15 Best Paying Jobs for College Business Majors: 2015

Slideshow June 09, 2015 at 08:33 AM
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(Ed note: Please check out the 2016 version of 15 Best Paying Jobs for College Business Majors on ThinkAdvisor.)

Students majoring in business can go a lot of different ways once they hit the job market. With college graduation season winding down, we thought it would be a good time to once again see which occupations pay well.

Using data from PayScale.com, we have listed the 15 best-paying jobs for business majors. The jobs are drawn from the site's list of most popular jobs for business grads.

The most common area of study among the jobs is accounting. And according to a survey of alumni, accounting was the ninth most recommended major. Judging by the list below, it's easy to understand why that's the case.

We included the salary (including overtime and bonuses) for someone with a median amount of experience in each job. PayScale also rated each job by the percentage of those surveyed who found high meaning in their careers.

Check out the 15 Best Paying Jobs for College Business Majors — 2015:

Payroll Manager

15. Payroll Manager

Median Mid-Career Pay: $70,100

Common Major: Accounting

% Workers With Major: 25%

% With High Job Meaning: 46%

Senior Tax Accountant

14. Senior Tax Accountant

Median Mid-Career Pay: $72,300

Common Major: Accounting

% Workers With Major: 71%

% With High Job Meaning: 29%

Purchasing Manager

13. Purchasing Manager

Median Mid-Career Pay: $74,500

Common Major: Business Administration

% Workers With Major: 19%

% With High Job Meaning: 37%

Assistant Controller

12. Assistant Controller

Median Mid-Career Pay: $75,900

Common Major: Accounting

% Workers With Major: 59%

% With High Job Meaning: 42%

General Manager, Hotel

11. General Manager, Hotel

Median Mid-Career Pay: $76,200

Common Major: Hospitality Management

% Workers With Major: 15%

% With High Job Meaning: 56%

Certified Public Accountant

10. Certified Public Accountant

Median Mid-Career Pay: $79,800

Common Major: Accounting

% Workers With Major: 73%

% With High Job Meaning: 35%

Senior Auditor

9. Senior Auditor

Median Mid-Career Pay: $80,100

Common Major: Accounting

% Workers With Major: 66%

% With High Job Meaning: 30%

Senior Financial Analyst

8. Senior Financial Analyst

Median Mid-Career Pay: $82,400

Common Major: Finance

% Workers With Major: 30%

% With High Job Meaning: 38%

Financial Controller

7. Financial Controller

Median Mid-Career Pay: $85,000

Common Major: Accounting

% Workers With Major: 58%

% With High Job Meaning: 44%

Finance Manager

6. Finance Manager

Median Mid-Career Pay: $93,700

Common Major: Accounting

% Workers With Major: 30%

% With High Job Meaning: 45%

Tax Manager

5. Tax Manager

Median Mid-Career Pay: $94,500

Common Major: Accounting

% Workers With Major: 67%

% With High Job Meaning: 34%

Corporate Controller

4. Corporate Controller

Median Mid-Career Pay: $95,400

Common Major: Accounting

% Workers With Major: 63%

% With High Job Meaning: 42%

Financial Advisor

3. Financial Advisor

Median Mid-Career Pay: $122,800

Common Major: Finance

% Workers With Major: 23%

% With High Job Meaning: 73%

Chief Financial Officer

2. Chief Financial Officer

Median Mid-Career Pay: $132,200

Common Major: Accounting

% Workers With Major: 55%

% With High Job Meaning: 58%

Vice President, Finance

1. Vice President, Finance

Median Mid-Career Pay: $150,800

Common Major: Accounting

% Workers With Major: 42%

% With High Job Meaning: 49%

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