The School of Business captures the relevant and deep influences that the world of modern business.
With this backdrop, students have the opportunity to explore one of the following disciplines: management, accounting and finance, leadership, information technology, and sports management.
In each discipline, students engage professionals and real-life scenarios to better understand and augment what they have studied in the classroom. These experiences better prepare students for internships and possible jobs, and thus, they are better positioned to serve the church and society effectively.
School of Business Degree Programs
The Master of Arts in Leadership prepares professionals who want to enhance their leadership skills in order to develop more effective organizations. The program emphasizes critical and strategic thinking, ethics, and real-world application of leadership principles.
Objectives:
Upon completion, students should be able to:
- Integrate a biblical worldview to effectively influence organizations.
- Examine effective leadership and management theories consistent with supporting the organization’s mission, vision, goals, and objectives.
- Conduct research to facilitate data-driven organizational change and development.
- Assess organizational systems and team dynamics to develop strategies for professional and personal improvement.
Ohio Christian University has developed this unique dual major program in Business Administration and Ministry to address the needs of its constituencies. This program serves pastors who need to be a “tent-maker” or to lead in the financial aspects of their ministry, and business people who desire to fully engage in churches and ministry organizations.
Objectives:
Upon completion of the MBA/MA dual degree program, the graduate should be able to:
- Apply management principles that coordinate with human capital and processes to optimize organizational success.
- Develop holistic strategies that enable organizations to effectively create, communicate, deliver, and exchange offerings to create a profit in today’s global environment.
- Evaluate business operations using qualitative and quantitative analysis to assist decision-making and problem-solving for performance improvement.
- Analyze historical Christian theological thought and address how it compares to current theological trends.
- Integrate biblical application to the practice of Christian ministry to help others process and grow in their faith.
- Identify spiritual practices and disciplines that equip the ministry leader for effective ministry and spiritual growth.
- Demonstrate skills in church administration, preaching/ teaching, developing disciples, administering sacraments and rituals, and pastoral care in the local church.
- Conduct independent research and evaluation of biblical and theological literature and apply knowledge to enhance ministry practices.
The MBA program provides the leaders of today and tomorrow with the knowledge and skills required to succeed in a competitive business environment. The major emphasizes critical and strategic thinking, business management skills, ethics, and real-world applications.
Objectives:
On completion of this program, the graduate should be able to:
- Apply management principles that coordinate with human capital and processes to optimize organizational success.
- Analyze legal and ethical aspects of business through a Christian worldview.
- Develop holistic strategies that enable organizations to effectively create, communicate, deliver, and exchange offerings to create a profit in today’s global environment.
- Evaluate business operations using qualitative and quantitative analysis to assist decision-making and problem-solving for performance improvement.
The MBA program provides the leaders of today and tomorrow with the knowledge and skills required to succeed in a competitive business environment. The major emphasizes critical and strategic thinking, business management skills, ethics, and real-world applications.
Objectives:
On completion of this program, the graduate should be able to:
- Apply management principles that coordinate with human capital and processes to optimize organizational success.
- Analyze legal and ethical aspects of business through a Christian worldview.
- Develop holistic strategies that enable organizations to effectively create, communicate, deliver, and exchange offerings to create a profit in today’s global environment.
- Evaluate business operations using qualitative and quantitative analysis to assist decision-making and problem-solving for performance improvement.
The Bachelor of Arts in Accounting prepares students for careers in profit and non-profit organizations by teaching core accounting principles through the lens of a Christian worldview.
Objectives:
On completion of this major, students should be able to:
- Apply fundamental and technical accounting concepts.
- Demonstrate proficiency in financial and tax document preparation.
- Assess accounting issues through the lens of a Christian worldview.
- Evaluate the financial condition of a business and propose courses of action.
The Bachelor of Arts in Business equips students for management roles in profit and non-profit organizations. The integration of a Christian worldview ensures the education is morally and ethically grounded. The concentrations provide major-related elective courses students may use to customize the major.
Objectives:
Objectives: Graduates should be able to:
- Demonstrate fundamental knowledge in the core business concepts of accounting, economics, finance, information technology, business law, and management.
- Assess business decisions through the lens of a Christian worldview.
- Evaluate data used by decision-makers in today’s global business environment.
- Analyze business operations to provide recommendations for improvement.
The Bachelor of Arts in Marketing and Consumer Behavior focuses on what motivates consumers to make purchasing decisions, and how this understanding can be used to develop competitive marketing strategies.
Objectives:
On graduating from the major, students should be able to:
- Analyze the motivations of consumers that drive purchasing decisions.
- Interpret marketing data to determine accurate segmentation and target markets for use in industry.
- Demonstrate critical thinking to display an understanding of the principles of consumer behavior to improve decision-making in a business environment.
- Integrate Christian principles within consumer behavior analysis in developing and applying overall marketing strategies.
This program is designed to prepare students for a career working within sport business organizations. It prepares individuals to use leadership and management principles to be successful in the daily arena of sport and business, culminating with an internship requirement to apply the concepts learned in the curriculum.
Objectives:
On completion of the program, students should be able to:
- Explain the psychological and spiritual aspects of sport.
- Understand the principles for effective management in a variety of sport applications and situations.
- Examine the integration faith in sport business management.
- Analyze legal and ethical dilemmas involved in sport today.
- Perform appropriate organizational and administrative procedures for sport and recreational activities.
- Evaluate business conditions and propose courses of action for improvement.
OCU’s Data Analytics major prepares students for a career in data analytics within the information technology area. Through this major, students define challenges in providing useful data acquired from multiple sources and resolving cross-organizational problems through analytics.
Objectives:
On completion of the major, students should be able to:
- Identify the various analyses available from different data sets.
- Communicate various aspects of analysis to IT and non-IT stakeholders.
- Evaluate ethical issues in data analysis.
- Integrate Christian principles in critical thinking and decision-making.
- Apply management principles to work with people and processes within an organization.
OCU’s Information Technology major prepares students for a career in the information technology field. The program integrates information technology with business and equips students to plan, implement, and support information systems.
Objectives:
Upon completion of this major, the student should be able to:
- Analyze users’ technology needs.
- Evaluate current and emerging technologies.
- Create an effective IT project plan.
- Integrate Christian principles in critical thinking and decision-making.
- Apply management principles to work with people and processes within an organization.
The Associate of Arts in Business equips students with basic skills in essential business areas. The integration of a Christian worldview ensures that the education is morally and ethically grounded.
Objectives:
- Explain how the four functions of management can be addressed through the Christian worldview.
- Discuss market segmentation and targeting using the 7 P’s (product, price, place, promotion, packaging, positioning, and people) of marketing.
- Illustrate data used by decision-makers in today’s business environments.
- Develop the entrepreneurial decision-making process from research to business plan creation.
OCU’s Information Technology major prepares students for a career in information technology, by developing an understanding of the elements of information systems and the integration of information technology with business.
Objectives:
On completion of this major, a student should be able to:
- Identify technical concepts and practices in information technology.
- Examine the use of project planning in working with information technology.
- Apply appropriate use of information technology.
- Integrate Christian principles in critical thinking and decision-making.
