Business Opportunities

By Patrick Bohn, February 16, 2024

New majors in the School of Business provide students with new pathways to success.

Members of the Class of 2028 who enroll in the School of Business will have five new majors to choose from.

(Photo by Mike Grippi)

This past fall, five new undergraduate majors for the Ithaca College School of Business were approved by the New York State Education Department. These new majors will not only provide a more robust undergraduate educational experience for current and prospective students, but also equip them with the skills employers are looking for, strengthening graduates’ chances for professional success.

“These curriculum changes were born out of the urge to simplify, to make the school’s degree portfolio much more user friendly,” said Michael-Johnson Cramer, Dean of the School of Business. “What’s most exciting is that each major is designed to offer a cohesive experience — real-world projects, mentoring, guest speakers, extracurriculars — preparing our students for their journey beyond South Hill.”

Read more about each of the majors below.

Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics

Students will be able to use the cutting edge tools in the Neeson Analytics Lab on campus. (Photo by Alison Usavage '11)

This program is designed to provide students with the necessary analytical skills to assess business problems and provide valuable, data-informed insights for business decision makers. The program exposes students to the rapidly evolving world of analytics and provides the necessary mathematical, computing, and business tools needed to succeed in that world.

The program is distinguished by its hands-on, experiential nature. Using the data tools available in the Neeson Analytics Lab, students learn how to use a variety of relevant software tools and apply them to data analysis.

Another unique aspect of the degree is how interdisciplinary it is. Students take courses outside of the School of Business, such as computer science, economics, and math as well as a behavioral course on the social context for data-informed organizational decisions.

Finally, the program lays a groundwork for professional skills and certifications, including the Certification in Business Data Analytics offered by the International Institute of Business Analysis as well as a separate project management course.

Bachelor of Science in Finance

This program provides students with the knowledge, experiences, and skills needed for a variety of careers in the financial services industry.

The degree program is distinguished by its strong experiential components, the industry experience of the faculty, and direct connections to the industry through alumni engagement. Relevant course offerings, often containing embedded experiential work, allow students to stay current in a rapidly changing industry.

Critically, the flexible structure of the program allows students to tailor their course choices to prepare for specific career paths in the finance industry in areas where the school has a long track record of successful placements.

Students may explore widely in the finance field, or they can focus their upper-level studies on an optional concentration in asset management or wealth management.

Bachelor of Science in Marketing

This program is designed to provide students with the necessary skills for successful careers in a variety of marketing specialties. It is distinguished by its strong experiential senior seminar, as well as the currency of its offerings in relevant subfields like digital marketing and marketing analytics, and the real-world data tools available in the Neeson Analytics Lab.

Bachelor of Science in Sport Management

Students in the sport management program will be able to take care of experiential learning opportunities, such as working behind the scenes at the Super Bowl. (Photo by Annemarie Farrell)

This program is designed to prepare students to be leaders in the many sectors of the sports industry. The curriculum blends courses in Sport Management with a general business education by emphasizing the skills needed to succeed at all levels and in all types of sports from professional to recreational.

By providing students with a familiarity with current issues and challenges facing the business of sports, the program is distinguished by a program design that integrates curricular and co-curricular experiences with signature experiential opportunities built into the requirements.

Bachelor of Science in Strategic Leadership

This program is designed to prepare students for a lifelong exploration of leadership and to equip them with the skills needed to move into leadership positions in organizations, regardless of size or industry.

The program is distinguished by its immersive, experiential nature. Major courses place a strong emphasis on the real-world application of skills and knowledge. In the required Leadership & Collaboration course, students complete a team service-learning project. In the capstone course, Leading Organizational Change, students work in teams to complete a semester-long consulting project, which requires collecting and analyzing data and formulating justifiable recommendations for a local organization.

The program also includes Excel Certification and prepares students to be certified in project management. As such, the program emphasizes skills that are sought after by employers, such as oral and written communication, critical thinking, problem solving, ethical judgment, working effectively in teams, self-motivation, service learning, and project management.

The new majors will be available for business students beginning this fall, joining the existing Accounting major, which leads graduates to success in passing New York’s certified public accountant exam and in career placement at some of the top national and international public accounting firms. The existing major in Business Administration will be sunsetted, with students currently enrolled in the major supported through the completion of their degree.

Prospective students who wish to be included in the School of Business but are unsure of which major might be best for them may apply to enter through the Business Pathways program.