Career Details

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.

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.

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 curriculum is designed for persons who seek employment in the accounting field or for those presently in accounting who wish to increase their knowledge and update their skills. Job opportunities include accounting trainee, accounting technician, junior accountant, and accountant.

This degree is excellent for those interested in the organization and reporting of financial data. Upon completion of the program, students can take an additional three courses for the Accounting Career Studies Certificate, and then are eligible to proceed to the CPA exam, if other education requirements are satisfied. Contact the Virginia Board of Accountancy for all education requirements.

The curriculum is designed for individuals who seek employment in business management or for those presently in management who are seeking promotion. Job opportunities include administrative assistant, management trainee, department head, branch manager, office manager, manager of small business, and supervisor.

This curriculum is designed for individuals who plan to seek employment in contract management positions and for those presently in contract management positions who seek career advancement. The program is designed to create opportunities for positions in contract management for both government agencies and private industry. Instruction includes both the theoretical concepts and the practical applications needed for future success in the contract management field. This will provide a greater understanding of acquisition, life cycle management, and contracting processes. Job opportunities include project manager, procurement analyst, contract administrator, contract specialist, contract negotiator, contract price analyst, and contract termination specialist.

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.

This curriculum will provide students with the accounting courses needed to meet the requirements of the Virginia Board for Accountancy to sit for the Certified Public Accountancy (C.P.A.) examination. To meet the educational requirements to sit for the Virginia CPA exam, a candidate must obtain from one or more accredited institutions or from the National College the following:

• at least 120 semester hours of education;
• baccalaureate or higher degree; and
• accounting concentration or equivalent*

Requirements include:

• a minimum of 24 semester hours of accounting courses, to include courses in auditing, financial accounting, management accounting, and taxation; and
• a minimum of 24 semester hours of business courses. As many as 6 hours of accounting courses (not included in the 24 hours of accounting courses) may be considered for the business course requirement.

*Principles or introductory accounting courses cannot be considered in determining whether a person has obtained the 48 minimum number of semester hours required for an accounting concentration or equivalent.

Purpose: This program is designed to provide knowledge in accounting, information security, and analytics to working business professionals. This program enables students to bridge the gap between accounting and technology. This program helps prepare students for the highly in demand Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) exam and/or registered CPA's for the Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP) exam.

This program is designed to prepare students to start and grow a successful small business by providing instruction in entrepreneurial culture, strategy, operations, financial management, marketing, and leadership.

This program is designed to offer students already employed in promotion and public relations the opportunity to improve and update their skills, allowing for advancement on the job. Interested students will have an opportunity to explore this field as a career and become acquainted with fundamental skills.

This powerful, marketable credential is a point of entry into the paralegal profession or law school. Study with the nation's leading legal experts in the nation's capital at GW's Alexandria Education Center. The B.P.S. in Paralegal Studies is an ABA-approved, 60-credit bachelor's degree completion program.

If you are transferring courses from other than Northern Virginia Community College, please contact GWCPS Admission Specialist Thanh Tran at tntran2@gwu.edu .

The management/entrepreneurship concentration empowers students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and complementary skill set needed to provide creative solutions for new ventures and existing organizations. Students gain knowledge of entrepreneurial and design concepts useful for questioning assumptions, exploring alternatives and developing creative solutions.

The management/international management concentration allows students to pursue an interest in the global nature of today's business world. A variety of opportunities for international study within and outside the university are available. Students in the management/international management concentration are encouraged to enrich their learning experience by pursuing a minor in international studies or foreign language, studying abroad or taking approved courses outside the School of Business.

The management/business administration concentration provides students with a broad-based study of management and other business disciplines. The course options in the curriculum give students flexibility in developing a program of study that can lead to a variety of entry-level positions in private and public organizations.