Student in business suit at conference table on Interviewing Day.

Business Administration

At McDaniel College, you can find the perfect recipe for success in business through a major in Business Administration. With guidance and mentorship from knowledgeable faculty, you can develop strategies adapted to your interests and gain real-world experience with internships and pre-law studies. Studying Business Administration at McDaniel College will help equip you with a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of business.

Mortarboard

Degree Types

Major,Minor,B.A./M.S. Pathway

Institution

Complementary Programs

Accounting

Marketing

Heart

Distinctive Requirements

Capstone

Document

On-Campus Interviews

Held Annually

Why McDaniel for Business Administration?

As a McDaniel Business Administration major, you’ll have access to a team of professors and a whole catalog of courses and extracurricular opportunities that will help you answer these questions. And after four years of focus and exploration, you’ll be prepared to enter the business world with confidence and a sense of purpose — whether you want to start your own company, work in a well-established one, or head off to continue your studies by pursuing a master’s degree in business or a related field.

Students pursuing a degree in Business Administration are encouraged to select one of these five focus areas, composed of specific courses to hone your expertise.

Focal Areas

Entrepreneurship

Finance

International Business

Leadership and Management

Marketing

Pathways to Success: McDaniel Graduates Pursuing Advanced Degrees

Named a 2023-24 Business College of Distinction, McDaniel Business graduates are ready for both graduate school and employment opportunities.

McDaniel Business graduates go on to find success in many fields and industries of all stripes: in banking, insurance, manufacturing; or on to professional careers in law, business, accounting, and economics; or in government work at different types of agencies and departments (like the IRS, NSA, or the Department of Labor).

Where are they now? Graduates of the McDaniel Business Program work at:

T. Rowe Price
Amazon
Baltimore Ravens
Flying Dog Brewery
Wells Fargo Financial
Scientific Games Corporation
Verizon Communications, Inc.

Globalization and the intricacies of modern business operations require effective communication and apt problem-solving strategies. McDaniel College’s programs keep their future leaders adaptable as they grow alongside their industry.”

Tyson Schritter, Chief Operating Officer for Colleges of Distinction

Graduate School Partnerships

Two Data Analytics students collaborate at a computer.

McDaniel College BA/MS Pathways M.S. in Data Analytics from McDaniel College Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Programs

McDaniel offers 5-year programs resulting in a Master of Science in Data Analytics in the following degree programs: Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, and Marketing.

McDaniel undergraduate students who decide to pursue these new degree options would apply in their junior year and would complete two graduate courses during their senior year.

Graduate School Partnership Johns Hopkins Carey Business School 4+1 Program Provides Option to earn Joint Degree

Through a collaboration with Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, McDaniel students have the opportunity to earn a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree from both institutions.

Photo courtesy of Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.

Graduate School Partnership Duquesne’s Palumbo-Donahue School of Business Preferred Admission to Four Master’s Degree Programs

McDaniel College and Duquesne University have formed a new partnership that gives McDaniel undergraduate students in the Economics and Business Administration department, as well as eligible alumni, preferred admission to four master’s degree programs at Duquesne’s Palumbo-Donahue School of Business.

Photo courtesy of Duquesne University Palumbo-Donahue School of Business.

Distinctive Courses

Exploration of the contributions made by economic theory towards understanding and solving major policy issues of our times. The principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics are studied and applied to such timely topics as the environment, health care, international trade, the minimum wage, and a variety of similarly critical issues. Student interest will play a role in topic selection.

An introduction to the management of a small business. The course begins by addressing macro issues, such as social responsibility, ethics, and strategic planning. The course then provides an in depth examination of the essential facets of managing a small enterprise, such as the business plan, accounting records and financial statements, small business finance, the legal environment, marketing, pricing, promotion, human resources, and operations management.

This course presents an overview of current issues in communicating across cultures. The course examines how people from various ethnic, gender, generational, racial, cultural, national and religious backgrounds exchange meaning. Study will focus on many of the cultural variables in communication as well as how those variables work holistically within cultural systems. Topics include how the interaction between language,
thinking patterns and culture affect communication, the nature of culture, issues of power, verbal and nonverbal codes.

