Majors and Minors

As an accounting major, you can earn a four year or five year bachelor's degree, or choose our 4 + 1 MBA program, which is a bachelor's degree plus MBA with accounting concentration.

You can concentrate in taxation, fraud/forensic, traditional financial/audit. You also have the opportunity to double major or minor in management, finance, economics, computer science, psychology, math, or music.

Our curriculum is built on your professional career with focus on self, family and community, with development of accounting knowledge, practice, management and leadership in mind. You will have international and multicultural course opportunities, including study abroad, and you'll start taking accounting courses your freshman year.

A successful completion of university algebra is the only requirement. You may place out of algebra based on an online placement exam.

You'll be able to take more classes. For the four year degree, the accounting major will take at least nine courses. A five year student (five years are required by the State of Ohio Accountancy Board in order to take the CPA exam) could take as many as a total of 16 to 20 courses, with concentrations in taxation and forensic/fraud accounting. Most classes have 12 or fewer students.

The Business Administration major is a generalist degree designed for people wanting to develop a broad and more flexible knowledge base.

This major is for students that want to tailor their degree to their interests in the business area. You’ll receive a solid foundation in accounting, economics, finance, management, international business, and marketing.

Additionally, you may choose electives from all of our classes offered to build your skills and knowledge in your areas of interest. This allows you greater flexibility to explore the financial, organizational behavior, consumer, and strategic aspects of the business environment, and to explore careers in a variety of occupations and industries.

Economics offers a unique way of examining individual and social behavior. This unique way of looking at the world around us, often called the "economic way of thinking," provides powerful and surprising insights into many social issues such as discrimination, crime, poverty, welfare, education, income inequality, and environmental degradation. In addition to examining these societal problems, economists study how markets work and analyze the behavior of business organizations. They also investigate the forces and trends that influence our standard of living, the fraction of the population that cannot find work, and the rate at which prices are rising.

The Department of Business, Accounting and Economics offers both a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. The economics degree prepares you to pursue many excellent and rewarding employment opportunities in private, as well as public and nonprofit sectors of the economy. Additionally, a bachelor’s degree in economics offers a solid preparation for graduate education not only in economics, but also in law, political science, all areas of business, and disciplines with an international focus.

The economics major at Otterbein balances theory and application. Real-life applications are well integrated in all courses and come from local, national, and international scenes. In addition, if you complete a study abroad course, you are uniquely qualified for future opportunities.

The Finance degree provides you with a solid background in both corporate finance and investments.

Corporate finance is the study of how businesses finance their assets and how they invest this financing. Investments focus on mutual funds, derivative securities, the functioning of securities markets, and portfolio selection. You are also required to take a case course in finance which enables them to apply these concepts to real-world business situations. In addition, you will complete a core of foundation courses in accounting, economics, management, and marketing. Elective courses enable you to tailor the degree to your particular interests.

The Finance degree is designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to enter occupations such as financial analyst, loan officer, securities analyst, credit manager, stock broker, bank examiner, and personal financial advisor.

Human Resources (HR) focuses on the employees of the organization and how they can add value to the performance of the overall organization. HR also is concerned with the development of employees as they progress through their professional lives.

Organizations rely on the human resources for the proper administration of labor laws, labor relations, and for the hiring, training, compensating, and evaluation of employees.
The Human Resources Management major prepares you for this work through courses in management, human resources management, human resources planning and staffing, performance appraisal and compensation, training and development, and through electives that address your interests.

Occupations and jobs in the field include human resource generalist, trainer/development specialist, compensation analyst, labor relations specialist, human resource manager, benefits administrator/specialist, and international human resource specialist.

This major focuses on global business practices and issues involved in managing both international trade and foreign-based operations. Firms engaged in international business must deal with multiple different political, legal, economic, and cultural environments.

The International Business and Management degree addresses those issues by offering courses in international business management, international economics, international accounting, international finance, cross cultural management and other related electives.
Career options include working domestically for a foreign-owned firm, working overseas for a domestic firm, working for state or federal government, or providing specialized consulting to firms engaged in international business activities.

The degree in management is designed to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to professionally manage and lead in organizations of all types. Course work in economics, accounting, finance, business law, marketing, management, operations, organizational theory, ethics, international management, and focused management electives emphasizes the processes of strategy, planning, organization, leadership, motivation, and management of both individuals and the organization as a whole.

