Taking Care of Business Blog

Do you need to take an experiential course to complete your degree requirement? Experiential courses are those that give you hands-on experience with the curriculum. Here is a list of Spring 2020 courses that will count toward your experiential requirement (if you have one):

1. Internships. For details on how to get an internship and get credit for it, click here.

2. BUSN 470 Multidisciplinary Action Projects: There are two sections of this course offered in the spring:

Section 1: This section is team-taught by Dean Ken Anderson and two others. Students work in small teams to tackle projects for actual clients. The class has several projects each semester.

Section 2: This section is taught by Dr. Stevens. It will work on a project for the Inland Northwest Farmers Market Association. Student teams will work with members of the organization, farmers, customers, and other key partners to pilot projects that are important to the growth and diversity of our famers markets throughout the region.

3. ACCT 471 Forensic Accounting Lab: This course is also called the “Justice for Fraud Victims Project.” It is a joint program with members of the community (law enforcement, prosecutors, and local certified fraud examiners) to investigate real cases of suspected fraud that are referred by local law enforcement. Enrollment is by application only. For information, contact Dr. Weber at weber@gonzaga.edu.

4. BFIN 429 A, B, C: This class on portfolio management runs across three semesters (one credit per semester) and typically begins in the spring of a students’ junior year. year. Registration by instructor permission. Contact Dr. Barnes at barnes@gonzaga.edu.

5. BUSN.494 Small Business Consulting: This class requires an application process. Contact Dr. Todd Finkle at finklet2000@yahoo.com for details.

6. MKTG 490 Promotion Project. More information on this class and how to apply is available here.

How do you know if you need an experiential class?

If you have one concentration, you need to take 1. an experiential or international class and 2. a broadening class
If you have two or more concentrations, you need to take 1. an experiential or international class but you do not need 2. a broadening class (because your second concentration provides that).

If you have an accounting major and no concentration, you do not need to take a broadening, experiential, or international course beyond what is required in the accounting curriculum.

If you have an accounting major and one or more concentrations, you need to take 1. an experiential or international class but you do not need 2. a broadening class (because your accounting major provides that).

If you have a concentration in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (and no other concentrations), you need to take 1. an international class and 2. a broadening class.

If you have an International Business concentration, you need to take either a Broadening, Experiential or 200-level of higher language course.

This is a list of office hours in the SBA

Please note an awesome new course offering for Fall that will be taught by Aaron Sanchez, ’02. This course has a MKTG 310 pre-req and requires an application to register, as outlined below. The first class is FRIDAY, AUG. 30.

MKTG 489 Content Production

Learn how to produce professional-quality digital content. In this course, you’ll learn the production process from an advertising industry veteran, giving you an up close look at how agencies and production companies take an idea and turn it into a live product. Specifically, you’ll make a series of audio podcasts about Gonzaga alumni and their careers and lives after leaving GU. (Course Prereq: MKTG 310)

Schedule: The in-person portion of this course takes place over three weekends. Attendance at these sessions is required.

Session 1 (Friday, Aug 30, Saturday, Aug 31)

Friday: 4pm – 7pm Saturday: 10am – 4pm

Session 2 (Friday, Sept 27, Saturday, Sept 28)

Friday: 4pm – 7pm Saturday: 10am – 4pm

Session 3 (Friday, Nov 22, Saturday, Nov 23)

Friday: 4pm – 7pm Saturday: 10am – 4pm

Does this course meet any requirements?

This course will fulfill the 3 upper division elective credits for Marketing concentrations. It also may be used to fulfill 3 elective credits for the Promotion minor or the Digital Marketing minor. This course also meets the experiential requirement for business majors or the broadening requirement for single-concentration business students who aren’t in marketing.

Why should I consider this course?

• If you are interested in advertising agencies, this course will help you understand what happens when an idea goes from being an idea to a final product. The production process that applies to podcasts also applies to film, social media, and print productions.
• In this class, you’ll learn how to structure a narrative and tell a story from beginning to end in a creative way. You’ll learn how music, editing, and sound design can shape a story.
• We’ll study industry-leading podcasts, learning what makes them so popular. You don’t need to be a fan of podcasts, and you may not be one after the course. But, you’ll learn more about the sector of media that’s growing faster than any other.
• Students in this course will get to meet about 45 different GU grads and learn how they built their careers after leaving school. The insights students will gain from the alumni will help them on their own career paths.
• Students will leave the class with three professional-quality productions and an ad campaign that they can put on their resume and possibly their portfolio sites to show to prospective employers.
• One of the most important modern marketing skills that professionals say students should master is content marketing. (See this infographic for one such example: https://online.maryville.edu/blog/11-modern-marketing-skills-for-business-innovators-to-master/.)

How can I register for this course?

If you are interested in registering for this course, you must submit your resume via email to the course instructor at aaron.sanchez@gmail.com. Your resume should display relevant coursework, volunteering, or jobs that have prepared you for this course. Previous work in production is not a requirement.

Any questions about the course may be directed to Aaron at aaron.sanchez@gmail.com.

Gonzaga’s School of Business offers one-credit classes to all students each semester. The classes described below involve travel out of town and come with an additional fee. Scholarships are available.

These classes can often serve as general electives in a student’s pursuit of a degree. Registration is open to ALL MAJORS. The classes are listed on Zagweb.

Boeing
Sunday, Sept. 8 and Friday, Sept. 13 (with travel to Seattle on Thursday Sept. 12)

Microsoft
Friday, Sept. 20 (with travel to Seattle on Thursday Sept. 19)

Details on each class are below.

