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Home » Academics » Majors and Minors

Business Administration

Gain the skills and confidence to thrive and make an impact in today’s competitive professional landscape.

OverviewAfter PrincipiaFaculty

Using a hands-on approach, you will develop a strong foundation in key disciplines of business:

  • Marketing – Studying how to connect with customers to help them to solve problems in their lives.
  • Management – Developing a practice to lead and motivate employees, both in teams and individually, to ensure the organization thrives.
  • Strategy – Researching the environment in which an organization exists in order to create an implementable plan to compete successfully.
  • Finance/Accounting – Explaining and utilizing the financial tools necessary to make informed, data-driven decisions within local, national and global businesses.
  • Operations - Examining the tools and processes involved in delivering on a company’s promise to its customers, including building a coordinated value chain across suppliers, producers, and logistics partners.
  • Economics – Supporting managerial decision making by considering the context in which the firm exists, including the impact of government policy, economic variables and international factors which influence business and competition.

Students interested in specialization can choose a business degree with a concentration in:

  • Entrepreneurship
  • Finance
  • International Business
  • Marketing

Majors and Minors Offered

  • Business Administration (BA major, minor)
  • Business Administration—Entrepreneurship Concentration (BA major)
  • Business Administration—Finance Concentration (BA major)
  • Business Administration—International Business Concentration (BA major)
  • Business Administration—Marketing Concentration (BA major)
  • Entrepreneurship (BA minor)

Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

The Principia College Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation seeks to promote and inspire entrepreneurial spirit on campus. Its multidisciplinary approach encourages collaboration and creativity. Through the center, you can join start-up challenges, attend talks by renowned entrepreneurs, and participate in workshops covering design thinking, prototyping, business planning, launching, and obtaining financial grants. Learn more about the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Why Study Business Administration at Principia College?

  • Learn sustainable business practices built on a foundation of integrity, ethical conduct and respect for customers both internal and external
  • Faculty with real-world experience that spans startups to multinational corporations across 18 major international and domestic industries.
  • Exceptional student-to-faculty ratio giving you one-on-one access to your professors.
  • Company visits to locations such as Proctor and Gamble, The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Fleishman Hilliard, RSM, and John Deere. Visits also include retail research expeditions and shopper-metrics data collection. 
  • Student internships at companies such as Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, Nestlé Purina, Cherry Republic, Porsche, Arrow Benefits Group, Edelman, C Space, Dallas Stars NHL team, Beauty Hill Disc Golf, and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
  • Recognition as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)® University Affiliated program giving you access to CFA Institute curriculums, journals, webcasts and other educational resources as well as the opportunity to apply for CFA scholarships.
  • An Entrepreneurship Center where you can develop your business ideas in a vibrant collaboration space.
  • A state-of-the-art Innovation Lab giving you access to resources and technology to bring ideas to life.
  • Opportunities to participate in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Investment Contest 
  • An approach that encourages students to think deeply and distinguish themselves as strong, credible professionals in the working world.

Abroads

Principia abroad programs are open to all majors, and students are encouraged to apply for any abroad program that interests them. All abroads involve individual research that students can tailor to their interests.

Note: See the College Catalog for more detailed information about our program and departmental learning outcomes.

coming soon

Our graduates pursue business careers after graduation, including the following types of jobs:

  • Financial analyst
  • Operations specialist
  • Marketing specialist
  • Nonprofit administrator
  • Systems analyst
  • Business development specialist
  • Salesperson
  • Event coordinator
  • Product manager

Recent graduates are working for the following companies and organizations:

  • JP Morgan
  • Deloitte
  • Dow Chemical
  • Edward Jones
  • Brilliant
  • Fisher Investments
  • Duetsche Bank
  • Bridge Financial Group
  • Washington University
  • Lutron Electronics
  • Wells Fargo
  • Longyear Museum
  • Project Angel Heart

Our graduates continue their education in top graduate schools, including these:

  • University of Missouri School of Law
  • Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago
  • Graduate School for Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh
  • Stetson University College of Law
  • University of Maryland
  • George Washington University

From Our Alumni

“I developed strong communication skills in my business major that are crucial in my job. I provide technical expertise on business system software projects, working with a diverse team from all parts of the world.” 

–A 2012 Business Administration graduate working as a technical specialist at Dow Chemical

“As a person with no business background before I declared as a major, I knew I was up for a challenge and I have really enjoyed the experience of working with different professors in different classes. I really like how every faculty in this department take interest in the students to ensure that they are up to speed with what is going on in their classes and how they can help.”

–A 2014 Business Administration graduate

“The comradery with all of my classmates and teachers and the positive and supportive learning environment challenged me to always produce my best work!”

–A 2018 Business Administration graduate

Portia W. Benson
Assistant Professor of Business Administration
Chair of the Business Administration and Economics Department
618.374.5496
Faculty Profile
William Buchanan
Visiting Faculty
Faculty Profile
Lucia De Paz
Assistant Professor of Business Administration
618.374.5495
Faculty Profile
Dr. Karl Hellman
Associate Professor of Economics
618.374.5220
Faculty Profile
Peter Tosto
Assistant Professor of Business Administration
Faculty Profile
Colleen Vucinovich
Assistant Professor of Business Administration
618.374.5493
Faculty Profile
Overview | After Principia | Faculty

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