6 Business Administration Certifications to Enhance YourCareer

Pursuing business administration certifications can help open the door to more professional opportunities. It can also pave the way for you to play a vital role in supporting optimal business functions in diverse organizations across various industries and fields such as finance, human resources (HR), marketing, sales, event planning, and business consulting.

Check out a sampling of some of the best business administration certifications for various professional interests to find the options that align with your expertise and career path.

What is business administration certification?

Business administration certifications provide tangible proof of mastery of the tools, techniques, and knowledge you typically need to work in this dynamic field. These programs help you sharpen and advance your skill set in areas such as business analysis, project management, and methodologies like Six Sigma. Their main goal is to validate your competencies using an assessment to validate your expertise. You must prove that you’ve met all prerequisites, completed the necessary training, and mastered the materials. 

Earning these credentials may also help boost your earning potential. The increase you can expect depends on various factors, including the certification you earn and the industry you work in. For example, if you work within project management and you earn your Project Management Professional certification from the Project Management Institute, your salary could increase by as much as 33 percent, according to PMI’s latest salary survey [1]. In contrast, if you work within HR, you might consider a certification from the Society for Human Resource Management, which could increase your earning power by up to 15 percent [2]

6 options for certification in business administration

Business administration is a broad field, and you have an equally diverse range of certification options. Managing assets, including people, finances, properties, or projects, is at the heart of business administration. That lends itself to many potential professions and various skill sets you might consider validating with a professional certification.

Explore six credentials that can help you carve your chosen career path or advance your journey, including:

• Certified Business Administrator: Validates essential skills like strategic planning, effective communication, and optimizing organizational processes 

• SHRM Certified Professional: Provides tangible evidence of your expertise within HR operational roles 

• Project Management Professional: Assesses your abilities in leading projects and familiarity with predictive, Agile, and hybrid project management approaches

• Six Sigma certifications: Highlights your familiarity with Six Sigma and various skills depending on the accreditation or “Belt,” including Yellow, Green, and Black Belts 

• Certified Manager: Verifies your management abilities, including familiarity with management principles and the skills needed to manage talent, finances, and make ethical business decisions 

• Salesforce Administrator certification: Showcases your ability to implement, configure, manage, and use Salesforce, and to help optimize the benefits your company gets from its use

1. Certified Business Administrator (CBA)

As a business administrator, you perform many essential tasks, including strategic decision-making, resource management, and managing different departments. It also requires continual learning and strong financial, critical thinking, and leadership skills. 

The American Institute of Business & Management (AIBM) offers this credential. It includes six modules designed to establish your expertise in management principles, strategic planning, organizational optimization, and advanced communication for effective collaboration. The CBA also requires proficiency in change management, business ethics, financial and project management, and effective leadership. 

Cost: $1,330 [4]

Requirements: Bachelor's degree and two to five years of professional experience in a relevant field or exceptional experience, which could qualify you for certification without a degree

What’s on the exam: 90-minute exam covering 50 multiple-choice questions covering topics like management and leadership fundamentals, organizational design, communication, strategic leadership, financial management, team development, human resources, project management, and change management

Who should get this certification: Various professionals, including entrepreneurs, small business owners, office managers, administrative coordinators or supervisors, project managers, administrative consultants, HR assistants, and business operations specialists

2. SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP)

For a business administration career specializing in HR, a credential from a renowned, prestigious organization like the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) can add value to your resume. The SHRM-CP accreditation can also be a good match if you perform HR-related duties as part of your position. 

It’s a foundational certification that focuses on the skills necessary in operational roles, including the ability to contribute to developing workplace culture, use sound judgment in various situations, and apply HR policies, in addition to your skills in areas like leadership and business. 

Cost: $495 (members); $595 (non-members) [5]

Requirements: SHRM recommends having a degree or fundamental working knowledge of HR principles and practices

What’s on the exam: Computer-based exam that allows you three hours and 40 minutes, and includes 134 multiple-choice questions divided into two sections: situational-based questions and general knowledge

Who should get this certification: If you work in HR or perform HR-related operational duties as part of your job

3. Project Management Professional (PMP)

If you want to showcase your documented ability to lead and manage projects, the PMP certification from the Project Management Institute may be an excellent option. It certifies your capacity to manage professional projects, including the people, resources, and organizational priorities associated with them. 

PMP certification demonstrates your ability to lead projects across all industries and confirms your skills in project management approaches, including Agile, predictive, and hybrid. It can offer a significant increase in salary potential and can help you join a global community of professionals. 

Cost: $425 (members); $675 (non-members) [6]

Requirements: PMI has three sets of prerequisites, each of which also requires you to complete 35 hours of project management training. 

• Set A: High school diploma and five years of professional experience leading projects within the past eight years 

• Set B: Bachelor’s degree at a minimum and three years of relevant professional experience

• Set C: Bachelor’s degree or higher from a global accreditation center (GAC)-accredited program and two years of professional experience

What’s on the exam: 230-minute exam with 180 questions, including five unscored questions, spanning predictive, Agile, and hybrid project approaches and covering five topic areas: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing projects. 

