The Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota announces breakthrough changes in its Undergraduate business curriculum. Additions include a public/nonprofit management major, a mandatory international experience, a contemporary management course for freshmen and an immersion core set of classes in students' sophomore year.

Most changes will be introduced in fall 2008 in conjunction with the opening of the Carlson School’s new Undergraduate facility, Herbert M. Hanson Jr. Hall. “Our Undergraduate program is undergoing a great renovation on the inside and out,” said Alison Davis-Blake, dean of the Carlson School of Management. “When Hanson Hall opens, we will have a very different undergraduate experience, both physically and intellectually. And we will be well on our way to becoming the premier undergraduate business program in the country.”

Non-profit major
A public/nonprofit management major was approved by the University of Minnesota Board of Regents in July and is available this fall for Carlson School students. The major includes courses in non-profit public budgeting and finance; leadership; non-profit management and governance; a capstone course that involves consulting with local non-profit organizations through the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs; and three Carlson School entrepreneurship courses. By offering the major, the Carlson School will meet growing demand. The nonprofit workforce has grown an average three percent each year, according to the Minnesota Nonprofit Economy Report. No other top 20 U.S. News & World Report- ranked business school offers an undergraduate major in nonprofit management.

International Experience
Starting next year, all incoming undergraduate students will be required to have an international experience as part of their four-year degree. The Carlson School’s requirement is unique among public universities. “In the business world, the global economy is growing, and there is an influx of careers that cross borders. It is essential to develop global citizens and broaden their skills and knowledge about the world,” said Davis-Blake.

The Carlson School currently offers several study abroad options for students, including semester exchanges and short-term global enrichment courses, such as the study of accounting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and marketing in Bordeaux, France, as well as several other opportunities in collaboration with the University of Minnesota’s Learning Abroad Center.

“The details of the requirement are still being worked out,” said Mary Maus-Kosir, assistant dean of the Carlson School’s Undergraduate program. “They may include credit and non-credit options, as well as short- and long-term study abroad programs and internships.”

During the 2006-2007 school year, 219 undergraduate Carlson School students studied abroad, up 321 percent from 52 study abroad students in the 1997-1998 school year, according to Kosir. Carlson School staff will raise scholarship dollars so students can meet the requirement and graduate within four years.

Contemporary Management Course
To introduce undergraduate students to the world of business and provide them with a solid grounding in business principles, a freshman seminar course will be added. The course, Contemporary Management, will get students involved at the Carlson School earlier in their academic careers.

“Currently, we don’t see Carlson School students taking classes here until their third year, and we offer a four-year program,” said Kevin Upton, senior lecturer in Marketing and Logistics Management at the Carlson School and member of the undergraduate program faculty advisory committee. “We want to engage our students in business earlier so they receive the ultimate business education experience and so they see the big picture before beginning their core courses.”

Immersion core
With the new plan, students in their second year will partake in a one-semester coordinated core of finance, marketing, operations and strategy courses in consistent cohorts. This gives undergraduates a taste of the intense, coordinated education offered in the school’s renowned MBA program. The core lets the school assign study teams to students that remain the same across all four classes and that complete more complex projects. In the next few years, a capstone experiential learning project will synthesize students’ knowledge from major courses.

These changes complement Hanson Hall, which is being built adjacent to the Carlson School. By 2010, the school will serve 50 percent more undergraduate students than it served in 2005. This fall, the Carlson School matriculated 444 freshmen from nearly 4,000 applicants.

Incoming students like Tommy DeMarco couldn’t be more pleased with the curriculum enhancements. “When I started to think about business as a career choice, I knew I wanted to use my business education to help society,” said DeMarco, a Carlson School freshman. “I also knew I wanted to study international business. Knowing that the Carlson School values international experiences and is offering a non-profit major made this school the clear choice for me."