Business education

Business education is a branch of education that involves teaching the skills and operations of the business industry. This field of education occurs at multiple levels, including secondary and higher education

Secondary education

At

Business is taught as an academic subject at high school level in many countries, including: Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Lesotho, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Nigeria, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Argentina, Sweden, Tanzania, Malaysia and the United Kingdom.

Many school systems (additionally) examine accounting and economics as separate subjects; these offering a more technical orientation than the course in general business. Business mathematics may be included under business studies, or as a part of the mathematics syllabus.

Undergraduate education

At the

Management-directed programs^[4] are designed to give a broad knowledge of the functional areas of a company, and their interconnection, and also to develop the student's practical managerial skills, communication skills and business decision-making capability. These programs thus incorporate training and practical experience, in the form of case projects, presentations, internships, industrial visits, and interaction with experts from the industry.

Subject specific programs, on the other hand, focus on a particular area, and are often more weighted towards theory. Even in these cases, however, additional to their major, students are exposed to general business principles, taking initial courses in accounting/finance, human resources, statistics, marketing, economics, and information systems. Regarding, "tagged degrees" however, see below.

Degrees offered here include:

• The
  Bachelor of Management Studies
  are similar to the BBA, but with a stronger emphasis on leadership and management skills.
• The
  business management, although it is more theory-based and usually incorporates an academic major. The distinction between the B.Comm and the BBA, then, is often that the latter specifically applies theories to real-life business situations, while the former concentrates more broadly on a wide range of ideas and concepts in commerce and related subjects.^[5]
• The Bachelor of Business (B.Bus or B.Bus (Major)) degree is an undergraduate degree in general business management offered by universities in Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. Similar in nature to the Bachelor of Commerce degree, Bachelor of Business degrees are often awarded at technology-focused universities in accordance with the Dawkins review (1986) of the Australian higher education sector. At many Australian universities, a Bachelor of Business degree enables graduates to undertake greater specialty in their chosen academic major as compared to a general BBA degree.
• The Bachelor of Management and Organizational Studies degree (BMOS in Canada) is a four-year undergraduate degree in business management. However, this degree teaches knowledge-based business and is as much theoretical as it is case-based. The BMOS degree especially emphasizes social sciences such as psychology, sociology, economics, etc.
• The
  management theory in further depth. Also, students taking this approach are able to major in various quantitative disciplines not (typically) available in the B.Comm or BBA; related to this—and similarly in distinction—all B.Bus.Sc students require a full first-year mathematics
  course, and in addition to this, courses in statistics.
• The
  recognized for later professional practice
  . It is distinct from a BBA or B.Comm with a major in accountancy in that the entire program is focused on accountancy, while other topics are supplementary. It is also known as Bachelor of Accounting, Bachelor of Accounting Science, or Bachelor of Comptrolling (B.Acc.Sci or B.Compt).
• The
  liberal arts colleges
  . A specialized program is often available within other degrees, such as the BA(Econ), B.Sc(Econ), B.Soc.Sc(Econ), B.Com(Econ) or BBA(Econ).
• There are various other specialized business degrees, such as the widely offered
  the teaching of business and the Bachelor of Business Teacher Education
  (BBTE), a variant on the BSBE.
• Similar are the discipline-specific
  tagged degrees, such as the BS / BA in Finance,^[6] or in Marketing,^[7] or in Human Resources.^[8] Here, analogous to the B.Econ above, a high percentage of the coursework focuses on the specialization, with required courses in general business and other cognate topics; further, the distribution requirements may similarly be those of the general Arts or Sciences program
  , as opposed to business oriented.

Corresponding to both of these, graduate degrees in business and management are generally of two types: On the one hand, programs such as the Master of Science (M.Sc.) or Arts (MA) or Commerce (M.Com.) in General Management (sometimes also called Master in Management, or MIM) usually do not require professional experience. (Often the M.Sc. in Management is for graduates with a first academic degree in a social science, while the MA in Management is for other backgrounds. The Master of Engineering Management, MEM, is aimed at graduates with an engineering background.) On the other hand, the Master of Business Administration (MBA) requires a minimum of two to three years of professional experience and is open for graduates from any field. A related distinction: the M.Sc. in Management is more specialized than an MBA, and is more suited for academic research, while the MBA is more industry- and management-focused.

As regards degree structure, postgraduate business programs are, in general, designed such that students gain exposure to theory and practice alike;^[9] the mix, though, will differ by degree and by school,^[10] as discussed. Learning is through lectures, case studies, and often team projects ("syndicate" work). The theory is covered in the classroom setting by academic faculty. Particularly in the MBA, the theory is then reinforced, and revisited, also in the classroom setting, through the case method, placing the student in the role of the decision maker, "complete with the constraints and incomplete information found in real business issues." Practical learning often comprises consulting projects with real clients, or at least addressing an actual case, and is often undertaken in teams. The practical elements (as well as the case studies) may involve external practitioners, and sometimes executives, supporting the teaching from academic faculty. (See Business school § Use of case studies and § Other approaches.) One of the challenges for business academics is demonstrating that their curriculum is relevant to those who want to become managers.^[11]

