Major in Business Management at Northwest Missouri State University

Why Major in Business Management?

A major in Business Management at Northwest teaches students methods for managing and leading professional employees, motivating people on the job, producing quality products, scheduling maximum efficiency, and managing financial entanglements among companies. Students develop skills and knowledge in critical thinking, analyzing and effective communication techniques in a career. Hands-on approaches are utilized in preparation for a career in business while working in teams, learning negotiation skills, conflict resolution, operations of running a business, and presentation skills in upper level courses.

Northwest's Business Management major is accredited by the Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

Transfer Students

For transfer students completing a vocational or technical Associate of Applied Science or Associate of Science degree from a regionally accredited community college, a Bachelor of Applied Science with an emphasis in Marketing or Management is available. The coursework for these programs builds on workplace skills and practical career training provided by an associate degree.

Career Ready. Day One.

Northwest ensures students are career ready, day one through internships, field experiences and networking opportunities. Read Ashton's story »

Career Opportunities

95%
placement rate

More than 95% of students graduating with a degree in business management either continued their education or found employment within six months after graduation.

The following is a listing of common positions for graduates with a business management major:

Public Administration
Financial Management
Healthcare Administration
Property and Real Estate Management
Retail Managers
Transportation Management
Insurance Administration
Non-Profit Organization Management
Facilities Management

*Based on self-reported data.

Profession-Based Learning Experiences

New Venture Pitch Competition is designed for ambitious students and aspiring entrepreneurs to present ideas to business professionals, small business owners and potential investors. Students present their ideas to judges who in the future could represent their boss or client.

Knacktive is a student-run, full-service agency combining the School of Communication and Mass Media, the Melvin D. and Valorie G. Booth School of Business, the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, and the School of Computer Science and Information Systems.

At the end of each course, the team makes a formal presentation or client pitch in an attempt to convince the client to use their project. This experience aligns with the digital marketing and advertising agencies competing for clients.

The following organizations have been clients of Knacktive:

2011 – Cincinnati-based LasikPlus Vision
2012 – Science City, located in Kansas City at the Union Station
2013 – Tri-State Ford
2014 – Horace Mann Laboratory School
2015 – DecisionFx, located in Kansas City
2016 – Hy-Vee Market, located in Des Moines, IA
2017 – Velocitie, located in Kansas City, MO
2018 – American Royal, located in Kansas City, MO
2019 – Maryville Tourism

Study Abroad

Study Abroad is an opportunity for students to apply hands-on international experience to their own academic development. Faculty members supervise short-term study abroad programs that prepare students before, during and after the program. Two types of study abroad programs are available – faculty-led and traditional study abroad.

The traditional program may be a semester, summer or year-long program and is taught by Northwest’s international partner institutions. Students from the business school have recently traveled and studied in China, Africa and Eastern Europe including Hungary, Austria and Czech Republic.

For more information about study abroad opportunities »

Student Organizations

Delta Mu Delta (DMD) is the national honor society in business administration. The purposes of DMD are to promote higher scholarship in training for business and to recognize and reward scholastic attainment in business subjects. To be eligible for membership, members should be of junior standing and in the upper 20 percent of their class.

For a full list of student organizations with in the School of Business »

Internships

Although internships are not required in the business management major, they are highly encouraged to gain real-world experiences.

Reagan Fraser My field experience takes place with a milkshake company called, F'real Foods, LLC. Each fall, F'real attends the largest trade show in the convenient store industry, NACS. As the lead trade show coordinator, I planed all of the logistics for the show, coordinate and managed the team of 40 people and planned post-show entertainment and activities (which isn't hard to do since it's in Las Vegas). This kind of experience is priceless for me as I continue my education at Northwest. Hopefully one day, I will manage a trade show team who helps me execute all 110 shows each year!

Reagan Fraser

Molly Williams This past summer, I was given the opportunity to intern at the utility company, Kansas City Power & Light in the supplier diversity department. Reporting daily to the downtown location not only exposed me to the corporate world, but also to the exciting city. Through different networking events, projects and outings, I was able to meet passionate and hard-working businesspeople with so much pride for their city. It was contagious!

Molly Williams

The Northwest Difference

Founded in 1905, Northwest is a traditional campus with more than 7,200 undergraduate and graduate students. Located in the middle of everywhere, Maryville is two hours from Omaha, Nebraska and Kansas City, Missouri and 2 ½ hours from Des Moines, Iowa.

The Bearcat Advantage provides out-of-state students the opportunity to earn in-state tuition rates that can save more than $6,000. With the average undergraduate financial aid award of $5,467 for in-state students and $8,286 for out-of-state students, Northwest offers a quality education at an affordable price.
At Northwest, the American Dream Grant covers 100% of the tuition and fees for Pell-eligible students.