Business

This program builds skills employers value across industries, including critical thinking, communication and problem-solving. Coursework also strengthens your ability to analyze information, manage projects and make systems-driven decisions.

You’ll explore four topic areas to become career-ready:

• Global and natural science perspectives
  • Learn to think scientifically, interpret data and explore global challenges in science and technology.
• Humanities, identities and society
  • Study culture, identity and human behavior through history, philosophy and the arts.
• National and civil service and professional studies
  • Explore government, civic leadership and ethical practices in public and professional settings.
• Organizations, technology and ethics
  • Understand how organizations function, use digital tools and apply ethics in practical settings.

Build on your previously earned credits with this transfer-friendly program

ASU values your previously earned credits and has designed this program to minimize credit loss. With a broad range of courses, you can tailor how you complete your remaining degree requirements.

You’re an ideal candidate if earning a bachelor’s degree supports your goals, whether you want to shift careers, advance in your current role, prepare for graduate school or achieve personal milestones. Completing a widely recognized general studies degree can help you stand out as a well-rounded candidate with marketable skills.

How three of our most flexible programs compare

Our most flexible degrees — general studies, interdisciplinary studies and liberal studies — share a commonality of choice and transferability. Housed in a college with advisors who specialize in supporting students with diverse interests, these programs enable you to explore multiple areas of study. Each offers a different level of customization and structure. Discover the best option for your goals:

• General studies
  • Finish your degree efficiently by applying the credits you’ve already earned. By choosing the most flexible path, you’ll build career-relevant skills and graduate with the academic credentials needed for advancement.
• Interdisciplinary studies
  • Design a degree that combines two areas of study and builds transferable expertise from nearly 200 concentrations. This is a strong option for gaining focused knowledge aligned with your career goals or graduate study.
• Liberal studies
  • Pursue a humanities-based education and tailor your course plan to your interests. This degree combines structure and choice, offering a broad foundation to explore diverse academic paths.

ASU FIDM faculty with deep industry experience teach you the fundamentals of sourcing, buying, planning and understanding consumer behavior. Coursework prepares you to create and manage product assortments by selecting and overseeing the products offered to customers. You'll also gain expertise in using technology to design engaging visual displays across retail stores and drive strong financial outcomes.

This program also builds skills in:

• Cost management and negotiation.
• Open-to-buy management.
• Retail math (industry applications such as pricing strategies, sales forecasting and inventory management).
• Sustainable product planning, curation and management.
• Vendor management.

Upon graduating, you can pursue high-impact domestic and global merchandising roles.

Choose the right fashion degree for your career goals

All fashion majors gain an understanding of the industry, from creative design and technical production to manufacturing, distribution, merchandising and retailing. The right specialization for you depends on your career goals and interests. Available concentrations include:

• Apparel product development
  • Ideal for those who want to be involved in the entire product lifecycle from concept to consumer. As a generalist, you’ll focus on bringing products to market.
• Merchandising
  • Designed for those interested in the core of the fashion business. You’ll study merchandising through the lens of branding, planning and buying.
• Technical design
  • Best suited for those passionate about garment fit, construction and design. As a specialist in this field, you'll turn creative ideas into tangible products.

This program provides the technical knowledge, leadership skills and industry connections to manage building projects from start to finish and begin a successful career. Key areas you’ll explore include project planning and scheduling, cost estimating, sustainable practices, construction methods, materials science and safety management.

You'll graduate as a strong candidate for construction project or field engineer positions. With experience or advanced education, you can move into management or superintendent roles. You can also pursue careers as a project manager, estimator, sustainability specialist or entrepreneur across commercial, residential and infrastructure sectors.

Planning to pursue graduate studies? Pair this bachelor’s degree with an Accelerated Master’s and finish in as little as one additional year. This path can reduce your time and costs while deepening your expertise. Eligible programs include:

• Master of Public Administration
• Master of Science in construction management and technology

The skills you’ll develop

The curriculum emphasizes industry-specific skills in construction, technology, management and business. Developing these capabilities prepares you to lead building projects and make strategic decisions. Areas of competency include:

• Technical construction
  • Apply skills in blueprint reading, construction planning, safety compliance, cost estimating and project scheduling.
• Business
  • Drive growth through budgeting, cost analysis, ethical decision-making, marketing and business development.
• Management
  • Manage contracts, allocate resources, assess risks, lead teams and communicate with stakeholders.
• Technology
  • Explore industry-standard software for virtual design, estimating, equipment management and business operations, including 3D modeling tools for building information modeling.

