Term

Definition

Degree

A degree is an academic title conferred by the university as an indication of the completion of a course of study.  The Foster School of Business offers one degree at the undergraduate level – Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration.

Major

A major is the academic subject area in which you will take the majority of your upper-level courses and in which you will earn your bachelor's degree.  In our program all students have a major in Business Administration.

Minor

Minors offer you a way to explore a department or interdisciplinary theme with less commitment of time than a major.  There are no minors available in Foster.  But, students in our program may pursue minors from other disciplines across campus.

Formal Option is the term used in the Foster School to describe the formal areas of study established by our departments.  We have six Formal Options available.

Informal Concentration

An Informal Concentration is a collection of suggested courses in a particular field.  The Foster School currently has only one Informal Concentration in Operations Management.

Special Program

Special Programs in the Foster School provide another means to personalize your education.  These include the Sales Program, Retail Management program and Certificate of International Studies in Business.

Emphasis or Specialization

“Emphasis” and “specialization” are not official university terms, but may be useful when speaking to employers or graduate programs about your academics and experience.

For example, a student may pursue a Formal Option in Finance but seek to “emphasize” banking coursework within that program.

Another student may opt to develop their own combination of courses for a particular career goal – like Real Estate or Sports Management – and call their approach a “specialization. “