VSB CORE CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHTS

VSB students begin taking business courses in their freshman year and continue to fulfill VSB core requirements during sophomore year.  In junior and senior years, students focus on major and minor coursework. VSB students take approximately 50 percent of required courses in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The balance of business and liberal arts coursework serves to instill the fundamentals of critical insight, mature judgment, and independent thinking and fosters a sense of the importance of values and the moral responsibility of caring for others and working for the betterment of society.

FRESHMAN AND SOPHOMORE YEARS

Over the course of their freshman and sophomore years, VSB students are introduced to the fundamentals of business, with foundational courses that serve to prepare them for a more focused concentration on specific business disciplines in their last two years.

All VSB freshmen take Business Dynamics (VSB 1015) during the fall semester.  The course emphasizes the overarching purpose of business within society and the manner in which business vision is actualized.  Business Dynamics provides context for students’ business learning experience and integrates global, political, ethical, and technological dimensions of business.  The course serves as the first step in preparing students to become creative and innovative problem solvers and seeks to develop analytical business writing and presentation skills.  Students are also required to earn Bloomberg certification by completing Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC), a self-paced e-learning program that provides an introduction to the financial markets as well as the use of the Bloomberg terminals.

VSB freshmen, also, take Information Technology (VSB 1000), a one-credit online course designed to increase students’ ability to utilize spreadsheets as analytical tools for business decision making and problem-solving. 

Spring of freshman year students take Backpack-to-Briefcase: FR Experience (VSB 0099), Financial Accounting (VSB 2004), and Introduction to MIS (VSB 2006) or Corporate Responsibility and Regulation (VSB 2007). The requirements for VSB 0099 (0 credit) include participation in “The Art of Mixing and Mingling” etiquette networking workshop; completion of an online tutorial on the University’s career management portal – Handshake; and development of a resume in collaboration with the University Career Center. 

Financial Accounting introduces students to generally accepted accounting principles and both the creation and analysis of financial statements.  Students are exposed to the importance of accounting in making decisions related to business, investing, and financing.

Introduction to MIS presents examples of organizational, process, and strategy alignment, and teaches students to clearly recognize key performance measures for business processes in a global economy.  Students further learn to articulate details of implementation lifecycles for enterprise-wide applications, knowledge management, and e-business initiatives.

Corporate Responsibility and Regulation examines the subjects of ethics, regulation, corporate social responsibility, and business law as they relate to business decision-making.  The course emphasizes the need for managers to consider both the legal, regulatory, and ethical implications of their conduct, as well as how that conduct could impact on the relationship the business has with government and society. 

During sophomore year all VSB students enroll in Backpack-to-Briefcase Sophomore Seminar (VSB 2000), a one-credit professional development seminar focusing on self-assessment, career decision making, personal branding, internship and job search processes, interviewing skills, networking and using social media.  Other sophomore courses include Business Analytics (VSB 2008), Principles of Finance (VSB 2009) Managerial Accounting (VSB 2014), and Competitive Effectiveness (VSB 2020).

Business Analytics teaches students the use of business intelligence and quantitative methods, including statistical analysis, forecasting/extrapolation, predictive modeling, optimization, and simulation in the context of organizational decision making and problem-solving.  Students gain an understanding of how managers use analytics to formulate and solve business problems to support managerial decision making and learn how to use and apply selected business analytics software. 

Principles of Finance study the theory and techniques of financial management, focusing on financial markets, financial statements, and analysis, time value of money, interest rates, bond valuation, risk and return, equity valuation, cost of capital, capital budgeting, and working capital management. 

Managerial Accounting teaches students how management accounting information can be used to help firms achieve strategic goals and profitability objectives.  The course employs an entrepreneurial perspective to examine how managers apply risk measurement and management techniques to business planning and control systems.

Competitive Effectiveness (CE) makes a strong, concrete, graspable link between the core concepts of both marketing and management, and teaches students to learn concepts from multiple disciplines by working on real problems.  It pairs undergraduates with executives at local and regional companies; students have the opportunity to pitch marketing campaigns, including market research, competitive analysis, and a budget, as well as individual advertisements, promotional materials, and management analysis, as they work on actual problems rather than historical cases.

JUNIOR YEAR

During junior year, students enroll in Operations & Supply Chain Management (VSB 3008) and Global Political Economy (ECO 3108), and begin taking courses to fulfill major and/or minor requirements. 

Operations & Supply Chain Management provides an understanding of the critical role and the contributions made by operations managers in manufacturing and service firms including decision making, forecasting, resource allocation, project management, quality, materials management, technology, and strategy.

In Global Political Economy students learn about the political history, socio-economic conditions, and government policies of various countries and regions to analyze and evaluate the global impact on international trade and monetary relations.

In the fall or spring semester, VSB juniors continue with the Backpack-to-Briefcase series by enrolling in a one-credit course, Back-to-Briefcase: Juniors Seminar (VSB 3000), that provides preparation for and culminates in an internal case competition. Written and verbal communication skills, analysis, team dynamics, and leadership are integrated throughout the course.  This course also provides an array of networking opportunities; students interact with and are provided with feedback from business professionals.

SENIOR YEAR

During senior year, students continue to take courses to fulfill major and minor requirements. In addition, all students are required to take Strategic Thinking and Implementation (VSB 4002). This capstone business course teaches students to think strategically and holistically about companies and non-profit organizations from the top down and with a long term, organizational perspective.