Concentrations

Business Economics and Public Policy

The Business Economics and Public Policy field is concerned with the continuing business-government dialogue that leads to effective decision-making and equitable relations between the private and public sectors of society. The economic and social foundations of government programs and regulatory activity are studied to establish a basis for developing and evaluating effective business responses.

The field is designed to develop understanding and skills useful for a wide variety of positions in business, public and not-for-profit organizations. Students deepen their understanding of the social and legal environment that influence business and its relationships with government at all levels. Students also receive strong in-depth training in micro- and macroeconomic analysis. This key element of the field prepares students to perform rigorous and sophisticated analyses of the economic impacts of policy decisions on public, private, and not-for-profit organizations.

The field is also designed to ensure that students understand the workings of political systems and institutions, particularly the U.S. federal government. This understanding includes recognizing not only what government can do and achieve but also the limits of its power and the role of private interests in driving political decision making in Congress and in the agencies.

Finance

The BBA with a concentration in Finance provides undergraduate students with the analytical tools and conceptual framework needed to evaluate financial transactions and firms and make financial decisions. The academic program allows students to understand finance from three interrelated perspectives:

1) financial management related to capital budgeting, financial structure, financial analysis, working capital management, and dividend policy;

2) investment and portfolio management related to the valuation of stocks, bonds, and derivative contracts and the construction of efficient portfolios; and

3) the money and capital market related to the issuance and investment in financial instruments by banking organizations with emphasis on the consequence of interest rates and interest rate structure on valuation and risk.

Information Systems

The BBA with a concentration in Information Systems enables undergraduate students to acquire an excellent understanding of all of the components of information technology (IT), and to obtain the skills and knowledge of analytical methods needed to design and develop the information systems (IS) that are indispensable to businesses. The IT overview covers areas ranging from computer hardware/software to data communications (including the Internet and the World Wide Web) to data management. Students also learn about and have hands-on experience in the structured development of information systems, programming, database design, and other techniques needed in order to successfully design and develop information systems. These IS/IT-specific skills and knowledge, coupled with an understanding of the other aspects of business acquired in the BBA, give students a competitive start in this “information age.“

International Business

The BBA with a concentration in International Business provides undergraduates with the analytical tools and conceptual framework needed to understand the international financial, political, and economic environment, how that environment influences a firm’s strategy and performance, how culture plays a role in guiding a firm’s strategic activities, and how a firm can leverage home and host country resources to overcome challenges inherent in managing a multinational enterprise. The academic program allows students to understand international business from three interrelated perspectives: international economics and finance, international marketing, and international corporate strategy.

Marketing

The BBA with a concentration in Marketing provides undergraduate students with the analytical and technical tools, as well as a strong conceptual framework, needed to understand consumer and organizational buying behavior and strategic marketing processes. These processes include market research, segmentation, targeting, positioning, integrated marketing communications, and relationship building. Students will develop competencies and skills in: identifying customer needs and wants; making decisions about which markets organizations should serve; designing product, service and program offerings for these markets; planning and implementing strategies to communicate with and sell to these markets; and creating value through profitable relationships with customers as well as channel partners, suppliers, and other stakeholders.

Sport, Event and Hospitality Management

This field, formerly Tourism and Hospitality Management, provides students with a theoretical and practical understanding of the sport, event, and hospitality industries. It prepares students to work in the management and marketing of sport events, organizations, products, and athletes as well as in special events, expositions, festivals, and other entertainment properties. Those focused on hospitality will learn about the marketing, management, and financing of both tourism destinations and those businesses that are related to tourism, including cities, attractions, hotels, restaurants, and airlines.

Individualized Field of Study

The purpose of the individualized field of concentration is to equip students with the skills necessary to pursue a clear career objective that falls outside of the seven standard fields of concentration. Most career objectives can be easily met by pursuing one of seven standard fields within the business school. If this is the case, pursuing an individualized field of study is not recommended. When career goals cannot be accommodated by one of the standard fields, an individualized field of concentration can be considered.

Dual Field of Concentration

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.