James Madison University College of Business

James Madison University – College of Business

Type	Public
Established	1972
Dean	Dr. Mary Gowan[1]
Academic staff	120 full-time
Students	2,835 undergraduate students[2]
Location	Harrisonburg, Va, USA
Campus	Urban
Website	jmu.edu/cob

The College of Business is the business school of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It is a fully accredited business school that offers undergraduate degrees in accounting, computer information systems and business analytics, economics, finance and business law, international business, management, marketing, and quantitative finance.^[3] Additionally, the College of Business offers two distinctive master of business administration programs – an Innovation MBA program and an Information Security MBA program.^[2] The college also offers a master of science in accounting^[4] It has received recognitions and awards from multiple organizations, including being listed in BusinessWeek's Top 5% Undergraduate Programs and the 40th best business school in the United States. Its facilities are located in Zane Showker Hall on the southwestern part of JMU's campus.^[5]

History

The College of Business at JMU was first accredited in the 80s by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The graduate and undergraduate programs in accounting and business were reaccredited in 2012.^[1][6]

Academic program

Each student majoring in one of the college's fields must take a core set of classes called the Bachelor of Business Administration Core. At the end of their sophomore year, students apply for admission into the College of Business. Admission into the college is competitive, and students must achieve a 2.7 grade point average in the COB prerequisite courses to be considered for admission.^[7] These classes are taken throughout the student's career culminating in a course called COB 300, which is a 12-credit integrated class where the student connects the fundamentals of business in four functional areas: management, marketing, operations, and finance. Students are separated into groups for the task of creating a business plan for a business they create. The grade on the business plan factors into the student's final grades in all four COB 300 courses.^[1]

Accounting

The School of Accounting is an academic unit of the College of Business. For decades the School of Accounting has enjoyed a national reputation for excellence in accounting education and is viewed as a prime recruiting school by accounting employers throughout the mid-Atlantic region. The School of Accounting offers a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a Master of Science degree in accounting (MSA). Most students choose to receive both degrees and thereby satisfy the 150 semester hours of education required in most states to be eligible to sit for the CPA exam.^[8] The JMU MSA program is ranked as the number one university in the country in pass rate for the Certified Public Accounting (CPA) exam, according to the 2011 National Association of State Boards of Accountancy report.^[9]

Computer information systems and business analytics

Since 1978, the undergraduate computer information systems and business analytics program at James Madison University has prepared young people for careers in IT management. CIS graduates are prepared for senior and mid-level management positions built on a foundation of solid technical skills, integrative business knowledge, and a professional network of JMU alumni. CIS is concerned with the information that computer systems can provide to aid a company, non-profit or governmental organization in defining and achieving its goals. It is also concerned with the processes that an enterprise can implement and improve using information technology. CIS professionals must understand both technical and organizational factors, and must be able to help an organization determine how information and technology-enabled business processes can provide a foundation for superior organizational performance. They serve as a bridge between the technical and management communities within an organization. The bachelor's degree program in Computer Information Systems is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET.^[10]

In 2013, JMU's undergraduate CIS program was ranked as the #10 information systems program in the country by Bloomberg Businessweek. ^[11] In November 2008, TechRepublic, an online trade publication and social community for IT professionals owned by CBS Interactive, selected James Madison University's undergraduate Computer Information Systems program as one of the Top Ten Undergraduate Information Technology programs in the United States.^[12][13]

Economics

The Department of Economics' mission is to foster "an understanding and appreciation of economic forms of explanation and their relationships to other social sciences".^[14] There are three possible economics degrees at JMU: a B.B.A., B.A., and B.S. Also, students may select general economics or select from five concentrations: Political Economy, Financial Economics, International Economics, Environmental and Natural Resources Economics and Socioeconomics.^[15]

Finance and business law

The Finance and Business Law department offers a BBA in Finance and a BS in Quantitative Finance.^[16] The head of the department is Dr. Hui Sono.^[17] According to the department's mission statement they "[strive] to prepare students for decision-making roles in an increasingly technological and global environment."^[18]

Hospitality and tourism management

Hospitality and tourism management is a part of the School of Hospitality, Sport and Recreation Management.^[19]

International business

The international Business program was instituted in 1978 by the College of Business. Since inception, the program has grown into one of the most reputable programs in the East. It is especially known for its broad-based orientation and high level of education attained by its graduates. The program offers students a thorough grounding in business, foreign culture and language.^[20]

Management

The management program offers a curriculum leading to the BBA degree with a major in management. Management majors are exposed to information, exercises, cases, and assignments designed to enhance leadership skills, critical thinking, and analytical decision-making abilities. Students gain a basic understanding of how to apply key managerial concepts and theories in the contemporary work environment, how to integrate the functional areas of an organization and understand and appreciate human resource policies and procedures used by organizations and managers. JMU's management curriculum focuses on technical skills, the ability to work well with people, and the ability to analyze and solve complex problems. Depending on the concentration, the major in management prepares graduates for entry‑level jobs in large, medium and small profit and non‑profit organizations, as well as government. The management major prepares graduates for jobs in industries such as manufacturing, consulting, retail, banking, public utilities, personal services, pharmaceutical products, consumer products, restaurants and insurance, as well as small and family businesses.^[21]

Marketing

The marketing program prepares students for rewarding careers by developing specialized skills in the management of customer relationships through the creation, communication, and delivery of value to customers. Marketing students develop in-depth knowledge on identifying, attracting, evaluating and retaining customers. They evaluate marketing alternatives and commit to a course of action, using financial, organizational, environmental, and ethical criteria to guide decision-making. The innovative marketing curriculum requires students to use information technology tools for customer research and in the evaluation of strategic performance. All majors will declare a concentration in either Business-to-Business or Business-to-Consumer marketing.^[22]

Recognition

The College of Business ranked 11th among public institutions and 29th among all business schools by Business Week in 2013.^{[23] [24]} JMU ranked third among public schools in the country and fourth among all public undergraduate business schools in the country for return on investment, according to BusinessWeek Magazine.^[25] JMU's Master of Accounting Program recently ranked as the top passing rate on the CPA exam in the United States.^[26]

Student organizations

The College of Business is home to the Madison Investment Fund, a student managed investment fund. The top Value Equity Fund at the RISE Symposium in 2004, the Madison Investment Fund actively manages a portion of the university's endowment.^[27] Other affiliated organizations include Alpha Kappa Psi, Delta Sigma Pi, Beta Alpha Psi, Madison Marketing Association, Net Impact, Pi Sigma Epsilon, and Students in Free Enterprise.^[28][29]

References

External links

• JMU College of Business

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