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Business School Points of Pride

The William G. McGowan School of Business offers students a program of study leading to a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (B.S.B.A.). Within the program of study, students may select from the following majors: Accounting, Management, Marketing, Finance, Human Resources Management, International Business, or Sports Management.

  • Every student is required to take an integrated curriculum of liberal arts courses in addition to his or her major courses within the program of study leading to the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree (BSBA). The BSBA degree also provides students with the opportuity select elective courses permiting students to double major or minor in other majors within the School of Business or from the other majors or minors offered in the College.
  • The William G. McGowan of King's College is accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

AACSB International advances quality management education worldwide through accreditation, thought, leadership, and value-added services. AACSB Accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. Less than 6% of the world's 13,000 business programs have earned AACSB Accreditation.

AACSB-accredited schools produce graduates that are highly skilled and more desirable to employers than other non-accredited schools. Employers want quality business graduates from quality business schools-graduates they know will perform on day one. This is why it is so important for the William G. McGowan School of Business to be an AACSB accredited business degree program that teaches students the knowledge and skills employers require.

First accredited in 2004, maintaining accreditation requires following a rigorous set of standards and a reaccreditation visit every five years. King's College has been awarded a five-year extension of its AACSB accreditation with the next reaccreditation visit scheduled for the 2023 - 2024 academic year.

Why Should AACSB Accreditation Matter To Me?

Going to college is a big investment. Students are going to spend hours studying, writing papers, and taking exams. You also are also going to spend a lot of money. All that work and money should give students what you paid for, right?

Not all schools will provide you a return on your investment. AACSB Accreditation ensures a school isn't just collecting tuition. AACSB-accredited schools must pass very rigorous quality standards. They have been proven to provide the best in business education worldwide.

AACSB Accreditation ensures that a school is teaching a student what employers need-the latest ideas in business, theories, and practical skills; the ability to communicate effectively; professionalism, ethics, and responsibility; the understanding of financial markets and accounting regulations, and more.

AACSB-accredited schools:

  • are recognized worldwide by top employers and other universities.
  • have employers that only hire their graduates.
  • have more access to recruiters.
  • have graduates that receive higher, more competitive salaries.
  • say being accredited improves the quality of their business programs.
  • say being accredited helps them hire and retain the best professors and researchers.
  • have students that are more international, have high-graduating GPAs, and are likely to earn higher levels of education.
  • are challenging and will teach you the best skills to give you a distinct advantage in the real world.

Learn more about the value of AACSB International accreditation as it relates to your future plans here, where you can obtain the above information along with information on other areas including careers and employer information.

Successful Outcomes

Holy Cross sponsorship and the Catholic intellectual tradition are important components of a King's education. Fr. Basil Moreau, C. S. C., founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, expressed his vision of educating the whole person, both mind and heart, as the essential philosophy of all Holy Cross schools. In the words of our founding President, Fr. James Connerton, C.S.C., "King's teaches students not only how to make a living, but how to live."

As a School of Business within a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross, the School of Business Vision Statement, Values Statement, Mission Statement, Learning Goals, Curriculum, and Strategic Planning are guided by and informed by the King's College Mission Statement and the educational vision of Blessed Basil Moreau.

The William G. McGowan School of Business is committed to the fulfilling the vision of the Blessed Basil Moreau in achieving successful outcomes for our students through:

  • Academic excellence
  • Creative pedagogy
  • Engaged mentorship
  • Co-curricular participation
  • A collaborative spirit
  • Intellectual, moral, spiritual, and personal growth in each student

Engagement

The faculty has a number of activities that are built into and around the School of Business curriculum and co-curricular activities that engage students, faculty, staff, and administration to interact as a community with alumni and members of the business community.

School of Business Advisory Council

In the fall of 1981, Faculty of the then Business Division of King's College enlisted twenty individuals from business, government, and academic institutions to offer their advice and share their expertise and experience with our faculty and students. Council members provide a professional setting where a review of the business curriculum, programs, School of Business mission statement, strategic plan, and assurance of learning program occurs on an annual basis. The Council also provides engaged mentorship for our students through class visits and follow up informal discussions. The School of Business Advisory Council currently meets each spring on the King's College Campus. Through classroom visits they interact with our students and share trends and developments of their industry and professional lives. They discuss career options and, where possible, assist students to locate appropriate internships and job opportunities. Today the membership consists of 103 members from a cross section of disciplines, career orientation, and years of experience.

