Southern Arkansas University Courses & Fees

Accounting degrees open a world of possibilities in the job market. Every business, large or small, needs accountants to summarize the company’s operations and to communicate it to decision makers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts this field will continue to grow at a faster rate than other fields.  Accounting degrees also open up access to management and the directing of operations for a business.

Finance majors learn money management skills valuable to businesses, organizations, and individuals. Finance graduates consistently rank among the highest average starting salary for any undergraduate major. In addition, opportunities exist in a wide range of specific financial fields. For example, real estate and personal financial planning are ideal for those with strong interpersonal skills who enjoy working with people. Meanwhile, financial analysis and risk management cater to those with strong analytical and mathematical backgrounds.

The Entrepreneurship degree provides students with the foundational knowledge they need to create, market, and fund new businesses and products. It covers the basic business concepts while also focusing on ways to foster innovation and creativity.  Students complete the program with the ability to prepare a business plan.

Finance majors learn money management skills valuable to businesses, organizations, and individuals. Finance graduates consistently rank among the highest average starting salary for any undergraduate major. In addition, opportunities exist in a wide range of specific financial fields. For example, real estate and personal financial planning are ideal for those with strong interpersonal skills who enjoy working with people. Meanwhile, financial analysis and risk management cater to those with strong analytical and mathematical backgrounds.

The healthcare industry is expanding rapidly, and there are many opportunities for students to use business expertise in the industry.  The healthcare administration degree will focus on equipping students to work in roles that support and enable the healthcare delivery provided by practitioners like doctors and nurses. Graduates will be prepared to lead people, teams, and departments in large and small healthcare facilities to effectively and efficiently run those organizations.

Information Systems (IS) is about the practical integration of information technology and business. Information Systems is the study of how organizations use people, processes, and technology to effectively manage information. IS majors learn business management and problem-solving skills that are highly valued by employers in a variety of industries. In the first two years, students take a broad range of classes both in the Rankin College of Business and across campus.

The information systems degree is first and foremost a business degree. IS students gain a solid foundation in business and become computer-savvy through hands-on experience with the latest technologies.

Career options are almost limitless for a graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management. Options include positions in human resource management, retail management, supply chain operations, manufacturing management, small business management, nonprofit management, and more. Entry-level management positions often require new hires to go through company-specific management training programs and to serve as assistant managers before being promoted to higher levels.

In the first two years of a four-year business degree, students take a broad range of classes. Upper-level courses include advanced business courses that are taken by all business majors and major-specific courses that allow Management students to specialize in their areas of interest.

All Management majors take courses in leadership and ethics, entrepreneurship, human resource management, supply chain management, and total quality management.

Because management is such a broad area, Management majors are encouraged to choose courses that fit their career goals. They may choose nine hours of electives from the following: upper-level courses from any department in the Rankin College of Business, industrial psychology from the Behavioral Sciences department, and/or work analysis from Engineering.

Marketing is one of the fastest growing fields in business.  Businesses of various sizes employ marketing specialists to handle advertising and public relations. Advertising, public relations, sales, marketing research, retailing, and product development are all areas of marketing. Marketing managers work with business executives, sales directors, art directors, and financial managers to promote interest in a business and its products.

SAU’s Marketing Media track gives students a broad knowledge of marketing but also gives them the opportunity to develop skills in areas like graphic design, website development, and social media. These skills would be especially useful to students who are interested in working at advertising agencies as well as those interested in handling all of the marketing responsibilities at smaller firms.

Marketing is one of the fastest growing fields in business.  Businesses of various sizes employ marketing specialists to handle advertising and public relations. Advertising, public relations, sales, marketing research, retailing, and product development are all areas of marketing. Marketing managers work with business executives, sales directors, art directors, and financial managers to promote interest in a business and its products.

SAU’s Sales track gives students a broad knowledge of marketing while allowing them to take courses in areas like insurance or real estate.

Supply chain management coordinates the movement of products all the way from the sourcing of raw materials to the purchasing of products by the final users and the management of customer services. With huge corporations like Walmart, Dell, and Amazon performing millions of transactions a day, effective and efficient supply chain management has become critical to the world economy.

The M.B.A. is offered by the Rankin College of Business at SAU and is fully accredited by AACSB, International, the premier accrediting body for colleges and schools of business. Fewer than five percent of all business programs worldwide are accredited by AACSB, which indicates the quality of our program. The general business emphasis curriculum includes graduate level courses in accounting, economics, finance, marketing, organizational theory, quantitative analysis, strategic management, and management information systems. Additionally, critical perspectives will be emphasized within the program. These include ethical, global, political, social, legal and regulatory, and environmental issues; technology; demographic diversity; and written and oral communication skills.

The latest addition is the Social Entrepreneurship emphasis, which is a 36-hour program and is aimed at providing graduates with the skills and knowledge to support and implementing business-led initiatives to achieve social aims. The agriculture business emphasis is a 33-hour program which requires 24 hours of graduate core courses and nine hours of agricultural business electives. The Supply Chain Management emphasis is a 33-hour program which requires 24 hours of graduate core courses and nine hours of supply chain management electives. A student can complete either program in a traditional night program, through online delivery, or through a combination of the two.

Agriculture today is so much more than farming! Jobs available for graduates with a master’s degree in agri-business vary widely, and include farm management or marketing, agricultural policy or market analyst, logistics, international agricultural policy or marketing, quality control, and so much more!

The M.B.A. with Agri-Business Emphasis is offered by the Rankin College of Business at SAU and is fully accredited by AACSB International, the premier accrediting body for colleges and schools of business. Fewer than 5% of all business programs worldwide are accredited by AACSB, which indicates the quality of our program. The agri-business emphasis curriculum includes graduate level courses in accounting, agriculture markets and prices, finance, marketing, organizational theory, business analytics, strategic management, supply chain management, international trade of agriculture products, agricultural policies and management of agricultural production.