A capstone seminar course for Accounting Economics and Business Administration majors that relies on the case method to provide a challenging environment in which to apply knowledge acquired in the major toward developing strategies for business success. Basic building blocks such as accounting, economics, finance, and marketing, et al are integrated in an individual as well as a team approach to problem solving, policy analysis, and strategic management.

Business Administration Program Requirements

Business Administration Major Business Administration Minor

Keep in Touch

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See Yourself Here

Take your first steps on the Hill! Visiting campus is one of the best ways to determine if McDaniel is right for you.

Visit McDaniel

Department Faculty

Learn more about the faculty and staff behind this program.

See Economics & Business Administration faculty

Special Opportunities

Students presenting for Innovation Challenge.

PUT YOUR IDEAS TO THE TEST Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge Program in Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge, part of the Program in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, invites students from any major to develop and pitch business plans for an innovative solution to a real world problem. On the evening of the competition, pitches are judged by a panel of real-life entrepreneurs and students get the chance to win start-up cash for their business ideas.

An employer talks to students at a job and internship fair.

Pre-Law Advising

Many McDaniel College undergraduates aspire to a career in law or civil service that makes law school a natural next step. Our close proximity to Washington D.C. provides dynamic and distinctive law-related internships, and our superior pre-law advising program ensures that you're ready for the next step.

McDaniel College is committed to helping you pursue a legal career in three key ways: deciding if law school is the right choice for you, getting into law school,and gaining the skills to succeed in law school.

Interviewing Day

Interviewing Day in the Economics and Business Administration department is a chance to get valuable facetime with regional employers. Many are even McDaniel alumni who landed their current jobs at Interviewing Day when they were students on the Hill. If that's not enough, faculty and staff will help you prep your resume, cover letter, and techniques to navigate networking and interviewing — so you can become successful.

The McDaniel Commitment in Action

The McDaniel Commitment — a series of opportunities guaranteed to all students — provides enhanced mentoring and coaching, and ensures every undergraduate student completes at least two meaningful experiential learning opportunities.

Study Abroad

Valerie Lamb ’18 at her summer internship at the U.S. Mint.

Internships

Research

A student wearing a suit leans his elbow on a pedestal while smiling off camera.

Meet an Alum Class of 2024: Sergio Martin Garcia Big Picture Lessons

"I took Dr. Hockley’s Entrepreneurship class, which brought everything I had learned together and allowed me to grasp the big picture of how companies worked. I really enjoyed collaborating with my classmates, and we developed a cool product that we worked on throughout the semester. It gave me a sense of what it means to be an entrepreneur."

Read about Sergio's McDaniel experience.

Alumni Spotlight Mike McKelvin '88 A Dedicated Entrepreneur

As a student on the Hill, Mike McKelvin had no plans to return to Carroll County after graduation, but it turns out that staying local was the best decision for his family-owned businesses. With smart planning and community support, McKelvin has persevered through crises to operate successful businesses, including 1623 Brewing Company, the fifth largest brewery in Maryland.

Read McKelvin's Alumni Profile

News for Business Administration

McDaniel students inducted into academic honor societies

McDaniel students were inducted this spring into academic honor societies, including Alpha Kappa Delta (Sociology), Beta Beta Beta (Biology), Kappa Mu Epsilon (Math), Lambda Pi Eta (Communication), Omicron Delta Epsilon (Economics), Phi Alpha Theta (History), Psi Chi (Psychology), and Sigma Tau Delta (English), as well as the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
Esheel by junior Sana Askari wins top prize at McDaniel's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge

Update: Sana Askari, junior Political Science, Business Administration, and Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies major who presented Esheel, earned the $5,000 top prize as the first-place winner at McDaniel's 2025 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge.
Business alumni find success with partnership graduate programs

While McDaniel College offers a robust slate of graduate programs, students can also enroll at partner institutions to propel their undergraduate career into the graduate realm. Two recent graduates — Jani Pierre ’23 and Brennan Rouse ’23 — took the opportunity to pursue accelerated master’s degrees using the foundations they developed at McDaniel.

Accounting Economics Marketing Data Analytics, M.S. (STEM Designated with Day-1 CPT) Entrepreneurship