Management

What careers are available with a degree in management?

Graduates can choose from careers in many fields. Sometimes an organization will hire you as a management trainee or assistant manager or other entry-level position.

• Retail: Retailers provide a product or service to a customer. You may become a department head, buyer, assistant manager or a store manager.


• Hospitality Industry: If you are interested in management in a travel agency, hotel or restaurant, we recommend you look at the Hospitality and Tourism Management Degree program.


• Small Business Owner/Manager: The Management degree provides a knowledge base for a person who would like to start a business or become a manager in a small business.


• Wholesaler: Wholesalers buy from manufacturers in large quantities and then sell to retailers. You might become a sales manager, warehouse manager, or even general manager.


• Manufacturer: A manufacturer converts raw materials into a product or parts to be used in a product. The entry-level positions would be working in the factory and then working up to foreman or supervisor in one of the manufacturing functional areas.


• Human Resources: The human resource or personnel department is responsible for recruiting, hiring, improving employee health and safety, providing benefits, determining wages, and other services to the managers and employees of the organization. Depending on the size of the organization, you might work up to employment supervisor, benefits administrator, wage and salary administrator, labor relations manager, affirmative action officer or human resource manager.


• Health Services: If you are interested in management in the health field, we recommend you look at the Health Services Management program.


• Purchasing: The purchasing department is responsible for obtaining the specified materials at the time it is needed and at the best price. The purchasing agent obtains authorization from other managers to solicit bids from other companies. They often negotiate price and are required to ensure that the goods are delivered as needed. The greatest job opportunities in this area are as purchasing agents for the State of Oregon.


• Manager in other technical fields: Organizations often have difficulty finding people who have the necessary technical background obtained through work experience, education or training and also have the desire and background to be a manager. Some of our accounting majors, for example, obtain a management degree because they wish to become an accounting manager. They use the accounting degree to get a job and the management degree to improve their chance for promotion. We often recommend that you have a specialized knowledge or experience as well as the management degree to improve your chances to obtain a position. Engineers, scientists and technicians often take evening classes in business to learn more about management, either because they want to be a manager or are already a manager and need to acquire more training in management.

What do graduates get paid?

Graduates with an Associate of Applied Science in Management degree can expect to be hired in an entry-level position in the public, private or nonprofit sector. Pay depends on many factors, including prior work experience.

If you have question or would like more information contact Karen Edwards at 503-399-3996 or Kristi Newton at 503-399-6238.

Updated October 2006 by the College Advancement Department.