B.B.A. gets a Makeover

Revised curriculum adds class flexibility, focus on undergraduate job-readiness

Starting in Fall 2020, Bloch undergraduate students completing the Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) degree will have the ability to combine deep technical knowledge of a business discipline or industry with complementary courses that position new graduates for emerging careers requiring a combination of skills that defy traditional academic silos.

Under the new “4+3 structure,” Bloch B.B.A. students will combine a four-course emphasis area with a three-course interest area. The emphasis areas are deep dives in functional areas like marketing, entrepreneurship and finance, or in industry sectors such as real estate and health care.

The interest areas are course combinations that provide a basket of additional technical skills, such as analytics and business intelligence, or may augment with training in areas like organizational leadership and innovation and design.

Together, the emphasis and interest area structure allows students to create a distinctive educational experience that better aligns their coursework with their career objectives. The structure also recognizes that students with diverse interests and objectives may pursue very different career paths, even within the same industry.

The earlier students are able to identify a path that aligns with their academic and career goals, the better prepared they are to choose courses, experiential learning activities, internships and professional development opportunities that help students transition seamlessly from Bloch to their career.

The new curriculum for the B.B.A. degree completes a two-year process undertaken by Bloch officials to update the core curriculum every undergraduate student must take, along with courses traditionally considered as electives.

Bloch faculty made the change to respond to an entrepreneurial and innovative Kansas City region growing in emerging fields like health care, data analytics and logistics. The new structure allows Bloch to meet the career training needs of existing students, while positioning the school to adapt quickly to changing labor market expectations.

Part of the challenge is educating students on overlooked — but high potential — career fields like sales and logistics that requires a data-driven approach to connecting student learning outcomes in the classroom with the indemand skill sets employers want.

As part of the curriculum change, Bloch is also investing in emerging areas that align with high-growth careers in Kansas City.

Bloch is building new emphasis areas in supply chain management and business analytics — two fields that span multiple industries in the region. Bloch is also creating new interest areas in analytics and professional sales, along with updating offerings in entrepreneurship, finance, nonprofit and other critical areas.