Bachelor of Science, Major in Business Administration with Concentration in Management

at University of Massachusetts Lowell USA

From a competitive perspective, the shift from a manufacturing base to a technology-innovation and knowledge-based economy requires new skills among organizational employees. In conversations with executive staff in major companies in the region we have been told repeatedly that the region's engineers and scientists need to be entrepreneurial. As competition and costs rise, research and development efforts must clearly contribute to business growth and the company bottom line. Thus, companies are looking for technical professionals who can generate new ideas and new businesses.

The MS in Entrepreneurship consists of ten courses (30 credits), including 4 core courses (12 credits), 4 elective courses (12 credits, 6 of which must be in Engineering and/or Science) and a 2 course (6 credit) practicum. Each student will participate in the development and delivery of a team capstone project (through the 2 course practicum) which will be reviewed by an external professional panel. 

Program Outcomes
Using a combination of class work, case work and real-world project activity, students will:

• Understand and leverage the business opportunities accompanying technology innovation within established companies and through the launch of new ventures.
• Develop an understanding of technology innovation and entrepreneurship from both an academic and applied perspective.
• Learn how to appropriately value and finance technology innovations and new ventures.
• Develop the market research and sales skills necessary to position technology innovations to create competitive advantage.
• Develop the management skills required to identify, launch and execute innovative products, services and new ventures.
• Develop an applied understanding of the regulatory and property law issues accompanying the innovation and entrepreneurship processes.
• Develop the project management and interdisciplinary team skills required to manage in an open collaboration environment.

The Clinical Laboratory Sciences Master's Degree Program at UMass Lowell is intended for experienced professionals or new graduates with a background in clinical sciences/medical laboratory science, biology, chemistry, biochemistry, biotechnology or related areas who want to develop and expand their expertise in the clinical sciences.

This program provides individuals with the level of graduate education to develop those skills required to upgrade the quality of their job performance and enhance their opportunities for advancement in their professions. Students will develop skills and knowledge required for the advanced degree, including critical and independent thinking, research design, normal and pathophysiology, analytical method evaluation and scientific literature assessment. Students will also develop competencies in administration and management.

The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an Entrepreneurship Concentration prepares students to be an "outside of the box" thinker and innovator in today's complex global economy. Using an interdisciplinary focus, students who complete the concentration will:

• Develop the management skills required to identify and launch new business ventures around innovative products, services and technologies.
• Develop an understanding of the concepts and activities associated with entrepreneurship and innovation.
• Understand the financial aspects of an entrepreneurial venture from start-up to "harvest".
• Discover their individual "entrepreneurial spirit" through experiential learning in interdisciplinary classes and the College's Venture Lab.

As a capstone experience in the entrepreneurship concentration, students will develop the essential components of a new venture/new opportunity business plan.

The required courses within the Entrepreneurship concentration consist of:

• Starting a New Venture
• Corporate Entrepreneurship
• Managing Innovation
• Finance for Emerging Business Enterprises

Business analytics is the process of transforming raw data into business intelligence and insight. As companies generate more data at ever faster rates, the need for business analytics professionals is growing. The Master of Science in Business Analytics program will help you:

• Develop the ability to collect, manage and analyze data from a variety of sources.
• Enhance your understanding of business processes and systems.
• Develop the ability to understand and communicate insights gleaned from descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytics.

Private and public firms in fields as diverse as health care, finance, logistics and marketing need business analysts to help them identify and solve problems related to forecasting, customer relationship management and revenue optimization — to name only a few. Experts predict that in the next 10 years, hundreds of thousands of new jobs will be created in the domain of business analytics.

Students can take courses in the history of philosophy and philosophical movements; political, mathematical and scientific philosophies; metaphysics; linguistics and aesthetics. Students will learn how to analyze, reason, deduct and apply persuasive arguments in a disciplined and systematic way while developing their oral and written communication skills.

