2025 Best General Business/Commerce Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
General Business/Commerce is of the hottest associate degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #9 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 24 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best General Business/Commerce Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,700 associate degrees in general business/commerce during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great General Business/Commerce School for Your Associate Degree
The general business associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Early-Career Earnings
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their associate degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their associate degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on general business/commerce students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other general business/commerce students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for general business/commerce to pay back their student loans after receiving their associate degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized general business/commerce related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for general business/commerce students working on their associate degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best General Business/Commerce Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Best Schools for Associate Students to Study General Business/Commerce in the Great Lakes Region
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for general business/commerce students seeking a an associate degree.
10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools for an Associate in General Business
Every student who is interested in an associate degree in general business/commerce needs to take a look at Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global. IWU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Marion.
Associate recipients from the general business/commerce major at Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global earn $9,507 above the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a associate in general business/commerce from Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global
It's hard to beat Davenport University if you want to pursue an associate degree in general business/commerce. Davenport University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Grand Rapids.
General Business/Commerce associate degree recipients from Davenport University earn a boost of around $9,574 over the typical income of general business/commerce majors.
More information about a associate in general business/commerce from Davenport University
It's hard to beat Macomb Community College if you want to pursue an associate degree in general business/commerce. Macomb Community College is a fairly large public college located in the midsize city of Warren.
Associate students who receive their degree from the general business program make an average of $37,532 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a associate in general business/commerce from Macomb Community College
Purdue University Global is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in general business/commerce. Purdue University Global is a very large public university located in the small city of West Lafayette.
Associate graduates who receive their degree from the general business program earn about $37,929 for their early career.
More information about a associate in general business/commerce from Purdue University Global
Bryant & Stratton College - Wauwatosa is a fairly small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Wauwatosa.
Associate graduates who receive their degree from the general business program make an average of $30,059 in their early career salary.
More information about a associate in general business/commerce from Bryant & Stratton College - Wauwatosa