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The mission of the Department of Business and Communications is to provide experienced, skilled and supportive faculty who offer relevant curricula that will help prepare students to thrive in and face the challenges of an ever-changing world. More specifically, the department strives:

• to prepare students for ethically and socially responsible roles in business, not-for-profit organizations and society in general;
• to develop in students the ability to recognize, analyze, and solve problems;
• to prepare students to speak and present in front of various audiences in an articulate and compelling manner;
• to help students achieve their personal and career goals; and
• to prepare students for entry-level positions in either the private or public sector and/or to prepare students for coursework at the graduate level.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration is designed to work together with the University's liberal arts core curriculum to achieve the following  goals:

• to facilitate students' acquisition of  basic business knowledge in the functional areas of business including, but not limited to, accounting, business law, economics, finance, management, and marketing;
• to facilitate students' acquisition of technical skills and competencies in  quantitative techniques;
• to provide students with the opportunity to focus their business studies by selecting  one of six concentrations: Management, Marketing, Economics, International Business, Sustainable Entrepreneurship or Health Sector Management.
• to provide experiential opportunities, including at least one credit-bearing internship, to hone students' skills and facilitate their career exploration and professional job search;
• to facilitate students' ability to integrate their knowledge of the functional areas of business with their technical skills and competencies and their professional experiences and to apply that knowledge and those skills.

1. Business majors must earn a minimum of a 2.0 GPA ("C") in all Business Core required courses and all business elective courses.
2. Business minors must earn a minimum of a 2.0 GPA ("C") in all four required courses and the two business elective courses.

Accreditation

All degree programs offered by the Department of Business and Communications are accredited by The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).  The Business Administration Degree Program in the Department of Business and Communications  is additionally accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

Department of Business and Communications Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate foundational knowledge in accounting, economics, finance, management, and marketing in application of concepts and theories. 
2. Demonstrate effective skills in written and oral communications using appropriate technologies.
3. Demonstrate an ability to integrate the concepts of the core areas of business.
4. Demonstrate awareness to the importance of the ethical requirements of business activities.
5. Demonstrate an ability to conduct methodological, secondary research into business issues, which may relate to general business or to a specific business function, which requires familiarity with a range of data, research sources and appropriate methodologies.

Concentration Learning Outcomes

The Management Concentration covers the organizational, operational and sales aspects of management, as well as introduces non-profit management techniques.

Upon completing the concentration in Management, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an ability to apply general Management know-how in practical business situations.
2. Develop an understanding of business that reflects the moral responsibility of management to all relevant stakeholders and the natural environment.
3. Understand the nature and dynamics of social behavior relating to organizational performance in order to develop strategies to become effective in organizations.

The Marketing Concentration focuses on developing strategic and tactical marketing skills, including those used in both digital media and global environments.

Upon completing the concentration in Marketing, students will be able to:

1. Develop an understanding of how marketing initiatives by business and not-for-profit organizations impact society and the economy.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the strategic and tactical use of the primary decision making areas of marketing used by organizations.
3. Demonstrate knowledge of traditional and digital channels of distribution.
4. Understand the uses of traditional and digital promotional methods.
5. Understand the strategic importance of global marketing and be able to develop tactics for an organization’s global marketing thrusts.

The Economics Concentration focuses on understanding the impact of the economy on individuals, society and global business development.

Upon completing the concentration in Economics, students will be able to:

1. Develop an understanding of economic thought regarding the incentives.
2. Demonstrate the conditions under which the market allocates resources efficiently and under what conditions it fails to produce socially optimal outcomes.
3. Demonstrate the assumptions and limitations of the neoclassical school of thought reflected in both micro and macroeconomic models.
4. Understand the key concepts in macroeconomic analysis and be able to demonstrate how they are impacted by external events and policy using the Keynesian model.
5. Understand the factors that have determined productivity trends in the history of U.S. economy development with reference to theory and empirical data.

The International Business Concentration focuses on understanding the role that cultural differences, globalization and worldwide trends play in the global marketplace.  A semester abroad is required.

Upon completing the concentration in International Business, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate detailed familiarity with the impact of the global economy on US businesses and organizations, utilizing appropriate terminology and concepts.
2. Demonstrate comprehension of cultural differences in the conduct of business and/or daily life within major global markets during a study abroad experience.
3. Demonstrate global awareness through an understanding of international business concepts and trends and an ability to internationalize domestically developed business methods and practices.

The Sustainable Entrepreneurship Concentration focuses on applying the concepts of sustainability to the creation of a new venture with triple bottom line responsibility and ecological value.

Upon completing the concentration in the Sustainable Entrepreneurship, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding and the application of the concepts of sustainability and sustainable entrepreneurship and distinguish sustainable entrepreneurship from traditional economic entrepreneurship as well as from social entrepreneurship.
2. Evaluate and articulate the rewards and risks of undertaking sustainable entrepreneurship by measuring the economic, social and environmental risks and rewards (triple bottom line) of a new venture and measuring and comparing the short-term economic risks and returns of the venture with the long-term expected benefits.
3. Demonstrate knowledge of the ecological problems facing local and global communities as well as the ability to recognize business opportunities for entrepreneurs that arise as a result of the trend of identifying and resolving those ecological problems; Undertake this demonstration by applying those skills necessary to investigate and evaluate all the various aspects of the business and policy environment that have an impact on sustainable entrepreneurship decisions, including an evaluation of corporate behavior in the context of sustainability.

The Health Sector Management Concentration focuses on understanding how U.S. healthcare policy and systems impact business in the health sector.

Upon completing the concentration in Health Sector Management, students will be able to:

Minor in Business Administration

A student with a major in another department may, with the permission of the Business and Communications Department Chair, minor in Business Administration.

Minor in Economics

A student with a major in another department may, with the permission of the Business and Communications Department Chair, minor in Economics.

Economics Minor Learning Outcomes

1. Develop an understanding of economic thought regarding the incentives faced by individuals and how incentives resolve in real world situations.
2. Demonstrate the conditions under which the market allocates resources efficiently and under what conditions it fails to produce socially optimal outcomes.
3. Demonstrate the assumptions and limitations of the neoclassical school of thought reflected in both micro and macroeconomic models.
4. Understand the key concepts in macroeconomic analysis and be able to demonstrate how they are impacted by external events and policy using the Keynesian model.
5. Understand the factors that have determined productivity trends in the history of U.S. economy development with reference to theory and empirical data.

Management

Marketing

Economics

International Business

Sustainable Entrepreneurship

Health Sector Management

We offer qualified students the option of participating in our and graduating with Honors. This includes significant research, scholarship or creative activity under the direction of a faculty member.

See Undergraduate Admissions.

See Undergraduate Admissions.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fees for subsequent years may vary. Other expenses include books and housing. For more information regarding tuition and fees, please consult the Financial Information section of this catalog.