California · Business/Commerce

Best colleges for Business/Commerce in California

Ranked by graduate earnings

Long Beach City College, Chabot College and San Joaquin Delta College award the most Business/Commerce degrees in California: 313, 187 and 174 graduates a year (IPEDS 2024–25). 67 California colleges offer Business/Commerce and award 2,849 degrees and certificates a year in all.

The Business/Commerce program provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the principles and practices of business management, marketing, and related services. This program is ideal for those interested in pursuing a career in…

Institutions
67
offering CIP 52.01
States & territories
53
with a program page
Degrees / yr
2,849
IPEDS completions 2024–25
Median starting salary
$45,439
1 yr after graduation, College Scorecard
With earnings data
6
College Scorecard
Median net price
$32,428
IPEDS 2024–25
Avg graduation rate
42%
IPEDS 2024–25
State pay · General and Operations Managers
$152,250
BLS OEWS May 2025

Top 4 bachelor's programs, ranked by graduate earnings

Ranked by median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary), College Scorecard. Programs with fewer than 20 graduates a year, a graduation rate under 30%, or online, degree-completion or graduate-only status rank after the rest.

Starting salary (1 yr): median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary), College Scorecard.
#InstitutionStarting salary (1 yr)Graduates / yrGrad rateNet priceMedian debt
1Saint Mary's College of California
Moraga Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree
$46,9587070%$25,578$24,000
2Biola University
La Mirada Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree
$46,3004368%$26,727$23,875
3DeVry University - California
Ontario Private for-profit · Bachelor's degree
$57,02015622%$35,320$47,236
4Pacific Union College
Angwin Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree Small program
$45,4391058%$18,938$31,000

Top 2 certificate and associate programs

Shorter credentials, ranked separately so they are not compared with four-year degrees. Ranked by median earnings one year after completion (often called starting salary), College Scorecard.

Starting salary (1 yr): median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary), College Scorecard.
#InstitutionStarting salary (1 yr)Graduates / yrGrad rateNet priceMedian debt
1Cabrillo College
Aptos Public · Certificate
$31,9516238%——
2Victor Valley College
Victorville Public · Associate degree
$26,2724262%—$5,250

Colleges awarding the most Business/Commerce degrees in California

Top 10 by graduates a year (IPEDS 2024–25 completions). Certificate and associate programs, online, degree-completion and graduate-only schools, and schools with a graduation rate under 30% are listed in full below.

Graduates / yr: degrees and certificates awarded in a year, IPEDS completions. Starting salary (1 yr): median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary), College Scorecard.
#InstitutionGraduates / yrStarting salary (1 yr)
1Long Beach City College
Long Beach Public
313Not reported
2Chabot College
Hayward Public
187Not reported
3San Joaquin Delta College
Stockton Public
174Not reported
4Cuesta College
San Luis Obispo Public
134Not reported
5Ohlone College
Fremont Public
117Not reported
6Reedley College
Reedley Public
109Not reported
7Mt San Antonio College
Walnut Public
108Not reported
8Glendale Community College
Glendale Public
74Not reported
9Diablo Valley College
Pleasant Hill Public
73Not reported
10Saint Mary's College of California
Moraga Private not-for-profit
70$46,958
Show the other 57 California colleges offering Business/Commerce
InstitutionCityControlGraduates / yr
DeVry University - CaliforniaOntarioPrivate for-profit156
Shasta CollegeReddingPublic96
Los Angeles City CollegeLos AngelesPublic69
Sierra CollegeRocklinPublic67
Moorpark CollegeMoorparkPublic65
Cabrillo CollegeAptosPublic62
Allan Hancock CollegeSanta MariaPublic59
Cosumnes River CollegeSacramentoPublic58
Antelope Valley Community College DistrictLancasterPublic57
San Diego Mesa CollegeSan DiegoPublic52
Riverside City CollegeRiversidePublic48
College of the RedwoodsEurekaPublic47
Biola UniversityLa MiradaPrivate not-for-profit43
Los Angeles Harbor CollegeWilmingtonPublic42
Victor Valley CollegeVictorvillePublic42
Madera Community CollegeMaderaPublic41
Loyola Marymount UniversityLos AngelesPrivate not-for-profit37
Saddleback CollegeMission ViejoPublic28
Gavilan CollegeGilroyPublic26
Sacramento City CollegeSacramentoPublic26
American River CollegeSacramentoPublic24
Barstow Community CollegeBarstowPublic23
College of MarinKentfieldPublic23
City College of San FranciscoSan FranciscoPublic22
Merced CollegeMercedPublic20
Taft CollegeTaftPublic20
Palomar CollegeSan MarcosPublic19
College of the SiskiyousWeedPublic19
West Los Angeles CollegeCulver CityPublic17
Los Angeles Pierce CollegeWoodland HillsPublic15
Moreno Valley CollegeMoreno ValleyPublic15
College of the DesertPalm DesertPublic14
College of the SequoiasVisaliaPublic13
Folsom Lake CollegeFolsomPublic12
Grossmont CollegeEl CajonPublic10
Pacific Union CollegeAngwinPrivate not-for-profit10
Porterville CollegePortervillePublic10
Los Angeles Southwest CollegeLos AngelesPublic9
Norco CollegeNorcoPublic9
Azusa Pacific UniversityAzusaPrivate not-for-profit8
Las Positas CollegeLivermorePublic8
Fremont UniversityCerritosPrivate for-profit8
MiraCosta CollegeOceansidePublic5
Berkeley City CollegeBerkeleyPublic5
Cuyamaca CollegeEl CajonPublic4
San Francisco Bay UniversityFremontPrivate not-for-profit4
University of La VerneLa VernePrivate not-for-profit3
Lake Tahoe Community CollegeSouth Lake TahoePublic3
Pacific States UniversityLos AngelesPrivate not-for-profit3
Southwestern CollegeChula VistaPublic3
Citrus CollegeGlendoraPublic2
Coastline Community College (Online)Fountain ValleyPublic2
Mission CollegeSanta ClaraPublic2
Monterey Peninsula CollegeMontereyPublic2
Columbia CollegeSonoraPublic1
Feather River Community College DistrictQuincyPublic1
Point Loma Nazarene UniversitySan DiegoPrivate not-for-profit1

