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.

The social work program prepares students to become social workers who are committed to strengthening community life for diverse individuals, families and organizations while promoting social justice through advocacy and action. The social work program equips graduates with the knowledge, values and skills needed for the development of professional ethics and competence. The program prepares graduates to work effectively in a broad spectrum of social service settings that address poverty, multiple forms of oppression, social injustice and other human rights violations. The program also prepares students for graduate study in social work.

In addition to lecture and class discussion, the social work program utilizes a variety of teaching strategies, including case-based and experiential approaches to enhance learning. Students are exposed to issues and organizations at local, state, and national levels through policy forums, conferences, interviews and service-learning. All majors use the interviewing labs for case simulations and interviewing to develop their practice skills. The department offers minors in family studies, gerontology and nonprofit Studies.

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 program prepares students to communicate proficiently in American Sign Language, including both expressive and receptive skills. The ASL Career Studies Certificate will improve the students' marketability in a wide range of positions where it is necessary to possess effective communication between hearing and Deaf persons. These fields include careers such as teaching, health and social service occupations, and public safety positions. Many people already holding positions in these areas would enhance their ability to perform their current jobs by expanding the range of people with whom they can communicate. The ASL Career Studies Certificate also fulfils all of the prerequisite requirements for our other programs of study. Many students complete the ASL CSC and then go on to enroll in either the Interpreting A.A.S. or Deaf Studies A.S. curriculum.

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.

Purpose: This curriculum is designed for those students who wish to take only those courses that relate directly to the law enforcement field. The occupational objectives are to provide a basic foundation for individuals entering some particular area of the criminal justice field that does not require an A.A.S. or higher degree in criminal justice, or for persons already in the criminal justice field who wish to extend their knowledge/skill, or for those exploring the criminal justice field as a career alternative. Courses taken in the certificate program can be applied to the A.A.S. degree.

Special Curriculum Admission Requirements: Students are advised that many criminal justice and private/government security agencies require excellent moral character and a written record of conduct prior to consideration for employment.

Purpose: The curriculum is designed for persons who seek entry-level employment as clinical data coding specialists in healthcare organizations by providing them with knowledge in anatomy and medical terminology, skill development in ICD-10-CM/PCS and CPT coding classification systems, database management, and clinical data abstracting processes, prospective payment systems, and reimbursement strategies. Clinical data coding specialists are in demand across the spectrum of healthcare organizations including hospitals, physician offices, insurance companies, managed care organizations, contracting groups, and accounting firms. Graduates of the certificate program are eligible to take one of two national certifying examinations administered by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) to become a Certified Coding Associate (CCA), Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), or Certified Coding Specialist-Physician Office setting (CCS-P).

Purpose: This program is designed to prepare the student for full-time employment within the field of landscape design as well as assisting those who are presently working and who wish to further their knowledge and upgrade their skills.

Graduates of this degree are prepared to work in the field of landscape design, in nurseries and garden centers, and as institutional horticultural staff. Students in this degree have the opportunity to gain career-related work experience through a Coordinated Internship, Cooperative Education, or Special Studio Project in the area of design.

Purpose

The curriculum is designed to prepare students to be effective members of the healthcare team in assisting with diagnosis, treatment, management, and preventive care of patients with cardiopulmonary problems. Upon successful completion of the program, students are eligible to take the entry-level and advanced practitioner examinations leading to certification as a Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) and registration as a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT).

Transfer Information

Transfer is not the primary purpose of an A.A.S. program, but NOVA has articulation agreements that facilitate the transfer of this and other career-oriented programs to selected senior institutions. Students interested in transfer should contact a counselor or their academic advisor early in their program.

Special Accreditation Status

The Northern Virginia Community College Respiratory Therapy (RTH) Program, CoARC number 200206, offers an Associate Degree in Applied Science (AAS), located at Medical Education Campus, 6699 Springfield Center Dr, Springfield, VA 22150, is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (www.coarc.com).

The Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) accredits respiratory therapy education programs in the United States. To achieve this end, it utilizes an Ôoutcomes basedÕ process. Programmatic outcomes are performance indicators that reflect the extent to which the educational goals of the program are achieved and by which program effectiveness is documented.

Continuation Requirement

All courses (including General Education courses) must be completed with a grade of ÒCÓ or better before taking the next course in the sequence and to satisfy graduation requirements (note: some prerequisite requirements may require a higher grade).

Special Program Continuation Requirements

If general education courses are not completed before acceptance into the Respiratory Therapy Program, then they are to be taken in the corresponding semester as indicated in the curriculum plan. Students may not proceed to the next sequential respiratory therapy course without having completed the appropriate general education coursework.

Reenrollment

• Students in good standing may be permitted to reenroll in the RTH curriculum on a space-available basis, with permission of the program director.
• Students who leave the program for any period up to two years for either personal or academic reasons are required to demonstrate proficiency in all previously enrolled skills courses prior to reentering the program. ÒPractical examsÓ are administered and scheduled by the program faculty. A written exam will be required.
• Students who leave the program for any period of time for medical reasons are required to submit evidence of good physical and mental health, as substantiated by a newly completed Pre-Admission Health History and Physical for Allied Health and Nursing Form (125-007) signed by the primary physician responsible for their care.

Licensure Requirements

The Virginia Board of Medicine reserves the right to deny licensure to any candidate who has been convicted of a crime or any offense relating to the abuse of alcohol and/or use or sale of controlled substances in Virginia or any other state. Any applicant to the Respiratory Therapy Program who has been found guilty of a misdemeanor or felony must consult with the program director of Respiratory Therapy prior to acceptance into the program.

Purpose Our program is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA). We award an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree and prepare you for the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE), an entry-level national licensing exam.

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.