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Dual Concentration

Overview

Since many careers use knowledge drawn from several areas, students who are interested in more than one field of concentration can choose to pursue a dual field of concentration.

Career Options

The career options available to students who pursue a dual field of concentration depend on the two fields that the student chooses to combine. All of the fields can be pursued as part of a dual field depending on the student’s interests and career goals. For example, students have received a Dual Field of Concentration in: International Business and Sport, Event, and Hospitality Management in order to work in international tourism; Marketing and Information Systems in order to pursue a career in E-marketing; and Business, Economics, and Public Policy and Marketing in order to pursue a career in public relations.

Program of Study

The program of study for a student pursuing a dual field of concentration varies according to the fields the student combines. The student will complete the four primary field courses for both fields of concentration in addition to one or two Field-Related Electives. The student should be aware that pursuing a dual field of concentration requires at least nine credit hours beyond the 120 credit hours required to graduate with a single field of concentration; it can require 15 additional credit hours. Students should also keep in mind that certain classes that were applied to their program as unrestricted electives when they were pursuing a single field may no longer apply towards their program if they pursue a dual field of concentration. If this is the case, the student will be required to take additional courses.

In order to declare a dual field of concentration, the student must obtain a Dual Field of Concentration Application from The Advising Center (Duquès 456 ). The student will be required to choose the Analytical Tools Elective and Field Tools Elective shared by the two fields. If the two fields do not share a Field Tools Elective, the student will be required to take a Field Tools Elective for both fields. When this is the case, the student must choose at least one Field Tools Elective that is considered a non-business course, such as a course in communications, philosophy, political science, public administration, psychology, or sociology. The student will then select the four core field courses for each field as they are described in the field packet.

After selecting the four core courses for both their fields of concentration, students must select a Field-Related Elective. The Field-Related Elective must be related to both fields of concentration but cannot be within the fields themselves. For example, students pursuing a dual field in Finance and International Business could choose a relevant economics course to fulfill this requirement, but they could not use a Finance or International Business course even if that course was not one of their core courses. Once students have chosen a Field-Related Elective, they must have the Dual Field of Concentration Application signed by a faculty member in each department. If the Field-Related Elective is not approved by both departments, the student must complete a Field-Related Elective for both of the fields. If students are required to take two Field-Related Electives, they must also take another upper-level non-business elective; this will raise the total number of credits required for the degree to 135 credit hours.

On rare occasions, students may be required to take additional non-business electives in order to complete a dual field of concentration. Students who are pursuing a single field of concentration have two upper-level unrestricted electives (electives which could be fulfilled with either business or non-business courses). When a student declares a dual field of concentration, one of those unrestricted electives becomes a field course and the other becomes a non-business elective. If students have taken other business courses that are not within the fields they ultimately pursue but have previously been used in their program as unrestricted electives, those courses will no longer count towards their graduation requirements. Students should also remember that certain computer science, economics, mathematics, and statistics courses are considered business courses; if a course has been used as an unrestricted elective and the student is unsure whether it is considered business or non-business, the student should check with an academic advisor.

Course Guidelines

See Academic Advisor for course guidelines.