The University of Akron Courses & FeesAkron Ohio, USA

Accountants provide an array of financial services to businesses, nonprofit corporations, governments, industry and even private citizens.

The curriculum is based on broad theoretical principles and applied practices. You will study:

• core business fundamentals such as finance, marketing, management principles, operations management, quantitative business analysis, business law and strategy
• financial reporting
• cost management
• accounting transaction cycles and business processes
• business risk, internal controls and auditing
• information systems risk, security, controls and assurance
• taxation

You will earn a degree from a globally recognized business school where the programs are taught by an accomplished and dedicated faculty and are supported by a network of business executives. You can major in a wide variety of interesting disciplines that are attractive to prospective employers. As a graduate, you will have leadership and collaboration competencies and be a data savvy, globally aware, enterprise thinker.

The Business Administration major is intended to offer a comprehensive approach across the 4 primary areas of business including Accounting, Finance, Management, and Marketing. Students who intend to pursue careers in small business management, whether by creating or acquiring a business, or perhaps taking over a family business enterprise, may find the flexibility of this degree program best for them. Other students with more full-time professional experience may also prefer the broader course selection available in this degree program.

This program is designed to provide adult learners with a degree that is inclusive of prior learning, offers great flexibility in terms of course/program content, and allows them to complete their business degree in a highly flexible online environment. The program is geared toward working adults who are currently in a role that does not require a degree but who have developed the functional expertise to take on a managerial role.

Local companies have told us that they often require new managers or supervisors to have a degree, and they prefer that the degrees be in business. This degree provides the graduate with the managerial knowledge and business skills employers are looking for.

Computer science deals with the storage, transformation and transfer of information. It is often considered to be
a branch of engineering because of its applicability. The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science - Management Track is tailored to individuals interested in learning about designing and developing systems for business information management.

Comprehensive curriculum covers programming, languages, operating systems and mathematics

Emergency Management and Homeland Security studies events or threats such as natural disasters, terrorist incidents, and technological hazards. Students will acquire specialized knowledge in disaster management through prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery actions utilizing an All-Hazards focused approach. This dynamic discipline prepares graduates for careers in the governmental, corporate, public health, and nonprofit sectors. Emergency Management and Homeland Security can be a career that makes a difference in people’s lives. The program offers a Bachelor of Science degree along with a minor and certificate which is accredited by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC). Students can step-up from responder related Associates Degrees such as criminal justice or fire protection. Students can also choose to follow a traditional college program with little or no bridgework. All university general education requirements must be completed as outlined in this Bulletin. 

This program prepares students who have completed a minimum of 60 semester hours in subjects including, but not limited to, fire protection, criminal justice, community services, environmental health and safety, or other related areas to enter the field of emergency management in either the public or private sectors. Students will acquire specialized knowledge in preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery in regard to an all hazards approach. Students without this coursework must meet with the program director or an academic adviser to discuss required “bridge” coursework.

Emergency Management and Homeland Security studies events or threats such as natural disasters, terrorist incidents, and technological hazards. Students will acquire specialized knowledge in disaster management through prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery actions utilizing an “All-Hazards” focused approach. This dynamic discipline prepares graduates for careers in the governmental, corporate, public health, and nonprofit sectors. Emergency Management and Homeland Security can  be a career that makes a difference in people’s lives. The program offers a Bachelor of Science degree, along with a minor and certificate. There are two program pathways: Students can step-up from responder related Associates Degrees such as criminal justice or fire protection or students can choose to follow a traditional bachelor’s degree curriculum. All university general education requirements must be completed as outlined in this Bulletin.

The Exercise Science major is designed to prepare students for employment in commercial, corporate, clinical, community and government agencies with interest in the areas of physical activity and health promotion. The program prepares students to sit for certification examinations such as American College of Sports Medicine Exercise Physiologist Certified and the National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

Today's business environment requires increasingly efficient management of a firm's assets. The Financial Management major prepares students to use established financial principles to meet organizations' financial goals. Students learn how to effectively manage a firm's assets by taking required finance and accounting courses, and electives to allow further study in such areas as firm asset management, investment management, and capital budgeting.

Financial Management focuses on the management of the financial resources of a firm. Students learn to efficiently manage assets of a firm by taking additional required finance and accounting courses. Elective courses permit further study in such areas as firm asset management, investment management and capital budgeting.

