Business office specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a business office specialist. Business office specialists usually study business, health care administration, or accounting. 34% of business office specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 28% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,044 real business office specialist resumes to see exactly what business office specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for business office specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online business office specialist courses to help get the education required to be a business office specialist.

There are certain business office specialist certifications that you should consider. These business office specialist certifications include Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) and Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA).

What education do you need to become a business office specialist?

What degree do you need to be a business office specialist?

The most common degree for business office specialists is bachelor's degree, with 34% of business office specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 28% and associate degree degree at 18%.

Bachelor's, 34%

Associate, 28%

High School Diploma, 18%

Diploma, 7%

Other Degrees, 13%

What should I major in to become a business office specialist?

You should major in business to become a business office specialist. 32% of business office specialists major in business. Other common majors for a business office specialist include health care administration and accounting.

Business, 32%

Health Care Administration, 14%

Accounting, 10%

General Studies, 7%

Other Majors, 37%

Most common colleges for business office specialists

Business office specialists often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, DeVry University, and California State University - San Bernardino. Here are the most common colleges for business office specialists in the US based on their resumes.

Business office specialist common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	32.26%
DeVry University	4.84%
California State University - San Bernardino	4.84%
Western Washington University	4.84%
Strayer University	4.84%

Show more common business office specialist colleges

Best majors for business office specialists

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	31.6%
2	Health Care Administration	14.3%
3	Accounting	9.9%
4	General Studies	6.6%
5	Nursing	4.6%

Show more common business office specialist majors

Best colleges for business office specialists

The best colleges for business office specialists are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A business office specialist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for business office specialists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become business office specialists.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

7. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

8. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

9. Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,105

Enrollment

13,729

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

20 best online courses for business office specialists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for business office specialists

The most affordable schools for business office specialists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for business office specialists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for business office specialists.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for business office specialists

The hardest universities for business office specialists to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for business office specialists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for business office specialists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

10. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for business office specialists

The easiest schools for business office specialists to get into are D'Youville College, mount saint mary's university, and gwynedd mercy university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a business office specialist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for business office specialists.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

8. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

9. University of Maine at Fort Kent

Fort Kent, ME • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

1,005

10. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

Average business office specialist salary by education level

According to our data, business office specialists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $37,925 annually. Business office specialists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $37,133.

Business office specialist education level	Business office specialist salary
Master's Degree	$37,925
High School Diploma or Less	$34,936
Bachelor's Degree	$37,133
Some College/ Associate Degree	$35,814

Business office specialist education FAQs

What is the best college for Business Office Specialists?

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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