Clarkson University to Launch New Business Administration Program

• Clarkson University in New York will launch a bachelor of science in business administration program, school officials announced.
• The 120-credit-hour degree will include a wide range of elective courses to allow students a customized education.
• School officials said the degree will also prepare students to start and run their own ventures.
• The new degree announcement comes after school trustees voted to cut the university's School of Arts & Sciences late last year, axing its majors in the humanities.

With demand for managers continuing to increase, another school is adding a bachelor of business administration (BBA) program to its offerings.

Clarkson University, a private New York university, announced a new bachelor of science in business administration. That degree program will be highly customizable for students, who will be able to select from various elective courses rather than follow a highly specific track, according to a press release from the school.

Electives range from traditional business disciplines like accounting and finance to emerging information systems and more.

The 120-credit-hour degree program includes:

• 33 credit hours of general courses including two mathematics courses, two science courses, five "knowledge area" courses, and a technology course
• 42 credit hours of core business coursework
• 45 elective credits, including 18 focused on business and professional electives

Bebonchu Atems, interim dean of Clarkson's David D. Reh School of Business, said the degree program will also include instruction to help students start their own ventures.

"The new Business Administration degree affords our students the opportunity to choose classes they find valuable and offers a flexible path to their degree," Atems said in the release.

"At the same time, this program will ensure that students develop an understanding of entrepreneurship that equips them with the skills necessary to start and run their own businesses, while also providing a foundation to enable them to make sound financial decisions and effectively manage resources."

A BBA can prepare students for a slew of jobs. It can also prepare them to pursue a graduate degree, such as a master of business administration (MBA). In the field of management, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is projecting about 1.1 million openings each year as the field grows faster than the estimated average for all occupations from 2022-2032.

A BBA can also lead to a good return on investment for students. The University of Michigan Ross School of Business' 2023 BBA graduates reported record salaries. These recent Ross BBA graduates had a median base salary of $100,000 and were overwhelmingly offered and accepted jobs by September.

At Clarkson, the new bachelor of science in business administration degree program comes after a major shakeup. School trustees late last year approved a plan to close its School of Arts & Sciences and phased out all of its majors in the humanities and social sciences.

School officials said at the time that the nine majors being phased out, ranging from history to communications and media, represent less than 2% of students and that the university is planning to refocus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).