New CBA curriculum to better students’ job marketability

By Amar Kapidia

Rider students enrolled in the College of Business Administration will be able to better climb the global corporate ladder with help from a new curriculum being implemented next fall.

This new curriculum is designed to help students become better prepared for the working world, according to Dr. Anne Carroll, associate dean for undergraduate programs. What helped prompt these changes was that the school wanted to give students a more well-rounded view of the business world.

“We heard from employers and executives in particular that having a broad, global perspective was extremely important in today’s business environment, since virtually all firms are global firms,” Carroll said.

These new requirements will only apply to incoming freshmen and transfer students and will not be retroactive to those students already in the business program, Carroll explained.

The new curriculum will require international business students to take two international business electives as opposed to the current requirement of one, she said.  In addition, business students will be required to take six credits of liberal arts courses.

This requirement, Carroll said, will help give students “the social, the cultural and the political context in which businesses operate.”

She said that this will help the students see  “how business fits into the big picture.”

“I’m glad that the new curriculum will help us in the job market after graduation,” sophomore accounting major Karen Canino said. “It’s hard enough finding a good job within your major after graduation, but at least Rider is trying to help.”

The program will also require business students to take a course honing their interpersonal or leadership skills.

“It’s inescapable,” Carroll said. “Every student in the College of Business will have the opportunity to develop and practice their leadership skills through a course in our so-called leadership menu,” she explained.

Another change being made to the business curriculum is the addition of curriculum-embedded career preparation.

Carroll explained that the current generation of students, which she refers to as “millennials,” will change jobs and careers more frequently than previous generations did.

“We believe that the skills associated with changing careers and planning a career path are so important now for students,” she said.

This means that the students entering the new curriculum will have to take a few single-credit courses on career planning and perspectives.

“These courses are intended to be developmental,” she said. “Students will take these courses throughout their time here at Rider.”

Among the things students will develop in the program are résumé writing, interviewing and networking skills.

Dr. Mark Promislo, assistant professor of management, also said that the new program will be good for students.

“I’m excited about the new curriculum,” he said.  “There’s a new emphasis on leadership, which I think will benefit all of the incoming students. There are also new courses on career development as well as three new classes that will focus exclusively on professional and career development, and I think that will be not only essential for the students, but an advantage for Rider as we compete against other schools in attracting students.”

Lastly, students in the new curriculum will also have more leeway in choosing electives, according to Carroll.  This new freedom will allow business students to pursue other interests within the university. However, main elements such as the general business core will remain the same.