Majors in SMB
Accounting (BBA)
Accounting is the financial language of business. Accounting provides useful information to business decision makers such as shareholders, investors, creditors and managers. The Accounting major at St. Edward’s University prepares students for careers in public, private or government accounting.
Do your career goals include becoming a Certified Public Accountant?
The Texas Public Accountancy Act requires a 150-credit hour educational program to sit for the CPA examination. The Accounting major at St. Edward’s University requires completion of 120 total credit hours. The student and advisor can consider various options for meeting the 150-hour requirement (including course work beyond the BBA or a graduate degree) and determine the one that best satisfies the student’s goals.
Accounting Information Technology (BA & BBA)
The undergraduate curriculum in Accounting and Computer Information Technology is designed to provide the basic education necessary for graduates to pursue careers in business as information systems professionals or accountants.
The AIT program is a dual-degree five-year program offered by the Schools of Management and Business and Natural Sciences, which confer a BBA in Accounting and a BA in Computer Information Technology.
The course work in this program may meet the 150-hour minimum education requirements for eligibility to sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) examination in the state of Texas. Further, as a CPA, a candidate could qualify for an additional American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) accreditation, the Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP) designation. Applicants planning to sit for the Texas CPA exam should consult a member of the Accounting faculty to help them plan their program of study
Business Adminstration (BBA)
The major in Business Administration provides students with the opportunity to build the knowledge, skills and experience required for fulfilling careers as business professionals. The program emphasizes leadership, critical thinking, decision making, problem solving, communicating, teamwork and management of self and others — all aimed at helping students become confident and capable people who will lead businesses and organizations in the 21st century.
Digital Media Management (BBA)
A central trend in the information sector is the merging of media, communication, computers and, especially, the entertainment industry. The information sector, which encompasses media, computer systems, telecommunications, research and development, and advertising, accounts for more than one-third of the American GDP. Almost one half of all new capital investment in the United States is devoted to information technology. The merger of media is particularly significant to the state of Texas, where film and TV industry budgets have recently exceeded $330,000,000 and the music business is growing exponentially. Though the state has long been known for its burgeoning music and film industries, currently the most dynamic digital media business growth in Texas is found in Austin’s gaming industry. The cluster of digital media companies in Austin includes some of the industry’s most prominent studios. Building on this digital media business environment, this major is designed to create a new type of manager who can bridge and navigate between the digital arts, technology and the business disciplines. In addition to being a standalone program, the courses that make up the undergraduate Digital Media Management major have been designed to provide a foundation for students who want to pursue the MBA in Digital Media Management upon graduation.
Economics (BA or BBA)
Economics is the social science that studies how society uses its scarce resources to meet human needs. As an Economics major, you will learn how goods and services are produced and distributed to millions of people across the globe. You will survey such topics as:
- How prices are set in competitive markets
- How consumers make rational decisions
- How business firms produce goods most efficiently
- Small business and big business in America and globally
- Selected industry case studies
- Government regulation, mergers, and business policies
- The reasons for wage differences across various occupations
- What government does and how its programs can be evaluated
- Current economic issues such as the environment and health care
- What determines economic growth, unemployment and inflation
- What causes economic prosperity and recession
- The role of banking, money supply and interest rates
- Taxes, government spending, deficit and surpluses
- The increasing importance of international trade
- The reasons why so many economic issues are controversial
Economics provides a foundation for the study and practice of business, marketing, finance and government service. Because it teaches critical and logical thinking, it is an excellent pre-law major and preparation for graduate school.
In the world of business, economists conduct market research, forecast future economic activity and influence strategic planning. Government policymakers — including the president, Congress, state governors, mayors, and administrators of federal and state agencies — consult staffs of professional economists for advice on a wide range of policy issues. Conversations among informed citizens, newspaper and magazine articles, and information on the Internet are better understood by those with some knowledge of economic concepts.
