Each year, approximately 7.6% of Montana graduates receive degrees in business. That means an estimated 1,291 business professionals graduate from Montana's 23 business schools each year.

Top Schools

The top-ranked school in Montana with a business program is Carroll College, which is located in Helena. In 2010, it was ranked 37th nationwide. 50 students graduated with a degree in business from Carroll College in 2010. Tuition at Carroll College was $23,594 per year.

The second-ranked school in Montana that has a business program is The University of Montana. The University of Montana, which was ranked 37th in the country in 2010, is located in Missoula. In 2010, 509 students graduated from The University of Montana business program. Tuition at The University of Montana was $5,476 per year.

Rocky Mountain College, which is located in Billings, is the third-ranked school in Montana that has a business program. It received a ranking of 44th in the country in 2010. 31 students graduated with degree in business from Rocky Mountain College in 2010. Students at Rocky Mountain College paid $21,100 per year in tuition fees.

Cost

If you are hoping to attend one of Montana's business schools, you can expect to pay an average tuition of $5,954 per year, though tuition can range from $23,594 per year to $2,190 per year. The highest tuition rates in 2010 at Montana business schools were charged at the following schools:

1. Carroll College - located in Helena, students are charged $23,594 per year
2. Rocky Mountain College - located in Billings, students are charged $21,100 per year
3. University of Great Falls - located in Great Falls, students are charged $18,956 per year

The lowest tuition rates at Montana business schools were charged at the following schools:

1. Blackfeet Community College - located in Browning, students are charged $2,190 per year
2. Fort Peck Community College - located in Poplar, students are charged $2,250 per year
3. Chief Dull Knife College - located in Lame Deer, students are charged $2,260 per year

A business degree from a Montana school... what next?

Chief executive officer, operations manager, business professor, accountant, and budget analyst are the professions of choice for a majority of business graduates in Montana. Montana had 13,150 business professionals in 2010. 540 of these business professionals were business analysts, 970 were chief executive officers, and 5,070 were operations managers. In Montana, the largest numbers of business professional work in the following counties:

1. Beaverhead County - 4,650 business professionals
2. Carbon County - 2,610 business professionals
3. Flathead County - 1,810 business professionals

Projected Growth

According the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of business professionals is expected to grow by 12% by 2018. There are projected to be 17,770 business professionals working in Montana then. Of these 17,770 business professionals, the government predicts that 550 will be business analysts, 1,170 will be chief executive officers, and 6,910 will be operations managers.

Salary

On average, business professionals earn a salary of $65,149 per year in Montana state. In 2010, however, some Montana business professional earned as little as less than $16,070 per year or as much as more than $154,880 per year. On average business professional earn the most in the following Montana counties:

1. Flathead County - $76,000 per year
2. Cascade County - $75,585 per year
3. Missoula County - $69,682 per year

The following counties in Montana have the lowest average salaries for business professional:

1. Carter County - $63,080 per year
2. Beaverhead County - $64,543 per year
3. Big Horn County - $66,808 per year

The business professionals with highest average salaries in Montana were:

1. Chief Executive Officer - $101,930 per year
2. Financial Manager - $82,540 per year
3. Operations Manager - $80,850 per year

The business professionals with lowest average salaries in Montana were:

4. Insurance Underwriter - $47,860 per year
5. Credit Counselor - $39,830 per year

More Information

For more data regarding a career in business in Montana and to compare salaries with various related fields such as business administration or advertising, take a look at the graphs and charts below.