Jan. 8, 2018 – I was thinking about the courses I took way back when I was in college in 1972-1976, and the courses my son is now taking for his degree in finance. And it hit me. So much wasted time, energy and money taking courses I never used just to make me a “well rounded” person.
I think we could easily trim the fluff, give students the tools and knowledge they REALLY need to succeed in a company, and graduate in 2 years instead of 4 — saving a lot of student debt in the process.
Just for kicks, here’s what I would require for a business degree today: (this assumes that a person has graduated high school and possesses basic math and reading/writing skills) – not necessarily in this order.
- Business writing, proposals and contracts
- Intro. to economics
- Intermediate/advanced economics
- How to write a business plan
- How to write a marketing plan (pricing, strategy, cash flow projections, competition)
- Market research methods (how & where to find business information, forecasting, customer surveys, competitor intelligence)
- Sources of funding (private equity, crowd funding, SBA loans, bank loans, taking a company public)
- Entrepreneurship
- Business law, business ethics
- Accounting: basic principles, how to prepare a tax form, payroll
- Legal (corporate formats (corporations, sole proprietorships, partnerships, non-profits, how to incorporate a business)
- Social media (using Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, blogs, content marketing)
- Advertising methods (online, print, TV, radio, pay per click, webinars, podcasts)
- Manufacturing & distribution (various models, trademarks, copyrights, outsourcing)
- Personnel management: staffing, employee relations, motivation
- Internship working for a local business
That’s it – 15 courses of 3 credits each, 45 credits total, spread out over 4 three-month semesters and 2 years. Three semesters of 4 courses and one of 3 courses. Less than half the cost of a current degree. And, some of the above courses could be taken online.
No art history, English, medieval literature, religion, sociology, calculus, basket weaving or other fluff. I guarantee you that a student taking the above curriculum will be 100% better prepared to enter the world of business than any current 4-year degree.
Just my 2 cents. What do YOU think?
Note: To view ongoing business posts by Marketdata’s President and Research Director, John LaRosa, and to learn about our various market & industry reports, and to obtain free Press Releases, visit marketdataenterprises.com, or email: john@marketdataenterprises.com.