Best degree programs for Chief Executives, ranked by enrollment
9 college programs and 2,582 schools train Chief Executives. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $213,990 median wage, 204,350 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
9 college programs at 2,582 schools train chief executives, graduating 527,625 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Business Administration and Management, General. The job pays a median of $213,990 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About chief executives
Determine and formulate policies and provide overall direction of companies or private and public sector organizations within guidelines set up by a board of directors or similar governing body. Plan, direct, or coordinate operational activities at the highest level of management with the help of subordinate executives and staff managers.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
9 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 52.0201 | 348,906 | 66.1% | 2,305 | $43,506 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 52.0101 | 60,975 | 11.6% | 806 | $44,700 | $24,000 |
| 3 | CIP 52.0801 | 49,441 | 9.4% | 753 | $53,572 | $23,672 |
| 4 | CIP 52.1301 | 35,090 | 6.7% | 360 | $62,069 | $23,500 |
| 5 | CIP 44.0401 | 13,652 | 2.6% | 431 | $45,374 | $26,000 |
| 6 | CIP 52.0701 | 10,569 | 2.0% | 537 | $43,803 | $23,374 |
| 7 | CIP 52.1101 | 6,484 | 1.2% | 385 | $51,261 | $23,361 |
| 8 | CIP 52.0206 | 2,409 | 0.5% | 175 | $43,506 | $25,000 |
| 9 | CIP 52.0704 | 99 | 0.0% | 14 | $43,803 | $23,374 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What chief executives earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $218,600 | 34,700 | 1.45× | 228 | 67,798 |
| Texas | $257,850 | 8,780 | 0.47× | 144 | 37,378 |
| New York | $257,980 | 8,430 | 0.66× | 149 | 24,018 |
| Indiana | $254,180 | 1,820 | 0.43× | 48 | 20,162 |
| North Carolina | $314,290 | 1,930 | 0.30× | 112 | 18,124 |
| Massachusetts | — | 6,590 | 1.38× | 67 | 17,491 |
| Illinois | $331,920 | 4,620 | 0.58× | 92 | 16,752 |
| Pennsylvania | $232,560 | 8,850 | 1.11× | 132 | 15,909 |
| Virginia | $310,740 | 4,870 | 0.90× | 65 | 15,053 |
| Georgia | $208,180 | 4,080 | 0.63× | 83 | 13,591 |
| New Hampshire | $168,590 | — | — | 19 | 13,303 |
| Ohio | $176,440 | 4,470 | 0.61× | 101 | 13,149 |
| Colorado | $213,370 | — | — | 33 | 12,979 |
| Utah | $171,880 | 3,140 | 1.38× | 12 | 12,723 |
| New Jersey | $310,440 | 2,430 | 0.43× | 52 | 10,415 |
| Michigan | $255,560 | 4,950 | 0.86× | 73 | 10,071 |
| Maryland | $248,660 | 3,180 | 0.88× | 42 | 9,855 |
| Kentucky | $179,530 | 2,070 | 0.79× | 47 | 9,435 |
| Alabama | $166,420 | 810 | 0.29× | 45 | 9,255 |
| Missouri | $172,320 | 2,550 | 0.66× | 59 | 8,100 |
| Minnesota | $195,670 | 6,740 | 1.74× | 62 | 7,766 |
| South Carolina | $168,840 | 1,740 | 0.57× | 52 | 7,552 |
| Idaho | $177,210 | 2,920 | 2.59× | 11 | 7,029 |
| Wisconsin | $208,350 | — | — | 52 | 6,812 |
| Tennessee | $198,830 | 4,700 | 1.09× | 54 | 6,760 |
| Washington | $339,810 | 3,170 | 0.68× | 54 | 6,617 |
| West Virginia | $151,950 | 1,700 | 1.84× | 32 | 6,250 |
| Connecticut | $295,120 | 1,660 | 0.74× | 20 | 5,565 |
| Oklahoma | $163,790 | 2,390 | 1.07× | 48 | 5,006 |
| Arkansas | $119,990 | 3,550 | 2.07× | 45 | 4,444 |
| Iowa | $211,190 | 3,050 | 1.49× | 43 | 4,341 |
| Nebraska | $214,680 | 2,510 | 1.87× | 25 | 4,098 |
| Mississippi | $139,250 | 310 | 0.20× | 29 | 3,995 |
| Kansas | $158,100 | 1,960 | 1.04× | 39 | 3,723 |
| Oregon | $341,630 | 910 | 0.35× | 31 | 3,199 |
| New Mexico | $123,500 | 100 | 0.09× | 26 | 2,029 |
| Rhode Island | $235,360 | 460 | 0.70× | 11 | 1,994 |
| Maine | $138,770 | 1,580 | 1.88× | 17 | 1,867 |
| Nevada | $149,770 | 1,370 | 0.67× | 9 | 1,838 |
| Delaware | $199,990 | 390 | 0.61× | 6 | 1,613 |
| Hawaii | $281,640 | 470 | 0.57× | 8 | 1,135 |
| South Dakota | $280,900 | 510 | 0.84× | 16 | 1,128 |
| North Dakota | $164,560 | 380 | 0.67× | 16 | 1,087 |
| Montana | $182,340 | 670 | 1.00× | 19 | 1,085 |
| Vermont | $175,070 | 360 | 0.89× | 7 | 750 |
| Wyoming | $147,940 | 60 | 0.17× | 9 | 648 |
