Business

Combining technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, this program is designed for those motivated to improve products, processes, operations and organizational structures. Courses emphasize qualitative and quantitative methods for data-informed decision-making. You’ll also have opportunities to apply creative problem-solving and change management strategies.

For aspiring entrepreneurs, the curriculum offers knowledge of business fundamentals and the startup process from funding to launch. You’ll learn to develop technology-based ventures and innovate new products through design and disruptive thinking. There are also opportunities to network and interact with entrepreneurial peers worldwide.

The skills you’ll develop

Through hands-on learning experiences, you’ll expand your problem-solving skills, focusing on first-principle, conceptual and design thinking. You’ll be equipped to devise and execute project management, tactical and financial strategies. Technology and entrepreneurship courses also foster analytical reasoning, opportunity analysis and leadership abilities.

Additionally, you’ll gain transferable skills in persuasion and resourcefulness. Assignments offer opportunities to communicate ideas through engaging storytelling, quantitative measures and presentations. With these skills and the eagerness to embrace new technologies, you’ll graduate as a leader prepared to improve society.

Tailor your studies with one of two tracks

You can customize your learning path depending on whether you plan to start a business or pursue a role in an established company. In the entrepreneurship track, the curriculum prepares you to create a technology-based startup. If you select the innovation track, courses focus on advancing technological operations and promoting social change within existing organizations.

Additionally, this bachelor’s degree can be completed as part of an Accelerated Master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a master’s degree in as little as one year after completing your undergraduate degree. This opportunity saves you time and money while giving you advanced knowledge in your field. Applicable master’s degrees include:

• Master of Leadership and Management
• Master of Science in global technology and development
• Master of Science in public interest technology

Technical communication turns complex concepts into easy-to-use and understandable communication. In this program, you’ll learn the skills to transform dense data into clear, user-centered content. You’ll also create relevant and actionable information by evaluating your audience’s background, goals and experience.

This program includes hands-on projects using design thinking and problem-solving strategies, while teaching skills such as editing, web development, visual communication, usability testing and user experience. You’ll also learn market-standard digital tools to deliver pertinent content into the hands of users. In this profession, you may develop proposals, infographics, websites and tutorials.

Choosing the right technical communication degree for your career goals

If you’re looking to specialize, ASU offers several concentrations within the technical communication degree:

• Technical communication (general track): Covers writing, editing, design and usability across industries, preparing you for versatile roles.
• Data visualization: Teaches you to present data clearly using charts, graphics and storytelling.
• Social media management: Focuses on writing and strategy for platforms that connect organizations to targeted audiences.
• User experience: Explores how people interact with digital products and how to design content that improves those interactions.
• Medical and health concentration: Combines health care knowledge with communication strategies to support public health and patient education.

Organizational leadership is a management strategy that prioritizes motivation, teamwork and a shared dedication to workplace success. Within this framework, organizational leaders establish company goals and oversee team efficiency and morale.

This organizational leadership degree focuses on developing innovative leaders who can build and support a cohesive and productive workplace environment.

The knowledge and skills you’ll develop in this program

A bachelor’s in organizational leadership can help you achieve your goal of becoming an impactful manager, forward-thinking leader and visionary in your field. This is not a business degree; the focus is on leadership rather than aspects of business.

The exact duties of a leader will vary depending on the industry and organization you work for. But the following key skills you gain through this program will support most leadership roles:

• Conflict management.
• Critical thinking.
• Decision-making.
• Delegation.
• Problem-solving.
• Strategic planning.

What can you do with an organizational leadership degree?

Organizations in the private, public and nonprofit sectors all have a demand for influential leaders. These companies need leaders with the ability to communicate clearly, motivate their teams and improve their bottom line. This program will help you develop the skills needed to lead organizations toward accomplishing their goals and objectives.

