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Manufacturing is the leading industry in Michigan. The state ranks among the top states for manufacturing and has a long tradition of producing automobiles, trucks, and parts. While Michigan has a diverse economy including agriculture, forestry, and tourism, the center of gravity is the auto industry featuring General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler-Fiat. The auto and truck plants in the state employ thousands of highly paid workers, and the supply infrastructure adds further thousands of essential jobs. From automobile electronics to paints and tires, the auto industry is the key to Michigan’s economy.
Michigan colleges and universities offer business education that helps graduates enter the local and global economy. Students can get entry level degrees at the associate and bachelor levels. Michigan universities also rank among the best graduate schools for business. Students can advance up to the post-doctoral level at Michigan’s prestigious universities.
Students pursuing a business degree in Michigan should definitely consider of possibilities related to the automobile industry. The large international auto and truck organizations employ business and management professionals in a range of disciplines and settings. Michigan students can study business and management at all levels of college learning; they can attend using online programs, on campus learning, or a mix or in-person and distance learning.
Marketing, sales, production, and international trade are just some among the many fields involved in the sprawling auto and truck industry. And the abundance of auto, truck, and supplier companies in Michigan provides opportunities for business degree programs to provide internships and experiential learning. Auto and truck manufacturing involves nearly every type of business professional as these expansive organizations have a large footprint in production, finance, and domestic and international trade.
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Online Business Education in Michigan
The best online business schools in Michigan have regional accreditation that assures students that the school offers high-quality education. Business schools and programs can also have programmatic accreditation that proves the quality of the available business education. It’ for this reason that students should pay attention to accreditation. Employers, educational institutions, and government agencies rely upon accreditation when making employee selections.
Business professionals include management and business executives that perform operational and administrative tasks in private, public, and non-profit organizations, as well as within government agencies. At every level, organizations need business professionals to oversee and conduct organizational functions. Business professionals can work in and run large, medium, and small businesses. They can also promote employment and economic expansion as entrepreneurs.
Business occupations offer opportunities for rewarding careers. In for-profit organizations, professionals promote commerce and enterprise. In social services and non-profit concerns, business professionals help deliver needed support for those in need. Entrepreneurs create businesses and promote innovative approaches to business opportunities.
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The titles and roles vary and include top executives like CEOs and specialists like accountants. Operating within an organizational structure, each business discipline contributes to achieving organizational goals. Business education is also broad and multidisciplinary and education within this field is a path to a wide range of business careers. For example, an MBA is an excellent credential to become a business consultant in Michigan.
Online Associate Degree in Business (AS)
An associate degree in business is a short course of study that students can usually complete in two years of full-time attendance. Students can attend in-person, online, or in a combination. The average 60-credit hour course of study includes general education, social studies, English, communications, and statistics.
Typical coursework in business includes the following subjects.
- Business Accounting
- Sales and Marketing
- Management
- Organizational Behavior
- Finance
- And More
An associate degree is an entry-level degree for a limited range of jobs. Students may be able to select electives that can focus on one or more fields of business. Associate programs may offer internships or other hands-on types of learning. Experience can expand the range of openings for associate degree holders. Combined with experience, an associate degree can open career opportunities to gain greater responsibility and higher pay. The associate degree is also a steppingstone to a four-year degree and wider entry into the major fields of business.
Online Bachelor's Degree in Business (BS)
A bachelor’s degree in business is a four-year undergraduate program that requires about 120 credit hours of study, on average. Students will follow a balanced curriculum that blends general education, English, and communication skills with a range of business fundamentals. Students may learn economics, accounting principles, marketing, management, and organizational behavior, though the exact course list will vary depending on the program you attend. They can also focus on other areas of interest like entrepreneurship, human resources, and business accounting programs.
Students typically select a concentration for elective study. For example, since modern corporations rely on data, students can select a concentration in information systems management, which they can use to process big data and perform business analysis for their future employers. International trade is also important in the global economy and students can focus on aspects of international finance and marketing to enter those fields.
Business requires decision-making skills and critical thinking. Students learn principles of planning and business strategy. Success in business builds on an understanding of organizational complexity and the essential functions of finance, operations, human resources, and management. A bachelor's degree also prepares students for further education through certificates and business graduate programs. Current students can gain advantages in the job market by taking internships and other types of practical learning.
Online Master's Degree in Business (MS or MC)
Michigan colleges and universities offer MBA programs aimed at increasing general business knowledge and skills. Michigan has private and public business school programs for graduate education in management or business. Students can attend full- or part time either in-person or online.
A Master of Science in Business or Management provides flexibility to combine studies of business with other disciplines. Both the MS and MBA create options for improved career outcomes. The curriculum determines the time required to complete the degree program. Programs that require a thesis or capstone project are usually longer than those that ask for coursework only.
An MBA requires about 40-60 hours of study on average, and students can complete it in around two years. A Master of Science program can be shorter than an MBA as typical programs require about 30-34 credit hours and students can complete studies in one year of full-time effort. Popular concentrations and coursework include cyber security, healthcare, business analytics, finance, accounting, and entrepreneurship.
