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BSBA in General Business

A Business major presents their internship experience to faculty members at one of AIC's annual symposium events
A Business major in a blazer interacts with their peers at an event held on AIC's campus

Program Overview

The secret to business success starts with AIC’s real-world, interconnected study of numbers, markets, technology, and people skills.

Program Format

  • On Campus

Degree Options

Four-Year BSBA Program

Time to Complete

  • Full Time: 4 Years
  • Transfer Pathways: 2 Years

Why Major in General Business at AIC?

Business often resembles a puzzle. Putting all the pieces together offers big-picture clarity—and, at the same time, highlights important details.

General Business majors in American International College’s Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) program discover how the interplay between accounting, marketing, management, law, communication, finance, and technology drives sustained growth. Daring to step back, rather than diving into a specialty, introduces a strategic, entrepreneurial mindset that employers value for several upwardly mobile careers.

For over a century, AIC graduates have enriched Western Massachusetts businesses from within—or made a lasting mark with their own ventures. In preparation, General Business majors channel their knowledge with two industry- and career-oriented concentrations and build their résumés through AIC’s well-rounded, field-based instruction.

What to Expect

  • A business-wide perspective: An intersectional study of business explores the nuts and bolts of every operation while introducing several industry-standard tools and software.
  • Make better decisions: Learn to evaluate your ideas at both the organizational and market levels before presenting them effectively to different audiences.
  • An in for all industries: The foundational nature of business creates multisector and entrepreneurial opportunities for our graduates. General Business majors are prepared to strategize, critically examine, communicate, and lead in settings of various sizes.
  • Concentrations: Concentrations in accounting, arts and entertainment management, cybersecurity, economics/finance, entrepreneurship, international business, marketing, and sports and recreation management contextualize your knowledge for in-demand sectors and responsibilities.
  • Internships: Observe business from the inside before you present insights from your placement at the College of Business, Arts, and Sciences’ Internship Symposium, held every semester.
  • Jump-start your graduate education: Eligible seniors can take one to two graduate-level courses at the undergraduate rate. As you begin a master’s program at AIC, your motivation will pay off in terms of time and cost savings.
  • International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE) Accreditation: This rigorous, outcomes-based evaluation examines how AIC’s BSBA programs prepare students for business careers. Review the latest report.

Program Details

The flexibility of the bachelor’s in General Business program, from course selection to on-campus leadership development, produces professionals who creatively and thoroughly tackle all types of challenges.

  • Students will acquire a comprehensive grasp of the principles and theories spanning diverse business sectors.
  • Students will cultivate critical thinking skills necessary for dissecting intricate business programs and applying analytical methodologies to assess and resolve contemporary business challenges.
  • Students will refine their communication skills, adeptly articulating concepts, proposals, and recommendations, to a wide variety of stakeholders through various mediums.
  • Students will understand the significance of decisions on organizational success, honing decision-making capabilities through the evaluation of multiple alternatives to determine the optimal course of action.
  • Students will be able to identify ethical dilemmas within business contexts, evaluating alternative courses of action from an ethical perspective.

Major Courses: In addition to AIC Plan for Excellence (APEX) requirements, students must complete all courses listed here to receive a BSBA in General Business:

  • ACC1201: Principles of Accounting I
  • ACC1601: Principles of Accounting II
  • BUS1407: Business Communications
  • BUS3000: Business Law
  • ECO1401: Macroeconomics (General Education Requirement)
  • ECO1402: Microeconomics (General Education Requirement)
  • FIN2003: Managerial Finance
  • IBS1400: Introduction to International Business
  • MAT1250: Finite Mathematics I
  • MAT1430: Foundations of Statistics
  • MGT1400: Principles of Management
  • MIS1210: Introduction to Management Information Systems
  • MIS1220: Applications of Microcomputers
  • MKT1450: Principles of Marketing I
  • MGT4800: Senior Policy Seminar

Major Requirements

  • MGT2400: Organizational Behavior
  • MGT3661: Project Management

And a minimum of 24 credits of coursework using one of the listed options:

  • 3000-level or higher business courses
  • A combination of a completed minor in any field other than Management and 3000-level or higher business courses

Please reference the current catalog for all course descriptions.