William G. McGowan School of Business Forum and Reverend James Lackenmier, C.S.C., Award for Achievement and Leadership

A tradition of engaged mentorship and professional networking has been the hallmark of the William G. McGowan School of Business Forum since its establishment. From its beginning in 2004, the Forum has offered King's business students the unique opportunity to be mentored by successful business professionals, most of whom are King's graduates. The William G. McGowan School of Business Forum has the goal of matching business students with alumni and friends of the College who have established themselves in the business world and providing them with an increased awareness of ethics and socially responsible behavior. Approximately 85 students a year participate in the annual mentoring session, which is held on a rotating basis in Wilkes-Barre at the Westmoreland Club, Philadelphia at the Union League, and in New York City first at the Princeton Club and now at the New York Athletic Club.

Evolving over the years, the Forum has now become a part of the student professional development program in the School of Business. As such, it joins formal academic course requirements to prepare students for successful outcomes upon graduation, covering all aspects of student and professional life, including engaged mentorship, career exploration and internships, and ethics and socially responsible behavior.

In 2014, the Forum was honored to become a part of the annual award for achievement and leadership named for Father James Lackenmier, C.S.C., seventh president of the College. The Reverend James Lackenmier, C.S.C., Award for Achievement and Leadership is presented annually to a King's constituent who has achieved excellence in his/her field, who has demonstrated exceptional philanthropy and high ethical standards, and who embodies the spirit of King's College. The recipients of this prestigious award have been Thomas R. Smith '77, Timothy Morris '64, Richard J. Pinola '67, Allan M. Kluger, Esq., Glenn Tyranski, CPA '84, David Selingo '89, and Rose Marie Panzitta.

Professional and Collegiate Student Competitions

The School of Business has encouraged faculty to engage students in educational outreach to the business community as part of classroom activities. The process has been to engage students in professional activities in settings outside the traditional classrooms to foster personal and professional growth while exposing students to potential employers. These activities have engaged students, faculty, Career Planning staff, alumni, friends of the College, and recruiters in achieving a mission and strategic plan centric goal of "developing the professional knowledge and skills needed to function successfully in the dynamic environments of business." The following case competitions display the collaborative spirit within the vision of the Blessed Basil Moreau and how the stakeholders of the School of Business are engaged and provide innovative guidance and significant impact.

  • PwC Challenge Case Competition: PwC launched the xTREME Games in 2002 with King's College being invited to participate in 2004. The case competition is intended to increase students' exposure to professional services. Since then, the games have grown substantially, with approximately 100 colleges and universities invited to compete. The event originally rotated between two competitions: 1) xACT (short for xTREME Accounting) and 2) xTAX (short for xTREME Taxation). The competition has evolved into the Challenge Case Competition with sophomore students in ACCT 240 becoming the majority of the students participating in the competition. During the current five-year period King's College has had an average of 60 students on 12 teams participate each year in the on campus competition. The on campus portion of the competition results in a panel of PwC judges attending and evaluating the communications skills of the students along with their ability to evaluate the case material and provide a well thought, researched based and complete recommendation for action on behalf of a "client" in the case. The School of Business is proud that a King's College student team advanced to the PwC Challenge Competition national finals in the 2015-2016 academic year.
  • Target Corporation Student Case Competition. The Target Case Challenge is an innovative, high impact practice for students in the School of Business, specifically sophomore and junior students enrolled in MSB 200 - Principles of Management. The Competition is a collaboration of School of Business faculty, Library staff, Office of Career Planning, Business Advisory Council members, and our community partner, Target Corporation. King's has been invited to participate as part of the Target Campus Grants program for each of the past five years, beginning with the first competition in March of 2014.