An MBA is a professional program to enhance career readiness. MBA programs are particularly useful for experienced business executives seeking to enhance their career progression to senior levels with greater responsibility and rewards. MBA students can use elective hours to focus or concentrate in one or more areas.
Online PhD Degree in Business (PhD)
A PhD in business might be called a doctorate in Business Administration, or Business Management. The doctoral level is ideal for those seeking careers as researchers or graduate faculty. In the private and public sector, the PhD is recognized as proof of expertise. The research phase of the PhD curriculum provides opportunities for in-depth study and candidates can focus on complex fields like international mergers & acquisitions. Private and public organization may seek PhD holders in leadership and senior consulting roles.
The below-listed items describe examples of courses and research topics at this level.
- Artificial Intelligence Essentials: Concepts and Opportunities
- Leadership in Innovative Technology
- Interpersonal Dynamics for High Performance Managers
- Non-Profit Leadership
- How Fintech Reshapes the Economic Ecosystem
- Driving Innovation and New Ventures in Established Organizations
- Managing Remote and Hybrid Business Teams
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These programs can range from 60-70 credit hours for students with master’s degrees in business or a closely related field. Students can complete the degree in four to five years of full-time study including a thesis and defense.
Become a Business Development Specialist in Michigan
Business professionals work in a wide range of settings and roles. Business graduates can be C-suite executives or experts in one or more fields like supply chain management, marketing, and operations. Business professionals can begin work at entry-level positions where they can gain experience and move up to mid-level roles. With advanced degrees and experience, business professionals take on leadership roles and senior management positions.
Business graduates do not need licenses or certification to work in their fields, except for certifications required by prospective employers. However, general business licenses and tax registrations are needed for proprietorships and other companies if you decide to start your own business.
Business consultants are experts that typically work outside of the organizations that they assist. Consultants can be distinguished from other professionals by their outsider status. In a sense, the chief advantage of consultants is that they are not part of the organization and can offer a new perspective.
Michigan business students have advantages in the state manufacturing-centered economy. At all levels of education, manufacturing and supplier companies need business graduates to fill their management and administrative positions. Students can use in person or online options to get an undergraduate education and a graduate degree. Undergraduates and graduate students benefit from practical experience. Michigan educational institutions can work with partner programs to provide real-world experience for business students. Experiential settings improve learning outcomes.
Business education extends from associate degrees to advanced research at the PhD level, but business professionals can also enhance their careers or change career paths through certifications. Certifications demonstrate knowledge and capability in specialized areas of business. For example, an information systems manager can expand or move to cyber security by earning certifications. Valuable certifications exist for supply management, procurement, and advanced fields like artificial intelligence.
Careers for Business Graduates
- Operations Managers oversee a whole organizational structure. They may manage the business as a whole or be responsible for an important department or division. Typical operations areas that these managers may oversee include the supply chain or warehousing, purchasing, sales, marketing, etc. Operations managers must ensure that the organization’s performance as reflected in its products, goods, or services and that they meet or exceed customer expectations. Operations managers must have strong leadership, communications, and interpersonal skills. They typically supervise one or more teams of employees and help the organization comply with applicable laws and regulations.
- HR Specialists and Managers are specialized business professionals that manage the essential processes of maintaining the human resources needed for operations and achieving the organization’s goals. To this end, they handle recruiting, interviews, and screening, hiring, and retention planning. HR mangers are important links in the planning process. They must provide the personnel needed to carry out organizational goals. They help keep employees on board and productive and their close relationship with employees is important. HR can be a critical link between management and the workforce.
- Project Managers are management and business professionals that have special training and education in organizing, planning, and carry out an activity within bounds of time, budget, and quality of the outcome. Project managers can oversee and guide a project from the idea phase through its completion. The field cover a wide range of usages and disciplines. Project managers must be proficient at communicating and working with people within and outside of the project team.
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- Supply Chain Specialists and Managers are business and management professionals that focus on the resources needed to carry out day to day operations and the main business of the organization. Supply chains can involve raw materials, machines, parts, and other types of supplies. The critical contribution of supply chain management is to source the necessary supplies and make sure that they are available in the necessary quantities. The availability of critical components, parts, and supplies is essential to business success. Supply chain mangers must constantly plan for disruptions and alternative sources of supply.
- Entrepreneurs are business and management professionals that create new services, products, or ideas and may also take on the role of ownership. Entrepreneurs establish new businesses or buy and operate existing firms; they play an important role in expanding employment and developing innovations. Small businesses are the typical beginning of entrepreneurship. Modern funding vehicles fund startups for medium to large businesses. Entrepreneur roles also exist in the modern corporate structure. Corporate entrepreneurs can come up with and lead new ventures within an existing company.
- CEOs and other C-suite positions are the top executives in the modern corporate structure. The ‘C” stands for Chief - as in Chief Executive officer or Chief Financial Officer. As the top-level decision makers, C-Suite employees often have responsibility for overall corporate performance. C-Suite executives have essential roles such as information (CIO), finance (CFO), and operations (COO). The C-Suite is a widely understood symbol of corporate decision-makers. C-Suite officers typically earn high salaries including participation in bonus pools and stock options.