Retail Administration Associate Degree Program Outline

This course teaches the students fundamental principles while emphasizing skills development in the practice of public speaking. It covers purposes, methods and steps in preparing speeches, develops communication skills in listening, speech criticism, audience analysis and writing, and provides effective delivery techniques to present a variety of speeches.
Credit Hours: 3

This course offers an introduction to basic writing skills that is especially relevant to academic assignments. It focuses on paragraph development and organization in conjunction with a review of basic grammar and mechanics. The course also covers the construction of multi-paragraph essays, the development of writing style and tone, and techniques for critically editing and revising one',s work.
Credit Hours: 3

This course is designed to assure a basic level of computer applications literacy, including word processing, spreadsheet, database, email, and the Internet. The course also covers various types of computer hardware and networking methods. (This course has been designed so that access to a computer is helpful, but not required.)
Credit Hours: 3

This course offers a broad overview of the business world for both business and non-business majors. It is an introduction to the business environment, business ownership, management, marketing, technology and information, and finance.
Credit Hours: 3

This course offers an introduction to written composition especially relevant to academic assignments. It begins with an emphasis on composing stronger expressions at the sentence level and then covers development of multi-paragraph essays, development of writing style and tone, and how to revise and edit one',s work critically. An introduction to academic research is included.
Prerequisite for C02
Credit Hours: 3

View General Education Elective (Science 100-200 Level) offerings.

This is an introduction to retailing concepts and processes. The student will explore the basics of retailing, such as setting up a retail business, primary target markets, products, and location. In addition, the student will survey personnel and risk management, and examine the basics of writing a business plan and operating a retail business in the global marketplace.
Credit Hours: 3

This course focuses on the facilitation of exchange relationships in a dynamic environment through the creation, distribution, promotion, and pricing of goods, services, and ideas. The concepts of market segmentation, buyer behavior, branding, marketing strategies, and services marketing will be stressed, in addition to the processes of planning, organizing, implementing, and controlling marketing activities.
Credit Hours: 3

This is an introduction to the basics of supply chain management. The student will explore the distribution channel including the types of channels and the relationships among channel members. They will also examine the supply chain operations of planning, sourcing materials, making products, deliveries, and returns. The use of technology to operate the supply chain will be discussed, and supply chain metrics will be presented.
Credit Hours: 3

View General Education Elective (Behavioral/Social Science 100-200 Level) offerings.

View General Education Elective (Humanities/Fine Arts 100-200 Level) offerings.

This is an introduction to microeconomics, with emphasis on the functioning of individual markets and their effectiveness for resource allocation. Topics include price and production theory, competition, labor, the distribution of income, and the theory of household behavior.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite for C11, BU310

This course explores important concepts of retail buying, beginning with a discussion of customer needs, support staff requirements, and the education and training buyers need. The course also explores the roles of buying groups, merchandise assortments, planning and controls, and how technology and Internet commerce relates to retailing. In addition, the student will learn how to choose vendors, translate plans into purchases, negotiate the buy, and price and sell merchandise once it has been bought.
Credit Hours: 3

This course reviews the fundamentals of double-entry bookkeeping and the debit/credit method of recording transactions. The bookkeeping cycle, from recording transactions to preparing financial statements, is included. Emphasis is placed on service concerns operating as sole proprietorships.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite for BU330

C17: This is a comprehensive review of mathematical skills and concepts commonly used in academic and vocational applications. Topics include whole numbers, fractions, decimal notation, ratios and proportions, percents, statistics and measurement, geometry, real numbers, and algebra.
Credit Hours: 3

MA240: This course introduces the major concepts of college-level algebra. The course begins with basic concepts such as sets and numbers but quickly moves into intermediate algebra topics, emphasizing concepts most often used in computer science. The student will gain extensive experience in evaluating and manipulating expressions, equations, inequalities, and functions.
Credit Hours: 3

This course examines the broad implications of technological innovation on social organization in terms of personal, political, economic, and environmental issues. Topics covered include technological progress within society, issues of energy use and creation, positive and negative environmental impacts of technology, the use of technology in war and politics, social responsibility, personal health, and economic development.
Credit Hours: 3

This course examines the various aspects of hiring, managing, motivating, and retaining retail employees. The course describes hiring techniques and discusses federal employment laws. The student will also explore concepts such as the effective management of employees, employee benefits, retention, and motivation, and customer service and relationship building.
Credit Hours: 3

View Elective (100-200 Level) offerings.

View Elective (100-200 Level) offerings.