Who should get this certification: If you work within project management and want to validate your expertise and leadership capabilities, this “gold standard” credential may benefit you.

Can you earn business certifications without a degree?

In some cases, yes. Every certification has its requirements, so reviewing the prerequisites for the credential you are considering is essential. What’s more, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Job Outlook 2025 report, 64.8 percent of employers rely on skills-based hiring [3]. The practice, which focuses more on the abilities necessary to support success, also minimizes the implications of having (or not having) a formal degree. That said, earning your degree can provide a solid foundation you can then build on by honing in-demand skills and validating them with certifications and other learning resources.

4. Six Sigma certifications (Yellow, Green, and Black Belts)

Six Sigma methodologies are all about solving problems at the root and using data to improve organizational performance, product quality, finances, and company morale. These processes emerged to identify variations impacting product quality, service, and other company functions. You might opt for one of three certifications based on your job function. They include:

• White Belt certification if you are entry level and seeking an overview of basic methodology

• Yellow Belt certification if you participate in projects and provide a supportive role to Green or Black Belt professionals

• Green Belt certification if you work with gathering and testing data

• Black Belt certification if you are in a leadership role and work with projects and statistics. Black Belt II, III, and Master Black Belt build on this certification. 

Cost: Free (White Belt) $99 (Yellow Belt); $159 (Green Belt); $229-$665 depending on level (Black Belt) [7]

Requirements: No prerequisites; free self-study guides available; must pass exam with a score of 70 percent or higher

What’s on the exam: Open-book, non-timed exams available; 50 multiple-choice questions to verify you have a basic understanding of Six Sigma (Yellow Belt), 100 multiple-choice questions to assess your basic understanding and statistical knowledge (Green Belt), 150 multiple-choice questions validating your basic and statistical understanding in addition to skills in project leadership (Black Belt)

Who should get this certification: If you’re working in or want to work in positions at the management level or higher, this credential may help advance your career. Some specific positions that may benefit include: business optimization specialists, process analysts, and improvement managers (Yellow Belt); project managers and data scientists (Green Belt); senior project managers, operations directors, and senior business process analysts (Black Belt)

5. Certified Manager (CM)

If you want to work within a management role, the CM credential from the Institute of Certified Professional Managers could be an asset to add to your resume. The certification affirms your leadership and management skills, including proficiency in management practices, managing teams, ethical decision-making, talent management, financial management, and working within the global business landscape. 

Cost: $380; additional costs for training materials and ICPM membership [8]

Requirements: You must meet education and experience requirements, including documentation of your highest degree and/or evidence of management training and certifications. You also need to demonstrate management experience, with full-time non-management and military service considered

What’s on the exam: Three exams, each of which tests your skills in areas like management essentials, planning and organizing, and leading and controlling

Who should get this certification: Aspiring leaders, mid-level managers and supervisors, team leaders, department heads

6. Salesforce Administrator certification

In 2024, IDC ranked Salesforce among the top three public cloud services providers, third only to Microsoft and Amazon Web Services [9]. Salesforce is among the industry-leading customer relationship management (CRM) technologies, and companies of all sizes, including enterprises like Amazon Web Services, American Express, and Toyota, use it, which is why you might find that verifying your Salesforce expertise could be beneficial. 

As a business administrator, part of your job is to optimize resource use, and optimizing your company’s use of Salesforce can be a valuable asset. The Salesforce Certified Administrator credential verifies that you have solid knowledge of and familiarity with Salesforce features and configuration options and can carry out administrative tasks using the technology.

Cost: $200; Retake for $100 [10]

Requirements: A minimum of six months of experience in a Salesforce Administrator position, ability to perform administrative duties using the CRM's features, skills in working with reports, dashboards, data analytics, and process automation; also required to agree to follow the Salesforce Code of Conduct

What’s on the exam: 105-minute exam with 60 multiple-choice questions and up to five non-scored questions with a passing score of 65 percent or higher; topics include configuration and setup, productivity, collaboration, data and analytics management, and using applications for service, support, marketing, and sales

Who should get this certification: If you work at an organization that uses Salesforce and want to verify your skills and ability to help your company get more from using it

Expand your skills and prepare for business administration certifications on Coursera

Given the broad nature of business administration, you have an equally broad selection of certification options to choose from to establish your career or aid you in advancing it. You can choose one of the above certifications or continue exploring additional options that better meet your goals and objectives. You might also consider continuing to build your business administration skill set or begin preparing for certification with online courses. 

For example, the Google Project Management Professional Certificate can help you go from beginner to career-ready while providing opportunities to develop leadership skills and project management methodologies like Agile and Scrum.

If you want to specialize in sales operations, consider the Salesforce Sales Operations Professional Certificate. This four-course program can help advance your practical experience with Salesforce and get you on your way toward building a portfolio to enter the field in positions like sales operations specialist or sales operations analyst. You’ll find these programs among other educational options on Coursera.