Managing Human Resource (HR) functions has evolved into a crucial aspect of an organization's management process, and HR professionals have become active strategic business partners. It is widely recognized that a well-functioning HR group significantly contributes to an organization's overall success.

The Human Resource Management (HRM) major focuses on the systems and programs that effectively manage an organization's employees. The overall objective of HRM practitioners is to help make an organization an employer of choice through compensation, benefits, career development, training, staffing, and other functions that affect employees.

An undergraduate degree in Human Resource Management will prepare you to pursue an exciting career as an HR professionals. The degree will also prepare you for further graduate study or a certification. Students may opt to pursue either a Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management offered by The University of Akron or a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification offered by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).  

The dynamic changes in the world's physical, political, economic and cultural environments have created new opportunities as well as the challenge to effectively compete in the global marketplace as it exists today and will evolve tomorrow. The international business program views international business in the broad context of all business transactions devised and carried out across national borders to satisfy the organizational and personal goals of firms and individuals. 

Our curriculum is designed specifically to prepare graduates to effectively manage the change and complexity that the wave of globalization brings with it.  Special emphasis is placed on the process of foreign market entry.  Carefully articulated course offerings and contents cut across accounting, finance, management, marketing, and technology.  Notable highlights include a required approved study abroad program, proficiency in a foreign language and a minor specialization. The integrative nature of our program stands at the intersection of theory and practice to provide a balanced approach, functional specialization and a broader cultural perspective.

Employers are looking for IB graduates who have been trained not only in traditional business functions, but who also have a global perspective and understand the economic, cultural and political variables that operate in global markets. This program provides you with a comprehensive understanding of the global economy and helps you develop the skills and awareness necessary to work in international environments and with diverse cultures.

The Marketing major at the College of Business helps students develop skills so they can create committed customers through product development, branding, customer service, distribution, pricing, and promotion. The curriculum addresses topics like buyer behavior, marketing research, marketing and sales analytics, brand management, and more, as well as a special emphasis on sound decision-making based on customer, competitor and market information.

A key element of our program is the “Professional Experience” which is designed to ease your transition from academics to industry. All marketing majors will participate in the Marketing Capstone course which will allow you to consult with a major firm in the region. You will also choose between a marketing internship or three 1 credit courses in our new Professional Workshop program. These workshops, taught by area executives, will deal with cutting edge marketing issues.

The Risk Management and Insurance major allows students to engage in a highly rewarding career. The program teaches students how to identify, analyze, and manage financial and operational risks that are inherent in both personal and business settings.

Risk Management and Insurance prepares students for employment in three major areas. The first is an insurance company career, working to create and service insurance products for individuals and businesses. The second is the risk management profession. The risk manager of a company anticipates possible losses and develops a plan to survive the risks. The third is insurance agency work, which involves selling and servicing of insurance products.

Students choosing to specialize in risk management and insurance have the opportunity to sit for the Ohio property/casualty and/or life/health insurance license exams. They also have the opportunity to earn the University Associate Certified Insurance Counselor (UACIC) designation.

The University of Akron's Sales Management Program, established in 1994, is the 2nd oldest such program in the United States. The placement rate of our sales students is nearly 100%, with some of the highest starting salaries among business graduates. Graduates are working in diverse sectors including medical device sales, insurance sales, financial services, consumer packaged goods market, industrial equipment, software sales and services, and technical sales. Sales Management Careers are a high growth area both nationally and within the State of Ohio. Experts estimate that sales professionals account for 10 percent of U.S. employment, with a projected annual growth of 9%. 

With one of the largest collegiate sales training facilities in the country, our sales management program has been recognized nationally and is accredited through the University Sales Center Alliance, a consortium connecting sales faculty to share best practices and expertise.  We also offer a minor in Professional Selling and certificate programs in Professional Selling, Sales for Engineering students, and Health Care Selling.

The Sales Program is supported by The Fisher Institute for Professional Selling, which houses our nine state-the-art sales training lab rooms, permitting students to augment traditional learning approaches with extensive sales and negotiation role playing and feedback. Additional support is offered through our Fisher Executive Advisory Board, giving students excellent access to professional networking, mentoring, internships and career opportunities. 

