The business world is ever-changing, continually responding to – and influencing – the way people exchange goods and services. It’s a fast-moving arena where leaders must juggle technological change, rising material and labour costs, remote work and tightening regulations – all while steering their organisations toward growth.
If reading this makes you think, ‘I’m up for those challenges,’ you may be well-suited to a career in business administration. In this article, we’ll unpack what business administration involves and explore the range of jobs and career paths a degree in business administration can open for you.
Skip to a specific chapter:
- What is business administration?
- What jobs can I do in business administration?
- Do business administration jobs pay well?
- What will I learn in a business administration course?
- What’s business management and how is it different to business administration?
What is business administration?
Business administration involves ensuring a business or organisation – whether a local startup, global corporation or non-profit – runs smoothly and achieves its goals.
Business administration roles and tasks can include:
- developing business goals and strategies
- analysing finances and sales reports
- managing and hiring employees
- consulting with other management and executive staff (e.g CEO)
- implementing new technologies
- monitoring market trends
- ensuring business compliance (e.g. taxation and law).
As such, business administration is a career that offers great task diversity, but it requires you to be organised, adaptable to changing situations and skilled at seeing the bigger picture.
It may also appeal to you if you enjoy being a leader but don’t necessarily love the limelight (that’s more business management territory).
What jobs can I do in business administration?
One of the great things about business administration is its versatility: you’ll possess skills that can be transferred to a diverse range of industries such as finance; resources and energy; technology; media; healthcare; and hospitality, just to name a few.
Jobs within business administration are varied, too, and can encompass a range of activities and responsibilities, depending on the company.
The breadth of work available makes business administration a career you can align with your ambitions and what matters to you.
For example, you could be the business strategist for a global energy producer, or you could be the sales manager for an Australian-owned cosmetics brand; you could be the operations manager for a state government department, or the CEO of a local council.
Here are a few concrete examples of the jobs you can do after completing a degree in business administration:
- Business administrator
- Business consultant
- Business strategist
- Operations manager
- Sales manager
- Senior manager.
Do business administration jobs pay well?
Your business administration salary will depend on your level of experience, the responsibilities required of your role and the organisation you work for.
According to 2025 data from Seek, business administration graduates can expect an average annual salary of around $75,000. For a more seasoned professional, such as a business manager, that salary increases to between $98,000 and $150,000.
Overall, you can earn a very respectable wage in a business administration career in Australia.
What will I learn in a business administration course?
Curtin’s business administration course will give you a strong foundation in key business skills and concepts. In your first year you’ll study a suite of core subjects in both business and management. These include:
- Analytics for Decision-Making
- Communication, Culture and Indigenous Perspectives in Business
- Discovering Marketing
- Financial Decision Making
- Project Management
- Strategic Career Design.
In your second year, you’ll customise your studies to your interests and career goals. You can choose three different business specialisations. Examples include Event Management, Fashion Marketing, Property Investment, Taxation Law, and Public Relations. Or, one of your three specialisations can be from the arts or science.
If you want ultimate freedom over your studies, instead of choosing a third specialisation, you can choose four electives (subjects) from any of Curtin’s study areas.
If all this choice is a little overwhelming, don’t worry; Curtin’s academic and professional staff will be there to guide you and help you design your degree.
The backing you need to succeed
Curtin international alum Ayusha Surve studied the Bachelor of Business Administration with specialisations in Digital Marketing and International Business. She reflects on how the course helped her to launch her own skincare brand in her home city in Mumbai, India:
“I was always drawn towards entrepreneurship and knew I wanted to do something creative but needed some backing on how to manage things. This course gave me exactly that.”
“After a great learning experience, I’ve launched my own start-up. I cannot wait to step out into the real business world.”
‘Cap off’ your classroom learning with practical experience
In your final year of your business administration course, you’ll undertake a capstone unit. You’ll apply your classroom learning to real-world situations and put your newly acquired business acumen into practice.
Learn more about our capstone unit.
Did you know?
You can study the Bachelor of Business Administration online, giving you the flexibility to learn at your own pace and fit your studies around your other commitments. Check the course outline to see which units are available online.
What’s business management and how is it different to business administration?
The term ‘business administration’ is often used interchangeably with the term ‘business management’. While both disciplines are concerned with ensuring business success, there are key differences in how the two roles achieve this.
Business administrators are focused on enhancing the way an organisation operates. They’re responsible for the big picture things that keep an organisation running smoothly like competent staff, quality products or services, accurate sales and costings data, strong marketing strategies, and ethical and legal business practices.
In contrast, business management has a managerial focus – people in management roles are responsible for leading teams of staff, organising resources and making effective on-the-ground business decisions.
If you enjoy working with and motivating other people and are a strong communicator and problem solver, the Bachelor of Commerce (Management) course could be a great option for you.
The first of many smart decisions…
The Bachelor of Business Administration is ideal if you want broad choice in both your studies and career. You’ll graduate ready to apply your skills to strengthen a range of organisations, while continuing to learn and grow as a business professional.
