HOUGHTON - The Michigan Technological University Board of Control approved nine new degree programs Friday, including six undergraduate business majors.
The existing bachelor's degree in business administration was broken down into majors in accounting, finance, management, management information systems, marketing, and operations and systems management.
No new classes will be required: The majors previously existed as concentrations within business administration.
"In a sense, they were always here," said Darrell Radson, dean of the School of Business and Economics at Tech. "They just called them concentrations."
The move should lead to higher job placement rates for business graduates, said Kathryn Clark, chair of the board's academic affairs committee.
Business faculty approved the majors in March; a month later, the faculty Senate followed suit.
Radson said the measure has had "overwhelming support" at all stops so far.
They now head to the State Academic Affairs Office, which will take them up in early June. Going with them is a master's degree and Ph.D. in applied cognitive science and human factors.
Applied cognitive science creates solutions to real-world problems, such as effective teaching methods, through cognitive psychology. Human factors, which fits within cognitive science, focuses on human needs in designing products, work processes and technological systems. Clark said jobs in the major were seeing a high growth rate, including posts at the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security.
The board also gave final approval to a Master's degree and Ph.D. in computer engineering, a cross between computer science and electrical engineering. The state approved the degrees after the Tech board's approval in March.
Garrett Neese can be reached at gneese@ mininggazette.com.