Additionally, this bachelor’s degree can be completed as part of an accelerated master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in as little as one extra year after completing your undergraduate degree. This opportunity saves you time and money while giving you advanced knowledge in your field. Applicable master’s degrees include:

• Master of Liberal Studies.
• Master of Project Management.
• Master of Science in organizational leadership.

Mass communication is the flow of information from a single media source to a large audience. By analyzing content across TV, print, audio and social media, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of media’s role in shaping values, identities and decisions. This foundation prepares you for careers that rely on media literacy and strategic insight, including advocacy, business, marketing, politics and public affairs.

This liberal arts program is composed mostly of electives — giving you the flexibility to tailor your coursework to your interests and transfer credits. Topics include:

• Digital and social media
• Media and pop culture
• Media ethics and law
• Political communication
• Race, gender and representation in media

The flexible structure and elective-rich curriculum make this degree especially transfer-friendly, allowing you to apply previous credits and customize your academic path.

Who’s a good fit for this mass communication degree?

This degree is a strong match for students interested in understanding the impact of media on society. While this program doesn’t focus on journalism, coursework emphasizes media systems, cultural influence and communication theory. You’ll examine the inner workings of media and graduate ready to analyze and interpret the messages that shape how people think, communicate and engage with the world.

This program allows you to build a custom degree by combining two academic disciplines into one major.

You’ll select two concentrations from more than 40 available options, with advisors available to help you choose the ones best for you. It's an ideal program for those who are undecided on a major or want to pursue multiple areas of study.

One of the most popular combinations is to pair a concentration in business with a second focus in psychology. Other complementary options include:

• Applied business data analytics and business
• Business and project management
• Business and real estate
• Counseling/applied psychology sciences with family studies
• Family and human development and communication
• Personal health and integrative health
• Project management and sustainability
• Science, technology and society with technical entrepreneurship and management
• Sales and marketing essentials and organizational leadership

A culminating experience with a focus on experiential learning

IDS 401 is the program’s culminating experience in which you’ll arrange, plan and execute a learning project. Throughout this course, you’ll be guided in applying, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating interdisciplinary concepts to a real-world problem.

You’ll choose from one of the three options below. The College of Integrative Sciences and Arts will work with you to help you find a project that fits your interests. No matter which you choose, the experience will integrate both your concentrations in a meaningful way:

• Applied study: The applied study is a traditional work experience where you’ll spend 120 hours at a site of your choosing putting your integration and concentration area knowledge into practice. In addition to the hours completed onsite, there will be an online class component where you’ll reflect on your internship work.
• Directed study: A directed study is a thesis, creative or research project that you’ll design in consultation with a faculty member. This option is best suited for you if you’re interested in graduate school or have a creative project you’re interested in pursuing. This can be a great way to start a CV, create a portfolio or design your own project.
• Research fellows: You’ll partner with School of Applied Sciences and Arts faculty to assist them with research and ongoing faculty-led projects. This option is highly competitive, so you should begin planning for this option early.

Upskill with a master’s degree

This bachelor’s degree can be completed as part of an Accelerated Master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a master’s degree in as little as one year after completing your undergraduate degree. This opportunity saves you time and money while giving you advanced knowledge in your field. Applicable master’s degrees include:

• Master of Liberal Studies
• Master of Project Management
• Master of Science in organizational leadership

In this program, you’ll learn to apply business management techniques to the complex world of food processing, trade and sales across the supply chain. As you develop a specialization in food industry management, you’ll gain the skills needed to impact how companies deliver and process food while maintaining safety standards.

Upon graduation, you'll be prepared for careers in development, marketing, operations and sales with food retailers, processors and distributors. With a focus on supply chain management, finance, strategy and more, you’ll gain the expertise needed to navigate and excel in this competitive global sector.

How does this program compare to a restaurant management degree?

While a restaurant management degree focuses specifically on managing restaurant operations, this program prepares you for a broader range of careers across the entire food industry. You’ll gain expertise beyond restaurant management in areas such as food processing, marketing and distribution. You’ll graduate equipped for a broader array of positions in retail, food service and institutional food management.

