The School of Accounting enjoys 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 offers a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) degree and a Master of Science in Accounting (M.S.A.). 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.

Several features of the accounting program are distinctive:

• Outstanding employment opportunities.
• A post-graduation CPA exam review course offered on campus.
• Opportunities for internships.

The B.B.A. degree with a major in finance requires a minimum of 120 credit hours of undergraduate course work. Fifty percent of this work, or 60 credit hours, must be taken outside of the College of Business. In counting the 60 credit hours of non-business courses, students may include all hours taken in General Education, up to a total of nine hours in economics (ECON courses must be counted as economics), and three hours of COB 191. Business Analytics I. The remaining hours, to bring the total to 60, must be taken from any department outside the College of Business. Students should carefully select these non-business electives to help them gain additional knowledge and expertise for their careers and personal lives.

Students enrolled at James Madison University who wish to change their major to finance should go to the Student Center in MyMadison to submit a request. Students must be in good academic standing to change their major to finance and, if they have taken any FIN prefix courses at the time of the change request, must meet the prerequisites for the required courses in the finance major.

Students who plan to major in finance and earn a score on the Math Placement Exam sufficient for placement into MATH 235 are strongly encouraged to enroll in MATH 235.

Required major courses provide finance majors with a foundation in financial management, investments and institutions. Electives within the major permit students to obtain an additional emphasis and explore other areas within the field of finance.

The international business major is part of the nationally recognized JMU College of Business. Most business, government, and not-for-profit enterprises operate today in a global environment. Success is more certain for those who are aware of events and cultures outside of their own. The program's goal is to equip students with the ability to work comfortably in multiple areas of the global marketplace through interdisciplinary study. International business majors take specialized courses in all the business disciplines (e.g. international accounting, international marketing) as well as courses in a foreign language.

To ensure success, competency in a second language and thorough exposure to a chosen second culture are graduation requirements. In addition, study abroad or a one semester international internship is required and must be integrated into the student's schedule. The requirements of the major are designed to allow students to choose an optional concentration in finance or marketing, and some international business majors also declare a second major such as foreign language or another business area.

Management skills are broadly applicable and our graduates go on to a wide range of professions in both the public and private sector. The major is also designed to help those thinking of starting their own business or aiding a family business. Finally, many students find the broad business training of the management major a helpful foundation for future graduate study.

As part of the nationally recognized JMU College of Business, the marketing major prepares students to assume professional and leadership roles in the rapidly changing, technically-oriented and competitive world of marketing by helping students develop specialized skills in the management of customer relationships through the creation, communication and delivery of value to customers. The curriculum provides a solid foundation of the knowledge and skills needed to develop effective marketing efforts. The major offers a concentration in Professional Sales and an area of emphasis in Digital Marketing.

Students gain knowledge and experience through general education courses, the College of Business core curriculum, and the marketing major with various combinations of required and elective marketing courses. Marketing faculty and staff work with students in small classes and individually to help them build leadership and team skills. Strong connections are made between in-class study and the business world through experiential course projects, case studies, simulations, independent studies and internships.

Marketing majors conform to the general structure of the B.B.A. degree program. The B.B.A. degree in marketing requires a minimum of 120 credit hours of undergraduate course work.

The major in public administration provides students with a general foundation in the nature of public policy, the public workplace and its political, legal and managerial environments. This major prepares students for professional employment and leadership in government and nonprofit organizations. The program consists of a core of courses offering general knowledge essential for understanding and working in the public arena. This core provides students with an appreciation of the political culture and economic environment of public work, measurement techniques and a basic understanding of the policy process.

Students are offered a choice between two concentration options: public policy or public management.

In the public policy concentration students acquire knowledge of the nature, dynamics, implementation and substance of public policy and its analysis. Courses address:

• Policy processes.
• Techniques for analyzing policy options.
• The dynamics and substance of particular policy issues.