McGowan Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility, Student Research Program

During summers the Program provides support for King's College undergraduate students to engage in faculty-mentored research on topics of ethical import, broadly construed. Students must be matriculated full-time with a GPA of at least 3.0. They are required to submit a proposal that is evaluated by a committee of faculty; normally two grants are awarded. The grants cover the cost of books and materials (up to $150) and the cost of registration in and travel to a conference (up to $750). Upon completion of their research, the students also receive three academic credits.

University of Notre Dame 4+1 Accounting Program with King's College (Obj. 1c).

King's College has entered into a co-operative program with the University of Notre Dame's prestigious Mendoza College of Business beginning in the 2014-15 academic year. King's students who earn a bachelor's degree from King's in accounting and who maintain a required grade-point-average and Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) score will be awarded admission to the University of Notre Dame's one-year Master of Science in Accountancy program. This admission status will be granted to a maximum of two King's students per academic year. Students successfully completing the program will also earn the minimum 150 credits necessary to earn a Certified Public Accountant license following the successful completion of the CPA examination.

Innovation

Barco WeConnect Classrooms and Facilities Improvements

An initiative to upgrade School of Business facilities coupled with technology to enhance the student learning experience was put into place during the 2016-2017 academic year following the completion of the academic program review. The William G. McGowan School of Business building has been upgraded and now includes two collaboration-active learning rooms. These rooms have transformed the traditional classroom settings where students face the instructor with lectures or problem solving performed on one board or screen with group tables or learning pods for students to work at in a bi-directional setting using Barco WeConnect Collaboration technology. These improvements have been made possible through a strategic alliance with Barco, Inc. from Belgium who selected the School of Business as a beta site for their North American development and marketing. This innovation repurposed existing facilities to support future program initiatives including the major program revisions and implementation.

Student Professional Development Program

The original innovation for what is now the Student Professional Development Program (the "SPDP") had its beginnings with the Office of Career Planning and Placements "Career Development Across the Curriculum Project" and the Kearney & Company Department of Accounting in 2001. This linkage between the School of Business stakeholders engaged the faculty, Career Planning office, Business Advisory Council, students, and recruiters to increase career awareness and preparation led to the inclusion of CARP 412 - Career Planning II as a required course across the undergraduate majors in the School of Business. This innovation was the beginning of a mission centric approach to the strategic planning for long-term student career development that evolved over time and becoming sustainable in scope and financially leading to the goal of the SSPP - Student Success as Persons and Professionals.

In designing the SPDP, the strategic plan called for the meeting of the objectives in two areas that many times are kept in separate silos: Academic courses and Professional Development activities. The purpose of the 4-year academic based program within the School of Business is to better prepare students for entry into practical business environments where they can support the success of the organization while excelling in their personal and professional lives. To accomplish the objective of a student culture of lifelong learning to maintain continuous quality improvement the following was utilized:

  • Stakeholder Involvement Activities. Stakeholders interact with students and are engaged in providing engaged mentorship through events on campus and the William G. McGowan School of Business Forum.
  • Academic Courses. Academic courses involving oral and written communications, curriculum outcomes assessments, career exploration, and personal growth development were created. The career development process presented in these courses allow students to better understand their choice of majors and career plans based on an assessment of their interests, skills, and motivators as well as up-to-date information and mentoring regarding careers and trends in the job market for students in the School of Business. The four courses that were developed or modified to work together for student growth were:
    • MSB 100 - Introduction to Business. An introduction taken by all incoming first year students which focuses upon the first steps in career exploration and self-efficacy. (1 credit - first year course)
    • MSB 250 - Business Communications and Mentoring. A course designed for sophomore students it combines written and oral communications with a business focus. The written communications assessment has utilized the Write Experience software from Cengage to systematically provide all students with the same experience and assessment of writing skills. (3 credits - second year course)
    • CARP 412 - Career Planning II. This course provides the students with a traditional career exploration course with a developmental component related to oral communications. This course has been utilized to provide the capstone evaluation in the assurance of learning program in oral communications. (1 credit - third year course)
    • MSB 400 - Professional Seminar. The final addition to the SPDP was required for students graduating in 2016 and included a successful professional knowledge component coupled with a capstone career exploration component taught a member of the Career Planning Office. (2 credits senior capstone course)