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Management (BSBA) - General Management

About

An organization’s people are one of its primary resources. Appalachian State University’s Management (BSBA) degree provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively and efficiently manage organizations to get the best out of their employees and to achieve strategic goals. 

This includes learning how to attract and retain talented employees, and ensure that their activities are aligned with strategic objectives – both in existing companies and in new start-up ventures.  Management majors also gain valuable leadership and interpersonal skills, along with an understanding of group dynamics – which, together, are the skills that truly define effective managers.

As a Management major, you will learn from Department of Management faculty who are leaders in their respective fields, developing knowledge and insight through research that is shared nationally. Management majors have a broad career base, as their skills are transferrable to virtually every industry. As a result, career options are varied. Some graduates will go into management-trainee or leadership development programs, while others are hired for entry-level management positions. Some graduates prefer to start their own businesses, or work for small, family-owned companies.

For students interested specifically in the hospitality industry, the department also offers the Hospitality and Tourism Management (BSBA) degree.

After Graduation

Employment: Graduates typically go into management-trainee or leadership development programs, or are immediately hired and groomed for management positions. Students have gone on to work for AON Consulting, Target, BB&T, SPX, Hershey, Transportation Insight and Wholcraub.

Graduate School: Students who choose to continue to graduate school have often chosen to stay at Appalachian for the MBA program. Another popular post-graduate school is The University of Tennessee. 

Career Exploration website

People

  • Faculty Profile: Jim Westerman
    Faculty Profile: Jim Westerman

    “There is no greater joy than teaching.”

    – Dr. Jim Westerman

    Meet more faculty

  • Alumnus Profile: Mark Janke ’18
    Alumnus Profile: Mark Janke ’18

    “My professors pushed me intellectually every day, and I felt I could not have chosen a better university.”

    – Mark Janke ’18, material damage claims representative at National General Insurance

  • Alumnus Profile: Mitch Purgason ’15
    Alumnus Profile: Mitch Purgason ’15

    Mountaineer alumnus Mitch Purgason, who earned his BSBA in Management from App State in 2015, stitches his way to award-winning success, designing custom clothing for professional athletes, executives and fashion influencers. In 2021, Charlotte Magazine awarded Purgason’s Charlotte-based company “Best Men’s Suits” as part of its annual Bob Awards.

  • Alumna Profile: Libby Childers ’13

    Three international education and employment opportunities later, Libby Childers ’13 returns to the United States to continue the work she loves.

Courses

  • Program of Study
    Program of Study
  • Four Year Guide
    Four Year Guide

    Click on the pdf for your major

  • NCCC Transfer Four Year Guide
    NCCC Transfer Four Year Guide

Related Programs

  • Hospitality and Tourism Management (BSBA)
  • Management (BSBA) - Human Resources
  • Management (BSBA) - Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  • Management (BSBA) - Sustainable Business

Minors

A minor is not required. However, popular choices are Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Management and Sustainable Business.

View all minors

Global Learning

Appalachian is committed to introducing students to different cultures and teaching them how to live and interact in a global society.

All business students fulfill an international requirement, and an increasing number choose to study abroad through a wide variety of exchange programs. The college maintains partnerships with universities across the globe and continues to expand groundbreaking opportunities in emerging markets.

The Department of Management offers these international courses:

  • Entrepreneurship 3190 provides a study of international entrepreneurship. Topics include mode of entry, trade and the global environment, culture, legal, international financial and marketing considerations, and different business practices outside the domestic market.
  • Management 3670 provides a study of human resource management with emphasis on the global economy.
  • Management 3800 provides a study of management as practiced in different nations and cultures.

Admission Requirements

Requirements for declaring a major within the Walker College of Business are detailed here.

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Why Appalachian?

  • The Department of Management offers minors in entrepreneurship, human resource management and sustainable business. It also provides access to the programs and faculty in Appalachian’s Transportation Insight Center for Entrepreneurship in order to help students develop and launch businesses.
  • The department is active in sustainability initiatives and hosts several special cross-disciplinary sessions each semester, featuring experts in sustainability.
  • Many Appalachian students choose to select courses from both the Marketing and Management programs. The two are the most popular choices for students simultaneously earning a second major with an undergraduate degree.
  • The Department of Management, along with the Department of Psychology, offers a two-year, interdisciplinary Master of Arts degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Human Resources Management (IOHRM), which expands upon the undergraduate management curriculum. 

Location

Boone and Hickory* and online

*The Hickory Campus location is pending accreditation from SACSCOC for this program. Accreditation is expected in summer 2023.

Careers

  • Benefits Manager
  • Branch Manager
  • Communications Manager
  • Compensation Manager
  • Government Services Administrator
  • Human Resource Manager
  • Industrial Relations Director
  • Information Systems Manager
  • International Business Manager
  • Labor Relations Manager
  • Management Analyst
  • Operations Manager
  • Payroll Manager
  • Personnel Manager
  • Personnel Recruiter
  • Promotions Manager
  • Property Manager
  • Provisioning Manager
  • Public Utilities Manager
  • Real Estate Agent/Broker
  • Recreation Manager
  • Restaurant/Food Service Manager
  • Retail Sales Manager
  • Sales Manager
  • Telecommunications System Coordinator
  • Training Manager
  • Transportation Director

View more career possibilities

Contacts

Walker College of Business

Department of Management

Dr. Mark Lewis
Chair
lewismo1@appstate.edu
828-262-2688

  • Department of Management

    The Department of Management offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs to prepare students for managerial responsibilities in today’s dynamic environment.

  • Walker College of Business

    Accredited and well ranked

    • Accredited by AACSB International – the premier global accrediting body for schools of business – since 1976. It is among only one-third of U.S. business schools and 15% of business programs worldwide that hold this accreditation.
    • Consistently named one of “The Best Business Schools” by The Princeton Review.

    Global Emphasis

    • An international requirement of all business majors, which can include study abroad in traditional and emerging markets.
    • Opportunities to participate in a variety of short-term international programs in locations throughout the world, which are open to all business majors and designed to develop international business skills and intercultural knowledge — including the Holland Fellows Program for Business Study in Asia, which provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for selected students to gain global business acumen through a semesterlong international sustainable business consulting project, alumni mentorship, career coaching and a uniquely curated business study abroad experience.
    • The annual Global Opportunities Conference, which highlights innovative and entrepreneurial ways of addressing global challenges.

    Highlighting Sustainability

    • Leaders in creating a world where environmental, societal and economic qualities exist in balance to meet the resource needs of today and of future generations.

    Outstanding Academics

    • Small classes and easy access to faculty, who are focused on teaching and learning and engaged in research.
    • An emphasis on practical experience and interaction with professionals through the Boyles Lecture Series, McLeod Entrepreneur Summit, Global Opportunities Conference, Business for Good conference and other annual events.
    • Accelerated Admission for select MBA programs

    Student Support Services

    • Student Support Services that include academic advising, scholarships, the Truist Student Leadership Center, which provides opportunities for business students to build job and life skills through professional and leadership development training, and the Transportation Insight Center for Entrepreneurship, which aims to help students and recent alumni launch successful businesses and enhance Western North Carolina’s economy.

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