2027 Choosing an Online BS in Business Administration Around Taking Over a Family Business
Audited and Verified:
Our Editorial and Data Verification Process
Research.com uses government datasets, official education statistics and primary institutional information to support its career and degree guides. Our review process checks factual accuracy, occupational definitions, source dates and the requirements associated with the credentials discussed.
How This Article Was Fact-Checked
Our editorial team verifies salary estimates, employment projections, education requirements and program information against original data providers and official organizations. Salary figures are checked against the relevant occupational definitions and reporting periods. Information about licensure, accreditation and required in-person training is reviewed separately.
Fact-checked and verified on:
Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist
Taking over a family business means learning the company while preparing to make decisions that affect relatives, employees, customers, and cash flow. An online BS in business administration may let you study without leaving the business, but a flexible format is valuable only if the courses address your actual responsibilities. This guide helps prospective successors compare programs, estimate the commitment, and decide whether a degree - or more targeted training - is the better preparation.
Key Things You Should Know
- Choose a program around the company's needs: cash-flow decisions, people management, operations, and a usable succession project matter more than a generic entrepreneurship label.
- A bachelor's degree commonly requires about 120 semester credits, but transferred credits, required course sequences, and your study pace determine how long your degree will take.
- Confirm institutional accreditation, the exact online attendance requirements, and whether a family-business project can meet academic rules before committing; none of these is established by the word "online" alone.
What is an online BS in business administration for family-business successors?
An online BS in business administration is an undergraduate degree covering functions such as accounting, finance, marketing, management, and operations. It is not a special ownership credential. For a successor, its value lies in applying that broad foundation to the company you may eventually lead - while recognizing that ownership transfer, authority, and industry compliance are separate matters.
Program names are not interchangeable: a BBA, BS in management, or specialized accounting degree may have a different curriculum. Compare required courses and project options rather than choosing by title. Compare ranked online business schools in America as a starting point, then check each school's current catalog against the company's needs.
Is an online business administration degree worthwhile for taking over a family business?
It can be worthwhile if you need a broad foundation, expect to work across several functions, and have time to apply what you learn before assuming full responsibility. It is less compelling if you already hold a bachelor's degree and have a narrow gap - such as interpreting financial statements or supervising a construction project - that a course, mentor, or specialized program could address sooner.
The comparison should start with your likely decisions, not the family's expectation that a successor "get a business degree." The options below serve different preparation needs.
| Path | Strongest fit | Main limitation |
| BS in business administration | Broad responsibility across finance, staff, customers, and operations | Requires substantial time and tuition; may lack industry-specific depth |
| Targeted courses and mentorship | A defined skill gap and access to experienced advisers | Does not award a bachelor's degree |
| Specialized degree | A role dominated by one technical function | May offer less preparation for company-wide leadership |
If overseeing complex projects will dominate your role, compare the total commitment with project management degree tuition comparisons rather than assuming a general business degree is the cheapest route. Neither pathway replaces a staged handover of real decision-making authority.
How do you choose an accredited online business administration program?
First, confirm that the institution holds recognized institutional accreditation and that the online BS is an active program offered by that institution. AACSB, ACBSP, and IACBE accreditation can provide additional information about business education, but their scopes differ; verify whether the specific business unit or program is covered. Accreditation is not proof that graduates secure jobs or that a course fits your company.
Then ask an adviser for the current degree map and sample online course schedules. Confirm live sessions, group meetings, proctored exams, campus visits, course availability, leave policies, and whether faculty will approve a family-business capstone. If you expect to use federal student aid, verify the school's eligibility and your own aid status rather than assuming accreditation alone settles the matter. A list of business administration colleges participating in federal aid programs can help you identify schools to investigate, but the institution and aid office must confirm current details.
Expect a business core alongside general education and electives. Accounting and finance help you distinguish sales from profit and profit from available cash. Operations courses address inventory, purchasing, service capacity, and process bottlenecks. Marketing examines customers and pricing; management and HR courses introduce supervision, compensation, and workplace responsibilities. Statistics and information systems can help you judge whether company reports support a decision.
For succession, inspect the depth of each course and the order in which you can take it. A single HR elective is not the same as an HR concentration or degree. If staffing and employment practices are your central responsibility, compare human resources degree pathways with the broader BS. Ask whether an entrepreneurship elective, internship, or capstone is actually available online and whether a proposal involving your family's company is eligible for approval.
Requirements vary by school and by whether you apply as a first-year or transfer student. Schools commonly request a high school credential or prior college transcripts; some have separate requirements for entering the business major. Mathematics, accounting, or economics courses may be prerequisites, part of the degree after admission, or recommended preparation - not necessarily barriers to applying.
Before applying, obtain transcripts, identify any prior business coursework, and ask admissions and the business adviser to distinguish admission from credit that fulfills a degree requirement. Review required credits before entering business administration study, then request the prospective school's own written evaluation. Credit accepted as an elective may still leave an accounting prerequisite or business-core course unfinished.
A bachelor's degree commonly totals about 120 semester credits. Your remaining credits - not that headline total - are the useful starting point for a timeline. An approved transfer evaluation, required course sequence, course availability, and a workload you can sustain during busy seasons determine the finish date. Accelerated terms may shorten the calendar without reducing coursework.
