Business, Economics and Commerce | Office of Admissions and Scholarships
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Business, Economics and Commerce

The Richard C. Adkerson School of Accountancy offers outstanding academic programs, and a vibrant, challenging learning environment for its students, both face-to-face and online. The Adkerson School of Accountancy combines general, broad business and accounting education into a specialized curriculum designed to meet the greater demand for accountants, stemming from developments in information technology, increasingly complicated taxation and governmental control measures, and a growing awareness of the need for accurate control methods in existing businesses. This program prepares students for positions in public, private, or governmental accounting. 

The Agribusiness major prepares students for a variety of potential career fields including, but not limited to, agricultural law, agricultural policy analysis, economic consulting, agricultural production management, commodities marketing, and food chain supply management, including processing, sales, and distribution.

  • Management
  • Policy and Law
  • Production

Our Agricultural Engineering Technology and Business (AETB) program prepares students for technical careers in agriculture, business, and land surveying. Our curriculum is characterized by a strong technical course base with business and finance-related courses added so that the graduate is uniquely qualified to work in industry/agriculture as a technical or business person. The program provides an educational opportunity for students interested in applying technical, business and management skills to problems in agricultural production, commodity-related and natural resource management. 

  • Enterprise Management
  • Natural Resources and Environmental Management 
  • Precision Agriculture 
  • Surveying | Geomatics 

The Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in Business Administration gives students the flexibility to gain general knowledge of various aspects of the business world. Also described as “general business,” the Business Administration major is the most popular and most flexible program we offer. This major teaches students the universal functions of business, such as: planning, organizing, staffing, directing, controlling, and budgeting—as well as how to organize these resources efficiently. 

Economics is the scientific study of how people and institutions make choices concerning the use of society’s scarce resources. It is a broad social science that shares common interests with both the behavioral sciences (i.e. sociology and psychology) and the decision sciences (i.e. finance and management). The importance of economic analysis is recognized by being the only social science in which a Nobel Prize is awarded. Economics students receive training in the methods and uses of economic analysis as applied to households, businesses, and governments. 

The Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in Business Information Systems (BIS) prepares students for a variety of careers in corporate, industrial, governmental, and military establishments. Business information systems provide information that organizations use to manage themselves efficiently and effectively, typically using computer systems and technology. Primary components of business information systems include hardware, software, data, procedures (design, development, and documentation) and people. Students majoring in BIS will study how to utilize information systems and technology to improve the flow of business and business decision-making. 

Students learn the skills they need through three major areas. The first is environmental science, where students learn fundamentals about biology, chemistry, and ecology. The second area is policy, where students take courses in government, law, and how they interact with the environment. The third area of the major is economics, which includes a course in natural resource economics.

Finance plays a central role in the operation of the economy and is crucial to an organized society’s resource allocation system. Individuals often come in contact with financial instruments (money, stocks, bonds, etc.) and financial institutions (banks, thrifts, insurance companies, etc.); thus, they need to understand the role of the financial system in managing their lifetime financial portfolio. Finance majors acquire the knowledge and skills to help individuals and companies make decisions regarding allocation of scarce resources through analyzing accounting data, utilizing economic concepts, and applying statistical tools in the valuation of financial and real assets. 

Our department offers BS degree programs in several fields, including accredited programs in food science, food business/processing, food safety, pre-health, culinology (in conjunction with MS University for Women), and dietetics/nutrition. We offer MS degrees in food science, nutrition and health promotion, and a Ph.D. degree in food science and nutrition. Our Health Promotion master's program provides students with the capability to take the Certified Health Education Specialists tests. 

The undergraduate major in forestry is a science-based program leading to the Bachelor of Science degree. The forestry major concentrations in Environmental Conservation, Forest Business, Forest Management, Urban Forestry, and Wildlife Management leading to the B.S. degree in Forestry are accredited by the Society of American Foresters (SAF). These programs prepare graduates for professional careers in forest resource management and use. By combining a broad general education with specialized professional courses, the curriculum is designed to produce professionally competent graduates who have skills in interpersonal communications, written and oral communications, and cultural understanding. Graduates of all five concentrations are fully qualified as entry-level professionals and prepared for career advancement into positions of increasing responsibility, while serving the current and future needs of society. 

The Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in Management provides students with a solid foundation upon which to build a career as a manager or entrepreneur. Management and entrepreneurship are critical to the future of commerce in the United States and other nations around the world. Managers devise business strategies, formulate policies and direct the operations of a business, while entrepreneurs take the initiative to explore business opportunities and start new business ventures. 

The Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in Marketing prepares students for a career in marketing by providing them with an in-depth understanding of why customers buy certain products and services and how to effectively retain customers. Students will also learn how to improve sales, conduct market research, and develop promotional techniques to communicate with customers. 

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics offers two undergraduate degrees and a significant number of possible double majors with other departments. 

Mississippi State University’s Bachelor of Business Administration in Supply Chain Logistics major will equip students with the foundational knowledge and skills needed in logistics and supply chain-related roles and careers. This major is the only dedicated bachelor's degree program in supply chain or logistics in the State of Mississippi. The U.S. has one of the most developed logistics infrastructures in the world, giving consumers and businesses access to an enormous variety of goods and services. Supply chain and logistics professionals use this infrastructure to serve customers quickly and efficiently, taking charge of decisions affecting the transporting, warehousing, and order processing of raw materials, purchased parts, and finished goods that are needed in our society.

The Sustainable Bioproducts major prepares students with a strong foundation in the manufacturing of wood and fiber-based products, their physical and mechanical properties, environmental implications, marketing, sales, and trading of wood and composite materials composed of agricultural residues and other natural fibers. Besides structural materials, specialty chemicals such as polymers and adhesives from natural resources, and bioenergy such as bio-oils, alcohols, and pelletized fuels are increasingly important to sustainable industrial production. 

The Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies is a university-wide degree coordinated through the College of Arts & Sciences by the Interdisciplinary Studies Committee. This multi-discipline academic program is appropriate for students motivated by specific interests not recognized in traditional majors and is not intended to compete with existing programs.