The department does not specify particular course work for the major, but recommends that the sequence of courses be designed in close consultation with the student’s faculty advisor. Students who plan to go to graduate school are strongly encouraged to take at least two courses from the History of Philosophy series. They should also consider a second major in a cognate field, e.g., American studies, English, French, history, mathematics, or political science.

The Environmental Geoscience Option is designed to prepare students with the necessary knowledge and skills to conduct research and act as consultants in environmental sciences and geosciences. The students in the program will take a variety of courses distributed across three areas – Policy/Economics, Environmental Engineering, and Environmental Geosciences. Course work will be concentrated in the Environmental Geosciences, with the option to take additional courses in the other areas based on student interest.

With a concentration in finance in business administration, you will gain:

• The ability to analyze complex capital budgeting problems
• The ability to assess investment opportunities for institutes and individuals
• An understanding of the techniques needed to finance corporate operations and expansion
• The ability to communicate financial concepts to others

Finance graduates can choose from careers that include banking, financial planning, corporate finance, financial analysis, insurance, real estate, cash management and forecasting.

The Master of Science program in Security Studies prepares students for careers in the rapid expanding field of cyber security, as well as weapons of mass destruction (CBRNE) and how to address threats to our critical infrastructure.

Cybersecurity is an increasingly important concern for government agencies, defense contractors, bio-tech research firms, and many others throughout New England. Students pursuing this area of concentration will develop an understanding of computer network security principles, human behavior, systems, cyber forensics, and the strategies and agencies (federal and state) that are intended to secure the nation from cyber attacks.

Students can take courses in the history of philosophy and philosophical movements; political, mathematical and scientific philosophies; metaphysics; linguistics and aesthetics. Students will learn how to analyze, reason, deduct and apply persuasive arguments in a disciplined and systematic way while developing their oral and written communication skills.

The department does not specify particular course work for the major, but recommends that the sequence of courses be designed in close consultation with the student’s faculty advisor. Students who plan to go to graduate school are strongly encouraged to take at least two courses from the History of Philosophy series. They should also consider a second major in a cognate field, e.g., American studies, English, French, history, mathematics, or political science.

Religious Studies - Concentration
A major in Philosophy with a concentration in Philosophy & Religious Studies requires a combination of required introductory courses, Philosophy and Religious Studies electives and Interdisciplinary courses.

Students should choose those courses that are most suitable to their particular interests. Not all of these courses will be offered in a given academic year; students may contact the Chair of Philosophy to determine when a given course will be offered. New courses relevant to Philosophy & Religious Studies may be added to the catalog from time to time; students may contact their advisors to determine whether a new course will count towards the Philosophy & Religious Studies concentration.

In satisfying the Philosophy & Religious Studies electives requirement, students may also take courses from other departments that are relevant to the Philosophy & Religious Studies concentration.

The B.F.A. degree prepares students for careers in studio arts and graphic design. Within these disciplines, students may choose to focus on photography, sculpture, painting, ceramics, animation, 3D modeling, drawing, printmaking or interactive digital media.

The art major is designed to develop a rigorous art practice. Students gain a deep knowledge of the technical and conceptual abilities needed to succeed in the professional world. The Art & Design Department offers the professional degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.).

Through a rigorous competence-building sequence of core courses (Graphic Design I,II,III and Typography I,II,III) students learn the fundamentals of design as well as a wide variety of skills such as team building, critical thinking and problem-solving, which are necessary to succeed in the field. They also gain competences in public speaking and writing. In addition, they learn how to continually adapt to new technology.

Assignments focus on Graphic Design systems, Graphic Design in context and professional practice. In addition to these core courses students can take advantage of courses in web design, motion graphics, animation, interactive design and advanced independent studies.
The final year, students focus on their capstone project. The Senior Studio project is a year-long exploration where students develop their online portfolio, resume and create a self-directed project that reflects their talent and skills.

High quality professors, rigorous and relevant curriculum and state-of-the art facilities create an environment that produces excellent student achievement. The graphic design concentration at UMass Lowell provides students with the tools necessary to reach their highest potential as designers and to have a successful design career in today’s global world.