Business Management, AS

Program Mission, Goals, and Outcomes

Program Mission

The mission of the Business Management Technology (MGT AS) Program is to provide a specialized associate degree to prepare students to work as entry-level professionals in different roles in a variety of industries.
The associate degree course work emphasizes the integration of:
• content and knowledge,
• hands-on learning experiences,
• practicing and developing management, technical and soft/interpersonal skills,
• using the latest information technology used in organizations, and
• balanced class and lab time.
A skilled MGT associate degree graduate can work as an indispensable professional who helps maintain various business aspects.

Program Goals

1. The associate degree in business management program will provide learning opportunities for students to acquire and practice the management knowledge and skills needed to function as entry-level professionals in diverse organizations.
2. The MGT associate degree program will provide students the opportunity to acquire technical, interpersonal, and analytical knowledge and decision-making skills. Such skills prepare a student for entry into a Business Management Technology baccalaureate degree program.

Program Outcomes

As a graduate of this associate degree program, you will be able to:

1. Apply current business management practices and technologies and develop skills for related lifelong learning.
2. Effectively perform and supervise business processes, teamwork, and projects.
3. Make effective business decisions using relevant technology and data.
4. Communicate effectively in a variety of business situations.
5. Recognize differences and develop professional relationships across individually and culturally diverse stakeholders.
6. Recognize and voice their values related to ethical conflicts faced in organizations.
7. Create and follow a plan to launch and develop the chosen career path.

Courses Offered

Courses in this degree program include an introduction to business, economics, accounting fundamentals, and management principles. Students also learn business communication, project planning, and business accounting.

The program focuses on developing skills in the latest workplace technologies, business analysis and accounting, international business, and the interpersonal skills necessary for a variety of entry level professional positions.

The associate degree also touches upon courses like small business and law, workplace communication, marketing, sales and customer service, and more.

For the latest listing of courses offered, please review our University Catalog here.

Q&A and Technical Standards

Questions & Answers

1. When do my classes meet?
   Day Classes:  Technical classes normally meet for three hours a day five days a week. Classes normally begin in the early morning (7:45 a.m.), late morning (usually 11:25 a.m.), or mid-afternoon. The time slot for your program may vary from term to term.Evening Classes: Technical classes meet on the average of three nights a week, although there may be times when they will meet four nights a week. Classes normally begin at 5:45 p.m.In addition, to achieve your associate degree, you will take a total of approximately eight liberal arts courses, which will be scheduled around your technical schedule over the course of your entire program. Each liberal arts course meets approximately four hours per week. Liberal arts courses are offered days, evenings, and Saturdays.At the beginning of each term you will receive a detailed schedule giving the exact time and location of all your classes. The College requires that all students be prepared to take classes and receive services at any of NEIT’s locations where the appropriate classes and services are offered.When a regularly scheduled class falls on a day which is an NEIT observed holiday (Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and Memorial Day), an alternate class will be scheduled as a make up for that class. The make up class may fall on a Friday. It is the student’s responsibility to take note of when and where classes are offered.
2. How large will my classes be?
   The average class size is approximately 20 to 25 students; however, larger and smaller classes occur from time to time.
3. How much time will I spend in lab?
   Almost half of your technical courses consist of laboratory work. In order for you to get the most out of your laboratory experiences, you will first receive a thorough explanation of the theory behind your lab work.
4. Where do my classes meet?
   Students should be prepared to attend classes at any of NEIT’s campuses: either at the Post Road, Access Road, or East Greenwich campus.
5. I have not earned my High School Diploma or GED, can I enroll in an Associate Degree program?
   A candidate for admission to an associate degree program must have a high school diploma, have earned a recognized equivalency diploma (GED), or meet the federal home school requirements.
6. How long should it take me to complete my program?
   To complete your degree requirements in the shortest possible time, you should take the courses outlined in the prescribed curriculum. For a typical six-term curriculum, a student may complete the requirements in as little as 18 months.To complete all your degree requirements in the shortest time, you should take at least one liberal arts course each term. Students who need more time to complete their curriculum may postpone some of the liberal arts courses until after the completion of the technical requirements. Students are provided up to two additional terms of study to complete the liberal arts requirements without any additional tuition assessment fee. During these additional terms of study, students are required to pay all applicable fees.Students may also elect to complete some of their liberal arts requirements during Intersession, a five-week term scheduled between Spring and Summer Quarters. Students will not be assessed any additional tuition for liberal arts courses taken during the Intersession but may be assessed applicable fees.Students wishing to extend the number of terms needed to complete the required technical courses in their curriculum will be assessed additional tuition and fees.
7. Is NEIT accredited?
   NEIT is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. Accreditation by NECHE is recognized by the federal government and entitles NEIT to participate in federal financial aid programs. Some academic departments have specialized professional accreditations in addition to accreditation by NECHE. For more information on accreditation, see NEIT’s catalog.
8. Can I transfer the credits that I earn at NEIT to another college?
   