Compare schools using the same assumptions: remaining required credits, tuition and mandatory fees, books and software, possible proctoring or travel costs, and the income or business time you would give up. Ask about grants, loans, payment timing, and whether any employer-funded education benefit can be used in a family-owned company. Low-cost shorter business administration programs are worth examining, but an advertised price or duration is not your personal completion estimate until the school evaluates your credits and schedule.
Online study can keep you present at the business and let you test classroom ideas against its operations. Campus study may make scheduled discussion, faculty contact, and local networking easier. Neither format is automatically more rigorous or more flexible: an online class can still require live presentations, fixed exam windows, and meetings with teammates.
For a successor, the decisive question is whether you can protect study time when the company needs you. Compare a real term's assignment calendar with your busiest operating period, and ask what happens if a family or business emergency interrupts enrollment. Career advancement study options in business administration can help frame the work-and-study choice, but confirm each program's actual attendance and pacing rules.
The most valuable preparation combines technical judgment with a credible handover. Learn to read cash-flow reports, identify a process constraint, evaluate customer demand, and explain a recommendation to people who may remember you as a family member rather than a manager. Practice setting expectations with nonfamily employees and distinguishing an owner's decision from a supervisor's day-to-day authority.
A bounded project can make those skills visible: for example, map how purchase orders are approved, identify delays using records you are permitted to access, and propose a measure for a future trial. That is a classroom analysis until the company authorizes implementation; it is not evidence of savings. If project delivery is the main skill gap, compare targeted training with project management programs with lower total costs before paying for a broad degree. Obtain faculty approval and company permission before using internal financial, employee, or customer information.
Within the family company, a graduate might first handle purchasing, sales operations, budgeting support, or team coordination before taking company-wide responsibility. Outside the company, possible paths include HR specialist, market research analyst, or project coordinator, depending on experience and the employer's requirements. A degree provides preparation; it does not itself confer a management position.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a May 2025 median annual wage of $75,940 for human resources specialists and projects 6% employment growth from 2025 to 2035. That occupation-wide median includes experienced workers; it is neither a starting salary nor an estimate of what a family-business successor will earn. If succession is postponed and you want an external HR path, prior college coursework may affect your options: apply prior credits to an HR bachelor's degree only after a school confirms how they meet its requirements.
Do family-business owners need licenses or professional certifications?
There is no general professional license to own a family business or hold a BS in business administration. The company's activities, however, may require business permits, occupational licenses, or licensed staff; requirements depend on its industry, location, and the work you personally perform. A business degree does not grant CPA licensure, authority to give regulated financial advice, or any other occupation-specific credential.
Before the handover, identify who currently holds required licenses, who is responsible for renewals, and whether a change of ownership affects permits or contracts. Consult the relevant state or local authority and qualified advisers for the company's circumstances. If the gap is leadership preparation rather than legal eligibility, accelerated business bachelor's school comparisons may help you explore timing - but faster study cannot substitute for required licensing or supervised experience.
Other Things You Should Know About Business Administration
Yes. Agree on proposed responsibilities, decision authority, milestones, and a process for resolving disagreements. Have appropriate legal and tax professionals review ownership-transfer documents separately from your education plan.
Clarify how roles will be assigned and evaluated before treating the degree as a claim to the top job. A qualified outside adviser can help separate ownership interests from employment responsibilities.
Only with appropriate company permission and under the school's rules. Use public or appropriately anonymized information when possible, and do not upload sensitive employee, customer, or financial records to course tools without authorization.
Prioritize operational continuity: identify essential approvals, advisers, account access, and staff responsibilities. You can reassess part-time enrollment once the transition stabilizes; graduation is not a prerequisite for owning the company.
- Accreditation in the U.S. | ed.gov http://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/higher-education-laws-and-policy/college-accreditation/accreditation-in-the-us
- Manage your business - Small Business Administration https://www.sba.gov/counseling/manage-your-business/
- How Do Asynchronous Classes Work? | Hopkins EP Online https://ep.jhu.edu/news/how-do-asynchronous-classes-work/
- Online Business Degree | AACSB Accredited - Online Programs | Adelphi University https://onlineprograms.adelphi.edu/programs/bs-bachelor-business/
- UNL | Conflict of Interest Guidance Topics (A-Z) https://research.unl.edu/researchcompliance/conflict-of-interest-guidance-topics-a-z/
- 11 Types of Business Degrees and Career Pathways | National University https://www.nu.edu/blog/types-of-business-degrees/
- How Do Transfer Credits Work When You Go Back to School? | Whitworth Online https://online.whitworth.edu/news-articles/how-do-transfer-credits-work-when-you-go-back-to-school/
- 6 Types of Business Degrees and Career Paths | UMass Global https://www.umassglobal.edu/blog-news/6-types-business-degrees-and-career-paths
- Business Administration vs. Management: Key Differences and Career Fit | post.edu https://post.edu/blog/business-administration-vs-management/
- Business Administration - UF Online - University of Florida https://ufonline.ufl.edu/degrees/undergraduate/business-administration/
