UNW School of Business Viewbook

Welcome to the School of Business at University of Northwestern – St. Paul! We are committed to cultivating Christ-like character, compassion, and excellence in future business leaders.

As a community, we strive for a CULTURE focused on developing Christlike CHARACTER. We deliver CURRICULUM that equips and challenges you, preparing you to serve effectively in your CAREER and beyond. Our community fosters CONNECTIONS, both in long-term professional networks and in personal relationships.

We invite you to join us and experience a community that helps you develop as a business professional and offers social, relational, and spiritual opportunities for growth.

CHARACTER

CAREER

Creativity

Courage

CONNECTIONS

Conscientiousness

We prioritize delivering market-relevant curriculum, hiring industry practitioners, and coordinating academic support resources.

ACCOUNTING

The Accounting major prepares students for careers in public, corporate/industry, government, non-profit, and forensics accounting. All courses are designed to fulfill requirements and prepare students to sit for the CPA exam. Students will dive into hands-on applications of emerging accounting technologies.

Concentrations: Business Accounting, Analytics & Reporting.

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

The Business Administration major is designed to prepare students for management careers in a wide variety of companies – large corporations to small businesses, nonprofit or family businesses, healthcare of government, and startups. This program is the most flexible of our business majors and students can choose from many concentrations. Courses are designed to provide a solid foundation for further study towards a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree or immediate marketplace entry.

Concentrations: Analytics, Global Studies, Property Management, Digital Branding Strategies, Entrepreneurship, Healthcare Management, Leadership, Operations, Nonprofit Leadership, Hospitality, Sports Management, Strategic Management.

FINANCE

The Finance major is designed to train students to understand and utilize the concepts of business finance commonly used in today’s corporate and investment communities. Examples of these marketplace opportunities include risk analysis, banking, corporate and personal financial planning, investments, wealth management, capital asset management, and financial analysis.

Concentrations: Corporate Finance, Wealth Management.

MARKETING

The Marketing major is designed to prepare students for careers in marketing management, product or brand management, public relations, advertising, promotion, digital marketing strategy, sports marketing, and marketing research.

Concentrations: Analytics, Communication, Graphic Design, Media Production.

MINORS

• Accounting

• Business Administration

• Data Analytics

• Entrepreneurship

• Healthcare Management

• Finance

• Marketing

• Leadership

• Nonprofit Leadership

CULTURE

Culture is student-driven and creates space to meet, learn, and grow personally, academically, and professionally. This includes organizing events, hosting chapels, creating peer groups, or meeting one-on-one.

SBB WISDOM

BUSINESSPLANS ENGAGING ENCOURAGING GROUPPROJECTS NEWEXPERIENCES

WELCOMING TEAMWORK

PERSONABLE STUDENTBUSINESSBOARD

BUSINESS GREATPROFESSORS

COMMUNITYCONNECTIONS EVENTSBUSINESSLOUNGE SUCCESS

PROFESSIONAL FRIENDS

The School of Business has worked hard to create a culture of relationship-building, community, and inclusion. We have a strong desire to create opportunities to learn and grow together. Our students are the leaders and facilitators of culture and relationship-building with coaching by faculty and staff. Through student-led events, clubs, business chapels, leadership positions, team projects, and mentorships, it is our hope that students develop positive and lasting relationships with each other, with their faculty, and with outside professionals that will continue to be an encouragement and support when they leave UNW.

CLUBS AND LEADERSHIP

Building relationships is a critical piece of learning, developing your faith, and living well in the community of Christ. There are many opportunities to get connected at UNW. The options vary year to year, but the School of Business has sponsored clubs in accounting, pre-law, women in leadership, and environmental business. Students can also join or form UNW clubs that bring people together around a common interest.

One of the core tenants of UNW’s mission is to build great leaders. Leadership is a multi-faceted character trait and competency that requires practice. There are many opportunities to practice leadership in service in the School of Business. Leadership positions involving mentorship, planning, networking, and strategic planning are available through:

Club Leadership: Creating or leading club events and programming.

Peer Mentorship Programming: Continuing our strong legacy of student leadership of our professional mentorship program.

Career Champions: Investing in fellow students navigating their first steps into career readiness.

Student Business Board: Leading by carrying out the strategic vision of the School of Business in recruiting, event planning, marketing, and networking.

CHARACTER

Character is driven by accountability and development. For students, this means academic and personal accountability; for faculty, accountability to program and employment standards of excellence are critical.

MENTORSHIP

Our student-led mentorship program pairs students 1:1 with a business professional in the marketplace. Our mentors provide space for our students to engage in conversations about the realities and opportunities for Christian in the marketplace. Students build their professional network and engage in relationship driven discipleship.

CORE VALUES

• Compassion

• Consideration

• Creativity

• Courage

• Conscientiousness

PROFESSOR ADVISING MODEL

Many universities use advisors who are curriculum specialists who know the rotation of coursework but not the content, At UNW, business students are assigned to a business professor who meets with them regularly to map future semesters, determine schedule of the student’s goals, and have conversations about career hopes and readiness.