Gain valuable experience with hands-on training opportunities

This program balances theory and practice to ensure you’re equipped to turn blueprints into buildings. Courses include collaborative assignments that strengthen interpersonal skills essential to succeeding in the people-driven construction industry. Faculty members lead courses with years of firsthand experience and strong industry connections.

Additionally, you’ll gain practical experience each summer through two 320-hour internships. Whether you intern with your current employer or a new organization, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the industry and the opportunities you can pursue.

Developed by community leaders and top-tier faculty, this curriculum aligns with industry trends to prepare you for the nonprofit workforce. You’ll gain the expertise to address society’s most pressing challenges, from environmental sustainability and public health to community development and international relief. This program also examines the future of the nonprofit sector, including emerging technologies, social entrepreneurship and data-driven decision-making.

Whether you want to contribute talent to a local nonprofit or lead global advocacy efforts, you’ll graduate prepared for the next step in your career. Your knowledge will enable you to oversee fundraising initiatives, recruit and train volunteers, build community partnerships, lead corporate social responsibility programs and advocate for policy change. As you gain experience, you can advance into leadership roles, including executive director positions.

The skills you’ll develop

This program builds versatile skills, equipping you to support causes that matter most to you. You’ll develop expertise in organizational management to set mission-focused goals, create strategic plans and navigate governance structures. Strong marketing and communication skills will allow you to craft compelling messages, engage donors and enhance nonprofit branding. Through practical learning opportunities, you’ll also gain abilities in:

• Advocating for public awareness on key issues
• Applying ethical research methods to support community-based initiatives
• Designing outreach programs that create a lasting impact
• Managing budgets with ethical financial stewardship

Who’s a good candidate for this program?

This program is ideal for individuals committed to making a difference, regardless of their nonprofit experience. Compatible backgrounds include work or volunteer experience in human services, education and youth development, government and public service, corporate social responsibility and related fields. A passion for service and a willingness to learn leadership and management skills are also essential. Completing this program can support your transition into nonprofit leadership or expand the impact of your current role.

With a focus on mission-driven leadership, this degree prepares you to guide nonprofit and public-sector organizations dedicated to social impact. If you’re more interested in corporate management and generating profit, one of ASU’s online business degrees may be a better fit. You could also pair this program with a business minor.

With the rapid pace of AI innovation, businesses need professionals who can bring new technologies into systems, processes and strategies. This program teaches you to leverage AI mindfully to improve outcomes for both business and society.

Taught by industry-leading faculty, courses explore how AI technologies work and how to apply them ethically. You’ll learn to analyze operations and design AI solutions that streamline repetitive tasks and create more space for strategy and creativity. In hands-on projects, you’ll build AI business cases and implementation plans, develop tools and integrate them into existing systems.

The skills you’ll develop

This AI in business program strengthens your analytical thinking and creative problem-solving skills. The curriculum builds a foundation for applying and integrating machine learning models and other AI tools that improve efficiency. You’ll also gain technical expertise in Python programming, data analysis, data pipelines, databases and big data systems.

Additionally, you’ll explore data and technology governance in business contexts, preparing you to manage data and meet compliance requirements. With a focus on mindful AI, you’ll graduate equipped to lead responsibly, educate others and thrive in a digital economy that puts people first.

This digital concentration builds on traditional marketing principles to connect with audiences in the digital realm. In tailored courses, you’ll learn how organizations use digital media tactics, create engaging experiences and build relationships through social media. Topics range from content planning and paid media buying to email marketing and user experience. You’ll also get hands-on practice with Google Analytics, The Trade Desk, HubSpot, Hootsuite, Semrush, OpenAI and other industry tools.

As a digital marketing major, you’ll gain the skills to craft impactful campaigns and make strategic decisions. You’ll graduate prepared for careers in search engine optimization, growth marketing, social media marketing and analytics. This degree also provides a competitive edge for roles in media buying and planning, influencer marketing, e-commerce and more.

Who’s a good fit for this program?

This program is ideal if you’re passionate about combining marketing and technology to transform how brands engage with customers. It’s also a great fit if you’re interested in marketing beyond content creation, such as understanding consumer behavior and using insights to guide marketing initiatives. Whether you’ve gained experience through organizations or student-led ad agencies, or are new to marketing, this program provides the skills to launch your digital marketing career.

If you’re interested in exploring marketing more broadly — such as brand management, graphic design, video production or advertising — ASU’s online bachelor’s in marketing may better align with your goals.