Undergraduate Business Programs

Explore the “Language of Business” at RIC! The accounting major provides an excellent background for careers in accounting and management. It combines theoretical and practical applications to prepare students for in-demand positions. Our distinguished faculty have practical and academic experience, and work to develop students’ technical and critical thinking skills throughout the curriculum. Depending on the accounting courses taken, a student may qualify for an examination leading to certification in the accounting field (i.e. Certified Public Accountant, Certified Management Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor). 

A number of course modalities, including in person, hybrid, and online formats are available, increasing accessibility for those presently in the workforce. Students may also choose from among several specialized electives to support their intended career path. Discover Accounting ranked our accounting program #37 on its list of 101 Most Affordable Accounting Schools Nationwide and Study.com ranked us #32 on its 2021 list of Best Degrees in Accounting.

This hands-on program balances the technical knowledge needed to innovate with the business understanding necessary to integrate AI effectively into an organization. You will learn to design, responsibly implement, and ethically evaluate machine learning models through practical application. Course topics include: AI applications; machine learning; computer vision; natural language processing; autonomous vehicles; robotics. Two minors provide opportunities for students from other majors to learn how to apply AI in their fields. AI is expected to create 12 million more jobs than it replaces. You could have one of them.

Our Artificial Intelligence BS was developed with input from businesses and national organizations to create a practical program that prepares you to fill the widening AI workforce skill gap. Consequently, our program emphasizes practical applications across industries like healthcare, finance and manufacturing. Housed in our Institute for Cybersecurity & Emerging Technologies, this Bachelor of Science degree offers state-of-the-art facilities, research opportunities, and faculty who are leading AI policy development at the national and state levels.

If you are interested in computer technology and business, the B.S. in computer information systems is designed for you. You will complete a technical core of courses that include computer programming, networking, cybersecurity, database design and systems analysis. Your business core will consist of courses in accounting, economics, finance, management and marketing. Based on your interests and career goals, you will choose electives such as data analytics/visualization, hardware/software systems, mobile app development and Web design. Graduates from our program are prepared for entry-level positions as computer support specialists, systems administrators, computer programmers, business/systems analysts, and Web developers. They are also prepared for graduate study in information systems and closely related disciplines.

RIC offers traditional face-to-face, hybrid and online courses as well as day and night sections taught in our new computer labs and classrooms. These courses are typically capped at 24 students and are taught by full-time faculty with Ph.D.s in computer science and/or information systems. We also have student organizations and honor societies that sponsor events and social networking opportunities.

If you’re interested in computer programming and software development, the B.A. and B.S. in computer science is designed for you. You will complete a computer science core that includes object-oriented design, data structures, programming languages, operating systems, analysis of algorithms and software engineering. Based on your interests and career goals, you will choose electives such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, computer networks, software testing and databases. Graduates from our program are prepared for entry-level positions as software application programmers/developers, Web developers, computer support specialists, computer systems programmers and software quality assurance engineers. They are also prepared for graduate study in computer science and closely related disciplines.

RIC offers traditional face-to-face, hybrid and online courses as well as day and night sections taught in our new computer labs and classrooms. These courses are typically capped at 24 students and are taught by full-time faculty with Ph.D.s in computer science and/or information systems. We also have student organizations and honor societies that sponsor events and social networking opportunities.

Cybersecurity is one of the fastest growing and most strategically important industries in America today, with more than 700,000 unfilled jobs nationwide, many of which pay more than $100,000/yr. Students will learn to become protectors and defenders of both public and private data, networks and computer systems. Topics covered include the latest threats, attacks and vulnerabilities; hardware and software fundamentals; cryptography techniques; secure scripting and programming; network and system security; organizational cyber needs; digital forensics; and law and ethics.

The B.S. in Cybersecurity program at Rhode Island College is housed within the Institute for Cybersecurity & Emerging Technologies, a regional center of excellence that provides education, programming and research to help develop Rhode Island’s cybersecurity industry. The institute is led by RIC alumnus James Langevin ’90, a former 11-term congressman and nationally recognized leader in the field. While representing Rhode Island in Congress, Langevin co-founded and co-chaired the House Cybersecurity Caucus.

Data analytics is the set of skills needed to collect, manipulate, analyze and visualize data for decision-making across all aspects of an organization. This is a highly sought-after skill by businesses looking to capitalize on big data. RIC’s minor will teach you how to process and clean data; extract value from it; choose one or more potential models and algorithms; and present your final results. Courses in the minor include computer programming, math/statistics, data analytics and data visualizations.

Adding a minor is a stackable credential that highlights your interests and career goals. Since all types of organizations use data analytics for decision making, this minor pairs well with most majors.

Economics is a quantitative, policy-oriented social science which studies human behavior. Economic principles describe the process through which societies use scarce resources to achieve goals and predict the consequences of changes in those processes. This field includes the study of theoretical models; understanding the behavior of consumers, businesses, and policy-making institutions; and data analysis. While the study of economics can lead to many interesting career choices in finance, banking, law, government and technology fields, the discipline increasingly offers many more potential career paths.

The economics curriculum is designed to build on theoretical foundations of economics and applications of theory to diverse topics. The flexibility of the curriculum allows students to double-major or minor in other disciplines. Small class sizes enable elevated levels of student-faculty interactions. Students gain exposure to research by producing a senior thesis, a requirement for graduation.

