A successful office manager plays an integral part in running a business smoothly. Office managers oversee administrative work that keeps an office running effectively, including tasks such as hiring and firing staff, overseeing administrative responsibilities, and managing personnel, computers, and resources. Because office managers play such a multifaceted role, many individuals who are interested in entering this career path wonder what kind of office manager degree requirements exist. In this blog, we’ll describe several degree options that can prepare you for an office manager role and highlight how different degrees you can prepare for this role.
Business Administration Degree As Office Manager Degree Requirements
Why It’s a Good Fit
Business administration is one of the most versatile and relevant degrees for an aspiring office manager to get. The program, with its emphasis on operations management, finance, marketing, human resources, and organizational behavior, provides a broad introduction to many areas of the field. As office manager degree requirements go, the knowledge and skills developed are directly applicable to many of the office manager’s day-to-day responsibilities.
Key Benefits:
Broad-Based Skill Set: You develop a broad-based skill set through your business administration program. You will learn about things like human resources, accounting, and business law. This helps you to have a broad-based skill set and be able to run an office.
Leadership Training: Many Business Administration programs focus on leadership and management, preparing you to manage and supervise an office environment.
Career flexibility: You could work in office management, but you’d be qualified for other jobs with a business administration degree. If you were to analyze the paragraph, you’d find a total of 20 ‘coulds’, ‘mights’, and ‘might be’ statements, which are difficult to believe. However, this type of writing is often found in academic contexts and is called hedging—it’s a way for students to avoid stating things as facts. As a result, sentences become longer, readers lose confidence in the writer’s knowledge or skills, and the text loses its impact.
Office Administration or Management Degree
Why It’s a Good Fit
As far as office manager degree requirements go, Programs in Office Administration and Management are designed specifically for office managers and incorporate a range of skills and knowledge relevant to office management, including administrative procedures, office technology, and organizational communication.
Key Benefits:
Targeted Curriculum: These are designed to train you for office management; they’re like vocational training, teaching you the courses that directly relate to the tasks you’ll be asked to perform in the role: scheduling, record keeping, proficiency with office software, and so on.
Practical Experience: Many Office Administration or Management programs include a co-op work term or internship. You could get a taste of the workplace while still a student.
Immediate applicability: graduates of such programs are often prepared to step into office management jobs the moment their degree programs are completed.
Human Resources Management Degree
Why It’s a Good Fit
On the other hand, a degree in Human Resources Management is an excellent choice for office manager degree requirements for those that want to concentrate on the management of personnel and the creation of workplace culture. HR is a fundamental aspect of the role of the office manager, and going to university to learn more about the principles of HR will improve your chances of getting a job in this field.
Key Benefits:
Focus on People Management: Professional courses in human resource (HR) management cover staffing, employee relations, dispute resolution, and other skills that are critical for an office manager in charge of staff.
Legal and Ethical Training: An HR manager needs to know about labor laws, the ethics of the workplace, the rights of employees, and how to handle them. An HR degree ensures that you are well-informed about these.
Better People Skills: HR departments frequently provide leadership training as part of their curriculum, preparing you to manage teams and deal with the ‘people management’ side of office life more effectively.
Communications Degree
Why It’s a Good Fit
The key to good office management is communication. A Master of Communications graduate will bring competencies in managing human relations, processing communication, and conducting PR activities in the office.
Key Benefits:
Interpersonal skills: A degree in communications will give you a background in interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, and team-building. These are the skills necessary to run an office and to keep people functioning together.
Organizational Communication: Communicate with style so information is exchanged efficiently between departments and everyone is on the same page.
Versatility: A communications degree is broadly applicable and pertinent to numerous positions other than office management, such as public relations, corporate communications, and marketing.
Business Technology or Information Systems Degree
Why It’s a Good Fit
Suppose technology is going to play a role in the day-to-day operation of an office. In that case, a degree in business technology or information systems might be of great help to office managers. The Business Technology or Information Systems degree provides the technical knowledge needed to manage all the office technology, from the software systems to the IT infrastructure.
Key Benefits:
Technical expertise: Office managers must often maintain office technology, from software and hardware devices to IT services. With a Business Technology degree, you’ll be comfortable doing just that.
Process optimization: you will learn to harness technology to enhance office processes and make them more efficient and cheaper—key skills that any office will value.
Adaptability: The more your business needs (and adopts) computerized business systems, the more important it is to hire someone with a background in business technology or information systems.
Liberal Arts Degree
Why It’s a Good Fit
Although it doesn’t appear as closely connected as other degrees, a Liberal Arts degree can still prepare you for a career in office management. The degree focuses on key skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication, which are required for office managers to handle a wide range of challenges.
Key Benefits:
Critical Thinking: Liberal Arts programs hone your ability to think critically and approach problems from different angles, which is essential to office management.
Broad Skills: The liberal arts education develops broad knowledge in history, literature, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and ethics. The liberal arts graduates can be especially ready to manage the diverse demands of office administration.
Adaptability: They’re adaptable and quick learners, traits valued in the frenetic office-management environment.
No Degree, But Relevant Experience
Why It’s a Good Fit
While a degree certainly adds to your experience, you don’t necessarily need to have one to become a good office manager. If you have worked in an office before, if you have strong organizational skills, if you have proven administrative experience, then you might actually be just as good as someone with a relevant degree.
Key Benefits:
Experience over education: For many employers, it’s hands-on experience and a demonstrated skill set that matter most—not necessarily a specific degree. Suppose you’ve worked in an office setting, for example, and have a strong background in office administration, customer service, or project management. In that case, you may be ready for an office management job without a degree.
Learning on the job: Being an office manager is a job where a lot of the skills you need to have are things that you learn on the job. Suppose you’ve had a lot of experience in different types of offices. In that case, you probably have all the practical knowledge necessary to be a successful office manager.
Professional Certifications: If you don’t hold a college degree, consider pursuing professional certifications in office management or related fields that demonstrate your expertise and commitment to the profession.
Conclusion
What should I study to become an office manager? There is no single answer to this question. The best degree to study will depend on your career plans, your interests, and the requirements of the office management roles you wish to apply for. Several degrees will equip you for an office management career. These include business administration, office administration, human resources management, communications, business technology, and even a liberal arts degree. In addition to a degree, relevant experience or professional certifications can also help you get into this role. Ultimately, the best degree for you will be one that plays to your strengths and helps you acquire the skills you need to manage an office. Take Online Office Ergonomics Training Course Now→