This course offers a broad overview of the business world for both business and non-business majors. It is an introduction to the business environment, business ownership, management, marketing, technology and information, and finance.
Credit Hours: 3

This course presents the basic principles of communication that are particularly applicable in business and industry, providing a foundation for more effective communication skills. It focuses on the proper use of English grammar in business settings.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite: EN130

This is an introduction to retailing concepts and processes. The student will explore the basics of retailing, such as setting up a retail business, primary target markets, products, and location. In addition, the student will survey personnel and risk management, and examine the basics of writing a business plan and operating a retail business in the global marketplace.
Credit Hours: 3

This course is designed to assure a basic level of computer applications literacy, including word processing, spreadsheet, database, email, and the Internet. The course also covers various types of computer hardware and networking methods. (This course has been designed so that access to a computer is helpful, but not required.)
Credit Hours: 3

This course provides an overview of the structure and operations of the federal government, including constitutional principles, rights and liberties, the political process, and the relationships among the three branches of the federal government.
Credit Hours: 3

This is an introduction to the principles and practices of management, with emphasis on the management functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. Topics also include effective leadership and motivational techniques, communication, social responsibility and ethics, managing change and conflict, and control.
Credit Hours: 3

This course presents the basics of written communication in business. It also explores differences in approach and format for various business documents, and covers techniques for planning, researching, organizing, and writing reports.
Credit Hours: 3

This course examines the management of a retail business, with extensive coverage of multichannel retailing, consumer buying behavior, retailing strategy, human resource management, information systems, customer relationship management, merchandise management, vendor relations, pricing, and store management.
Credit Hours: 3

This is a comprehensive review of mathematical skills and concepts commonly used in academic and vocational applications. Topics include whole numbers, fractions, decimal notation, ratios and proportions, percents, statistics and measurement, geometry, real numbers, and algebra.
Credit Hours: 3

This is an introduction to the basics of supply chain management. The student will explore the distribution channel including the types of channels and the relationships among channel members. They will also examine the supply chain operations of planning, sourcing materials, making products, deliveries, and returns. The use of technology to operate the supply chain will be discussed, and supply chain metrics will be presented.
Credit Hours: 3

This course explores important concepts of retail buying, beginning with a discussion of customer needs, support staff requirements, and the education and training buyers need. The course also explores the roles of buying groups, merchandise assortments, planning and controls, and how technology and Internet commerce relates to retailing. In addition, the student will learn how to choose vendors, translate plans into purchases, negotiate the buy, and price and sell merchandise once it has been bought.
Credit Hours: 3

This course reviews the fundamentals of double-entry bookkeeping and the debit/credit method of recording transactions. The bookkeeping cycle, from recording transactions to preparing financial statements, is included. Emphasis is placed on service concerns operating as sole proprietorships.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite for BU330

This course examines the various aspects of hiring, managing, motivating, and retaining retail employees. The course describes hiring techniques and discusses federal employment laws. The student will also explore concepts such as the effective management of employees, employee benefits, retention, and motivation, and customer service and relationship building.
Credit Hours: 3

This is an introduction to microeconomics, with emphasis on the functioning of individual markets and their effectiveness for resource allocation. Topics include price and production theory, competition, labor, the distribution of income, and the theory of household behavior.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite for C11, BU310

This is a survey of the field of psychology, including the development of behavior, physiological mechanisms of behavior, perception, motivation and emotion, consciousness, learning, memory, personality, and mental health.
Credit Hours: 3

This course surveys the management of quality in the retail environment. The course begins with a historical overview of quality and presents basic definitions of quality. It then explores quality as an aspect of leadership, effective management, and employee training and loyalty. The course also discusses the relationship between quality and customers, and examines the connection between quality and the retail item, from the design of products and services to the management of processes and suppliers.
Credit Hours: 3

This course provides a focused look at the management of capital in a business firm. Emphasis is placed on policies and actions relating to asset structure, risk, income, and cash flows. Operating and financial analysis are also explored.
Credit Hours: 3

Consumer Behavior is the science of determining how consumers behave and how marketers can take these patterns and better sell to consumers. This course offers complete coverage of the role of consumers in the marketplace, including perception, learning and memory, income and social class, subcultures, cultural influences on consumer behavior, and global consumer culture.
Credit Hours: 3

This course explores the basics of loss prevention in the retail environment, including security issues related to products, personnel and money. The course examines loss prevention technology and techniques, such as hazard controls, theft detection and prevention, surveillance systems, computerized inventory management systems, and access controls.
Credit Hours: 3

This course focuses on the facilitation of exchange relationships in a dynamic environment through the creation, distribution, promotion, and pricing of goods, services, and ideas. The concepts of market segmentation, buyer behavior, branding, marketing strategies, and services marketing will be stressed, in addition to the processes of planning, organizing, implementing, and controlling marketing activities.
Credit Hours: 3