Business and Management

Minor

No matter what you study in college, chances are that you'll work for, or with, a business—it's an integral part of society. And Knox has a proven record of success in the field: more than 60% of Knox alumni are working in business in some capacity. In fact, a Forbessurvey of corporate CEOs ranks Knox one of the top 30 colleges and universities in the nation with alumni in corporate management.

No matter what kind of career you want to pursue—in teaching, practicing law or medicine, owning your own business—you'll need to be able to:

• write effectively,
• analyze information,
• ask probing questions,
• speak persuasively,
• communicate clearly,
• think on your feet,
• listen and think critically,
• and propose innovative solutions to complex problems.

—all of which are central to Knox's liberal arts curriculum—making a Knox education the best preparation for a career in business. Take it from one of Knox's own, Jim Kilts '70, former CEO of The Gillette Company: "It's not the understanding of accounting and finance and marketing that leads to success in business. It is the power of ideas. Innovation. Willingness to ask the right questions."

Using a skills-based approach, Knox College's interdisciplinary Business and Management program prepares students with the skills necessary to be successful in graduate school and careers in business, through courses in areas such as technical writing, accounting, statistics and marketing.

At the same time, the program integrates those skills-based courses with a focus on business ethics and social responsibility. It is because of this integration that Knox's program was recently recognized by the Center for Inquiry in the Liberal Arts, a think tank supported by the Lilly Foundation, as a "distinctive approach to business"—one of only three programs in the nation to receive such recognition.

Another highlight of the program is its flexibility. Since the field of business encompasses such a broad variety of entities, from large corporations to small non-profit organizations to educational institutions, Knox's program works with you to devise a curriculum specific to your interests. The program provides you with the highly practical opportunity to combine any academic major with a minor in business and management.

In fact, the program allows you to choose from seven concentrations in pursuing a business and management minor:

• Human Resources Management
• Finance
• Strategic Management
• Environmental Management
• Public Sector
• International Business
• Independent Concentration

Many Knox graduates pursue Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degrees and even have the opportunity to gain admission to a top business school before they start their senior year. Through a partnership with the University of Rochester's Simon School of Business, highly qualified Knox juniors and seniors can be admitted directly into the Simon School's MBA program. This partnership is a natural outgrowth of Knox's challenging curriculum and recognizes the value of a liberal arts education as preparation for success in business.

In addition to the Simon School of Business,Knox graduates have pursued graduate degrees at some of the top business schools in the country. Of alumni who completed MBAs, 41% studied at the top 25 business schools in the nation, including:

• Columbia University
• Dartmouth College
• Harvard University
• New York University
• Northwestern University
• University of Chicago
• University of Illinois
• University of Michigan
• University of Pennsylvania

...and many others.

Knox graduates who study business and management work as marketing and publicity managers, analysts and consultants, project managers, teachers and researchers, account executives and CEOs, and explore many other fields. Our alumni open their own businesses, help rejuvenate companies that have lost their competitive edge, and create the marketing campaigns that define their clients' companies and products.

Knox graduates have gone on to rewarding careers in areas such as:

• Marketing
• Management
• Business analysis/consultation
• Public relations/media/communications
• Entrepreneurship/Business ownership
• Banking and finance
• Human resources
• State and U.S. government
• Insurance and real estate
• Law
• Manufacturing
• Education

…and many other fields.

Much of Knox business and management students' success once they enter the "real world" can be credited to the internship experience they gain as part of Knox's experiential learning component to the educational program.

Knox students have access to a Career and Pre-Professional Development Center, which employs an internship coordinator who specializes in helping students find the best internships that fit their academic and personal goals. Knox students have conducted internships at places like AOL/Netscape Communications Corporation, the Galesburg Chamber of Commerce, and Paragon Solutions, Inc. in Chicago's Sears Tower, to name just a few.