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Business Administration

Whether you seek a career in management, economics or marketing, you will find the program at Bethel College to be interesting, challenging and rewarding. Our students use the skills they develop though our liberal arts programs to develop new ways to conceptualize, communicate and apply business ideas and techniques. As a business administration major at Bethel College, you not only will develop necessary business skills, but you will become a creative thinker and a strong communicator. One of the goals of Bethel College is to enable you to become an individual who understands today’s dynamic global business environment and who will succeed in a competitive environment.

The primary mission of the Department of Business and Economics is to educate students in a small college atmosphere where they can learn valuable skills as well as acquire values appropriate for leading and serving in a global society. The major provides both a broad overview of general management and in-depth study in management, marketing and finance. Department faculty strive to stimulate continuous improvement of business education through constant updates of the major curriculum, interactive classroom teaching, collaborative learning and innovative programs that bring theory and practice together.

If majoring in business administration, students may earn either a B.S. or B.A. degree. Students can achieve a B.A. in business administration by satisfying the foreign language requirement for the Bethel College B.A. degree. For any student exploring the possibility of working in international development or international business, this option is recommended.

While classes cover many topics, the subject matter and the degrees can be loosely grouped into the following broad areas:

This concentration is the most popular among business administration majors. Management studies includes the study of leadership, team effectiveness, employee empowerment, communications and other aspects of interpersonal and organizational effectiveness. Marketing studies include consumer behavior, marketing research, advertising, public relations, product development and management, distribution, and sales and sales management.

Finance is the study of the history and modern flow of money, financial intermediation, government regulation, and stock, money and capital markets. This study requires more mathematical skills than other concentrations. Students learn the differences between money and capital markets, short-term and long-term capital, how stock markets and banks work, and how to minimize financial risk.

Economics is offered as a minor only. These courses cover the basics of individuals' and firms' decision-making processes as well as analyzing the interaction between government policies and economic growth and development. Students will learn to appreciate how factors such as unemployment, inflation, interest rates, taxes and regulation affect everyday life.