Entrepreneurship

An entrepreneur is an individual who can see how to do, make, or serve something in a different, more effective and appealing way. Entrepreneurship can happen “from scratch,” as with a new invention or technique. It also needs to happen within existing organizations, such as when a company “reinvents” itself.

There are, even in today’s economy, investors with capital (money) who are looking for individuals who can not only find new business opportunities, but who have the skills to manage and grow them. A “good idea” is not enough; creating something new that will be successful requires a combination of skills - courage, calculated risk taking and management expertise chief among them. This emphasis taps into those core skills to fuel the creative dimensions.

 

Service Industry Management

With increasing competition, businesses both large and small are looking for individuals who not only understand how to serve customers, but how to manage and train people to serve customers as well. Students who specialize in Service Industry Management will possess the perspectives and skills to move within and between different types of service businesses.

“The shift in the U.S. economy away from goods-producing in favor of service-providing is expected to continue. Service-providing industries are anticipated to generate approximately 14.5 million new wage and salary jobs [by 2018].” Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

 

Community Development and Sustainability

It is the combination of people and technology, along with a keen awareness of the environmental and social challenges the world faces, which result in practices that will actually produce benefits over a significant period of time—that is, changes that will be sustainable.

This degree provides the foundation for careers in government as urban/regional planners, neighborhood relations specialists, environmental services and more. One can also work with private companies, linking sustainable technologies to individuals, groups and/or consumers. Opportunities range from agriculture to biotech industries to service organizations. Because this is such a “young” field, new opportunities arise almost daily!

 

Applied Human Behavior

Understanding how and why we as humans behave as we do allows us to creatively suggest solutions for the many problems we have getting along with others and coping with the fast-changing world in which we live.

This emphasis provides entry level professional preparation for a vast array of human and social services, work in human resources, and not-for-profit organizations. It also delivers an excellent foundation for graduate study in counseling, social service, law, medicine and a host of other professional pursuits.