Business Administration

Business Administration

at a glance

Major icon MAJOR Minor icon MINOR

The Business Administration major at AMU gives you the opportunity to achieve business excellence and develop ethical leadership skills from a truly Catholic perspective. This major is rooted in our Core Curriculum, so you’ll build a strong foundation in human and societal behavior that will give meaning and power to the tools and techniques you’ll receive.

Careers: Sales, Analysis, Business Management, Accounting, Law, Graduate Studies

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SUCCEED IN LIFE AND BUSINESS

Our Business Administration program combines broad education and specialized business knowledge to help you find meaningful work after graduation or progress to more advanced business studies. You’ll benefit from our small class sizes, professors with real-world business experience, and access to mentorships, internships and career opportunities.

light bulbFast Fact: This degree is available fully online!

business administration handshake skills you will gain

Skills you will gain with

A Business Administration DEGREE

  1. Interpersonal skills. Learn how to effectively communicate your ideas to your colleagues and connect on a personal level with clients or customers. Develop the confidence to overcome obstacles and keep everyone focused on the endgame.
  2. Research and critical thinking skills. Master problem-solving skills that will help you meet the challenges of running a business. Learn from the great business minds of the past and apply their insights to take your business to the next level.
  3. A theological perspective. Business is not just about making money; it’s about exercising the creative power God has given us. Learn what God has to say about money and work while integrating your business ventures with your spiritual life.
business administration handshake skills you will gain

CAREER PATHS

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A look into the

Business Administration Program

The Business Administration program seeks to make it possible for students to master the requirements – in broad education and in specialized knowledge – to find immediately meaningful work and/or to attend critically a graduate business school program. Basic tools and concepts, theories, and analytical techniques are readily learned. What is harder to imitate – and, therefore, more valuable in the business environment – are communication and interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to weave together and make use of different kinds of knowledge. The Business Administration program intends to open to students the possibility to internalize those skills and ability through an uncompromisingly excellent classroom teaching that emphasizes the integration of the business disciplines and prudential decision making.

Business Administration addresses the complex phenomenon of acting persons engaged in business transactions. Decisions made during those business transactions are always based on value judgments that rely upon non-systematic information available and upon the purpose of the inter-acting persons. The personal characteristics of the business person, the individual knowledge, skills and abilities are precisely what makes the difference between good and bad decisions. The acquired habit of weighing the qualitative and quantitative factors involved in the business oriented personal interaction is the cornerstone of the business craft.

Students intending to major in Business Administration will proceed through the normal sequence of the Core Curriculum. The program in Business Administration holds the conviction that students need a broad foundation in the moral dimension of human history, activity, and political life in order to carry out successfully the practice of business. The Core thus serves as the necessary foundation for the major in Business Administration.

Kevin Govern, LL.M.

Adjunct Instructor of Business

Education: B.S., History and German, Marquette University; J.D., Law, Marquette University Law School; LL.M., International and Comparative Law, The Judge Advocate General’s School, U.S. Army; LL.M., International and Comparative Law, University of Notre Dame
Email: kevin.govern@avemaria.edu

Mary Hunt, Ph.D. (candidate)

Assistant Professor of Business & Psychology

Mary HuntEducation: B.A., Political Science & Spanish, Wellesley College; M.B.A., Marketing, Washington University; M.S., Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology; Ph.D. (candidate), Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology
Office: Henkels 2030
Email: mary.hunt@avemaria.edu
Phone: (239) 304-7128

MAGDOLEEN IERLAN, PH.D.

Adjunct Instructor of Business

Education: B.S., Business Administration, Le Moyne College; M.B.A., Business, Le Moyne College; Ph.D., Marketing, State University of New York
Email: magdoleen.ierlan@avemaria.edu

TIMOTHY IIJIMA, PH.D.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF BUSINESS & FINANCE

TJ IijimaEducation: B.A., Economics, Wheaton College; M.A., Economics, Washington University; Ph.D., Economics, Washington University
Office: Henkels 3067
Email: timothy.iijima@avemaria.edu
Phone: (239) 304-7923

John May, M.B.A.

Chair of the Business Department, Executive-in-Residence

John MayEducation: B.S., Bacteriology, University of Maine; M.B.A., University of Maine
Office: Henkels 2020
Email: john.may@avemaria.edu
Phone: (239) 280-1652

 

Davor Pranjic, M.A.

