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New Business degree at Kettering

By Dawn Hibbard

Going global is at the heart of Kettering University’s new undergraduate Business degree program that starts in July. “This is the answer for students who want a broader-based education and have a strong interest in the international world of business,” said Dave Strubler, interim department head.

The new bachelor’s of Business Administration (BBA) degree is structured around an international concentration that requires students to do one of four things: study abroad for a term, take three international cognate classes on campus, master a second language, or minor in International Studies through the Liberal Studies Dept. at Kettering, according to Strubler. In addition to the international concentration in the core curriculum, students can earn a minor outside Business or choose a second concentration from within the department.

“It is exciting for us to bring students into the international arena,” Strubler said. “We developed this degree to follow Kettering’s mission of preparing students for the global economy. We’re breaking the mold with this program,” he added.

Previously, Kettering offered only a more technically-focused bachelor of science degree (the BSBA). Now students can choose between the BBA and the BSBA. All Business majors currently have a choice of seven concentrations: Accounting/Finance, Information Systems, International Business, Human Resource Management, Marketing, General Business and Supply Chain Management.

The new BBA program (the international Business concentration) is open for enrollment beginning with the 2008-09 academic year in July. Students will receive and introduction to general cross-cultural business methodologies, according to Strubler, and then certain areas of study will focus on more specific cross-cultural business practices. One way the program will help prepare students to negotiate and work with multiple cultures is to require them to develop business plans targeted at specific cultures. “It is a very applied approach,” he added.

Another component of the program includes short, faculty-led trips overseas during Kettering zero sections (ten-day to two-week periods between academic terms) that combine business and cultural experiences. Some of the targeted countries include China, Mexico, India and Germany.

The program is also strongly grounded in cooperative education. “We have students working for such varied employers as the FBI, Bosch and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra,” said Strubler.

Students pursuing a BSBA may also earn a concentration or minor in International Business and non-Business students may also minor in Management, Information Technology, or International Business. As an added bonus for Business majors, there is a new scholarship program for Business students transferring to Kettering from a community college. Students must earn 24 credits and carry a 3.2 or 3.5 grade point average to qualify for one of two scholarships.

Building on a strong tradition, the new BBA program will enhance student marketability in the real world, according to Strubler. Kettering has had an accredited Business degree program for more than 50 years. Originally called the Industrial Administration degree, it was the second largest degree program at the University. “We’re still the second largest program,” Strubler said, “with 600 graduates and 300 students earning a minor in Business a year.”

For more information about Kettering’s BBA and BSBA, visit www.kettering.edu/futurestudents/undergraduate/business.jsp.