Overview
BUSINESS, ECONOMICS, AND POLITICAL SCIENCE
Dr. S. Clements, Chair
Associate Professors: Dr. S. Clements, Dr. M. Gill, Dr. P. Hamilton
Assistant Professors: Mr. D. Bosch, Ms. E. Walsh
Throughout its history Asbury University has prepared men and women to be thoughtful, literate, productive, and spiritually healthy citizens who engage society through a host of professional, civic, and family endeavors. The faculty of the Department of Business, Economics, and Political Science offer an array of courses and programs that build on a liberal arts foundation and offer pathways to enlightened, responsible involvement in the international arenas of commerce, government, and both for-profit and non-profit organizations.
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTING
The program in Business Management/Accounting at Asbury University provides an opportunity to study the principles of effective business management from the standpoint of the Christian world view. The philosophy of Christian liberal arts education with its breadth of perspective and biblical view of truth is reflected in a distinctly Christian approach to the study of business management. The program makes the biblical principle of stewardship and Christian standards of ethics an integral part of the acquisition of technical knowledge and of the pursuit of excellence in professional skills.
1. The business curriculum includes (1) courses in the functional areas of management, finance, human relations, economics, marketing and (2) courses in the information processing and the quantitative analysis areas of accounting, computer programming and data processing, statistical methods, and management science and operations research.
2. The Department strives to incorporate free market economic concepts and ethical concepts throughout our course offerings.
3. Some of the career opportunities for students of business management include (1) positions with accounting firms; (2) positions with such financial organizations as banks, brokerage firms, insurance companies, and savings and loan associations; (3) positions with all types of industrial and commercial organizations; (4) positions in religious organizations as staff accountants, controllers, treasurers, and in various administrative posts; and (5) positions in government and other not-for-profit organizations such as welfare agencies and hospitals.
4. Asbury requires 124 semester hours for a bachelor's degree with a major in accounting. Students interested in an accounting major should be aware that in many states, the Society of Certified Public Accountants requires 150 credit hours to sit for the CPA exam. Our recommendation is that the student complete the undergraduate accounting major from Asbury and obtain the additional hours needed to sit for the CPA exam in a graduate program such as an MBA or Master of Accountancy. In some cases, students are able to obtain the 150 hours while at Asbury through higher placements in foreign language, summer programs, internships, or some combination of these opportunities.
5. The course of study in business management pursued in the Christian environment of Asbury University offers young people an education which will enhance and enrich their personal lives and prepare them (1) for Christian service to society, (2) for effective performance in their profession, and (3) success in advanced study at the graduate level.
ECONOMICS
The department offers students a minor in Economics by completion of 27 credit hours (please see below for options regarding the required course). Economics is an extension of moral philosophy that examines proper tools for use in allocating scarce resources and making decisions using cost-benefit analysis that encompasses all stakeholders involved in the process. The courses offered emphasize the institutional aspects of a civil society that attempts to maximize payouts and the welfare of its citizens. The courses integrate aspects of other disciplines, thus providing students a comprehensive and holistic approach to the current issues that societies face. The biblical foundations of stewardship, efficiency, and justice are integrated into the most cutting-edge theories and applications in order to equip students with the best possible tools that will enable them to understand causes and not treat the symptoms of the problems arising in the marketplace. Those tools apply from micro decisions such as pricing and distribution, to macro-dynamics of inflation, business cycles, and unemployment, and from financial crises to international trade, budget deficits and international currency exchanges & finance. Recent events demonstrate how those interlinked crises can affect our personal, community, and institutional lives. The students who successfully complete the series of the recommended courses will have a very good understanding of how markets work and what they need to do as Christian citizens in an economy where we capture all thoughts and making them obedient to Christ and his kingdom.
POLITICAL SCIENCE
Through the systematic study of politics—the examination and analysis of various regime types, rival political philosophies, and the historical experiences of peoples and nations over time—students equip themselves for many possible roles in society, from law, to government, to work in corporate settings, to positions in non-governmental organizations or cross-national agencies. The baccalaureate program in political science includes a core of courses within the discipline, as well as emphases in international affairs, American politics, or political philosophy. The faculty encourage all majors to engage in internships in government and politics at the local, state, or national levels, and will work to help place students. A minor in political science is also available, and includes the core courses and two additional elective courses.
2012-2013 BULLETIN 07/13/2012
