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Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has launched a new online program to provide non-business majors the essential business knowledge, skills and confidence to differentiate themselves in today’s increasingly competitive job market.

Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has launched a new online program to provide non-business majors the essential business knowledge, skills and confidence to differentiate themselves in today’s increasingly competitive job market.

The new UNC Business Essentials certificate program offers curriculum developed by the top-ranked Kenan-Flagler Business School. While not every college student needs to major in business, learning the essential concepts of business can help prepare anyone to make an impact in their career, said Susan Cates, associate dean of UNC Executive Development at Kenan-Flagler.  

“UNC Business Essentials allows the non-business major to become fluent in the language of business to stand out in an interview with a company, make a more meaningful impact in a non-profit or start their own business or organization,” Cates added.  “The program is a must-have for students and recent graduates who need to build their real-world relevant business knowledge and add a valuable credential to help distinguish them in the job market.”

The new certificate program will begin enrolling students in April and includes a total of six courses: Introduction to Business, Financial Accounting, Economics and Finance, Marketing, Business Operations and Business Communication.

Successful completion of the program will allow students to reference the UNC Business Essentials certificate from UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School on their resume. The online program has no residential requirements, and students can work on their own schedule without interrupting their day-to-day activities or compromising the learning experience.

After reviewing the design of the program, 100 percent of recruiters surveyed said that having the UNC Business Essentials Certificate program on their resume would give students an edge over other non-business majors. In addition, 87 percent of recruiters said they would recommend this type of program to new hires who are non-business majors.

Kelly Giles, a member of the class of 2009 at Carolina who is double majoring in journalism and psychology, participated in the UNC Business Essentials pilot program. “I spent the last year of my PR courses secretly wishing I had minored in business,” she said. “The Business Essentials series gave me that chance! It hit the highlights of the business curriculum, and I came away with knowledge I can use in my daily life and bring to the table as I'm looking for my first job.”

The program was developed by combining UNC’s expertise in curriculum with Avalon Consulting’s experience in online learning and instructional design, noted Jessica Brack, managing director of UNC Business Essentials. In addition, UNC partnered with TopSchool for the student portal and information system and Agilix for the course management system.

“The collaboration and focus of all of our partners made the development of UNC Business Essentials a reality that students can now benefit from by pursuing a position with marketable business skills,” Brack said.

For information about the program, call (866) 821-9458.

UNC Business Essentials Web site: http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/businessessentials/

Kenan-Flagler Business School contact: Heather Havenstein, (919) 962-8951, heather_havenstein@unc.edu
News Services contact: Susan Houston, (919) 962-8415, susan_houston@unc.edu

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