The electives chosen by Economics majors will depend on each student’s interests and career plans. In addition to taking internationally oriented Economics courses, for example, students desiring a global focus will be encouraged to take courses in International Business, International Studies, Political Science and History, which offer a global perspective. In addition to taking courses in economic history and the economics of government and labor, for example, students seeking preparation for law school or government service will be encouraged to take courses in the legal aspects of business, public policy and conflict resolution.
The Economics major welcomes students with broad interests and encourages them to choose elective courses that complement their interests within the field of Economics. Find out more about the Economics Department and follow updates to the program at their website.
Entrepreneurship (BBA)
The Entrepreneurship major targets students interested in starting their own organization or contributing to the success of a start-up organization. Through classroom and community experiences, students will be able to identify viable career options in entrepreneurship, expand their knowledge of the process and develop their own entrepreneurial management skills.
The Entrepreneurship major provides the student with the necessary skills and knowledge to research, plan and prepare a viable business proposal for the development of a new establishment. The program tailors traditional business concepts to accent the needs of the entrepreneur as the CEO. The emphasis on reliance on one’s self as the controller of one’s destiny is stressed. The student will learn about intelligent risk taking, with a preparation for failures and how to recover from those failures. Potential entrepreneurs will learn that for their venture to succeed they must have passion, dedication and flexibility.
Finance (BBA)
Finance is the study of value. Financial management of firms and individuals involves raising and using capital efficiently to add value. Corporate finance, investments and financial institutions are the major areas of finance covered by the core, required and elective Finance courses.
Interactive Games Management (BBA)
Austin has long been known for its music and film industries, but currently the most dynamic digital media business growth in Texas is Austin’s interactive video game industry. The video game companies with a significant presence in Austin include some of the industry’s most prominent studios and developers, such as Sony Online Entertainment, Electronic Arts, BioWare, Disney Interactive Studios, NCSoft, Aspyr Media and many others. With many game industry entry-level jobs having a starting salary of $65,000, there is not only a need but an actual demand for a qualified and educated workforce that understands the special requirements of properly managing that workforce.
The BBA in Interactive Games Management offers a unique and challenging degree plan specifically designed from the ground up to meet the needs of this exciting field. Drawing upon national and local industry expertise and St. Edward’s University’s industry-leading Digital Media Management degrees, the program exposes students to all three phases of the game industry: business, technology and digital creation. Upon graduation, students have a working and intimate knowledge of the game industry buttressed with and influenced by a strong business and management foundation. Furthermore, in addition to being a stand-alone program, the courses comprising the BBA in Interactive Games Management have also been designed to provide a foundation for students who want to pursue the MBA in Digital Media Management upon graduation.
International Business (BBA)
As we enter the new millennium, business has moved from the local, regional and national levels to a global economy that encompasses both developed and developing nations. Multinational corporations, due to incentives from governments, are expanding their international operations to provide technical dissemination with marketing and manufacturing opportunities. There is no longer any such thing as a purely national economy, as every major corporation seeks to have a worldwide presence. Business executives today believe it is important that their managers have a global perspective.
The objective of the major in International Business is to provide students with an opportunity to develop and concentrate their knowledge and management skills toward a multinational environment that knows no geographic, cultural or regional boundaries.
The curriculum provides students with the necessary business foundation to enter the corporate environment with a background in management, markets, customs and ethics in other countries.
Management (BBA)
In many instances, the success of a firm is related to the degree of effectiveness with which employees and management can develop and maintain an integrated production plan and process. The central challenge of management is to create the environment and framework of controls in which people will cooperate effectively. Many management specialists believe that the functions of management are the same regardless of the type of organization, although they may recognize differences related to size and scale of operations. Focuses of Management courses are on processes and organizational behavior.
Marketing (BBA)
Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders. In firms employing marketing as a business philosophy, marketing activities and processes necessarily interrelate with all of the major business functions in an effort to provide customers and stakeholders with consistent, mutually beneficial transactional experiences. The field of marketing encompasses roles related to product development, positioning, branding, distribution, advertising and promotion, sales and sales management, marketing research, consumer behavior, retailing and wholesaling, distribution, pricing, customer satisfaction and retention, competitive analysis, and social responsibility.