   The transferability of a course is always up to the institution to which the student is transferring. Students interested in the transferability of their credits should contact the Student Affairs Office of the institution that they are transferring to for further information.

9. Can I transfer credits earned at another college to NEIT?
   Transfer credit for appropriate courses taken at an accredited institution will be considered upon receipt of an official transcript for any program, biology, science, and mathematics courses in which the student has earned a “C” or above within the past three years and for English or humanities courses in which the student has earned a “C” or above within the last ten years. An official transcript from the other institution must be received before the end of the first week of the term for transfer credit to be granted for courses to be taken during that term. Students will receive a tuition reduction for the approved technical courses based on the program rate and will be applied against the final technical term of the curriculum’s tuition amount. No tuition credit is provided for courses which are not a part of the technical curriculum.

10. What is the “Feinstein Enriching America” Program?
    New England Institute of Technology is the proud recipient of a grant from the Feinstein Foundation. To satisfy the terms of the grant, the university has developed a one-credit community enrichment course which includes hands-on community enrichment projects. The course can be taken for a few hours per term, spread over several terms. Students who are already engaged in community enrichment on their own may be able to count that service towards course credit.

11. How many credits do I need to be eligible for Financial Aid?
    In order to be eligible for the maximum financial aid award, you need to maintain at least 12 credits per academic term.

12. What does my program cost?
    The cost of your program will be as outlined in your enrollment agreement, along with your cost for books and other course materials. Students who decide to take more terms than the enrollment agreement describes to complete the technical courses in their curriculum will be subject to additional fees and possible additional tuition costs. Students who elect to take the technical portion of the degree requirements at a rate faster than the rate prescribed in the curriculum and the enrollment agreement will be assessed additional tuition.Students who require prerequisite courses will incur additional tuition and fees above those outlined in their enrollment agreement.If a student elects to take a course(s) outside of the prescribed curriculum, additional tuition and fees will be assessed.Remember, students who withdraw and re-enter, one time only, pay the tuition rate that was in effect for them at the time of their last day of attendance for up to one year from their last day of attendance. Second re-entries and beyond pay the tuition rate in effect at the time they re-enter. The most economical way for you to complete your college degree is to begin your program now and continue your studies straight through for the six terms necessary to complete your degree requirements.
13. What kind of employment assistance does NEIT offer?
    The Career Services Office assists NEIT students and graduates in all aspects of the job search, including resume writing, interviewing skills, and developing a job search strategy. Upon completion of their program, graduates may submit a resume to the Career Services Office to be circulated to employers for employment opportunities in their fields. Employers regularly contact us about our graduates. In addition, our Career Services Office contacts employers to develop job leads.A strong relationship with employers exists as a result of our training students to meet the needs of industry for over fifty years. No school can, and NEIT does not, guarantee to its graduates employment or a specific starting salary.
14. Where will job opportunities exist?
    Graduates have obtained employment in the local area. However, one of the most exciting aspects of this program is the ability to look nationally for employment opportunities.
15. What kind of jobs will I be qualified to look for?
    The following lists only a few of the positions for which a Business Management graduate may be qualified:  customer, sales, or service associate/representative, operations supervisor, business analyst, accounting, receivable or payables clerk/analyst, executive assistant, office assistant/manager, and management trainee.The position and the salary that the graduate commands are always dependent upon the graduate’s past experience, his or her computer skills, his or her success in academics at NEIT, his or her job search and interviewing skills, and his or her ability and willingness to comply with all employment requirements (e.g., any assessments, background checks, drug testing).
16. How important is attendance?
    Recent data show that missing two or more class meetings of a course in a term often results in failing the course. Barring a serious emergency, you are expected to attend all classes. It is especially important to be at the first class, as course expectations and schedule are discussed. In courses which use learning teams, absences have an even greater impact. Except for serious emergencies, all absences should be communicated in advance to the professor and to any student team of which you are a member.
17. How much coursework will I have outside of class and lab time in my courses
    The design of our courses require you to do work outside of class to be successful, including, but not limited to reading course texts and other materials, watching videos, completing homework assignments, completing major course projects, and team assignments. You will be expected to work outside of class in all classes every week. As a working student, whether full-time or part-time, consider carefully how you will complete this required work.
18. Will a degree in MGT make me a marketable employee?
    Business Management provides a dynamic opportunity to start a career as a professional whose skills are always in demand in a variety of fields. Management is the most general major in business, which allows students to work in many areas of organizations – operations, customer service, sales, marketing, accounting and finance, human resources, technology.
19. Is there any state or federal licensing required in my field?
    No license is required for any of the careers which you will be preparing to enter. The Business Management program is not designed to prepare a student for a specific licensure exam. A number of career/business area specific certificates exist which management students may pursue and obtain, such as project management, contract management, or human resource management, many of which require an  AS or BS degree.
20. Do I need to have experience to get a job in business?
    Not at all. Some employers value the fact that the graduate went to an accredited college and consider the time the graduate spent working on a degree as work experience. On the other hand, if you’ve had past experience, and your skills are top-notch, you can command a higher paying position.
21. Do opportunities for career advancement exist for MGT graduates?
    Some students choose this program as a springboard into jobs with more responsibility, higher pay, and increased status. Either way you look at it, however, the promotions and the raises go first to the professional who has mastered skills in school and, most frequently, who possesses a college degree.Career advancement depends on whether you work full-time or part-time, and if graduates choose to wrok part-time, there are many part-time and temporary positions available.
22. Does the Business Management program have a dress code?
    Students are required to wear business casual clothing, and should dress as if they were going to an office workplace. Proper pants (no sweatpants, nylon pants, tattered, too-tight, or too-oversized pants) or shorts which are workplace appropriate (not too short or too tight),  and proper shirts and footwear should be worn. Clothing that reveals too much cleavage, your back, your chest, your stomach or your underwear is not appropriate for a place of business, even in a business casual setting. Clothing may not have profane, obscene, vulgar, or abusive images or language. Caps and hoods may not cover your face during class meeting time.
23. Are there any professional behavior standards in the Business Management Program?
    Students are expected to exhibit professional behavior in all interactions and at all times. This will be assessed continually and will encompass not only grades but also adherence to class and laboratory protocol and process, attendance, participation and preparation for class, appearance, and ability to work in a team. Development of professional values and attitudes is inherent in the curriculum, and students will be expected to exhibit such behavior. 

