School of Business

Our programs and degrees cover all of the top ten, in-demand business specialties (per a recent NACE survey).

Bachelor Degrees

• Bachelor of Business Administration
  • Accounting concentration
  • Entrepreneurship and small business management concentration
  • Finance concentration
  • Management concentration
  • Marketing concentration
• Bachelor of Arts, Major in Business Administration
• Bachelor of Science, Major in Business Administration
• Bachelor of Science, Major in International Development
• Bachelor of Science, Major in Information Systems
• Bachelor of Science, Major in Automotive Management
• Bachelor of Science, Aviation Management

Associate Degree

• Associate of Science in Business

Minors

• Business minor
• Economics minor
• International Development minor
• Marketing minor
• Pre-MBA minor

Certificates

• Bookkeeping
• Business Analytics
• Digital Media & Social Media (jointly offered with the Communications Dept.)

Internships
Every business major completes an internship as a graduation requirement. This practical, hands-on work experience strengthens resumes, confirms career interests, and often leads to full-time jobs.  Most internships are well paid and students can earn up to four units of academic credit.  A majority of internships are completed in the summer but some internships occur during the school year as well.  

Internships are available in accounting, finance, information systems, management, marketing, law, and general business operations at a variety of organizations, including Fortune 500 corporations, local small businesses, hospitals, federal/state governments, and other nonprofits. 

For more details, go here or contact Dr. Toews, Associate Dean.

Learn how the Student Development Center can help you find internships.

The Business Faculty & Staff Care about Your Dreams & Success

The School of Business faculty members seek to make a difference professionally, academically, and spiritually in the lives of their students. Over a dozen national and institutional awards have been earned by business faculty in teaching, advising, research, and community service.  Our professors have a broad range of experience and backgrounds, including business executives, entrepreneurs, attorneys, CPAs, insurance brokers, marketing & communication experts, information systems specialists, and economists.  In addition, a majority of our faculty run their own businesses, so they know about the real world and can bring it right into the classroom.  Their primary motivation is to be in the classroom with their students or in a lab working on real-world projects.  With an open-door policy, students are encouraged to visit professors in their offices or even contact them at home. Faculty members are ready to be friends and mentors and to build relationships that students will value for a lifetime.

-> Go here to learn more about the business faculty

According to the 2019 NACE Job Outlook, over half of the top 10 in-demand entry-level positions were for business majors.  Over 97% of WWU business majors are placed in jobs or graduate schools within 12 months of graduation. 

Students graduating from the WWU School of Business get excellent jobs in many fields:

• Investment advising, retirement planning, financial executive, banking, insurance, real estate (finance concentration)
• Entrepreneur start-ups, small-business owners (entrepreneurship and small business concentration)
• Advertising, public relations, marketing management, sales (marketing concentration)
• CPA, fraud investigator, wealth manager, tax consultant, auditor (accounting concentration)
• International disaster relief, development specialist (global development major)
• Computer support, network administration, database management, web design (information systems major)
• Auto shop service and management (automotive management major)
• Pilot and aviation service manager (aviation management major)
   

Graduates have been employed in a variety of organizations, such as:

• Investment Banker, JP Morgan Chase, New York
• VP of Finance, Starbucks Headquarters, Seattle
• Finance Director, Walt Disney Company
• Senior Manager, Corporate Financial Planning, Walmart Headquarters
• Executive Director, UBS Investment Bank, New York
• President/CEO, Bank of Idaho
• CEO, Boeing Company, Parts Division, Seattle
• Chief Financial Officer, Washington Hospital
• Director of Online Marketing, One Planet Ops.com
• VP of Finance, Walla Walla Community College
• Staff Editor, Entertainment Weekly, New York
• Sales Management, Twitter
• Director of Operations, Olo.com, Seattle
• Analyst, Columbia Sportswear Co.
• Chief Judge, Washington State Court of Appeals, Div. III
• Vice President of Financial Counseling, Goldman Sachs/Ayco
• VP of Communications, Seattle Symphony
• Product Manager, Fitbit
• Founder/President, Campground Automation Systems
• CEO/Founder, Pocketinet Communications
• Director of Business Management, Microsoft
• Vice President, Watertower Group, Venture Capital
• President/CEO, Adventist Health System
• President & CEO, Risk Underwriting, Inc., New York
• Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Portland OR
• Assistant Vice President, Baker Boyer Bank
• General Manager, KEEH/104.9 Spokane
• Fashion Manager, Forever 21, Los Angeles
• Financial Analyst, Tripwire.com, Portland OR
• Senior Portfolio Manager, Russell Investments, Seattle
• Senior Executive, Life Care Centers of America
• Chief Financial Officer, Ryonet Corp., Vancouver, WA
• Senior Counsel, Morrison & Foerster Attorneys, Los Angeles
• Financial Advisor, Cetera Networks
• President/CEO, Florida Hospital
• Director of Operations, Providence Alaska Foundation
• President/CEO, Loma Linda University Medical Center
• Partner, KPMG, Seattle WA
• Vice President, Thompson & Associates, Planned Giving Consultants
• CFO, Aquameta, Software Development, Seattle
• Honorary Consulate, Republic of Philippines in Palau; Executive VP, Surangel & Sons
• Founder/Chairman, Generations Senior Housing
• Attorney, Tamaki Law
• Chief Financial Officer, Manchester Memorial Hospital
• Director of Projects, Maranatha Volunteers International
• Corporate Director of Financial Performance, Adventist Health
• Business Operations Manager, Boeing, Seattle
• Attorney, Social Security Administration
• Chief Financial Officer, Centura Health
• VP of Marketing, Key Technology
• Legislative Director, U.S. House of Representatives
• Manager, Commercial Real Estate, Wilson Group
• President/CEO, Shady Grove Medical Center

Our alumni have been accepted into many graduate programs, including:

• UW Foster School of Business
• MIT Sloan School of Management
• UCLA Anderson School of Management
• Harvard Law School
• Claremont Graduate University, Drucker School of Management
• Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business
• University of Virginia, Darden School of Business
• Dartmouth Tuck School of Business
• University of Oregon
• Thomas Jefferson School of Law
• UC Davis Graduate School of Management
• University of Minnesota Carson School of Management
• Washington State University
• Gonzaga University
• IMD Business School
• University of Rochester, Simon Business School
• Oxford University
• Pepperdine University
• Northwestern University
• Loma Linda University

Business student at WWU have many opportunities to be involved in extra-curricular activities.

