One of the most common reasons people complete a postgraduate degree is to improve their career opportunities and increase their earning potential.
Whether you’re looking to develop new skills to move up the ladder or transition into a new industry, there’s no doubt a postgraduate qualification can help you reach new career goals. For inspiration, we’ve collated some of the best paying careers in business and the postgraduate degrees to study to support your career growth.
Not quite ready for postgraduate studies yet? We’ve also included the undergraduate programs you can study to get your foot in the door and work your way up to these highest paying careers in business, economics and finance.
Best paying business careers in finance
- Financial Investment Manager - $3,406 per week
- Stockbroker - $2,874 per week
- Equities Analyst, and other financial dealers - $2,677 per week
- Financial market dealer - $2,632 per week
- Investment broker, and other financial brokers - $2,517 per week.
Source: Your Career, 2025. About this data: Estimated wages are median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate, before tax, including amounts salary sacrificed.
Future demand
Many of the top paying business careers are in the financial and insurance service sector. And with predictions of strong future demand for finance and investment managers, now’s the time to explore whether a career in this industry is for you. Employment growth for these roles in Australia is predicted to be 13.3% by 2028 and 22.3% by 2033 (Jobs and Skills Australia, 2024).
What to study
According to Your Career, most workers in the financial and insurance services industry hold degrees and qualifications. You could study one of the following programs to increase your chances of qualifying for these roles. Each program will help you develop specialist skills in your field of choice.
- Master of Commerce: suitable for those without prior expertise in this field, this program equips you with knowledge in applied finance, professional accounting and information systems.
- Master of Finance and Investment Management: a specialist program that enhances your expertise and prepares you to apply best practice across a wide range of industries.
- Master of International Economics and Finance: combines 2 distinct fields to diversify your skillset and boost you career opportunities across the world stage.
If you’re just starting out in your career, you can begin preparing for these roles by studying a Bachelor of Advanced Finance and Economics (Honours), Bachelor of Commerce or Bachelor of Advanced Business (Honours).
Generalist business careers that pay well
- Chief Information Officer $2,353 per week
- Policy and Planning Manager $2,169 per week
- Procurement Manager $2,097 per week
- Human Resource Manager $2,002 per week.
Source: Your Career, 2025. About this data: Estimated wages are median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate, before tax, including amounts salary sacrificed.
Future demand
Generalist business careers allow you to utilise transferable skills to work in many different industries and access a wide range of employment opportunities. The demand for high-paying generalist business careers including chief executives, general managers and legislators is predicted to increase by 7.5% in the next 5 years to 2028, with continued growth until 2033 (Jobs and Skills Australia).
What you’ll do
What each of these roles have in common is their focus on high-level planning, organisation and coordination tasks. As a chief information officer, you’ll be responsible for ensuring an organisation’s ICT infrastructure supports efficient operations and priorities. As a manager of policy and planning, procurement or human resources, you’ll be responsible for managing these aspects of an organisation’s operations.
What to study
Increase your chances of qualifying for these roles by studying one of the following programs, which can equip you with a broad understanding of business fundamentals.
- Master of Business: choose to complete up to 2 specialist fields of study from 9 diverse options including Human Resource Management, Organisational Sustainability, Information Systems and Supply Chain Management.
- Master of Business Administration (MBA): prepare for senior executive and decision-making roles, with in-built opportunities to customise your learning to your goals through electives including Strategic Human Resources Management and more.
If you’re just starting out in your career, you can begin preparing for these future roles by studying a Bachelor of Business Management or Bachelor of Advanced Business (Honours).
Other specialist economics and business careers that pay well
- Economist $2,183 per week
- Systems Analyst $1,989 per week
- ICT Business Analyst $1,980 per week.
Source: Your Career, 2025. About this data: Estimated wages are median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate, before tax, including amounts salary sacrificed.
Future demand
The expected demand for specialist managers and similar high-paying specialist roles like these is predicted to grow by 11.1% by 2028 and 19.5% by 2033 (Jobs and Skills Australia, 2025).
What you’ll do
As an economist, you’ll conduct research, analyse data and develop and test theories to provide advice to organisations and governments. Business and systems analysts evaluate and suggest improvements to business systems and work with users to identify solutions to challenges.
What to study
If you want to pursue high-paying analyst roles, the following programs can help prepare you for this career move.
- Master of Business Analytics: learn how to interpret analytics for social, cultural and environmental business opportunities.
- Master of Commerce: major in Applied Finance, Information Systems and Professional Accounting.
- Master of Business: major in Advertising, Human Resource Management, Information Systems, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, International Business, Law for Business, Leadership, Marketing, Organisational Sustainability and Supply Chain Management.
If becoming an economist is more aligned to your interests, the programs below can help you gain advanced knowledge and specialist expertise in this area.
- Master of Economics: major in Applied Econometrics, Economics and Public Policy and Health Economics.
- Master of International Economics and Finance: develop critical expertise in various economic models and concepts, financial markets, international trade and investment, and consumer behaviour.
If you’re just starting out in your career, you can prepare for a future as an analyst by studying a bachelor’s degree in commerce, business management or advanced finance and economics. If you’re more interested in economics, you could study a Bachelor of Economics or Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics (Honours).
Top paying business careers: things to consider
For many of the high paying careers in business we’ve listed, your earnings can vary depending on if you work in government, the corporate world or small business. There may also be opportunities to bump up your salary with bonuses, particularly if you work in the private sector.
However, as you’re thinking about what your dream career might look like, remember that earning a high income shouldn’t be the only factor you should consider.
For example, it’s also important to think about what your ideal work life balance looks like and whether your chosen career will be personally and professionally fulfilling. Some of the most senior, top paying business careers in this list will likely require you to complete additional working hours than other careers to cover the high level and scope of responsibility.
It’s also worth noting you may be able to achieve some of the best paying business careers without formal qualifications if you have extensive experience in the industry. However, having a postgraduate qualification can improve your chances of landing one of these high-paying roles sooner, and ensure you thrive when you get there.
Explore the diverse range of business, economics and finance postgraduate programs available to study at UQ.
About the data in this article
We used Jobs and Skills Australia, Your Career and Seek.com to collate this list of high paying careers in business. Data may vary slightly between sources and over time. Visit these websites for the most up-to-date information and to learn more about the careers listed.