Engineering management involves refining processes related to science and technology. Working in engineering management requires you to connect business functions with operational improvements. In this program, you'll build skills to better manage and organize engineering professionals and teams. Your coursework will explore analytics, management theory and technical engineering expertise. When you conduct experiments that interpret data, you’ll start to understand the business ramifications of your designs and improvements.

To further enhance your education, this bachelor's degree can be completed as part of an Accelerated Master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a master’s degree in as little as one year after completing your undergraduate degree. Applicable master’s degrees include:

• Master of Science in industrial engineering

The skills you’ll develop

This BSE program in engineering management is designed to provide you with skills for effective management of engineering-driven enterprises. This includes foundational knowledge in business practices, organizational behavior and advancing your management skills. Upon completing your studies, you’ll understand how engineering interacts with other areas in manufacturing, research and service organizations. You’ll also develop hands-on expertise in designing and conducting experiments, analyzing and interpreting data, and managing systems and processes to meet business objectives.

In addition to strengthening your verbal and written communication skills, this degree offers a foundation in evidence-based communication theory and research. You’ll gain analytical and practical expertise to interpret communication patterns, make data-informed decisions and adapt to a constantly shifting environment. You’ll also enhance your abilities in project management, team leadership and strategic communication planning.

Additionally, courses delve into the technical and empirical aspects of communication, covering quantitative research methods such as surveys, experiments and statistical analysis. Through internships and applied project opportunities, you’ll gain experiences that bridge the gap between theory and real-world applications.

Communication degrees prepare for a variety of career paths

Earning this degree can support your career aspirations across the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Communication skills are sought by employers across industries, including business, education, technology, health care, media, government and more. No matter your area of interest, you’ll find roles that demand effective information exchange, leadership and problem-solving abilities.

Additionally, this program can be a stepping stone toward achieving a leadership or management position. Coursework provides opportunities to learn about influencing organizational communication and communicating with stakeholders. You’ll also be poised to navigate conflict, convey clear public messaging, and foster equity and inclusion in the workplace.

How our BA and BS in communication compare to each other

While both our BA and BS in communication share a commitment to global awareness and build skills in interpersonal communication, data analysis and critical thinking, there are key differences. Our online BA in communication centers on culture and society, and has a foreign language course requirement. You’ll also gain the ability to synthesize qualitative feedback from focus groups and other methods.

If you choose to pursue this BS, your courses emphasize strategic communication and include a science and society elective. There’s also a focus on quantitative research methods. You’ll gain expertise in surveys, data visualization and other tools to tell effective stories using quantitative data.

Both the BA and BS offer the opportunity to participate in our Accelerated Master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a master’s degree in as little as one year after completing your undergraduate degree. This opportunity saves you time and money while giving you advanced knowledge in your field. Applicable master's degrees include:

• Master of Arts in communication.

Communication is at the core of every business and can pave the way for successful interactions and outcomes. In this program, you learn how to create effective lines of communication that help streamline operations and align teams. By developing deep knowledge in these areas and gaining various transferable skills, you set yourself apart from other candidates in the job market.

The curriculum in this business communication degree includes communication-focused courses in addition to the core courses required of majors within the W. P. Carey School of Business. You’ll create communication strategies in response to different situations and learn how business and communication play an important role in achieving success in all industries and careers.

The knowledge and skills you’ll develop

This program combines core business concepts with communication strategies to prepare you to effectively communicate complex business information. In your courses, you'll develop a communication tool kit that allows you to:

• Improving workplace communication.
• Negotiating and managing conflict.
• Understanding and shaping messages.
• Using effective communication strategies for training.

Additionally, this bachelor’s degree can be completed as part of an Accelerated Master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a master’s degree in as little as one year after completing your undergraduate degree. Applicable master's degrees include:

• Master of Arts in communication