Enactus

Enactus is a community of students, faculty, and business leaders committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to enable human progress. In ENACTUS, students use business concepts to develop entrepreneurial projects that transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world. Originally founded in 1975 as SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise), today Enactus has grown beyond the U.S. to encompass 36 countries around the globe.

The Walla Walla University Enactus Chapter is part of an international organization that connects students and leaders through entrepreneurial-based projects. These projects empower people to transform opportunities into real, sustainable progress for themselves and their communities. We aspire to bring like-minded individuals together to meet the vision/mission of Enactus as well as the WWU core themes of excellence in thought, generosity in service, beauty in expression, and faith in God.

Over the past two decades, the WWU Chapter has won a number of awards in regional and national competitions; but more importantly, we continue to engage in innovative projects that impact social enterprise and create a better world.

For more information, please contact Professor George Perez at (509) 527-2952 or george.perez@wallawalla.edu 

Business Club

The Business Club continues to be the most popular club on campus. On average, the Club includes one third of the total undergraduate population. The Business Club organizes events like:

• Pizza feeds, barbecues, and exclusive restaurant meals

• Worm Ranch burritos during Review Week (worms not included)

• Tours of well-known businesses in the Northwest

• Guest speakers in successful business and entrepreneurial activities

• Ski and white-water rafting trips to top Northwest destinations

• High-stake mid-night bowling competitions and Go-Kart racing

For more information about Business Club activities, contact the sponsor, Johanna Attoh.

Student Advisory Council (SAC)

The SAC is a student group selected to advise the School of Business Dean on issues such as curriculum, policies, technology, facilities, student events, outreach, and departmental ethos & morale.

ASWWU

The Associate Students of Walla Walla University (ASWWU) also provides a rich array of opportunities for social and professional activities.  Many of the officers of ASWWU are business students who practice their leadership skills running an organization with over 100 employees and a half-million-dollar budget.

Learn more about clubs at WWU.

Other extracurricular opportunities

ULaunch CoLab: Student teams compete in a Shark-Tank like entrepreneurial contest with $10,000+ of prize money awarded and judged by experienced entrepreneurs. 

Pitch it: Students participate in a community competition for the best entrepreneurial project idea and plan.

Colloquiums: In our guest lecture series, business, community, and thought leaders share their expertise and stories from the real world.

Positive experience

"I never knew much about the SDA community but my experience at the university has been overwhelmingly positive and I am happy to have experienced it." 

Inspiring professor really knows his stuff

"The teachers here are amazing, the students are friendly, and there is definitely a positive atmosphere on campus. One of my favorite professors brings his real life experiences into the classroom, and he really knows his stuff. He also consistently has a worship thought at the start of class, and makes sure to encourage students not to lose sight of God. He truly inspires me.  I have never regretted coming here. I am surrounded by hundreds of students with a similar value system to mine, and who are very friendly and easy to get to know. WWU has an atmosphere that other colleges just cannot match." 

Lots of opportunities for involvement

"I considered several colleges and universities before selecting Walla Walla University. I wanted to go to a Christian college and I believe God called me to WWU. My experience here has been fantastic. I really appreciate the many opportunities for us to be involved on campus and to serve our community. I’ve learned a great deal about myself here. I definitely feel I chose the right school and the right major." 

Challenging but enjoyable

"I wanted to write and thank the School of Business as a whole for a challenging but enjoyable experience.  I have learned and changed quite a bit during my time at WWU.  The personal touch that WWU offers was the reason for much of my success.  Thank you for giving me the key to doors that that were otherwise locked to me.  I now have unlimited possibilities open to me."  

Impressed by School of Business efforts—even after graduation

"Teachers really cared about their students.  I never felt they were too busy.  I am just really impressed by the time and effort the School of Business has put into keeping in touch with me after graduating.

I felt appreciated

What I learned has stayed with me and helped tremendously in my career.  I feel like I was appreciated as a student there, not just another face.

Individual attention is valuable

The School of Business is committed to preparing its students with a hands-on approach that sharpens the logical and analytical skills that are so valuable in today's workplace. One of the strongest aspects of the program is the small class size. This allows students to gain individual attention from dedicated professors who have a genuine interest in helping you achieve your goals.

The School of Business made me a better person

I wish more people knew about the School of Business. It is a great program, with great teachers who really care about their students.  They treat us as if we are important, and they try to figure out what learning style each student needs.  I felt that when I graduated, I was a better person because of the School of Business, and that I was well prepared to enter the working world in the business profession.

School of Business set me up for success

Upon graduation from the School of Business, I began a career in public accounting.  After working for two of the largest accounting firms in the world, I can honestly say that my teachers in the School of Business enabled me to develop a solid understanding in my field of study. I continue to advocate the School of Business to others because I know how valuable it has been for me.

CHEA Student Achievement Report