This program helps students develop a firm understanding of theoretical and practical issues in finance and guides them to become competent in using the quantitative tools of modern finance coupled with analytical thinking that lead to sound financial decisions. Finance is dynamic, exciting, and spans a wide array of applications ranging from personal finance decisions, such as those involving student loans and mortgages; to corporate finance decisions, such as project analysis and mergers; to investment decisions, such as valuation of securities and portfolio management. RIC finance graduates are equipped to excel in this vast spectrum.

Rhode Island College gives you the opportunity to earn a top-notch finance degree from an IACBE accredited, CFA Institute Affiliated, and Bloomberg Experiential Learning Partner institution with faculty who bring professional experience and practical relevance to the classroom, all at an affordable tuition.

The B.S. in Health Care Administration (HCA) provides baccalaureate-level education and training for students considering careers in the health care industry. The program is specifically targeted for those pursuing supervisory and entry-level management positions and/or preparation for graduate education. The program represents a unique collaboration between the School of Business ​and the Zvart Onanian School of Nursing with significant contributions from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development.

The HCA major also incorporates an internship and an integrative capstone experience. For their restricted electives, students are offered choices within gerontology, human resource management, informatics, management foundations, and wellness. There is also a minor in HCA.

The International Business minor creates an opportunity for students not only to choose an interdisciplinary business program, but also one that focuses on the global nature of business in the current age. With this minor you will have the opportunity to reach beyond your individual disciplines and gain further understanding of the multidisciplinary nature of business, enabling you to communicate better with colleagues in other functional areas and have better mobility within these areas.

Students pursuing this minor will also develop appreciation of the value of cultural awareness and sensitivity, and the critical importance of diversity in a global business environment, while being equipped with appropriate communication methods and decision-making tools that are used in the various business disciplines in the global context. The minor in International Business will allow students to become better prepared to handle global issues in their respective careers while at the same time making them more attractive candidates in the job market.

The current high school Athletic Director needs to be well versed in scheduling, budget management, team travel, facilities and gear management, fundraising, human resources, interpersonal communication, Title IX and other legal issues, and interacting with student athletes and their parents. The certificate for Interscholastic Athletic Administration will provide students with the knowledge for a career in high school athletics.

This certificate and its courses will prepare students to take on the role of leading a high school athletic program and designed for those pursuing a career in interscholastic athletic administration. The jobs available after completion of this certificate are numerous as many high schools have openings annually in athletic administration. This certificate combined with an educational major can lead to many opportunities such as Assistant Athletic Director, Athletic Director, and Coaching positions.

Long-term care consists of services designed to assist with a person's health or personal care needs during a period of time, either short or long. These services enable the person to live as independently and safely as possible, when they are at a point in their life when they can no longer accomplish typical, daily activities without assistance. Long-term care can be given in different settings by various caregivers - all in support of the individual's needs.

Students will be acquainted with current long-term care laws and regulations applicable in the United States, gain and demonstrate familiarity with statues and regulations at the federal and state level that apply to long-term care, understand how to access and retrieve long-term care laws and regulations, and can apply practical methods and tools for administrators to successfully understand and meet these requirements.

This program is specifically targeted for those pursuing entry-level business positions. Course work emphasizes an understanding of the behavioral and technical aspects of business. Through a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical application, students achieve mastery of quantitative and qualitative approaches to the field, so they may be promoted into management or move on to graduate education, such as an M.B.A. The program represents a collaboration among all departments within the School of Business, plus courses in math and Computer Information Systems.

Our 76-credit bachelor’s degree in management is rigorous and thorough. In addition to management core courses, students choose a concentration in either General Management, Human Resource Management or Operations Management. Students also get an opportunity to incorporate an internship and membership into professional associations such as the Association for Supply Chain Management (APICS), Society for Human Resource Management or the National Society of Leadership and Success into their experience.

The marketing program teaches students qualitative and quantitative skills that transfer to successful careers in the profit and nonprofit sectors. Creativity, one of the main skills desired by businesses and organizations, is incorporated throughout the major. Interpersonal and intrapersonal knowledge is developed through individual and team-related projects. Attention is directed toward the development of strong communicative skills. Emphasis is placed upon effective decision making and ethical awareness. We seek to ensure that graduates demonstrate understanding of how organizational facets interact with marketing for successful outcomes. 

The marketing program at Rhode Island College offers one of the best value degrees in the country. Faculty are highly knowledgeable and sensitive to students’ needs.  Students grasp current concepts and technology within small class sizes, making it easy to engage their professors and classmates. Professors are readily available to mentor students seeking additional assistance.

The Sports Management major enables students to connect their passion for sports with the career opportunities of the business industry. Sports Management includes all forms of leadership within interscholastic, intercollegiate, and professional sports and venue management. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of Sports and Entertainment occupations is projected to grow faster than the average of all occupations, resulting in an estimated 95,000 new jobs over the next decade. Careers in the field include school athletic director, event manager, business manager, sports marketing, facility management, and many more.

Rhode Island College is the first institution of higher learning in Rhode Island to offer a degree program in Sports Management. Core courses will be taught by professors in the School of Business and experts in the field of athletics, including Dave Roach, whose 30-plus year career as an athletic director took him to Brown University, Colgate University and Fordham University. He is also a past president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and a high-powered Division I coach at a number of institutions, including the University of Tennessee. He will teach the introductory course SMGT 201: Introduction to Sports Management.

The web development minor provides students with a foundation in web development along with insight on how the web works and how to effectively develop dynamic websites. Students are introduced to basic concepts, issues, and techniques related to designing, developing, and deploying websites using a variety of tools.

Our goal is to provide students with the fundamentals and theory of working with modern web technologies and to be competitive and productive in an information technology-intensive world. This minor complements both the computer science and computer information systems majors.