Business Administration

Office: E336 Thompson Hall

(716) 673-3505

Dr. Mojtaba Seyedian, Chairperson

Email: business.administration@fredonia.edu

Website: http://www.fredonia.edu/business/businessadministration/

The Department of Business Administration provides its majors with a contemporary quality education in Accounting and Business Administration. The students in the department gain an awareness of their individual strengths and vocational interests in order to make appropriate career decisions. The department offers a rigorous, up-to-date curriculum that prepares students for imaginative and responsible citizenship and domestic and international leadership roles in business management. While the programs offered are career-oriented, the department realizes that successful business professionals must bring a broad and varied perspective to their crafts. Accordingly, the department requires that its majors take at least 66 of the total credit hours needed for a degree outside the department, with particular emphasis given to the development of written and oral communication skills and the acquisition of the ability to think creatively and critically. The department offers five separate Bachelor of Science degree programs:

• B.S. Accounting (120-Hour Program)
• B.S. Public Accountancy (150-Hour CPA Program)
• B.S. Business Administration – Finance
• B.S. Business Administration – Management
• B.S. Business Administration – Marketing    

Career Options

The department's programs are designed to provide the knowledge and skills required for success in the job market and in graduate programs. Students who major in Business Administration are prepared for a cross-section of opportunities. Recent graduates have embarked on careers with small businesses, large corporations, and public entities. The banking and investment fields have interested many graduates. Others have entered fields such as sales promotion and personnel management.

The 120- credit hour Accounting program prepares students for the Certified Management Accountant examination (CMA). The 150-credit hour program qualifies graduates to take both the CMA and CPA (Certified Public Accounting) examinations.

There are three major areas of employment for accounting graduates. Public accounting firms provide clients with a wide variety of services, including auditing and tax consulting. Management accountants are employed by companies to perform various activities such as cost accounting and budgeting. Governmental accountants have the responsibility to monitor the revenues and expenditures of the public sector.

Student Clubs and Activities

Students majoring in Business Administration or Accounting can participate in a number of clubs and activities that are designed to supplement classroom work. The student clubs include the National Honor Society in Business Administration, Delta Mu Delta; the Business Club; the Financial Management Association; the American Marketing Association; the Financial Management Association National Honor Society; the Enactus; and the Accounting Society. Moreover, students are always encouraged to actively participate in the affairs of the department through serving on various committees, being a member of the Chair's Student Council, and attending departmental functions.

Delta Mu Delta and the Financial Management Association National Honor Society honor students who meet high scholarship standards and who perform important community service. The Business Club conducts various entrepreneurial activities and organizes the annual “Business Person of the Year Award” banquet, honoring an outstanding community business leader. The Enactus Team competes in national academic competitions, offers consulting services to regional businesses, and conducts a wide variety of important community service.

The Accounting Society conducts the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program under the auspices of the Internal Revenue Service, and brings professional guest speakers to campus to offer career development information. Students in the Financial Management Association play the stock market through simulation games and attend the Redefining Investment Strategy Education Conference every April. The American Marketing Association conducts various fundraising activities to finance their annual trip to the AMA International Collegiate Conference.

Internship Opportunities

In addition to its regular course offerings, the department has an active internship program. Internships are work-experiences for which students receive academic credit. Out of the minimum 120 credits needed for a B.S. degree, interested students are allowed up to 24 credits of internship. In fact, having an internship experience is a graduation requirement for students majoring in Business Administration, Accounting, and Public Accountancy. The department offers many internship opportunities with various local and regional firms and organizations such as Fredonia Technology Incubator, Key Bank, Buffalo Sabres, Paychex, Inc., Smith Barney, and Cliffstar Corporation.

Honors and Awards

Students who excel in their studies are eligible for recognition through membership in the campus chapters of Delta Mu Delta and Financial Management Association national honor societies. Initiation is competitive and highly selective. In addition to these honor societies, each year the faculty presents a number of awards/scholarships to students for outstanding scholastic and/or extra-curricular achievements:

• the M. R. Poummit Achievement Award to the graduating senior with the highest grade point average;
• the New York State Society of CPAs Awards, given to outstanding students in accounting;
• the Donald C. Brandt Memorial Scholarship to an outstanding sophomore;
• the Students In Free Enterprise Scholarships to outstanding Enactus members;
• the Alumni Scholarships, given to students with outstanding records of academic achievements;
• the Franklin B. Krohn Memorial Scholarship to a junior with outstanding academic and extra-curricular accomplishments;
• the Stephen and Carol (Eck) Ward Scholarship, given to a student with an outstanding record of scholastic and extra-curricular achievements;
• the Bennett Accounting Scholarship to an outstanding junior-level transfer majoring in accounting;
• the Morris and Marian Poumitt Scholarship, given to an outstanding freshman, sophomore, or junior;
• the Gary M. Tripp Memorial Scholarship to a junior finance major with outstanding scholastics;
• the Mancuso Family Scholarship, given to an outstanding local student majoring in finance; and
• the Business Club Scholarship to an outstanding Business Club member.