A management degree can lead to positions within a variety of industries and organizations. Some of these occupations include managing in services, banks, credit/loan offices, customer service, distribution, event planning, facilities planning, manufacturing, logistics, medical and health services, merchandising, public administration, property/real estate, purchasing, small business/entrepreneurship, operations, and quality control.

Marketing focuses on the creation and maintenance of exchange relationships. This focus includes issues related to branding, research, advertising, selling, and developing products. Individuals who excel in marketing are creative types who sharpen their skills related to speaking, listening, writing, and critical thinking.

The Marketing major at Otterbein is designed to prepare you for careers in advertising, sales, brand management, retail management, advertising, generalist marketing positions, and graduate study.

Course selection within the major include Principles of Marketing, Advertising and Promotion, Research in Behavioral Theories, Marketing Strategy, and a variety of electives directed at meeting your personal goals. The curriculum remains flexible enough for you to minor or major in another business discipline, such as International Business.

A minor in accounting provides an excellent addition to all of the business majors. An accounting minor is particularly attractive to non-majors that are considering working for themselves or in small businesses. Accounting is vital to the overall day-to-day operations and management of any organization. A minor in accounting requires ACCT 2000 (Financial Accounting), ACCT 2100 (Managerial Accounting), and 12 hours (three courses) of electives chosen from the accounting course offerings.

A minor in business administration adds knowledge and skills for those looking for a general business background. This minor is a nice complement to the accounting, public accounting, finance, economics, and/or marketing degrees. Since this minor provides knowledge in the basic core concepts of business operation, it is very beneficial for non-business majors. The requirements for this minor are: Financial Accounting, Principles of Microeconomics OR Principles of Macroeconomics, Business Finance, Principles of Management, and Principles of Marketing.

A minor in economics is considered an excellent complement to other majors such as Business Administration, Accounting, International Studies, and Political Science. A minor requires 20 semester credit hours. As part of the minor, you must take the following courses: Principles of Microeconomics, Principles of Macroeconomics, Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis, Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis, and an economics elective course.

Finance is a minor that is a natural fit with the accounting and economics majors. A minor in finance also adds to your skills and knowledge in basic finance, which gives you an advantage in all fields of business. This minor consists of Financial Accounting, Principles of Microeconomics OR Principles of Macroeconomics, Business Finance, and two electives chosen from the following: Money and Banking, International Finance, Intermediate Corporate Finance, Investments, Options and Futures, and Case Studies in Finance.

Like the major, the minor in human resources (HR) focuses on the employees of the organization and how they can add value to the performance of the overall firm. The HR minor is a good complement to degrees in management or business administration. It is also a valuable minor for non-majors interested in their industry's use of personnel. This minor requires the following courses: Financial Accounting, Principles of Microeconomics OR Principles of Macroeconomics, Personnel and Human Resources Management, and two electives from the following choices: Planning and Staffing, Performance Appraisal and Compensation, Training and Development, or Seminar in Human Resources Topics.

A minor in international business can fit with any business major. Its focus on how businesses interact in a global economy provides valuable insights to all that have an interest in international issues. Students studying a foreign language or international studies would also find this minor extremely beneficial. Required courses for the minor include International Economics and International Business and Management. In addition, the minor requires three elective courses from the following: International Accounting, Economic Development and Growth, International Finance, Cross-Cultural Management and Organization, and the International Business Seminar.

Any student majoring in any academic discipline would find the management minor an appealing addition to their studies. Coursework in management is designed to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to professionally manage and lead in organizations of all types. For a long-term career in any field, knowing the principles of management is vital. The requirements for this minor are: Financial Accounting, Principles of Microeconomics OR Principles of Macroeconomics, Principles of Management, and any two electives from the management courses offered by the department.

Like the major, the marketing minor focuses on the creation and maintenance of exchange relationships. A minor in marketing in complementary for many business majros, particularly for business administration, international business, and management. Non-majors interested in the promotion of products or services within their field or in public relations should think strongly about a marketing minor. The requirements for this minor are: Financial Accounting, Business Communication, Principles of Marketing, Research in Behavioral Theories, and Advertising and Promotion.