Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations programs in Illinois
37 schools in Illinois teach this, at certificate or associate level. 1 of them reports what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $31,581 at Southwestern Illinois College.
What this work pays in Illinois
General and Operations Managers in Illinois earn a median of $103,570 a year across 171,300 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Managers, All Other | $140,240 | 31,680 |
| Chief Executives | $331,920 | 4,620 |
| Business Teachers, Postsecondary | $94,770 | 3,580 |
| Personal Service Managers, All Other | $63,500 | 100 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwestern Illinois College Belleville | Associate's degree | — | $31,581 (17 grads) | 11 |
| Black Hawk College Moline | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Carl Sandburg College Galesburg | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| College of DuPage Glen Ellyn | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 3 |
| College of Lake County Grayslake | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 6 |
| College of Lake County Grayslake | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Danville Area Community College Danville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 6 |
| Elgin Community College Elgin | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 4 |
| Elgin Community College Elgin | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Generations College Chicago | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Heartland Community College Normal | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 4 |
| Illinois Central College East Peoria | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 4 |
| Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Olney | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Joliet Junior College Joliet | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 16 |
| Judson University Elgin | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 8 |
| Kaskaskia College Centralia | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Lake Land College Mattoon | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 14 |
| Lewis and Clark Community College Godfrey | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| McHenry County College Crystal Lake | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 5 |
| Millikin University Decatur | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Northwestern University Evanston | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Parkland College Champaign | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 23 |
| Prairie State College Chicago Heights | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 4 |
| Richland Community College Decatur | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 6 |
| Rock Valley College Rockford | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Sauk Valley Community College Dixon | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 7 |
| South Suburban College South Holland | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| South Suburban College South Holland | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Southwestern Illinois College Belleville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 10 |
| Spoon River College Canton | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Spoon River College Canton | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Triton College River Grove | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 4 |
| University of St Francis Joliet | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| William Rainey Harper College Palatine | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 4 |
| William Rainey Harper College Palatine | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.