UNDERGRADUATE Profiles Publish Date 2/26/09

James Madison University

Getting In

PROGRAM BASICS

Unnamed

Zane Showker Hall
James Madison University
Harrisonburg , Virginia 22807

Public Institution

Web site

http://www.jmu.edu/cob

Program e-mail address:

cob@jmu.edu

Program telephone number:

(540) 568-3254

AACSB accredited:

Yes

Year in which the undergraduate business program was founded:

1968

Length of entire institution:

Four Year

Business program length:

Four Year

Degrees offered:

Degree/Program Name:
BBA/Accounting, Computer Information Systems, Economics, Finance, Hospitality and Tourism Management, International Business, Management, Marketing
BA/Economics
BS/Economics, Quantitative Finance

PROGRAM COSTS

Annual Tuition (Resident):

$ 6,964

Annual Tuition (Non-Resident)

$ 18,454

Cost per academic credit (resident)

$ 290

Cost per academic credit (non-resident)

$ 769

Required fees

$ 60

Books:

$ 1,200

Room and board:

$ 7,332

ENROLLMENT

Full-time undergraduate business student enrollment:

3,121

Part-time undergraduate business student enrollment:

Distance undergraduate business student enrollment:

Total College enrollment for 2008-09:

18,454

ADMISSIONS

Interviews for entire college:

Not offered

Additional application requirements for entire college:

Transfer students must: 1. have completed at least 24 hours of college credit, 2. be in good standing at their present institutions; 3. should have at least a "B" cumulative grade point average (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) in order to be competitive for admission. In addition to the above requirements, international students must produce evidence of English proficiency, and documentation of sufficient financial resources.

Upcoming application deadlines for entire college:

Semester: 08-24-2009
Deadline: 01-15-2009

Freshmen admitted into business program:

Are the freshman admits to the business program required to complete pre-business courses before beginning upper-lever courses in the junior year?

Yes

Freshmen admitted by:

Indicate interest on university application

Internal transfers handled by:

Separate application

Minimum requirements for business program:

Entrance exam requirement other than SAT/ACT for business program:

Interview to enter business program:

Not offered

Additional application requirements for freshman admits:

N/A

Minimum college GPA for internal business program transfers:

2.5

Additional requirements for internal transfers:

N/A

Total number of full-time applications for entire college:

19,547

International applicants, entire college, 2008-09:

2 %

Female applicants, entire college, 2008-09:

60 %

Selectivity--applicants admitted to undergraduate business program, 2008-09:

65 %

Yield -- applicants enrolled in undergraduate business program, 2008-09:

32 %

Relative Importance of Application Elements:

Secondary School Record:

Very Important

Class Rank:

Important

Talent/Ability:

Considered

Interview:

Not Considered

Extracurricular Activities:

Considered

Volunteer Work:

Considered

Character/Personal Abilities:

Considered

Application Essay:

Important

Work Experience:

Considered

SAT/ACT Scores:

Important

Recommendations:

Considered

High School GPA:

Very Important

Admissions program managed by:

The business program office

Total undergraduate business program applicants, 2008-09:

1,091

Applicants enrolled in undergrad business program 2008-2009:

99 %

Applicants admitted to undergraduate business program, 2008-09:

62 %

CLASS PROFILE

Class Profile:

Female: 42 %

Entering students by age:

Mean: 20
Median: 20

Citizenship of Entering Students

Percentage of US citizens in entering class who are:

African American: 4 %
Asian American: 7 %
Hispanic or Latino American: 3 %
Multiethnic/Multiracial : 0 %
Native American: 1 %
White (Non-Hispanic): 78. %
Chose not to report: 7 %
Other: 0 %

Entering students from the following region:

Northeast: 15 %
Mid-Atlantic: 81 %
South: 1 %
Southwest: 1 %
Midwest : 1 %
West: 1 %
Possessions and territories: 0 %

SAT Scores for full-time entering business students on 1600 scale:

Mean: 1148
Median: 1150

SAT middle 50% range on 1600 scale:

From: 1,060
To: 1,250

ACT Scores for full-time entering business students:

Mean: 24
Median: 24

ACT middle 50% range:

From: 22
To: 26

Percent of Students Who Were In:

Top 10% of high school class

29 %

Top 25% of high school class:

73 %

HS GPA of 3.75 or higher

44 %

HS GPA of 3.5 to 3.74:

27 %

FINANCIAL AID

Financial aid handled by:

Central financial aid office at the university

Institutional scholarship money distributed to undergraduate business students in previous academic year:

$ 233,177

Institutional scholarship money to be distributed to undergraduate business students in current academic year:

$ 183,491

Scholarships awarded to students in the business program based on:

A combination of need and merit

Scholarship consideration process:

Unique scholarship application

Other scholarship considerations:

N/A

Students receiving institutional scholarships for 2008-09 academic year:

4 %

Undergraduate business students with full-tuition scholarships 2008-09:

1 %

Percentage of institutional scholarship money distributed to business students based on merit, 2008-09 year:

17 %

Percentage of institutional scholarship money distributed to business students based on need, 2008-09:

83 %

School offers guaranteed loans:

Financial aid web site

http://www.jmu.edu/finaid

Academics & Lifestyle

PROGRAM BASICS

Business students who graduate within four years:

59 %

Business students who graduate within 6 years:

80 %

Freshman retention rate:

92 %

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Credit hours required for graduation:

Degree: BBA
Hours: 120
Degree: BS
Hours: 120
Degree: BA
Hours: 120

Other degree requirements:

General Education - 41 hours BBA Core - 45 hours Major - 24 hours Electives - 10 hours

ACADEMICS

Average class size in required business courses:

Average class size in business electives:

Average class size in non-business electives required for admission to business program:

Class size:

Classes with fewer than 20 students: 7 %
Classes with 21 to 50 students: 75 %
Classes with more than 50 students: 18 %

Required business courses that reached maximum enrollment by the first day of class, previous academic year:

100 %

Required business courses that had waiting lists, 2007-08:

0 %

CURRICULUM

Number of elective courses available in business program:

Electives added current year:

CIS 463 - Business Intelligence
ECON 373F - Economics of European Integration
FIN 355 - International Financial Management

Year of the last major change to the business program's core curriculum:

2000

Leading areas of study:

Accounting

Human Resource Management

Management Information Systems

Marketing

Other

Quantitative Finance

Special programs for business students:

Madison Investment Fund - Select students manage university funds; Center for Entrepreneurship - Students serve as consultants to real businesses; Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program - real world practitioner available to help students take ideas to realilty in form of new business; Business Plan Competition - six different student teams are invited to present business plans to venture capitalists; winners receive scholarships and possible funding to start proposed businesses; Business Ethics Competition - winners receive scholarships.

Business program offers work study or co-op opportunities:

Business program offers study abroad opportunities:

Yes

Study abroad program description:

Semester abroad programs are available in Antwerp, Beijing (summer), Florence, London, and Salamanca. There are numerous short-term programs available in countries located in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and South America. There are several exchange programs with leading universities in Australia, England, Japan, Korea, and Spain, among others. Approximately 11% of business majors study abroad, which is about twice the JMU percentage.

Volunteer work and community service opportunities:

Yes

Volunteer opportunities description:

JMU offers students a variety of rich and rewarding opportunities for volunteer work and community service through its Community Service Learning (CS-L). CS-L is a partnership joining JMU students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding communities by identifying and coordinating intentional service opportunities for the explicit purpose of cultivating social responsibility and lifelong learning, thereby fostering a generation of leaders committed to positive social change. CS-L coordinates partnerships with more than 75 community service agencies to help meet the needs of the community, and in so doing, to improve the quality of life in the Shenandoah Valley. CS-L is an active member of the community networks, such as Health Community, Hispanic Services Council, Rockingham County Partners for Student Success, and Valley Volunteer Forum.