| Alaska | $166,710 | 640 | 1.51× | 6 | 400 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Direct or coordinate an organization's financial or budget activities to fund operations, maximize investments, or increase efficiency.
- Confer with board members, organization officials, or staff members to discuss issues, coordinate activities, or resolve problems.
- Prepare budgets for approval, including those for funding or implementation of programs.
- Direct, plan, or implement policies, objectives, or activities of organizations or businesses to ensure continuing operations, to maximize returns on investments, or to increase productivity.
- Prepare or present reports concerning activities, expenses, budgets, government statutes or rulings, or other items affecting businesses or program services.
- Implement corrective action plans to solve organizational or departmental problems.
- Analyze operations to evaluate performance of a company or its staff in meeting objectives or to determine areas of potential cost reduction, program improvement, or policy change.
- Direct or coordinate activities of businesses or departments concerned with production, pricing, sales, or distribution of products.
Skills
- Critical Thinking4.3
- Speaking4.1
- Writing4.1
- Reading Comprehension4.1
- Active Listening4.0
- Monitoring3.9
- Active Learning3.8
- Learning Strategies3.3
Knowledge areas
- Administration and Management4.5
- English Language4.4
- Customer and Personal Service3.9
- Personnel and Human Resources3.7
- Economics and Accounting3.6
- Law and Government3.6
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension4.3
- Oral Expression4.3
- Speech Clarity4.1
- Written Comprehension4.1
- Written Expression4.1
- Deductive Reasoning4.0
Core activities
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.8
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.7
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.7
- Getting Information4.7
- Developing Objectives and Strategies4.5
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.5
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Chief Executive
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience needed
- 5 years or more
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 9 majors mapped to Chief Executives9 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 44.0401Public Administration
- 52.0101Business/Commerce, General
- 52.0201Business Administration and Management, General
- 52.0206Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management
- 52.0701Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies
- 52.0704Social Entrepreneurship
- 52.0801Finance, General
- 52.1101International Business/Trade/Commerce
- 52.1301Management Science
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Chief Executive?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Business Administration and Management, General, which awarded 348,906 degrees in 2024-25, 66.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Chief Executive?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 9 programs to this occupation. The largest are Business Administration, Business/Commerce, Finance and Financial Management Services, Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, plus 3 more. Together they graduate about 527,625 people a year.
How much do chief executives earn?+
The median is $213,990 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $75,700 at the 10th percentile to $507,730 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for chief executives growing?+
BLS projects a +4.3% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 22,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
2,582 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 9 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do chief executives work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records President, Sustainability Manager, Sustainability Director, Sustainable Design Director, CEO (Chief Executive Officer), Chief Financial Officer (CFO) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 11-1011.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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