework.

Year 2: The second year moves further into the business core, with courses such as 70-110 Business Computing, 70-122 Introduction to Accounting, and 70-311 Organizational Behavior, while students continue mathematics, statistics, economics and university-core requirements. Students are also encouraged to establish their concentration by the end of sophomore year.

Year 3: Students deepen their practical business knowledge through courses including 70-371 Operations Management, 70-381 Marketing I, and 70-391 Finance, alongside concentration courses, business electives and an outside minor. Depending on their interests, students can explore areas such as AI and Business, Finance, Operations Management, Product Management or Strategic Management.

Year 4: The final year brings together advanced business learning, concentration coursework and applied leadership through 70-401 Management Game or 70-447 Client Consulting Project: Strategic Management of the Enterprise. The senior year is designed to provide flexibility for completing remaining degree requirements while applying analytical and strategic skills to complex business situations.

Focus areas: Business analytics, management science, quantitative reasoning, economics, accounting, finance, marketing, operations management, entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, technology, product management, strategic management, leadership, business communication

Learning outcomes: Demonstrate depth across business functions, solve business problems using analytical methods, apply diverse intellectual frameworks to complex problems, develop judgment for working in diverse environments, communicate effectively and persuasively

Professional alignment (accreditation): The Tepper School of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), and in 2025 its AACSB business accreditation was extended for six years and applies to all business degree programs.

Reputation (employability/rankings): In the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, Tepper’s Undergraduate Business Administration program was ranked No. 6 nationally. The same ranking placed Tepper No. 1 in Analytics and No. 1 in Information Systems Management among undergraduate business specialties.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The program connects classroom learning with practical business situations through projects, internships, research opportunities, industry visits, leadership development and global experiences. The curriculum itself includes applied components such as Business Leadership Endeavor, the Management Game or Client Consulting Project, while Tepper also provides opportunities to work with companies and nonprofits on real business challenges.

Students can build practical experience through several Tepper and Carnegie Mellon opportunities:

Management Game: A long-standing Tepper experiential-learning course in which senior students develop strategic leadership, collaboration and communication skills through an applied business simulation.
Client Consulting Project: Strategic Management of the Enterprise: The degree allows students to select this 12-unit applied course as an alternative to the Management Game.
Business Leadership Endeavor I, II and III: The curriculum includes three leadership-development courses that progressively build practical leadership experience.
Company-sponsored student projects: Companies and nonprofits can sponsor Tepper capstone or project courses, with teams of two to five students working on a real business challenge under faculty supervision and presenting their findings.
Internships: Tepper specifically identifies internships as part of its undergraduate experiential-learning pathway, helping students apply classroom knowledge in professional environments.
Tepper Pro Treks: Students can participate in Tepper Pro Treks as part of the school’s hands-on educational and career-development opportunities.
Research opportunities: Undergraduate students can engage with research-driven business problems and interdisciplinary opportunities across Carnegie Mellon.
Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship: Students interested in entrepreneurship can access mentoring, experiential learning, collaboration and venture-development opportunities through Carnegie Mellon’s campus-wide entrepreneurship hub.
Tepper Quad: The school’s facilities bring together resources including the Swartz Center and other university initiatives, creating opportunities for students, faculty and industry partners to collaborate.
Professional Development Funding: The Tepper Undergraduate Experiential Learning and Professional Development Fund supports eligible student career and professional-development activities.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Tepper graduates enter a range of business fields, with the university specifically identifying consulting, finance, technology and healthcare as industries that actively recruit undergraduate students. Students receive personalized career support, access to Carnegie Mellon’s Career and Professional Development Center, internship and employment preparation, and a broad alumni network that continues to support graduates after university.

Typical career roles include: Management Consultant, Business Analyst, Financial Analyst, Product Manager

Career development and progression opportunities include:

Career and Professional Development Center: Students work with experienced career professionals to explore job and internship opportunities, prepare for career events and develop strategies for reaching their career goals.
Handshake and career counseling: Current students can use Carnegie Mellon’s career counselors and Handshake to access career-development support.
Employment outcome: Carnegie Mellon reports that 93% of the Tepper School Class of 2025 were employed or in graduate school six months after graduation, with an average salary of $92,993. These figures are for the Tepper School’s undergraduate outcomes as reported by CMU and are not limited to a single concentration.
Recruiting employers: The university identifies employers such as Deloitte, PwC, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase & Co. among recent employers of Tepper graduates.
Industry-connected projects: Tepper enables companies and nonprofits to sponsor student projects, giving students the opportunity to work directly on organizational challenges while allowing sponsoring organizations to engage with student talent.
Entrepreneurship ecosystem: The Swartz Center provides mentoring, experiential learning, collaboration and events for students interested in creating ventures, while Carnegie Mellon reports that students have started more than 200 companies through the university’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Accreditation value: AACSB accreditation covers Tepper’s business degree programs and was extended for six years in 2025, providing an externally reviewed quality framework for the school’s business education.
Cross-disciplinary opportunities: Carnegie Mellon encourages students to take courses across different colleges, allowing business students to collaborate with peers from other disciplines and develop broader perspectives.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the B.S. in Business Administration, students can pursue graduate study in areas such as business analytics, finance, management, economics, technology or related fields. Carnegie Mellon also offers an integrated and accelerated MBA pathway for eligible CMU undergraduate Business Administration students, allowing students to complete undergraduate and MBA study through a structured five-year pathway; admission requires applicable work or internship experience and specified academic performance.