Business Administration
Orfalea College of Business
Today’s business leaders are innovative, socially-conscious and versatile. They utilize cutting-edge technology to make advancements in management, marketing, accounting, finance, packaging, real estate and more.
San Luis Obispo, California
Business Administration majors must choose from one of nine areas of concentration:
Accounting and Law
With an accounting concentration you will gain a thorough knowledge of accounting and tax laws and how to apply them in practical business scenarios. Accounting Area graduating classes often reach 100 percent employment.
Consumer Packaging
The packaging program blends technical packaging courses with a marketing and entrepreneurship curriculum to allow you to learn how to conceptualize packaging designs that meet customer needs and validate designs with data and customer insights.
Entrepreneurship
The entrepreneurship concentration immerses you in a variety of business activities —strategy, marketing, sales, people management, technology, finance, accounting and more— to provide you with all the skills necessary to help businesses prosper. With an entire spectrum of resources available through the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), including mentorship, pitch competitions, training and more, you have the opportunity to turn vision into reality.
Financial Management
A financial management concentration gives you the knowledge and insight to manage anything from income securities to personal portfolios. You will work with the latest technology and focus on computer science, accounting, economics and more.
More about Financial Management
Information Systems
The information systems concentration combines the study of people, organization and technology and trains you in the technological skills and business strategies they influence. Information technology is highly valued, so IS students are in high demand among tech firms, consulting firms, startups and many other companies.
More about Information Systems
Management and Human Resources
The management and human resources concentration develops versatile leaders who are well-versed in organizational design, development and change, global business management and negotiation. The human resources portion of the curriculum facilitates practice in recruitment, staffing, training, development and compensation.
More about Management and Human Resources
Marketing
The marketing concentration produces agile, flexible marketers who understand how the puzzle pieces of data analysis, creative strategy and customer relations fit together. Graduates are prepared for technical careers in data science, creative careers in digital media, relational careers in sales and much more.
Quantitative Analysis
A concentration in quantitative analysis gives you the ability to analyze market data and trends in a number of different industries, allowing you to become a data expert. Companies from a wide spectrum of industries recognize the growing value of data analysis and are eager to hire graduates with this expertise.
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Real Estate Finance
The real estate concentration will give you a broad background in all aspects of the real estate industry. The concentration helps prepare you for careers in real estate investment banking, consulting, insurance, brokerage firms and startups.
You will begin by taking courses from various fields to gain comprehensive business understanding and then build on that foundation through a series of upper-level courses in their concentration.
About the Program
Business administration provides you with the technical and interpersonal skills to thrive in all sectors of business, industry, governmental and non-profit organizations.
You will gain foundational knowledge in accounting, finance, marketing, organizational behavior, information systems, management and technology, along with depth of study in your choice of nine concentrations. Faculty blend the latest business and technology trends with scenarios and wisdom from their own professional experiences to build dynamic and practical curricula. As a result, you will enter the workforce a versatile and well-rounded problem solver, prepared to contribute on day one and grow into a leadership role. The degree is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
Learn by Doing
Classroom concepts aren’t just questions on an exam. At Cal Poly, you will be working with corporate partners across California, launching startups, building business strategies, utilizing cutting-edge technology, entering national competitions and investing real funds, to name a few of our hands-on learning opportunities. You will be ready to take on challenges in your career because you don’t just have the knowledge — you’ve done it all before in and beyond the classroom.
Run an Agency
California Impact
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
High Season with the Income Tax Assistance Program
Student-Run Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program
SOCIETY, ARTS AND CULTURE
Student Media Groups Win 46 Awards at National Conference
Cal Poly’s Student Media Groups Win 46 Awards
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Take Ideas to Higher Heights
Cal Poly and Hancock College Elevator Pitch WinnersOur Graduates
Every year, companies across industries clamor for our graduates because they’re well-rounded, professional and ready to make an immediate difference.
Our strong alumni network with members worldwide allows you to build valuable relationships with established professionals who are eager to mentor and make connections. Our students have found careers at Adobe, Apple, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Grant Thornton, KPMG, Oracle, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Protiviti and Workday.