The public management concentration emphasizes management and management-related skills. Courses address:

• The legal environment of public work.
• Organization theories.
• Management theories and applications.
• Management best practices.

In addition, courses in both concentrations heighten students' critical, analytical and communication skills through case studies, exercises and the intensive writing requirement. The public policy concentration requires a senior seminar experience that seeks to bring policy theory and analytical skills to bear on a practical issue of public policy. Public management students must complete the dual capstone requirements of a public management seminar and an internship, requiring an integration of knowledge from both general studies and major studies by focusing students on specific cases and workplace applications.

Because the public administration major develops techniques and skills applicable to varied career paths in public service, students are encouraged to choose a complementary minor with a narrower, substantive focus. The minors recommended for students' consideration include criminal justice, environmental information systems, environmental management, environmental studies, family studies, gerontology, health information systems, nonprofit studies, political communication, substance abuse intervention, telecommunications, urban and regional studies, communication studies, conflict analysis and intervention, sociology, technical and scientific communication, economics, human resource development, computer science, public health and integrated science and technology.

Interested students may apply to participate in the Fifth Year Master of Public Administration degree program, which allows qualified students to earn an M.P.A. degree with one additional year of study. Students should apply for this program in their sophomore year. See the Graduate Catalog for more information.

As part of the nationally recognized JMU College of Business, the economics major fosters an understanding and appreciation of economic forms of explanation and their relationships to other social sciences. The major will provide students with an intellectual foundation for the appreciation and understanding of economic theory and policy that stresses the importance of imaginative thinking, free inquiry and the pursuit of life-long learning. In this way, the program prepares students with the economic literacy necessary to cope with the challenges inherent in a world of accelerating change.

Economics majors are generally educated students, who go on to develop their analytical, investigative and research skills. With this major, students will use their understanding of economics relationships and markets to work for manufacturing firms, financial services firms, consulting firms, the health care industries, government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Economists with strong statistical backgrounds conduct research, analyze data and develop forecasts. Students with a good background in this field are competitive in the job market.

Purpose: This curriculum is designed for individuals who plan to transfer to a four-year college or university to complete a baccalaureate degree program in business administration with a major in accounting, business management, decision science and management, information systems, finance, marketing, etc.

A major in business offers students the opportunity to explore theories and concepts from accounting, business, and economics. Students study in an active learning environment and begin to understand and appreciate the complex nature of business organizations through applied economic theory. A major in business prepares students for a career in all business environments and provides an excellent foundation for graduate studies in such fields as business and law. The major in business requires a common core of courses plus one of three concentrations: Finance, Management, or Marketing. All courses in the core and in each concentration must be completed with a grade of C- or better.

A major in business offers students the opportunity to explore theories and concepts from accounting, business, and economics. Students study in an active learning environment and begin to understand and appreciate the complex nature of business organizations through applied economic theory. A major in business prepares students for a career in all business environments and provides an excellent foundation for graduate studies in such fields as business and law. The major in business requires a common core of courses plus one of three concentrations: Finance, Management, or Marketing. All courses in the core and in each concentration must be completed with a grade of C- or better.

The study of accounting at Randolph-Macon College provides students with the opportunity to become fluent in the language of business within the unique setting of a liberal arts education. Students study accounting in an active learning environment incorporating theories and concepts from the fields of accounting, business, and economics. They learn to understand and appreciate the complex nature of business organizations. A major in accounting prepares students for a career in all business environments and provides an excellent foundation for graduate studies in such fields as accounting, business, taxation, and law. All courses in the major and minor must be completed with a grade of C- or better.

A major in business offers students the opportunity to explore theories and concepts from accounting, business, and economics. Students study in an active learning environment and begin to understand and appreciate the complex nature of business organizations through applied economic theory. A major in business prepares students for a career in all business environments and provides an excellent foundation for graduate studies in such fields as business and law. The major in business requires a common core of courses plus one of three concentrations: Finance, Management, or Marketing. All courses in the core and in each concentration must be completed with a grade of C- or better.