Degrees offered include:

• Master of Professional Accountancy
  (M.Acc, M.Acy/MPA or M.P.Acc), a postgraduate degree in accounting
• Master of Bioscience Enterprise (M.Bio.Ent), focused on the commercialisation of biotechnology
• Business Administration
• Master of Business Communication (MBC),
• Master of Business and Management (MBM), focused on generalist managerial and leadership skills; often intended for students beginning their careers
• Master of Business Education (MBE), focusing on teaching business teacher education
• design and management of enterprises
• Master of Business (M.Bus) and Master of Commerce (M.Com. or M.Comm), focused on a particular area of business or economics; often theory weighted
• Master of Computer Information Systems (MCIS), professional graduate degree focused on business technology solutions
• Master of Economics (M.Econ/M.Ec), theory oriented, but often available as a more practical "applied" degree, where students are trained re data-driven business analytics and decision support^[12]
• Master of Engineering Management (MEM), aimed at graduates with an engineering background
• Master of Enterprise (M.Ent), multi-disciplinary; entrepreneurship combined with a specific discipline
• Master of Applied Finance (M.Fin); training in financial management and corporate finance, as well as the more specific financial modelling and risk management
• Master of Health Administration (MHA)
• Master of International Business (MIB), focused on International Business
• Master of Management (MM), focused on leadership coupled with interrelated management issues
• Master of Management: Co-operatives and Credit Unions, a post-graduate degree for co-operative and credit union managers
• Master of Marketing Research (MMR) a postgraduate degree focusing on research in the field of marketing
• Master of Nonprofit Organizations (MNO or MNPO), the postgraduate degree for philanthropy and voluntary sector
  professionals
• Master of Project Management
  (MSPM or MPM)
• Master of Public Administration (MPA)
• Master of Real Estate
  (M.Sc.RE)
• Master of Science in Business Administration
  (MSBA), advanced training in a particular area of business administration
• Master of Science in Business Administration in Computer Information Systems (MSBA-CIS), advanced training in business technology
• Master of Science in Management (MSM), management focused, targeting recent graduates
• Professional Science Masters (PSM), interdisciplinary; advanced training in science or mathematics, with professional skills required for a commercial context.
• Green MBA
  , often offered as a "Master in Sustainable Business" (MSB)

Doctoral

At the

• Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
• Doctor of Commerce (D.Com.)
• Doctor of Health Administration (D.H.A.)
• Doctor of Management (D.M., D.Mgt)
• Doctor of Public Administration (DPA)
• PhD in Management
  (Ph.D.)
• double degree
  )
• Fellow Program in Management (FPM)
• Engineering Doctorate
  (EngD), A professional doctorate involving a management thesis and taught MBA courses in the UK
• Doctor of Education (EdD), A professional doctorate with concentrations in business and education, including Management, Marketing, Accounting, International Business^[13]

Internships

An internship is when a person works for a company for a temporary amount of time, typically for a few weeks over the summer or winter. By participating in the program, a student will be able to act in the everyday operation of the industry. They give the participants real-world experience in their desired career. Internships also give the company it is at an idea of whether or not the participant would be a good fit as a full-time employee. Many people complete internships while they are in school, whether that be secondary or post-secondary education. These are very common, and have started to be a requirement, in finding a job in the business world.  Although internships are by no means a new form of educating a student, the amount that have completed a program has only continued to grow. In 2008 about one out of every two graduating college students had included a completed internship in their job applications.^[14]

There is significant evidence that has indicated that completing and internship develops skills essential to success in the business world as well as everyday life. The skills that are mainly developed while participating in an internship program includes interpersonal and social skills, as well as quantitative or other technical skills. Many internships use group projects as well in order to develop teamwork and leadership skills. All of these skills are vital to a business and are difficult to be taught in a class room. These skills are very valuable to a company and the ability to train these skills is making internships extremely valuable in business.^[14]

Career development

Many programs within a business education have a main focus on the career development of their students or audience. They want to prepare them for entering the labor market and ensure they possess the best knowledge and skills of the industry possible. The aid in these programs can range from the guidance in career choices to solidifying a student's first full-time job.^[15] The idea of curriculum is typically integrated straight in to the curriculum of one's business education. This allows the students to focus on both at the same time while also understanding the importance of thinking of their life after school has on their life. Additionally, it allows students to think more about their goals and interests to determine if their current path of academics is what they wish to continue. Many faculty members will typically reach out to students and attempt to connect to graduates. This connects the current students with alumni in their field, allowing them to hear from people in their career path who were in their place not too long ago. This information lets students understand what is necessary to do in order to succeed in their desired career.^[15] There are instances however, where the effort of career development while still obtaining a degree does not yield a desire result. Research of business undergraduates state that only about 60% obtain a full-time job by graduation and of that percentage, only 40% have one that is consistent with their major.^[16]

See also

• Business game
• Business school
• Entrepreneurship education
• Executive education
• GMAT
• Training simulation
• Related education articles:
  • Accounting articles
  • Economics articles
  • Finance articles
  • Management articles
  • Investment articles

References

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