PROFESSOR PRACTITIONER PHILOSOPHY

As a core philosophy of the School of Business, we strive to have professor practitioners. This ensures your professors will have relevant marketplace experience, not just scholarly or researched business acumen. Why is this important? It is critical that our students develop hands-on competencies — skills that can only be taught by professionals who have done the work themselves. Our professors maintain their skills by staying active in the marketplace — serving on boards, running side businesses, and developing skills in new technologies and methodologies. In order to be effective, they need to keep up and participate in the rapidly evolving business landscape. Your professors will know and teach about the latest conversations, trends, opportunities, and obstacles in your field of study, ensuring you are ready to be a contributer in your workplace.

ACADEMIC SUPPORT

The School of Business surrounds students with multi-faceted academic, social, and emotional support. Alongside professors who have open door policies or office hours, examples of academic support include:

Student Tutors: Available weekly for assistance in business coursework.

Teaching Assistants (TA’s): A go-to resource for both immediate and ongoing assistance with challenging subjects. TA’s are not allowed to instruct in the classroom at UNW.

Academic Support Plans: The School of Business works with academic advisors, the Academic Achievement office, and the Student Life office to surround students with academic, emotional, mental, or environmental support as needed.

CAREER

We strive to holistically mentor and develop each student in their transition from pupil to professional. We aid the transition from college to career through our professor-advising model, career preparation curriculum, and UNW’s Career and Leadership Development office.

COLLEGE TO CAREER

Shifting from a student mentality to professional contributor in the marketplace requires purposefulness and the development of new skills. The School of Business is very intentional in equipping our students for this transition, creating opportunities to practice professional skills and apply them.

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS SEMINAR

As part of the UNW Business Core, every business major will take Professional Skills Seminar, a class designed to propel students into proactive action toward developing their professional brand and professional skills needed during the hiring process. Students learn how to professionally present themselves in all business settings, including settings involving eating and alcohol use. This class is a capstone class required for the completion of the internship.

CAREER AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Programming at UNW’s Career & Leadership Development office includes resume and brand building, interest assessment, career and networking guidance, and interview preparation. Career services are available to every student at any time and extend to students’ post-UNW experience.

CAREER COMMUNITIES

Few students come to UNW knowing exactly what they want to do. Even fewer students enjoy being asked what they want to do with their lives. UNW’s Career & Leadership Development office has developed a vast community of UNW alumni and non-affiliated marketplace leaders, representing nearly all industries and job types, who have volunteered to participate in informational interviews, advice sessions, presentations, and more. Students have access to Career Communities for their own inquiries and will be using this resource in business coursework.

DUAL DEGREE

Dual Degree is a unique program allowing upper-level undergraduate students to take courses that count toward both their undergraduate business degree and a master’s level business degree. The credits can be applied toward the Master of Business Administration (MBA) or the Master of Organizational Leadership (MOL). If you are interested in this unique opportunity, you should discuss this with your advisor. Programming surrounding Dual Degree requires careful planning of coursework.

CONNECTIONS

We want to create an environment and opportunities where students can intentionally engage with each other, with their faculty leaders, and with external professionals. This involves field trips, informational interviews, peer/ mentor programming, or social events.

INTERNSHIPS

A primary connection to the marketplace comes through UNW’s School of Business internship requirement which is unique compared to many business schools. All business majors require a paid, 240-hour minimum internship experience in the student’s field of study before graduation.

Students build their professional and career competencies toward this internship capstone from the first day. Our professor advisors, curriculum, and community connections set the stage for students to capture their internship in the industry and role of their choosing. We do not place interns, but faculty and staff prepare students with valuable, marketable skills and resources before they pursue an internship.

Internships are a critical way to expose students to the pace and culture of the marketplace with the safety net of their academic support teams. Professor advisors oversee the experience and work with the on-site internship supervisor at the organization to assess the student’s career and social readiness. This assessment becomes part of their ongoing professional development. Many internships have led to full-time job offers and successful careers in large, small, non-profit, start-up, and family businesses.

RECENT STUDENT INTERNSHIPS

MINNESOTA CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

The Twin Cities provide a young and flourishing marketplace.

• Home to 18 Fortune 500 companies

• Second-best state in the nation based on criteria such as healthcare, affordability, economic opportunity, infrastructure, and equality.*

*According to U.S. News and World Report,

STUDY ABROAD

Studying abroad can be a wonderful complement to your college experience by providing connections to a wider world. There is invaluable experience, ministry, and growth in learning and living in another country. Studying abroad is highly encouraged in the School of Business.

UNW has strong global business programming. Trips can be coordinated for groups or individuals, short-or longterm. The School of Business usually sponsors one shortterm study abroad offering each year. The university offers many other options in global programming.

Short-term School of Business trips are usually two-week excursions hosted by the School of Business faculty. These trips are a fantastic way to have an immersive experience, earn credit, and bond with your cohort.

Quad-long and semester-long abroad trip options are coordinated through our Career & Leadership Development office. Students receive guidance from the Study Abroad coordinators and academic advisors to select the necessary curriculum, obtain financial approvals, and plan travel itineraries to ensure an amazing study abroad experience.