What is Business Administration?
A Business Administration degree offers a comprehensive range of essential courses that are relevant to today’s industry. The curriculum covers critical areas of business, including management, entrepreneurship, accounting, finance, information systems, marketing, and business analytics. A degree in Business Administration can open up a wide range of career opportunities, including those in management, finance, marketing, human resources, entrepreneurship, supply chain management, and more.
With this comprehensive education, you will be well-prepared to pursue various professions that align with your passions and career goals.
What makes Bellarmine’s approach to Business Administration stand out?
Bellarmine offers Business Administration students a unique educational experience: a broad-based liberal arts education supplemented by top-notch business preparation. This approach is viewed favorably by employers, who say they like Bellarmine graduates because of their writing and critical thinking skills.
The Rubel School of Business is also noted for incorporating innovations and business trends into the curriculum. For example, many employers today are encouraging their workers to earn MBA degrees, so Bellarmine has introduced several programs that enable students to attain their bachelor's and MBA degrees in just five (or four and a half) years.
The Student Perspective
Owen Bates is a senior studying Business Administration with an interest in pursuing a marketing career in the spirits or outdoor industries. Through connections made in the Business Administration program, Bates has completed four internships with local and national companies, including a summer spent working for Servpro in Kansas City.
Here's what Bates had to say about his experience in the Business Administration program.
Q: What made you want to study Business Administration?
OB: I came into college not knowing what exactly I wanted to do but I knew I wanted to go to college, and Business Administration was something I could apply to any of my passions.
Q: What about the Business Administration program has stood out to you?
OB: Definitely the professors. I can walk right up to them and strike up a conversation and they’ll be happy to have it with me, they’re not too busy for the students. It’s helped me a lot in my classes, and it’s helped me a lot professionally, too.
Q: Do you think the size of Bellarmine makes it easier to build those relationships and professional networks?
OB: Absolutely. I have some friends who are also in Business Administration at [larger schools] and they’ve never spoken to their professors face to face, it’s usually aides. But I have, I would say, nearly a friendship with a lot of my professors. I go to see my advisor, Dr. Kutschera, and I can pretty much walk in and strike up a conversation about what I’m thinking for post grad, what I’m thinking for classes next semester, and she knows me, and she gives me recommendations based off of not only what she thinks I should do as an advisor but based off my personality, too.
Q: What is the relationship like with your fellow students in this major?
OB: It’s great. I end up in a lot of classes with people I’ve been in classes with in the past, so I can get in a group project and, nine times out of ten, I’ll be with somebody that I was already in a group project with, and so by this point I’m in some great teams because we already know how to work together. It’s very collaborative, everybody knows each other.
Q: How does the closeness with your fellow students and professors impact your learning in this program?
OB: It makes it a lot easier. It makes it a lot more personable and comfortable. You get a lot out of it.
Q: Can you describe the support systems in this department, whether from faculty, student-led initiatives, or university programs?
OB: First thing I think of is my advisor again, Dr. Kutschera. If she thinks I need to schedule a meeting with her due to upcoming deadlines or something like that she will personally reach out to me. Dr. Fairfield, who was my Economics and Finance professor—I haven’t taken a class with her in a year and half and I still pop by and catch up and she’ll give me job application recommendations on who she’s been talking to that’s hiring. I utilize the Career Development Center a lot and it’s been so easy to get a meeting. I’ll talk to [Assistant Director of the Career Development Center] Audrey Alvey and walk out with a laundry list of places to apply to that suit me.
Q: Can you describe your experience with the Career Development Center?
OB: It’s very easy to get into contact with them. I had a lot of conversations with Audrey and because of that, because I built a rapport with her and because it’s a setting where she can get to know each student individually, I walked into a meeting and she already had a plethora of jobs lined up that were marketing related, that were in the spirits industry, that were in the outdoor industry, and I had never seen any of them before despite combing through job sites. It was fantastic.
Q: What would you say to a prospective student interested in studying Business Administration at Bellarmine?
OB: Utilize the services available to you, get to know your professors, and keep an open mind. There’s a lot of fun to be had but you have to be willing to have it. If you come into [college] closed off and you just view it as an extension of high school it’s hard to get anywhere, but if you talk to the professors and utilize stuff like career services—it was said to me a million times and I listened, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that. Utilize career services. They’re there to help you and they do.
Q: Do you feel like your experience in this program has helped you find a purpose or calling for life after college?
OB: I would say yes. I came into it completely unaware but leaving it I know what I want to do in what company, and I feel like that’s more than what a lot of my friends at other universities can say and I’m very thankful for that. Even just moving to Louisville and living here and experiencing the culture around here, it’s definitely had a big impact.
The Faculty Perspective
Dr. Haleh Karimi is an Assistant Professor in the Rubel School of Business with over a decade of experience in higher education. She brings robust business experience to her teaching, drawing on previous roles with Colgate Palmolive, Steel Technologies, and as leader of Coca-Cola Enterprises’ Innovation Center, as well as non-profit and entrepreneurial leadership roles.
Karimi says Bellarmine’s comprehensive Business Administration curriculum and small class sizes help faculty create an environment that gives students an advantage for long-term success after college.
“With small class sizes, experienced faculty, personalized interactions, internship placements, and real-world projects, you will receive an education vital for professional success,” Karimi says. “Our approach emphasizes practical, hands-on learning, allowing you to collaborate with local businesses and gain real-world experience before graduation.”
Karimi says smaller class sizes allow faculty advisors to offer personalized educational support and career planning, including helping to match students with internship opportunities that suit their interests, which frequently lead to job offers upon graduation. Many students have secured internships with companies such as Brown-Forman, Humana, Northwestern Mutual, Kentucky Farm Bureau, and others.
In addition to fostering strong relationships between faculty and students, the small class sizes at Bellarmine also enable a dynamic curriculum in which the constantly changing business world can be reflected in the course of study.
“Bellarmine's Business Administration curriculum is designed to adapt quickly to new innovations and current business trends, ensuring you are prepared for the changing business landscape,” Karimi says. “Our professors have diverse industry and academic backgrounds, providing you with both theoretical knowledge and practical experience. This comprehensive approach equips you with essential technical skills and the soft skills necessary for long-term career success.”
Visit the Business Administration program page for more information including program highlights and career opportunities.