Business Administration

Associate Dean: Suzanne Wilhelm
Email: wilhelm_s@fortlewis.edu
Advising Coordinator: See School of Business Administration website

The Business Administration degree program, which includes six options (listed below), is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB). The Business Administration degree program is one of four degree programs offered in the School of Business Administration.

Business Administration Option , sometimes referred to as “general business,” provides a broad base of knowledge for beginning a business career. It enables maximum flexibility in career choice and change throughout one’s career. Students develop a basic understanding of the social, legal, and economic environments of business, including an introduction to international business, organizational behavior, the principles of leadership and organization theory, the quantitative tools of decision-making, and the functional areas of the firm.

Students work with assigned advisors to select elective courses that enhance their particular interest. Emphasis is placed on developing a general background with a well-balanced understanding of business. This program provides a sound undergraduate education for entrance into a professional career or graduate school.

Engineering Management Option prepares students who can integrate management skills with engineering skills to solve complex problems in an increasingly technical world. It is designed to prepare students for entry-level engineering-related jobs and to be able to move rapidly into supervisory/management positions.

Finance Option focuses on those financial activities that affect business, government, and not-for-profit organizations. Students will be introduced to financial planning and management as they pertain to organizations, to the function of both capital and money markets, and to fund raising in these markets.

Financial theory and practice have changed rapidly in the past 20 years and will probably continue to change at least as rapidly in the immediate future. Therefore, students will be introduced to this constantly evolving theory of finance so that they will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of a firm’s financing decisions and investments. Students also become familiar with the analytical techniques that can be used to seek solutions to a wide range of financial problems.

International Business Option prepares students to enter the exciting and rapidly growing world of international business. Increasingly, businesses find that suppliers and customers may come from anywhere in the world. To better prepare students for a future career in business that will likely require some international proficiency, students in this option take courses to gain competency in at least one foreign language, a cultural and political understanding of the region of the world where that language is dominant, and those special business skills needed to operate effectively in the international environment.

Management Option prepares students for responsible supervisory and management positions in all types of organizations: business, government, and not-for-profit. Students become familiar with the opportunities and processes of management as they develop skills in planning, organizing, leading, and controlling.

Students in management are introduced to the process of acquiring and using financial, human and physical resources in the pursuit of organizational objectives. Interpersonal relations, leadership, and decision-making are emphasized.

Tourism and Hospitality Management Option provides a general understanding of the management challenges and organizational practices of a complex and diverse industry. The use of analytical tools and techniques for decision making, the development of the capacity for critical thought and leadership, and the ability to work with others will be significantly improved by interaction with regional companies through field projects in most courses and a required work experience.

Recent decades have witnessed the phenomenal growth of service industries. The service sector of the economy now accounts for most of the job opportunities. In this region of the country the leading service industry is the tourism and hospitality industry. This industry will continue to grow and serve national and international markets. As it does, it will need future leaders and managers with better education and broader perspectives. The Tourism and Hospitality Management option addresses this need.

School of Business Administration: Click here for more information

Major in Business Administration and Options

Business Administration Major - Business Administration Option

Business Administration Major - Engineering Management Option

Business Administration Major - Finance Option

Business Administration Major - International Business Option

Business Administration Major - Management Option

Business Administration Major - Tourism and Hospitality Management Option

Minors

Business Administration Minor

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Management Minor