TWO IMPORTANT NOTES

• These classes meet on Fridays. This may prevent you from registering on Zagweb because of the overlap with other classes you are taking. To register, call the Registrar’s office at 313-6592.
• Participation in the class is not an automatic excused absence from your Friday classes. Be sure to discuss your involvement in the class with your Friday instructors. You will be provided a letter that confirms your participation in the course.

BUSN 259 Value Chain Analysis at Microsoft

This course has a $150 fee. Scholarships are available.

What’s your area of expertise? How will you apply it when you reach the workforce? Organizations will need your subject-matter expertise, but also will require you to span boundaries between departments. Gone are the days of staying in your comfort zone. Today’s workers need to understand how the whole organization works and be willing to step up to new challenges.

To address the skills needed to have a boundary-spanning career, a one-credit skills class is being offered at Microsoft.  Students in this class will roam the 88 acres of the Microsoft campus with the Chief Technology Officer himself: Gonzaga business school alum Stuart McKee. Also joining us will be Max McKee, recent graduate from Gonzaga in Computer Science and new hire at Microsoft, who will share his experiences as a recent graduate making the leap into full-time work at Microsoft. Stuart’s grandfather and Max’s great grandfather Archie Sherar also graduated from Gonzaga – in 1933.

Students will learn about the need for boundary spanning skills, image management, and how the various operations of a business work together to create value. McKee invites you to open your mind to the latest and greatest innovations in the world of technology.   This is an unscripted tour inside one of the most recognizable companies in the world – from finance to product engineering to facilities management – we will discuss it all. Topics and discussions will range from the inner workings of the business world to the newest technology that is not on the market yet. Course content and facilitation will help you develop skills to thrive in a large in a large organization where spanning boundaries between departments and combining expertise is the norm.

Buses will leave Spokane at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19. We will be staying at a hotel near Microsoft. We will spend Friday at Microsoft and return to Spokane around midnight.

Dr. Molly Pepper and Dr. Mary Heitkemper

BUSN 270 Project Management at Boeing

This course has a $150 fee. Scholarships are available.

This includes a trip to Boeing in Renton, WA. This one credit hour course provides students an introduction to how The Boeing Company executes and manages aerospace projects through an immersive visit to their production facility near Seattle, WA.  Students will be provided a one-of-a-kind opportunity to view commercial aircraft being assembled on a production line before they take to the sky.  In addition, students will receive a brief introduction of skills necessary to manage a wide range of projects at The Boeing Company including: project planning, task scheduling, and project reporting.

Also included will be a hands-on experience with implementation of a project and a cross-talk with Boeing employees designed to give students a chance to learn from a company filled with inquisitive, energetic, enterprising and talented people.

Open to all Majors, however will be especially beneficial to those students who are in Business (Finance, Management Information Systems or Operations and Supply Chain Management) or Engineering degree paths.

Class meets from 6-9 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8 and Friday, Sept. 13. Buses will leave Spokane at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12. We will be staying at a hotel near Boeing. We will spend Friday at Boeing and return to Spokane around midnight.

Instructors: Dr. Mirjeta Beqiri and Dr. Danielle Xu

Here are some common questions from students:

Who is my advisor?

How do I change advisors?

How do I change my major/concentration?

How do I know which classes I need to complete?

What are my internship options?

I want to study abroad. How can I get courses at another university approved to count for my Gonzaga courses?

I want to take classes at another university. How can I transfer those credits to Gonzaga?

I am a senior and plan to take business ethics. How do BUSN 480 and BUSN 485 work?

How do I add a business minor?

Please visit your advisor to be cleared to register, review your mid-term grades, and talk about your future. A list of faculty office hours is available here.

Frequently asked questions about registering for Fall 2019 courses include:

1. How do I declare my major/concentration or change my major/concentration?

2. I need an experiential course. Which Fall 2019 classes will fulfill that requirement?

3. How do I know which classes I need?

4. How do I change advisors?

5. What are the internship options?

6. I want to study abroad. How can I get courses at another university approved to count for my Gonzaga courses?

7. I plan to take classes at another university this summer. How can I make sure those classes will transfer back to Gonzaga?

8. I am a senior and plan to take business ethics. How do BUSN 480 and BUSN 485 work?

9. Can I take any section of BUSN 480 and 485 that I want? Click here to learn which sections are designated for accounting majors and marketing concentrations.

10. When is my registration window? You can find this information under the Registration tab on Zagweb.

Do you need to take an experiential course to complete your degree requirement? Experiential courses are those that give you hands-on experience with the curriculum. Here is a list of Fall 2019 courses that will count toward your experiential requirement (if you have one):

For details on how to get an internship and get credit for it, click here.

How do you know if you need experiential credit?

• If you have one concentration, you need to take 1. an experiential or international class and 2. a broadening class
• If you have two or more concentrations, you need to take 1. an experiential or international class but you do not need 2. a broadening class (because your second concentration provides that).
• If you have an accounting major and no concentration, you do not need to take a broadening, experiential, or international course beyond what is required in the accounting curriculum.
• If you have an accounting major and one or more concentrations, you need to take 1. an experiential or international class but you do not need 2. a broadening class (because your accounting major provides that).
• If you have a concentration in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (and no other concentrations), you need to take 1. an international class and 2. a broadening class.
• If you have an International Business concentration, you need to take either a Broadening, Experiential or 200-level of higher language course.

In the Fall 2019, one section of BUSN 480/485 will be designated for marketing students and another will be designated for accounting students. Students are encouraged to sign up for the sections with their designations. Other students should sign up for any of the open sections.

In Spring 2020, there will be designated sections for finance concentrations.

Need to talk to your professor outside of class? Here is a list of faculty office hours and office locations for Spring 2019. Is your professor NOT on this list? Check the syllabus for office hours or other ways to get in touch.