Why major in business?
Penn State Altoona’s bachelor of science degree in Business is a professionally oriented business program for students seeking a broad education and solid grounding in the common body of business knowledge. The program’s interdisciplinary perspective provides you with a versatile base for mobility into all business areas and prepares you for the business world of today and tomorrow.
Request Information About the Business Major
The business program combines the theoretical underpinnings of core business disciplines, notably management, marketing, finance, and logistics, with applied study in a practical setting, especially in small business climates.
By choosing an eighteen-credit option, you will develop a specialty related to a key business sector. You also will develop written and oral communication skills throughout the program, acquire contemporary computer skills, and engage in active and collaborative learning. In addition, you will become familiar with the unique business environments of your local community, a design that sets this degree apart from other business degrees offered within the University.
The following five options are available:
- Accounting
- Accounting with Information Systems Auditing Certificate
- Business Analytics
- Entrepreneurship
- Management and Marketing
Careers in Business
In today's difficult economic environment, Penn State Altoona's bachelor of science in Business allows companies to hire individuals with broad knowledge of all aspects of business. This broad knowledge allows students to be effective within many different types of organizations. Some examples include the following:
- Accounting option: Students gain an advantage as financial professionals in the business world and are working in the areas of financial and managerial accounting, systems and controls, taxation, and auditing.
- Entrepreneurship option: students can be found starting their own business or working for several years with other entrepreneurs before venturing out on their own.
- Marketing and Management option: An emphasis on the skills and knowledge necessary for the business professional to function in the community and regional centers of commerce.
An integral part of the Business degree is a six-credit internship completed during the senior year. This experience has proven beneficial for both the students and employers. Organizations hosting Penn State Altoona Business interns over the past year include the following:
- Allegheny Mountain Convention & Visitors' Bureau
- Altoona Blair County Development Corp.
- Altoona Curve
- Altoona Hospital
- American Cancer Society
- Blair County Chamber of Commerce
- Forever Broadcasting
- The Hancock Group, Inc.
- HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital
- Lake Raystown Resort Lodge
- Lazerpro Digital Media Group
- PennDOT
- Sheetz, Inc.
- UPMC Bedford Memorial Hospital
- Wal-mart
- W.S. Lee & Son, Inc.
- WTAJ- TV
Business Program Contacts
Contact Deb Hommer, the Business Degree Program Coordinator, or reach out to any of our Business faculty and staff.