Additionally, critical perspectives will be emphasized within the program. These include ethical, global, political, social, legal and regulatory, and environmental issues; technology; demographic diversity; and written and oral communication skills.

The M.B.A. with Business Leadership Emphasis is offered by the Rankin College of Business at SAU and is fully accredited by AACSB International, the premier accrediting body for colleges and schools of business. Fewer than 5% of all business programs worldwide are accredited by AACSB, which indicates the quality of our program. The Business Leadership emphasis curriculum includes graduate-level courses in accounting, agriculture markets and prices, finance, marketing, organizational theory, business analytics, strategic management, and supply chain management.

Additionally, critical perspectives will be emphasized within the program. These include ethical, global, political, social, legal and regulatory, and environmental issues; technology; demographic diversity; and written and oral communication skills.

The M.B.A. with Data Analytics Emphasis is offered by the Rankin College of Business at SAU and is fully accredited by AACSB International, the premier accrediting body for colleges and schools of business. Fewer than 5% of all business programs worldwide are accredited by AACSB, which indicates the quality of our program.

The MBA is offered by the Rankin College of Business at SAU and is fully accredited by AACSB, International, the premier accrediting body for colleges and schools of business. Fewer than 5% of all business programs worldwide are accredited by AACSB, which indicates the quality of our program.

Social Entrepreneurship is defined as “the process of pursuing business-led solutions to achieve social aims, and the reinvestment of surplus for community benefit.” Social Entrepreneurship strategies began to emerge about the time of the new millennium. Many business organizations have adopted some form of social responsibility strategy since that time. It is the goal of the MBA/SE emphasis to provide graduates with the skills and knowledge necessary to support innovative efforts to successfully implement social entrepreneurship strategies. Students will be exposed to new knowledge in the following areas: creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship, international business, sustainable supply chain practices, and project management with additional options in community development, community organizing, non-profit fundraising, and social activism.

Social Entrepreneurship is limited only by the ability to see a need and the creativity to respond.

Students today want to make a difference in the world around them.  An emphasis in Social Entrepreneurship (either MBA or MPA) is a 36-hour program that will prepare graduates to be entrepreneurial in ways that help solve societal problems.

The MBA-SE emphasis may be for you if

You are interested in utilizing your business acumen to pursue for-profit solutions that assists a need you see around you.

For example, a pizzeria wants to feed the homeless, so they offer customers an opportunity to purchase a slice of pizza for a homeless person while they enjoy their own.

The MBA is offered by the Rankin College of Business at SAU and is fully accredited by AACSB, International, the premier accrediting body for colleges and schools of business. Fewer than five percent of all business programs worldwide are accredited by AACSB, which indicates the quality of our program.

Supply chain management is defined as “the process of the integration and coordination of the business processes throughout the supply for the purpose of satisfying the ultimate customers of the supply chain.” Supply chain management strategies began to emerge in the early 1980s. Walmart and Dell offer examples of successful early adopters of supply chain management strategies: Most business organizations have adopted some form of supply chain management strategy since that time. It is the goal of the MBA/SCM emphasis to provide graduates with the skills and knowledge necessary to support organizational efforts to successfully implement supply chain management strategies. Students will be exposed to new knowledge in the following areas: supply chain management strategy, enterprise resource planning systems, RFID technology applications, environmentally sustainable supply chain practices, supply chain cybersecurity, and project management.

SAU Engineering is housed in a dedicated, state of the art facility near a newly renovated dormitory reserved in part for science majors. Courses emphasize solving engineering problems and obtaining practical experience through internships. The baccalaureate degree provides a broad background in mechanics of materials, structures and control systems. Our engineering program enjoys a unique partnership with local industries; real-world engineering problem‐solving is enhanced by practical experience our majors receive through industry internship opportunities. The students are also required to work on a senior capstone engineering design project overseen by a faculty member.

Chemical Engineers use chemical processes to find innovative ways of producing goods that improve and protect human health, the environment, and the economy.  Chemical Engineers are employed across a wide spectrum of industries from traditional chemicals and petroleum-based products to specialty industries such as pharmaceuticals, food, microelectronics, and alternative energy.  Chemical engineers also work in energy management, safety, pollution prevention, and waste treatment and disposal.

The curriculum in chemical engineering at SAU includes classroom and laboratory instruction and emphasizes broadly applicable fundamental principles and current technology to prepare graduates for professional practice and professional growth.  Students also gain hands-on experience through industry internships that often lead to employment after graduation.

he engineering technology program at Southern Arkansas University is a professional degree that specializes in design and analysis in the broad area of engineering technology. The degree will provide skills for graduates to become real-world problem solvers. Most of the courses are applied in nature and provide students with the necessary skills to be real-world problem solvers in the engineering and manufacturing technology industry. Students will be introduced to modeling and design tools that are widely used in the current job market. More focus will be given to applied aspects rather than theoretical aspects of engineering. Most of the courses will be taught by engineering professors that have work experience in industries. Some of the courses from the engineering program will transfer to the engineering technology program.

The Industrial Technology option is designed to prepare technical and management oriented professionals for leadership responsibilities and employment in business, industry, education, and government. Industrial Technology is primarily involved with the management, operation, and maintenance of complex, technological systems. Typical positions held by graduates include, but are not limited to, industrial managers, training directors, operations managers, plant managers, production supervisors, and quality and safety engineers. Core classes include fundamentals of manufacturing, quality, maintenance management, production and inventory control, industrial safety, work analysis, industrial management, engineering economic analysis, manufacturing policy and ethics.