The W.P. Carey School of Business is offering a four-year business and engineering degree program in partnership with Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. (Photo by Seo-Young Jun)Students seeking a dual degree in business and engineering can now graduate in four years with the launch of a new program.
The W.P. Carey School of Business and the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering began a partnership this semester that will allow students to earn concurrent bachelor’s degrees in business and engineering.
Previously, students who expressed interest in double majoring in the two fields had to petition to take on extra credit hours, said W.P. Carey Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Admissions Tim Desch.
“We have had more students that wanted to come right into the University and complete both majors right from the beginning,” Desch said.
He said only a handful of students are in the program so far, but more students are expected to join in the future.
“We didn’t design the program to increase (business school) enrollment,” Desch said. “It was designed to meet the needs of students who qualified for both programs.”
Since 1995, students have expressed interest in earning concurrent degrees from the two schools, said John Fowler, chair of supply chain management at the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.
Fowler said students who were able to double-major in the past ended up adding at least two years to their time in college because many major requirements did not coincide.
The business degree program is particularly helpful to engineering graduates, many of whom end up in management positions, Fowler said.
“It makes the transition from engineering to management easier,” he said. “Graduates would understand the issues of cost and marketing while having the technical knowledge of design.”
Electrical engineering graduate student Vipul Gholap said the concurrent degree program could help prepare students for business leadership roles.
“The program is beneficial to engineering students because the engineering program focuses too much on technical skills and not presentation skills,” he said. “Many engineering professionals struggle with how to communicate technical terms to a non-technical audience. Business classes would help bridge the communication gap.”
In addition to offering the concurrent degree program, the business school partnered with the New College of Disciplinary Arts and Sciences at the West campus to offer a bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in either statistics or global leadership.
The Polytechnic campus offers a similar bachelor’s degree with a concentration in technology in conjunction with the College of Technology and Innovation.
The business school plans to add additional bachelor’s programs in the future, such as a concentration in human resources or sports and media, Desch said.
Reach the reporter at amy.edelen@asu.edu
