Bachelor of Business Administration - Management

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Iowa State University

Program Overview

The Management major at Iowa State University’s Ivy College of Business gives students a broad business foundation while developing practical skills in leadership, organizational management, negotiation, conflict resolution and strategic decision-making. It suits students who want to lead people and projects across different industries, with opportunities to tailor their studies through management electives such as International Management, Human Resource Management, Corporate Entrepreneurship and Evidence-Based Decision Making in Human Resource Management.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students establish their business foundation through courses such as Principles of Microeconomics, Principles of Macroeconomics, Introduction to Business Statistics I and Financial Accounting. They also begin developing professional and quantitative skills through Business Learning Team Orientation, Professional Development in Business and Introduction to Spreadsheets and Databases.

Year 2: Students build a broader understanding of how organizations function through the Ivy College of Business core. Courses such as Organizational Behavior, Ethical and Responsible Management, Management Information Systems and Principles of Marketing help students understand people, technology, ethics and business functions from a managerial perspective.

Year 3: Students begin concentrating more closely on management practice through courses such as Managing Organizations, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution and Leadership and Change Management. The curriculum develops skills in organizational leadership, conflict mitigation and strategic thinking while allowing students to select electives that complement their career interests.

Year 4: Students deepen their management expertise through advanced study and strategic application. Depending on their selected electives, they can explore areas such as International Management, Introduction to Human Resource Management, Evidence-Based Decision Making in Human Resource Management or Corporate Entrepreneurship, while Strategic Management brings together business knowledge and higher-level decision-making.

Focus Areas

Managing organizations, leadership and change management, negotiation and conflict resolution, organizational behavior, ethical and responsible management, strategic management, human resource management, international management, entrepreneurship, evidence-based decision-making and project management.

Learning Outcomes

Students develop effective communication and collaboration skills, strengthen problem-solving abilities, understand core business concepts, and learn to recognize ethical and legal responsibilities within organizations. The management curriculum also emphasizes evidence, diversity, ethics and technology in business decision-making, critical thinking and effective team performance.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

The Ivy College of Business curriculum is accredited by AACSB International (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). The college's business curriculum combines general education, foundational business study, a common business core and specialized major coursework.

Reputation (Employability / Official Statistics)

According to Ivy College of Business's Management-specific 2023–24 graduate outcomes, 96% of management undergraduates were engaged within six months of graduation, including employment, graduate school, additional education and temporary employment/seeking permanent employment. The report records 82% employed professionally, with reported bachelor-level salaries ranging from $56,000 to $90,000, with an average of $57,247 and median of $56,000; it also reports 69 internships among 91 graduates.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Iowa State's Management major is designed to connect management theory with practical business situations through applied learning, case analysis, research projects, team-based active learning and interaction with guest speakers. Students can also build professional experience through internships, employer events and career-development activities, while the Ivy College of Business provides access to professional development resources and business-focused facilities in Gerdin Business Building.

Students can develop practical management experience through:

Applied learning and case analysis: Required management courses incorporate applied learning and case analysis, allowing students to examine organizational situations and practice applying management concepts to business problems.
Team-based projects: The department specifically identifies team-based active learning projects as part of the management major, helping students develop collaboration and practical problem-solving skills.
Research projects: Management students encounter research projects as part of the major's developmental learning experiences, supporting evidence-based approaches to organizational and managerial questions.
Guest speakers: Students have opportunities to interact with guest speakers through management coursework and the Management and Entrepreneurship Speaker Series, connecting classroom learning with perspectives from business professionals and researchers.
Internships: Ivy's Business Career Services promotes internships as a way to gain entry-level work experience, develop hard and soft skills, build professional networks and explore career interests. For Ivy College of Business interns in 2023–24, the reported average hourly wage was $21.06, while the NACE internship-to-full-time conversion rate cited by Ivy was 51%.
Management-specific internships: The Management 2023–24 outcomes report recorded 69 internships among 91 management graduates, demonstrating substantial participation in internship experiences within the major.
Career Fair and employer interaction: The Ivy College of Business hosts the Business, Industry and Technology Career Fair, where students can connect with hundreds of employers, alongside career-fair preparation, résumé assistance, elevator-pitch practice, mock interviews and employer networking events.
Gerdin Leadership Academy: Ivy specifically recommends the Gerdin Leadership Academy as an opportunity for Management students to grow professionally, alongside student organizations, employer events and LinkedIn Learning.
Career-focused technology: Ivy recommends LinkedIn Learning as one of the resources students can use to enhance professional skills, complementing the business curriculum's technology and analytical components.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Management major prepares graduates for a wide range of organizational and business roles because students develop skills in leadership, operations, human resources, negotiation, project management, strategy and organizational decision-making. Ivy's 2023–24 Management outcomes show graduates moving into positions including management, operations, human resources, sales, logistics, project coordination, business development and customer-focused roles.

Typical job roles include: Management Associate, Human Resources Coordinator, Operations Coordinator, Project Manager

Key career-development opportunities include:

Business Career Services: Ivy's Business Career Services provides students with career-fair preparation, résumé assistance, elevator-pitch practice, mock interviews, employer events and access to internship and employment opportunities.
Management-specific employment outcomes: In the 2023–24 Management graduate outcomes, 96% of graduates were engaged within six months, while 82% were employed professionally, 10% were in graduate school, 4% were temporarily employed/seeking permanent employment, 1% pursued additional undergraduate education and 4% were seeking employment.
Salary information: The Management outcomes report gives bachelor-level salary data of $56,000 low, $57,247 average, $56,000 median and $90,000 high for the reported 2023–24 graduates. Internship wages were reported at $16.00–$25.00 per hour, with an average of $20.47.
Employer engagement: Students can participate in the Business, Industry and Technology Career Fair, Supply Chain + Management Career Night, Mass Interview Day and other employer-facing events designed to facilitate networking, internships and full-time recruitment.
Career flexibility: Recent Management graduates reported roles including Account Executive, Area Manager, Business Development Representative, Claims Adjuster/Specialist, Customer Success Coordinator, Logistics Coordinator, Management Associate/Trainee, Operations Director, Procurement Associate, Project Coordinator/Manager/Technician, Regional Representative, Sales Operations Coordinator and Service Manager.
Leadership development: Ivy specifically encourages Management students to use the Gerdin Leadership Academy, participate in student organizations, engage with employers and consider rotational or leadership-development programs.
Professional accreditation: AACSB accreditation provides the business curriculum with an internationally recognized accreditation framework and supports the professional orientation of Ivy's business education.
Graduation outcomes: The Management major's reported outcomes show graduates entering professional employment as well as graduate and additional educational programs, giving students pathways into both immediate employment and continued study.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the Management degree, students can continue into graduate-level business education. Iowa State's Ivy College of Business offers master's programs including the MBA, Professional MBA, Master of Business Analytics, Master of Entrepreneurship, Master of Finance, Master of Accounting, Master of Accounting Analytics, Master's in Healthcare Analytics and Operations, Master of Real Estate Development and Master of Science in Information Systems, allowing students to build further specialization in management, analytics, finance, entrepreneurship, accounting, information systems or related business fields.