Why Business Management is THE Degree to Have in 2022

Why Business Management?

Chances are high that if you're reading this blog post, you have not only considered earning a degree in business, but you’ve also compared business programs from various colleges and universities. Indeed, business programs are everywhere in the online education space. While each program may have its unique take on business education, most programs look and feel similar. Have you experienced that? After all, a business degree is a business degree, right?

I believed this once. Before my tenure at Champlain College, I was pretty convinced the market for business degrees was facing a severe decline. The value of a higher education degree was under fire in the media; the online degree market was overly saturated as more and more colleges entered the online space; programs themselves were too ubiquitous and didn’t offer very much distinctness; and employers were reducing tuition reimbursement dollars as they built their own professional development programs.

My friends, I am here to tell you I was wrong. My convictions were off base. I misinterpreted what was actually going on both in the higher education space and the business landscape at large.

When I arrived at Champlain, I discovered the business education market was actually evolving. We were learning what worked and what didn’t from the past. We listened intently to our students and partners. Most of all, we recognized we needed to change and adapt at the same rate that businesses around us were evolving. I learned Champlain not only had its finger on the pulse of this change, but was also uniquely positioned to provide a truly leading-edge business education. Rarely have I been so impressed with the incredible professionals we have delivering our business courses. Moreover, rarely have I seen an institution that, top to bottom, understands what true innovation requires: investment, excellent project management, and the will to see it through. Champlain is an incredibly special place - a “hidden gem” in the sand, if you will.

Now, are there still a lot of business programs out there? Yes, of course. Do they offer distinctness and should this distinctness really matter to you? Yes and yes. Is a college degree still valuable in 2022? Yes. In fact, given all of the (very public) changes in play over the past few years, I can easily argue that, today, the value of a business degree has never been higher. Further, finding the right business program - a cutting-edge program that prepares you for the future of work - is not only feasible, but critical, for your continued development as a business professional. Champlain has that exact program.

Between our associate degree and bachelor's degree, here is a snapshot of the value our business management programs can provide to you:

• Our unique strengths-based approach to management and leadership ensures you are equipped with “future-proofed” skills that are proven, time and time again, to lead to positive results in the workplace.
  Our curriculum follows a successful strengths-based approach built around encouraging you to be the agent of your own personal and professional change. You’ll learn to foster a work environment that provides the right conditions for colleagues to grow, adapt, and change to thrive in your organization. This particular approach focuses intently on emotional and informational processing. Our strengths-based approach also allows for thought process and open communication with others, which helps you identify value and assemble your strengths and capacities in the course of organizational change.
• We infuse the latest in business technology throughout our curriculum.
  We recently launched new courses in business analytics and data visualization and customer experience management that utilize the latest technologies to help you understand the relationship between decision-making and the technologies that enable it. You’ll also receive coursework in project management, business information systems, and business information literacy. If you want tech that is taught and utilized in an accessible way, we have it.
• You will have access to a highly curated learning environment that regularly undergoes rigorous quality assurance processes.
  I cannot stress this enough as you look for a business program: the learning environment itself matters and Champlain has one of the best in the industry.
• You will have access to highly-qualified practitioner faculty.
  We have very stringent hiring standards to ensure you are taught by professionals who are executives and senior professionals in the areas they teach in and are also dedicated to your learning. This last point is an important one. Champlain looks for professionals who truly want to teach and are not just a highly-qualified professional in their field. We hire professionals who want to give back. Trust me, you’ll experience this as a student.
• Our business management programs focus intently on helping you develop essential soft skills.
  Soft skills continue to be the most requested skills our corporate and government partners tell us are in-demand. Some of the top soft skills employers look for today include communication, critical thinking, adaptability, creativity, empathy, team work, time management, and more. While you will learn specific business competencies such as management, marketing, finance, and economics, we spend a great deal of time in the program on developing the key soft skills we know you will use on-the-job tomorrow.
• Our business curriculum is highly applied in nature.
  You’ll have ample opportunity to practice what you learn in your own personal and professional life. We will not waste your time teaching you vague theories or useless anecdotes. What you learn in the program you can use right away, beginning on your first day of classes!

To wrap up, I highly encourage you to reach out to me directly if you want to chat about Champlain's online associate degree and/or bachelor's degree in business management. As one of Champlain's program directors, I oversee these business programs and have direct line of sight into how you can apply these degrees to your work and how you can be successful in our programs.

I am always available to speak with you and will do my best to answer your questions or connect you with the right person here at the College. Our online business management programs are absolutely incredible and our faculty are ready to help you reach your academic goals. Feel free to email me any time!

CONTACT DR. ORBINATI