# General and Operations Managers

> Plan, direct, or coordinate the operations of public or private sector organizations, overseeing multiple departments or locations. Duties and responsibilities include formulating policies, managing daily operations, and planning the use of materials and human resources, but are too diverse and general in nature to be classified in any one functional area of management or administration, such as personnel, purchasing, or administrative services. Usually manage through subordinate supervisors. Excludes First-Line Supervisors.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/general-and-operations-managers
- SOC code: 11-1021.00
- Career family: Management
- Median annual pay: $105,770 (10th percentile $50,090, 90th percentile $253,390)
- Projected growth: Faster than average, +5.0%
- Openings a year: 285,000
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code ECS)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 20 |
| Investigative (I) | 23 |
| Artistic (A) | 5 |
| Social (S) | 40 |
| Enterprising (E) | 100 |
| Conventional (C) | 72 |

## What you'd do

- Working with Computers (importance 87/100)
- Getting Information (importance 86/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 84/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 83/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 82/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 81/100)
- Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates (importance 80/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 80/100)
- Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People (importance 78/100)
- Processing Information (importance 77/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Management of Personnel Resources, Social Perceptiveness, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving

## Knowledge

Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Production and Processing, Mathematics, Personnel and Human Resources, Administrative, Economics and Accounting, Sales and Marketing, Engineering and Technology

## Also called

Area Manager, Boards and Commissions Director, Business Coordinator, Business Manager, Center Manager, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Corporate Manager, Department Manager, Department Store General Manager (Dept Store GM), Department Store Manager (Dept Store Manager)

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Business Administration, Management and Operations](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5202) (CIP 5202, 2,372 colleges)
- [Business/Commerce, General](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5201) (CIP 5201, 975 colleges)
- [Finance and Financial Management Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5208) (CIP 5208, 924 colleges)
- [Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5207) (CIP 5207, 919 colleges)
- [Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5213) (CIP 5213, 631 colleges)
- [International Business](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5211) (CIP 5211, 569 colleges)
- [Public Administration](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4404) (CIP 4404, 482 colleges)
- [Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/3103) (CIP 3103, 169 colleges)
- Veterinary Administrative Services (CIP 0182, 3 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Washington University in St Louis WUSTL](https://www.collegesref.com/college/washington-university-in-st-louis-wustl-3172) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $108,590 | $185,551 | $20,750 |
| [Carnegie Mellon University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/carnegie-mellon-university-406) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $97,419 | $160,783 | $19,000 |
| [University of Notre Dame-South Bend IN](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-notre-dame-south-bend-in-3005) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $141,543 | $160,313 | $19,500 |
| [Georgetown University-DC](https://www.collegesref.com/college/georgetown-university-dc-1068) | International Business | not reported | $159,452 | $13,500 |
| [New York University NYU](https://www.collegesref.com/college/new-york-university-nyu-1866) | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $111,101 | $158,559 | $13,250 |
| [University of Pennsylvania UPENN](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-pennsylvania-upenn-3009) | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $125,147 | $153,279 | $11,250 |
| [Boston College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/boston-college-285) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $92,127 | $147,746 | $18,650 |
| [Wake Forest University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/wake-forest-university-3149) | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | not reported | $146,608 | not reported |

## Related careers

- [Chief Executives](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/chief-executives): $213,990 median pay
- [Administrative Services Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/administrative-services-managers): $114,130 median pay
- [Industrial Production Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/industrial-production-managers): $126,060 median pay
- [First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/first-line-supervisors-of-non-retail-sales-workers): $87,520 median pay
- [Facilities Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/facilities-managers): $106,660 median pay
- [Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/transportation-storage-and-distribution-managers): $107,230 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.