Business Administration

Take charge within the business world with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration

The majors in Business at Loras have become some of the most popular and in-demand programs available. Although the largest academic division on campus, we strive to personalize your experience to your chosen emphasis.

Learn About Our Major in Business Administration

Student Experience

Each year, Loras College business students complete internships in a wide array of organizations to prepare them for their job search after graduation. Students can complete internships for academic credit or non-credit. Many students choose to complete both.

Learn More

Student Involvement Opportunities
Loras has more than 100 co-curricular and involvement opportunities including organizations relating to academic majors, national honorary and professional societies, student and residence hall government, interest groups and recreational interests.

  • Accounting Club provides opportunities for leadership positions, networking with accounting professionals and learning more about the accounting profession.
  • Several business-related clubs and organizations.
  • VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) is an opportunity for accounting seniors to volunteer to prepare income tax returns for low income and elderly clients free of charge; the program is in partnership with the IRS.

BUSINESS STUDENTS GET VALUABLE INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE
Internships are a win-win: good for the students and good for the organizations. Students integrate what they have studied with the work they are assigned. Often, successful completion of an internship leads to an offer of full-time employment when the student graduates.

Katie Callaghan, a marketing major, completed an internship with Dubuque marketing agency Plaid Swan, which she learned about through the Center for Experiential Learning (CEL).

I learned new writing skills at Plaid Swan, such as writing white paper documents, utilizing social media for small businesses, and creating and executing marketing plans for various clients. I also was responsible for meeting with clients on a weekly basis, developing case studies on previous campaigns, researching target audiences for rebranding efforts, and providing creative feedback to my clients and supervisors.”

The Loras College Center for Experiential Learning  offers:

  • Workshops with topics including internships, how to use Google in searching and why and how to network
  • Networking Events—students often develop meaningful relationships that may lead to internships
  • Career Fairs each fall have led to internships
  • Individual meetings showing students how to search and how to network through LinkedIn, a strong tool to connect with alumni by joining Loras alumni groups

Students are taught how to seek out internships as those are the skills they will need the rest of their lives to find full-time positions. Business faculty communicate internship openings to students from a variety of sources, including directly from companies, recruiting websites, or from our Center for Experiential Learning. Students may also find internship positions through career fairs or the Iowa College Recruiting Network. Faculty serve as supervisors for the internships when students choose to earn academic credit.

Chelsea Myers, an accounting major graduate, secured internships in two distinctly different ways—one through contact with a Loras professor and one through her own existing network. She served as Petal Project Intern at ECIA, which she learned about through David Cochran, Ph.D., politics department, where she assisted with program implementation, tracking and promotion; and she currently interns for the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, a position she found through her own Facebook network.

“I have learned about proper business etiquette and how much goes into planning a fundraising event that requires the support of an array of area businesses and supporters. In addition to business etiquette and event planning, I have also advanced my knowledge of philanthropy and grant writing, which I am excited to take with me into future endeavors.”

LEADERSHIP, EXPERIENCE, RESOURCE, AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES
Leadership, experience, resource, and networking opportunities can be pursued in a number of student organizations, including:

  • Association of Computing Machinery (ACM)
  • Advertising and Marketing Association (AMA)
  • Phi Beta Lambda (PBL)
  • Financial Management Association (FMA)
  • Institute of Management Accountants (IMA)
  • Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM)

Students benefit from a program that offers an impressive list of classes from which to choose, along with a large number of internships and opportunities to test your knowledge against “real world” situations before graduation.

  • Over 4,500 alums have graduated with an accounting/business major since the program’s founding in 1945.
  • All students take a common core of classes in addition to required courses for their specific major. This core allows them to broaden their business knowledge, as well as helping focus their interest in a specific area.
  • Committed to graduating students within 4 years, all students majoring in the division will have an advisor who cares about their academic progress and future career success.
  • Loras provides an active division-run internship program, offering local, regional, national and international opportunities during the traditional academic year as well as summers.
  • Placement rate for graduates annually exceeds 90%.

Student Learning Outcomes

 

Student Learning Outcomes – Business Administration
1. Apply general human resource management principles to business organizational practice
2. Apply ethical perspectives to human resource situations
3. Analyze the relationship between personality styles and the organizational settings that allow for effective leadership
4. Demonstrate effective team-work skills in group settings
5. Apply decision-making strategies to real-world business problems

Curriculum

View Highlighted Courses

 

Morals and Money
‘What is right, and what is wrong? What are my values? How do my values impact my decisions?’ This class will answer these questions by examining three distinct topics where money and morals/ethics are intertwined.

International Marketing
This course provides a global orientation to the study of marketing. The cultural environment of the global marketer is reviewed throughout every area of the course. All marketing decisions are studied through an understanding and appreciation of different cultures. Within this context, the course will cover how to assess global marketing opportunities and how to develop global marketing strategies.

Entrepreneurial Experience
This course studies entrepreneurship as a process of economic and/or social value creation, rather than the single event of opening a business. Reflecting on recent research, the course focuses on opportunity recognition, assembly of the financial and human resources needed to develop the idea, and launching the new venture.

Personal Financial Planning
This course overviews personal financial planning issues and tools with topics that include goal setting, managing cash and budgeting, taxes, wise use of credit, purchasing decisions, risk management, investments and retirement and estate planning. Ethics and values in personal finance will also be addressed.

Business as a Calling
This course integrates the principles of Catholic Social Teaching into decisions that business professionals make about the daily operations and future of their business and their own individual professional development and career plans. Students will explore the discussion of work as a job, work as a career, and work as a vocation

View Business Administration Courses

Major & Minor Requirements

Students will complete the following requirements in order to achieve a major or minor in Business Administration 

Career Opportunities

“What can you do with a Business Administration degree?”

As a Business Administration major, your career could take off into one of these professional areas:

  • Purchasing Manager
  • Insurance Underwriter
  • Human Resource Manager
  • Financial Analyst
  • Sales Manager
  • Investment Broker
  • Market Researcher
  • Operations Manager

Supporting Your Investment

Loras takes great pride in supporting your investment – both through providing an exceptional learning experience and in sharing the cost of your degree. 100% of Loras students receive financial aid. We have scholarships, grants and special awards for all students based on their achievements and financial need.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will it take me to earn my Loras degree?

Most students earn their undergraduate degree in four years or less. If you have questions about transferring any previously earned credits or degrees, please see our Transfer Student Information.

How much is tuition?

At Loras College, financial access to education is one of our defining values. We are committed to helping all of our students make their degree affordable. We partner with every student and family to understand their unique financial needs ensuring 100% of Loras students receive financial aid. Scholarships, grants and special awards are offered to all students based on their achievements and financial need. Loras is consistently ranked as one of the best universities for return on investment.  View our Tuition and Fees page.

How do I apply for schlarships and financial aid?

Submit your federal FAFSA, apply to Loras College and review our financial aid resources for detailed information, scholarship opportunities and much more.