Technical Standards

These technical standards set forth by the Business Management Department establish the essential qualities considered necessary for the students admitted to the program. The student must possess the following skills and abilities or be able to demonstrate that they can complete the requirements of the program with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of skills and abilities.

Cognitive Ability

• to reason and think critically.
• to proofread and edit using standard proofreaders’ marks.
• to learn and recall detailed information and to use it for problem solving.
• to perform tasks by observing demonstrations.
• to perform tasks by following written instructions.
• to perform tasks following verbal instructions.

Interpersonal and Communications Skills

• to speak in understandable English in a classroom situation, in a one-on-one interaction, as well as before a group.
• to express thoughts clearly through writing in legible penmanship (English).
• to actively and clearly communicate with faculty, staff, and students.
• to demonstrate the knowledge acquired during the classroom training process.
• to be able to work cooperatively and collaboratively on in-class and assignment/project teams/groups.

Adaptive Ability

• to remain calm in the face of computer lab equipment and/or software failure.
• to maintain emotional stability and demonstrate the maturity necessary to interact with other members of the faculty and students in a responsible manner.
• to follow instructions and complete tasks under stressful and demanding conditions.
• to adapt in a positive manner to new and changing situations with an open mind and flexibility.

Professionalism Skills

• to demonstrate professional and socially appropriate behavior, dress and grooming
• to be able to interact appropriately with others
• to work independently or as part of a group/team during class and lab time
• to maintain academic integrity in all courses
• to attend all class meetings and student team meetings and communicate in advance of absences that are not the result of serious emergency

Responsibility for Your Learning

• to actively use and be responsive to others through the learning management system (Canvas) and NEIT email
• to manage and complete both on-line and face-to-face assignments, and proactively seek assistance when needed
• to manage your course workload and your other life and paid-work responsibilities so that you have sufficient time to prepare for class, complete assignments, and be successful in the program
• to create a professional portfolio of sample work and projects, your resume, and other interview materials as you complete the program.

Physical Ability

• to possess ample hand-eye coordination in order to learn the skill of touch typing.
• to sit during regularly scheduled lab classes at a personal computer in order to learn and become proficient in several computer software packages.
• to participate in both group and individual lab activities in a professional and safe manner
• to perform learned skills, independently, with accuracy and completeness within reasonable time frames in accordance with classroom and business procedures.
• to read with or without corrective lenses.

Manual Ability

• to coordinate hands, eyes, and fingers in the operation of computers and business equipment.