Career outlook

What this program leads to: General and Operations Managers (SOC 11-1021).

Projected growth (2024–2034)
+4.4%
About as fast as average
Openings / yr (US)
~308,700
BLS Employment Projections
US median wage
$102,950
typically Bachelor's degree

Top skills

Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningSpeakingMonitoringCritical ThinkingActive Learning

What General and Operations Managers earn in California

Jobs in California
300,840
BLS OEWS May 2025
State average pay
$152,250
median $124,390
Best-paying metro
$190,310
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

Related careers

General and Operations Managers
$152,250 avg · 300,840 jobs
Management Analysts
$115,720 avg · 137,280 jobs
Project Management Specialists
$124,430 avg · 114,380 jobs
Sales Managers
$160,260 avg · 112,440 jobs
Administrative Services Managers
$134,780 avg · 41,240 jobs

Common questions

Answers for students comparing Business/Commerce programs in California.

Which California colleges award the most Business/Commerce degrees?+

Long Beach City College (313 graduates a year), Chabot College (187 graduates a year) and San Joaquin Delta College (174 graduates a year) award the most Business/Commerce degrees in California, per IPEDS 2024–25 completions. In all, 67 California colleges offer Business/Commerce.

Which Business/Commerce program in California has the highest-earning graduates?+

By median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary), College Scorecard, Saint Mary's College of California tops the list at $46,958. Compare it against graduates a year, graduation rate, cost, and debt in the ranked table above.

How much do General and Operations Managers earn in California?+

The average annual wage for General and Operations Managers in California is $152,250 (median $124,390), across about 300,840 jobs. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.

What is the focus of the Business/Commerce program?+

The Business/Commerce program provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the principles and practices of business management, marketing, and related services. This program is ideal for those interested in pursuing a career in…

What skills will I develop in this program?+

You will develop reading comprehension, active listening, speaking, monitoring, and related professional skills.

What is the job outlook for General and Operations Managers?+

The national job outlook is about +4.4% growth with around 308,700 annual openings (BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034).

What is the typical education requirement?+

A Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education for this field (BLS).

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDSFall 2025–26 release, published July 28, 2026
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
PSEO graduate earnings2019–21 graduation cohorts (release V4.13.0)
Earnings and employment outcomes of graduates by institution, degree level, and field of study, measured from state wage records.
BLS wages & outlookOEWS May 2025 release
Occupational employment and wage estimates plus 10-year job outlook, used to connect programs to real-world earnings.
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.

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