How to Succeed in Business with a Liberal Arts Degree
March 4, 2002
Can a college graduate succeed in business with a major in the liberal arts and sciences?
Surveys say yes, showing that many CEO's hold degrees in English, history and other non-business subjects.
The odds are increased, say University of Richmond officials, by a little core knowledge of the modern business world. They have devised a summer business boot camp for their sophomores and juniors who normally study Shakespeare and Mozart instead of marketing and finance.
Richmond's innovative Liberal Arts Business (LAB) program launches this summer. The intensive six-week, six-credit program is designed to demystify the business methods and practices for students headed for degrees in liberal arts and sciences.
"Everything is business," says the course's instructor, Ken Newman, himself a former history major who also has an M.B.A and 25 years of business experience. "No matter what you do, whether you're an airline pilot, a toll taker or an art historian, everything is an exchange of goods and services."
Employers, Newman believes, are "just as interested in a history major as they would be in a marketing major." A broad background, good work habits and motivation are more important than being a fully formed business person," he says. Breadth of subject matter is as important as depth.
The LAB program, Newman believes, can supply a necessary part of
that breadth. It also can provide parents "a level of comfort"
knowing that their son or daughter will be immersed in business.
"Some parents ask 'Why am I spending $25,000 a year for my daughter to be an art history major?'" Now they can say, "Yes, she is following her passion, but she is also learning about the world of business," Newman explains.
Week one will explore Wall Street. Weeks two through five will cover accounting, marketing, economics and management. Students will spend up to eight hours a day in and out of class learning the key principles of economics, marketing products, schools of management theory, organizational structures and international trade.
The last week will focus on business presentation skills, both written and oral. "Communication skills are the foundation of business," says Newman. "You have to be able to speak, write and make presentations."
Along the way, students will read and watch business news stories, work on team projects, interact with visiting executives and visit local companies. The idea is to get students to "see how the economy works," according to David Kitchen, director of summer programs for the university's School of Continuing Studies. "LAB will show you that majoring in liberal arts does not close the doors to the business world."
The program is open to undergraduates from any college or university. For further information, call Kitchen at (804) 289-8382.