Adjunct Instructor of Business

Davor PranjicEducation: B.B.A., International Business, Schiller International University; M.A., Economics, University of South Florida
Email: davor.pranjic@avemaria.edu

Marcia Nawrocki-Verburgt, J.D., LL.M.

Professor of Business Law

Peter Whalen, Ph.D.

Ungarino Associate Professor of Marketing and Entrepreneurship

Education: B.S., Marketing, Florida State University; M.B.A., Business Administration, Saint Louis University; Ph.D., Marketing, University of Oregon
Office: Henkels 2046
Email: peter.whalen@avemaria.edu
Phone: (239) 280-1694

Typical Order of Required Courses for the Major

  • BUSN 201 Principled Entrepreneurship
  • ACCT 201 Financial Accounting
  • ACCT 202 Managerial Accounting
  • ECON 201 Principles of Macroeconomics
  • ECON 202 Principles of Microeconomics
  • STAT 230 Applied Statistics
  • FINC 201 Fundamentals of Finance
  • MKTG 200 Marketing
  • BUSN 303 Management and Ethics
  • BUSN 340 Business Law I
  • BUSN 368 Quantitative Business Analysis
  • BUSN 490 Strategic Management/Business Capstone
Click the button to view our typical 4-year plan.
  1. Our alumni work in all areas of business: analysis, sales, consulting, management, logistics, accounting, information systems, sports, healthcare.  Many have gone on to graduate study in business, law, and other areas.
  2. We offer a Major and a Minor in Business Administration, a Major and a Minor in Accounting, a Major in Finance, and a Major in Global Affairs and International Business.
  3. We have a close relationship with the Career Services Department.  Jointly we run a Corporate Internship program, through which students are placed in internships that are overseen by our faculty.
  4. Our professors have multiple, advanced degrees in management, accounting, finance, economics, taxation, and law.
  5. The top 20% of business juniors and seniors are qualified for membership in Sigma Beta Delta, the business honor society.

INTERNSHIPS:
Ave Maria University is fortunate to be connected to a strong, nationally-recognized network of business managers and CEOs who are looking for the skills and the virtues that characterize Ave Maria students.  We are very active in developing our students’ career potential, connecting them with suitable internships, and ensuring their success.

CAREERS:
Business administration majors are highly employable.  The best projections suggest strong growth in both pay and availability of jobs in business.  Business majors work as market research analysts, operation research analysts, accountants, financial advisors, business operations managers, marketing or financial managers, event planners, compliance officers, human resources managers, sales managers, insurance agents, loan officers, etc., in every industry and walk of life.

There is strong competition for good positions in business.  To be competitive, the best business majors distinguish themselves with academic excellence, a second major in a complementary field, internship experience, excellent personal skills, analytical ability, courage, responsibility, moderation, and judgment.

AFFILIATIONS:
The Business Honor Society Sigma Beta Delta has a chapter at Ave Maria University, to which the top twenty percent of juniors and seniors are admitted.

  • ECON 201 Principles of Macroeconomics
  • ECON 202 Principles of Microeconomics
  • ACCT 201 Financial Accounting
  • BUSN 303 Management and Ethics
  • 2 Business Electives

More to help you

ON YOUR JOURNEY

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CAREER SERVICES

Career Services prides itself on providing students, alumni and employers with the opportunity to connect. No matter where you are in your career search, whether it’s deciding on a path, preparing for your first job interview or working on graduate school or fellowship applications, we can help.

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Catholic Culture

The spiritual life on campus is the beating heart of Ave. Whether it’s attending Mass, receiving the sacraments, participating in retreats or getting spiritual direction, you’ll find the spiritual support you need from the priests and staff of Campus Ministry.

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CORE CURRICULUM

With AMU’s core curriculum, you’ll not only achieve breadth of knowledge, but also depth of knowledge. You’ll encounter the truth about God and His creation more completely through the dynamic interplay of all of the liberal arts, including theology and natural science.

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Sunny skies, warm temperatures, a beautiful campus. What more could you want? How about a community-like atmosphere, quality instructors who care about your success, a wealth of spiritual activities, expert career guidance… and that’s only the beginning. Imagine your future at AMU. It all starts by filling out our free application today.

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