Not long ago, the world's major colleges and universities that offered undergraduate business degrees were top heavy with students who majored in the old-line disciplines, like marketing, accounting, management, and finance. Those four have morphed and broken into multiple sub-categories that represent the digital age and take into account a global marketplace. If you're thinking about heading back to school for a masters or bachelor's degree, or are attending college for the first time, you might have decided to apply for private student loan packages.

That makes sense, especially in a rapidly changing education environment where you can take classes from home, get online degrees in a year or two, and enter the workforce as soon as you graduate. The benefits of private student loans include competitive interest rates, commonsense repayment periods, and the ability to borrow enough to cover all your education expenses. Before you decide on your major area of study, consider the following options that are currently among the most popular choices among new and returning undergraduate and graduate students.

Management Analysis

The modern-day management analyst is a combination of consulting and about a half dozen other troubleshooting skill sets. If you have an interest in computer technology and how it interacts with decision making, you'll likely be a good fit for this major. Many of your courses will be hands-on projects that teach you how to assist company owners with chores like starting operations, running day to day offices, creating mission statements, coordinating separate departments, project administration, and making long-term budgets. In a sense, you'll have to get your hands dirty and figure out how to temporarily take the reins of someone else's enterprise and show them how to run it. If you already have an undergraduate degree, consider specializing in management analysis while pursuing an MBA. In less than two years, you'll acquire enough skills to work as a sole proprietor or contribute to a corporate service that offers an entire suite of consultancy services.

E-Commerce

E-commerce as a field of formal academic study is no longer the new kid on the block, but it's still in a high-growth phase. Besides, many universities' undergraduate and master's programs are now adding entire curricula that focus on this IT-based subject area. To succeed in this major, you'll need to be at ease with programming languages, have solid marketing skills, possess a wide range of business administration acumen, and have well-developed communications skills.

International Trade

Long a sub-set of typical business fields of study, international-focused coursework within a standard business degree is now quite common. Nearly every large college and university system includes something they often call global business in their catalogs. Not long ago, most of these cross-cultural degrees combined management, marketing, finance, accounting, and foreign language study. Now, most of the language requirements have been dropped in favor of more multi-country economic study. A number of MBA programs offer a variant of the standard degree called the international MBA. Most include at least one semester of study in a foreign nation, often the U.K., Australia, Japan, South Korea, or Mexico, to help you hone your skills in on the ground leadership and contract negotiation.

Entrepreneurship

If the idea of helping others do the heavy lifting that goes with starting their own companies, this sub-category with MBA and undergraduate biz degrees might be your ideal academic track. You'll take classes in law, taxation, local regulatory systems, raising funds, making realistic budgets, and dozens of other diverse skills that entrepreneurs need to make the grade in a competitive economy. Marketing analysis, sales skills, and advertising campaign creation is another key part of this academic curriculum. While in college, do intern work with local firms that need help getting their doors opened.

Taxation

Particularly at the graduate level, the taxation specialty is a fast-growing niche that attracts student who already have undergrad degrees in accounting and finance. As a straight college degree, taxation is sometimes folded into accounting and finance coursework to build sort of a triple major that carries a focus on all this tax related. If you have dreams of law school or an MBA, taxation can be the perfect prelude because few possess both the ability and desire to pursue highly technical subjects that aren't the most glamorous of the academic world. However, the financial rewards are proven and with a solid resume in this area you'll never be out of work. Summer intern work at a CPA firm or tax-prep service are the perfect resume enhancer for candidates in this field. Another plus is the diverse career paths that open up, like those in law, accountancy, and consulting.