Business clubs and extracurricular activities:

Professional Business Fraternities: Alpha Kappa Psi Delta Sigma Pi Phi Chi Theta and Pi Sigma Epsilon
Clubs Associated with Majors: Association of Information Technology Professionals (CIS); Club Managers Association of America (HTM); Delta Epsilon Chi (Marketing); Epsilon Chi Omicron (International Business); Financial Management Association (Finance);
Madison Economics Club (Economics); National Society of Minorities in Hospitality (HTM); and Society for Human Resource Management (Management)
General Interest - Students in Free Enterprise; and Environmental Business Club
National Business Honor Society (by invitation only) - Beta Gamma Sigma

FACULTY

Faculty:

Full-time faculty : 124
Adjuncts and visiting faculty: 17
Permanent/tenured professors: 71
Percentage of permanent/tenured professors who are women: 24
Percentage of permanent/tenured professors who are underrepresented minorities: 4
Percentage of permanent/tenured professors who are also members of company boards of directors or of advisors: 1
Percentage of permanent/tenured professors who are business owners: 1

Prominent faculty:

J Barkley Rosser Jr
Daniel G Gallagher
Timothy J Louwers

STUDENT LIFE

Largest on-campus organizations for business students:

Alpha Kappa Psi
Delta Sigma Pi
Phi Chi Theta
Pi Sigma Epsilon
Madison Marketing Association

Freshmen are required to live on campus:

Yes

Business students are grouped in learning communities:

Yes

TECHNOLOGY

Wireless network available:

Yes

Technological improvements made in the last three years:

1. All 22 classrooms in the College of Business were outfitted with new computers and DVD-VCR players integrated into the teaching station podium during the summer of 2006. 2. All 22 classrooms had new data projectors and document cameras installed during the summer of 2007. 3. Showker Hall had 802.11b wireless network access installed. 4. Across JMU, media resources has added approximately 120 tech classrooms, meaning that they are outfitted with computers, DVD players, and projectors. Approximately 60 classrooms have document cameras.

Trading laboratory available:

Alumni Affairs & Careers

ALUMNI

Total number of undergraduate business program graduates since inception:

23,050

Total living alumni:

22,761

Percent of alumni who gave, 2007-08 academic year:

19 %

Mean alumni gift 2007-08:

$ 644

Median alumni gift, 2007-08:

$ 70

Single donation in excess of $10 million in 2007-08?

Prominent alumni:

Name: Michael M. Thomas
Title: President Global Business Solutions, Lockheed Martin
Name: Amy McPherson
Title: Executive VP of Global Sales & Marketing, Marriott International
Name: Paul Holland
Title: General Partner, Foundation Capital

CAREER SERVICES

Percent of 2008 graduates who provided employment information:

60 %

Seeking full-time employment in business: 51 %
Not Seeking full-time employment in business: 49 %

Number of companies recruiting undergraduate students on campus in previous academic year:

158

Companies that posted full-time job offers/positions on school job boards, previous academic year:

1,558

Other activities and services provided for business majors:

Career Panels, Career Fairs (Fall and Spring), Internship Fair, Mock Interview Program, Alumni Panel, Resume Review Programs (including opportunity for employers to review resumes – Fall and Spring), Career Programs (Interviewing, Etiquette, Financial Planning after College, Networking, Job Search Strategies), Individual and Group Counseling Appointments, On-Line Recruiting Management System with Networking Module

Job offer results, 2008 graduates:

Received first job offer by graduation: 46 %
Received first job offer in three months following graduation: 30 %
Received first job offer more than 3 months after graduation: 18 %
Did not report having received a job offer: 6 %
Accepted first job offer by graduation: 46 %
Accepted first job offer in three months following graduation: 30 %
Accepted first job offer more than 3 months after graduation: 18 %
Did not report having accepted a job offer: 6 %

Top hiring firms:

KPMG LLP
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Ernst & Young
Morgan Stanley
Deloitte Touche Tomatsu
International Bus. Machines

Accenture
Freddie Mac
Ameriprize Financial
Yount Hyde Barbour; Cherry Bekaert Holland
Marriott; T. Rowe Price; Beers and Cutler; Reznick Group
Lockheed Martin; Ryan Homes; Department of Defense

Graduate compensation:

Mean base salary: $ 49,550
Median base salary: $ 50,000
Mean signing bonus: $ 6,000
Median signing bonus: $ 5,000

Grads accepted jobs in following functional areas:

Consulting: 8 %
Finance/Accounting: 47 %
General Management: 12 %
Human Resources: 3 %
Management Information Systems: 9 %
Marketing/Sales: 14 %
Operations/Production: 3 %
Logistics/Transportation: 1 %
Other: 3 %

Grads accepted jobs in following industries:

Accounting: 30 %
Consumer Products/Retail: 18 %
Consulting Services: 11 %
Financial Services: 16 %
Government/Education: 6 %
Pharma/Biotech/Health: 2 %
Manufacturing: 3 %
Media/Entertainment: 1 %
Petroleum/Energy: 0 %
Real Estate: 0 %
Sports/Leisure: 5 %
Technology/Science: 2 %
Non-Profit: 1 %
Transportation: 2 %
Utilities: 2 %
Other: 1 %

Percentage of job acceptances, US and Canada:

US: 100 %
Canada: 0 %

Grads accepted jobs in the following US regions:

Northeast: 10 %
Mid-Atlantic: 86 %
Midwest: 1 %
South: 1 %
Southwest: 1 %
West: 1 %
US Possessions/Territories: 0 %

Number of companies recruiting interns on-campus, 2007-08 academic year:

103

Internship postings on job boards, previous academic year:

265

Top internship recruiters, 2007-08:

PricewaterhouseCoopers
Ernst & Young
KPMG LLP
Target Corp.
Deloitte Touche Tomatsu
Merrill Lynch

Marriott
Lockheed Martin; SNL Financial; Ritz-Carlton;
Beers and Cutler; Yount Hyde Barbour; Cherry Bekaert Holland; Fannie Mae

Percentage of internships that were paid, previous academic year

80 %

Mean internship compensation per week:

$ 540

Median internship compensation per week:

$ 480

Average internship, in weeks:

Graduate Comments

As an economics major, I spent most of my time around economics facility and taking economics classes. While I enjoyed taking business classes as a part of my B.B.A. curriculum, I believe that our business school�s true academic strength lies in our economics program.

We learn so much about working in groups. I used to think it was normal for group projects and presentations to be so prevalent, but after speaking with students from other schools, I realize how unique our experience is in the College of Business at JMU. We gain a lot of experience in communication and really fine-tune our interpersonal skills.

As James Madison University grows in size overall, the College of Business is becoming more selective as to who is admitted. This will make the classes smaller and each of the programs will have better graduates. I do not know how this will affect people who would like to attend James Madison but feel the competition will be too tough. I hope that the school will be recognized for the efforts it is taking to make the students more prepared for life after graduation.

Most of the accounting teachers at James Madison University are horrible. In my opinion, professors should be credited with very little of accounting students� success.

Our college of business is an amazing program when it comes to preparing us for the real world. Even with the hurting economy, I have no fear of not being able to find a job due to the reputation our College of Business carries on my resume. Many recruiters have come to our school and commented on the quality of our students thanks to the unique program we offer.

Academic advising for accounting has been horrible. It�s so disappointing as to how myself and other students have been treated by the business advising office � it�s so unlike JMU. They�re almost hostile. My advisor couldn�t answer any of my questions and just gave me other people�s email addresses. She didn�t even know if two accounting classes were offered or not � she�d never heard of them.

Enrolling at James Madison University is one of the best decisions I have made. The College of Business is small enough to where you know most of the teachers and all the students in your major. They promote a lot of teamwork and really help you get a job after you graduate. The career center is amazing at bringing in top companies from all over. They have helped me land several job offers.

I can�t speak more highly of the undergraduate business program. For a school of over 16,000 students, it�s amazing that class sizes for prerequisite classes are always under 40 and in many cases only 20 students and professors know you on an individual level. I am able to leave my classes not feeling like I regurgitated my book work but like I learned practical information. After completing a marketing internship this past summer, I realize that the practical knowledge is what�s most important to succeed in the business world.

The only bad thing about this school is getting into classes and the advisers. They always seem to be busy and take a while to get back to you. They are not very friendly.

Our COB 300 class, which is a 12 credit class divided into four subsections (finance, management, marketing and operations), forces you to work with a team on a semester long project in which you create a business and a business plan. The plans are then presented to faculty. Having this as the first class you take after being accepted into the College of Business sets JMU apart from other schools.

There have been many occasions when partners from regional or �Big 4� accounting firms have come to speak in class settings. All classes are taught by professors, who keep regular office hours and who are consistently available outside of posted office hours. The business school itself has the look and feel of a professional setting from the moment you walk in, with marble wall panels, columns, and a large skylight.

The professors are always willing to meet outside of class to help me succeed as well as have professional discussions about my future and their outlook on the business world. I have never had a TA teach a class, and every professor is very experienced and easily approachable, including the department heads and the college Dean.