Minor Courses: Students must complete all courses listed here to earn a minor in General Business (please note that enrollment in the Business minor is limited to non-Business majors):

  • ACC1201: Principles of Accounting I
  • ACC1601: Principles of Accounting II
  • ECO1401: Macroeconomics
  • FIN2003: Managerial Finance
  • IBS1400: Introduction to International Business
  • MGT1400: Principles of Management
  • MKT1450: Principles of Marketing

Please reference the current catalog for all course descriptions.

Individuals interested in studying General Business at AIC—or exploring related studies in The Business and Entrepreneurial Hive—will apply for admission as a first-year, transfer, or international student.

Review tuition rates and fees for the upcoming academic year.

Undergraduate Tuition and Costs

AIC’s transfer partnerships with Holyoke Community College (HCC) and Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) provide an uninterrupted path from community college to our bachelor’s in General Business program, as well as a $4,000 per year joint admissions scholarship.

If you have questions on transferring from one of our partner schools, please contact the admissions office at 413.205.3201.

Encouraging holistic involvement, AIC’s campus culture allows everyone to find their place and grow as leaders:

  • All student groups: Discover new connections—or go outside your comfort zone—as you grow one of our student organizations behind the scenes. Browse all student organizations.
  • Leadership development: Embrace every opportunity across our campus, from NCAA Division II athletics to community service, to further refine how you collaborate, communicate, and motivate. Learn more about leadership development.
  • Sports Management Club: If you dream of a career in the sports business, start to build relationships with similarly driven students, plus the professionals who work in this sector. About the Sports Management Club.
  • Start a business: Expand your connected view of business into a profit-generating venture with help from AIC’s campus incubator.
  • Pitch competitions: Brainstorm a business solution against the clock with other BSBA students for the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation’s Entrepreneurship Initiative. At this annual pitch competition, you’ll engage your strategy skills against teams from area schools in exchange for prize money.

Have a Question?

Your aspirations could become part of AIC’s outstanding business legacy. Hear from faculty about why the General Business major might be the right fit.

John Rogers, PhD
Professor of Economics

Phone: 413.205.3378
Email: john.rogers@aic.edu
Hours: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

AIC Professor of Economics John Rogers, PhD

Academic and Career Support

AIC gives you the space to explore your interest while preparing you for life after college. Throughout, you’ll work with advisors and mentors to define your academic and professional goals and the ways to achieve them.

An AIC student talks course selection for the Psychology major with their academic advisor.

Student Success Advising

Saremi Center for Career Development

Accessibility Services and Academic Accommodations (CASAA)

What Can You Do with a General Business Degree?

Job Titles

Students with a BSBA in General Business from AIC begin careers as:

  • Business development managers
  • Entrepreneurs
  • Loan officers
  • Management trainers
  • Marketing coordinators
  • Operations coordinators
  • Retail managers
  • Sales representatives

Salary Expectations

According to 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, professionals in business and financial occupations earn a median salary of $80,920. Careers that directly relate to the BSBA in General Business include:

Where Our Graduates Work

  • General Business majors prepare to join small and large companies in sales, retail, and other product- and service-oriented industries.
  • Graduates also leverage their knowledge to launch a startup or small business.

Related Programs

Each AIC BSBA program offers a different perspective of business while emphasizing real-world skills that get you in the door.

Economics and Finance students at AIC collaborate on a class project

Economics and Finance, BSBA

International business majors at AIC connect with other students at a campus event.

International Business, BSBA

Marketing majors explore one of AIC's annual symposium events

Marketing, BSBA

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Go broad with a business program that welcomes all kinds of possibilities.

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