Supply Chain Management is the coordination and integration of the activities that procure materials and services, transform them into intermediate and final products, and deliver them to the customer. It involves the management of:

• the flow of materials and products
• the flow of money
• the flow of information
• relationships among the organizations comprising the supply chain

The overall goal of supply chain/operations management is to impact the organization’s bottom-line in a positive way while delivering the best services to customers at the lowest possible cost.

An undergraduate degree in Supply Chain Management will prepare you to pursue exciting careers as supply chain professionals. The degree will also prepare you for further graduate study or a certification. 

The Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA) is a 30-credit degree program designed to help students from different backgrounds become capable accounting professionals. This degree allows students who have accounting undergraduate degrees to broaden their business knowledge with coursework in information systems and finance. Students who are newer to accounting can gain the skills to pursue a career in the field. In this degree, students can pursue either a professional accountancy option or an accounting information systems option.

The Master of Taxation (MTax) Program is a professional degree designed to provide intensive training for individuals with an interest in developing specialized skills in the area of taxation. The program is intended for accountants and attorneys who wish to further or pursue a career in taxation. However, other individuals with a four-year degree in business or accounting from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning (or international equivalent) may also find the program valuable and manageable. The program offers substantive technical and professional knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to function as a taxation specialist in the United States Students in the program will:

• develop substantive and comprehensive knowledge of federal taxation;
• understand the state and local taxation regimes of selected states, including the State of Ohio;
• develop abilities to research taxation issues, identify and solve taxation problems, and plan taxation strategies;
• develop the ability to contribute as a taxation specialist to strategic planning and decision-making in organizations;
• demonstrate effective written and oral presentation skills; and
• demonstrate ability to use information technology for researching and solving taxation problems.

In addition to traditional large computer applications, devices containing some form of embedded computing system are becoming pervasive in our society. Computer engineers design and develop hardware and software for all of these systems, ranging from software applications to communication networks to components in computing systems to small embedded sensors. Branches of computer engineering include operating systems, embedded systems design, digital circuits, algorithms, software design, and computer architecture among others. Important applications include wired and wireless networks, simulation, automation, digital control, sensing, robotics, “apps,” data management, and many others.

The Computer Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.  Our comprehensive curriculum prepares students to identify, formulate, and implement solutions to real-world problems. Students learn how to use modern engineering tools in well-equipped laboratories, with activities that reinforce the concepts learned in the classroom. The curriculum emphasizes design and teamwork, and culminates in a capstone senior design project that integrates the material learned in earlier courses. The Computer Engineering program offers two options, with and without a co-operative education component; our well-established co-op program enables students to strengthen the connections between theory and practice in a professional setting, and provides valuable industrial experience. 

In addition to traditional large computer applications, devices containing some form of embedded computing system are becoming pervasive in our society. Computer engineers design and develop hardware and software for all of these systems, ranging from software applications to communication networks to components in computing systems to small embedded sensors. Branches of computer engineering include operating systems, embedded systems design, digital circuits, algorithms, software design, and computer architecture among others. Important applications include wired and wireless networks, simulation, automation, digital control, sensing, robotics, “apps,” data management, and many others.

The Computer Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.  Our comprehensive curriculum prepares students to identify, formulate, and implement solutions to real-world problems. Students learn how to use modern engineering tools in well-equipped laboratories, with activities that reinforce the concepts learned in the classroom. The curriculum emphasizes design and teamwork, and culminates in a capstone senior design project that integrates the material learned in earlier courses. The Computer Engineering program offers two options, with and without a co-operative education component; our well-established co-op program enables students to strengthen the connections between theory and practice in a professional setting, and provides valuable industrial experience. 

The Bachelor of Science (BS) in Computer Information Systems (CIS) - Networking degree option allows students to attain in-depth study of network management including building, securing, managing, and troubleshooting multimedia wired and wireless LAN and WAN networks.

The CIS program provides high level training by introducing students to basic computing concepts while allowing them to develop the applied skills required for the workforce. Courses are taught in cutting edge computer labs so students can learn and practice skills. Schedules offer a range of day and evening classes.

The Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems (CIS) - Programming degree option allows students to attain knowledge of effective software application development, client/server application development, and database application development and management for businesses.

The CIS program provides high level training by introducing students to basic computing concepts while allowing them to develop the applied skills required for the workforce. Courses are taught in cutting edge computer labs so students can learn and practice skills. Schedules offer a range of day and evening classes.