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Majors
Accounting is often
referred to as "the language of business." It helps students
learn the interaction among individuals, governments, profit and
nonprofit organizations and their relationship to the problem of
efficient allocation of scarce resources in a free market economy.
Accounting provides a solid foundation for a career in business
whether a student desires to enter the public practice of accounting,
serve as a financial executive in industry or government, or start
and operate a business. Career Opportunities: certified public
accountant; internal, independent or government auditor; controller;
internal revenue agent; tax or cost accountant; FBI agent; securities
and exchange commissioner; financial management consultant.
Business Administration and
Management is concerned with setting organizational goals
and formulating procedures to achieve them. To carry out their administrative
roles, managers must handle such duties as preparing and administering
budgets, monitoring operations, formulating policies and procedures,
and motivate and lead subordinates. The BAM major consists of three
tracks that allow students to pursue either general study in business
and management or to specialize in selected areas of management.
The business administration track provides a broad-based study of
management and other disciplines. The entrepreneurship/small business
track enables students to develop skills in working with small firms
and eventually starting small firms of their own. The track in international
management allows students to pursue an interest in the global nature
of today’s business world. Career Opportunities: Administrative
Manager, Facilities Manager, Operations Manager, Production/Project
Manager, Supervisor, Entrepreneur, and Small Business Owner.
Economics is the study
of how people make decisions and how these decisions affect other
people and the overall level of economic activity. From the economic
perspective, the decision maker evaluates the costs and benefits
of any decision before actually choosing the best alternative. Studying
economics helps students develop analytical, quantitative and decision-making
skills and teaches how to analyze data and information as well as
how to think strategically about business decision making. Career
Opportunities: bank examiner; consultant; financial adviser;
manager, sales representative; business, credit, economic, financial,
market research, risk or securities analyst; entrepreneur; graduate
study in business, law or medicine.
The Finance major requires
the choice of one of the following three tracks: finance, insurance/risk
management or financial planning. The finance track is concerned
with financial management of business firms, the operation and functioning
of financial institutions such as banks and insurance companies,
and the investment of funds by institutional investors and individuals.
Increasingly, there is also an international focus to the study
of these activities as financial markets become global in scope.
Business firms, financial institutions, and investment firms all
utilize the talents of individuals with professional training in
finance. The insurance/risk management track includes four areas
of study: employee benefits, commercial property-liability insurance,
risk management and personal financial planning in the life and
health side of the industry. The financial planning track offers
greater understanding of investment principles, employee benefits,
life insurance, and tax planning. Students in this track are urged
to also take two modules in VCU’s Financial Planning Certificate
Program, in financial planning and estate planning. A grade of "C"
or better in these two modules and the track’s major requirements
will earn the student a Certificate of Completion in Financial Planning
from VCU (in addition to the BS degree), and permit the student
to sit for the examination that is required to become a Certified
Financial Planner (CFP). Career Opportunities: financial
manager; commercial loan officer; credit analyst; retail banker;
stockbroker; security analyst; mortgage banker; investment banker;
bank examiner; financial planner; corporate risk manager; insurance
broker; employee benefit specialist; employee benefit consultant;
personal financial planner; insurance underwriter (property-casualty),
and claims adjuster.
Financial Technology A
related degree of interest to students with strong quantitative
backgrounds and interests is the new Bachelor o Science in Financial
Technology. Students in this program take several math/stat courses,
courses in programming and information systems, and at least seven
finance courses. Career Opportunities: Trading, managing,
marketing derivative instruments and securities, hedging and financial
risk management, asset allocation and investment management, quantitative
trading and arbitrage, asset/liability management, quantitative
applications in corporate and public financial policy, modeling
and forecasting financial markets, or computer and information
technology in the financial services industry. Many students will
want to extend their education by enrolling in a masters program
in financial engineering, mathematical finance, computational finance,
etc., or even pursuing
a Ph.D. in finance.
Human Resource Management is a major functional area of all businesses and
includes employee recruitment and selection, training and development,
employee relations, compensation and benefits, performance evaluation
and human resource planning. The human resource management major provides students with a broad overview of the educational
and professional aspects of human resource management. Career
Opportunities: compensation analyst; employment benefits specialist;
personnel assistant or manager; (small organization); employment
recruiter, employment interviewer; training and development specialist.
Information Systems
refers to the effective integration of computing resources to support
the planning, analysis, operations and decision making in business
organizations. The information systems curriculum prepares students
for professional careers in the rapidly expanding field of computer-based
business systems. Career Opportunities: computer programmer;
database or system analyst; applications designer; network administrator;
systems consultant; information systems manager; hardware or software
sales representative.
Marketing
is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing,
promotion, and delivery of ideas, goods, and services. The curriculum
prepares students to study household and business consumers’
wants and needs in order to support the development of business
strategies and marketing tactics to satisfy consumers. Career
Opportunities: product or supply chain manager; customer service
manager, advertising account executive; media or retail buyer; retail
store manager; e-commerce director; marketing research specialist;
project or international marketing manager.
Real
Estate and Land Development involves understanding
the effects of interrelated land use activities and how these activities
are best developed, coordinated, analyzed, financed, and marketed.
The curriculum integrates studies with actual contemporary real
estate and urban land development issues. Career Opportunities:
real estate broker; land developer; real estate appraiser; property,
construction or corporate asset manager; mortgage lender.
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