The revised business core will take effect starting fall 2015, as it will add flexibility and distinction to student portfolios, according to the Associate Dean of the Foster College of Business Jason Garrett.
The business core is a set of requirements that students in the Foster College of Business must fulfill to graduate. The core was cut from 56 to 48 hours, six being free electives.
Incoming freshmen and transfer students will automatically be added to the new system, but it is optional for current students.
To transfer into the new system, students must meet with their advisor and fill out a catalog year change form. There are several advantages to the new system, according to Garrett.
“I think [the new business core] will increase four-year graduation rates for our students,” Garrett said. “Having fewer requirements [gives] a little more time to make decisions, so it’s our hope that it will also help with four year graduation rates, which we consider a benefit to our students and to us as a whole.”
Garrett also said the new business core will give students more time to figure out the right major for them.
“I think students who chose to transfer into the new business core will have more flexibility with what kind of program they want to make for themselves and what they want to do after college,” business management and administration major sophomore Lauren Cunningham said. “For me, personally, I want to go into real estate management, so having the flexibility to choose a variety of classes would give me the experience to be able to manage my own company.”
Junior marketing, management and leadership double major Sharon Mozes was a member of the committee that designed the new business core, and she said there was significant effort made for each change.
“We wanted the core to be something that every business major would need,” Mozes said. “[The business core develops] skills that we want students to have and it incorporates a certain depth of knowledge as well as breadth. You get a taste of accounting, you get a taste of marketing and all that, but with increased flexibility, it will allow students to create their own stories through their education.”
Mozes said if students want to double major with the current system, it is very difficult to do. She said some students she knows had to get rid of their double major or turn a major into a minor in order to graduate on time. She said the new system provides students with more flexibility to take the classes they need.
In addition, the six hours of electives are opportunities for business students to differentiate themselves in the job market, according to Garrett.
“We have a very founded principle that we believe every student in this college is an individual, and to make them all take exactly the same classes doesn’t let them express their individuality, and this is really an initiative to get more focus on people being individuals,” Garrett said.
According to Garrett, this change will improve the experience of business students.
There were several advising sessions to inform students of the changes when the new core was first announced. The last informational session will be held Tuesday, March 31 at 12:30 a.m. in Baker B52.
