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Interdisciplinary Business (IDB) Specialization

The IDB specialization is a unique one in the School of Business (SOB) that provides an opportunity for you to combine two or more academic passions into something fascinating and relevant for you. You will combine your strong interest in business with your interests in areas outside of business: anything from the humanities to the sciences, from the social sciences to math or statistics. Your choice of courses will be tailored to meet your individual academic and career interests, and you can also choose internship opportunities to reinforce your unique interests.

IDB is an appropriate specialization for you if you have a variety of interests and appreciate that business problems require business knowledge and skills as well as capacities that are gained by study in areas outside of business. You are adaptable and will be of value to an organization in many different areas; you will remain an engaged, lifelong learner who benefits from your exposure to a range of problem-solving methods and ways of thinking.

Two tracks are available within the IDB Specialization:

Guided Self-Designed Track

This track permits flexibility in your  curriculum while providing a solid foundation in the functional areas of business.  It prepares students for careers in a variety of profit and non-profit organizations, corporate training programs, entrepreneurial careers, and entrance into graduate or professional programs.  Students choosing this track will work with their advisor to craft their choice of IDB option courses-from business and non-business courses-to meet their academic and career interests.

Business and Public Policy Track

An appreciation of the role of government policy and regulation is critical to managing a business in the global economy.  Business people need to consider the policies underlying the laws that govern business activity both in the U.S. and in other countries.  The Business and Public Policy Track will enable students to gain an understanding of the implications of government decisions on business and the impact of lobbying on lawmaking. Students choosing this track will be prepared for careers in both the public and private sectors, including working for regulatory agencies and government relations and compliance departments.  This track is also excellent preparation for graduate and professional programs.  Students choosing this track will work with their advisor to choose their IDB option courses from an approved set of courses designed for this track.

Regardless of your choice of track, you will collaborate with your advisor to choose your business focus, option courses for your specialization and your secondary focus of study that are relevant to your academic and career interests.  So, your IDB curriculum will have three components:

  • Common Body of Knowledge Courses – required of all students in the School of Business
  • Four IDB Option Courses — chosen , with advisement, from a  variety of business or non-business disciplines that you choose  to complete your business major and to supplement the common set of courses taken by students in other business specializations.
  • Secondary Focus of Study­ ­– from outside of the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration or Accountancy disciplines. You can choose your own set of courses that must be approved by your advisor  or choose a second major, minor, or designated interdisciplinary concentration that will combine with your business studies to help launch your career.
  • Innovation track invites students to think about how they can change the world. Innovation is an interdisciplinary search for new solutions, including new products, services, social enterprises, and institutions. The track explores the process of innovation, where new ideas come from, how students can learn to generate innovative solutions, how and why certain conditions promote innovation and the ethical and social implications of innovation. The track will invite students to combine innovation-specific courses with coursework from outside the business school to develop the interdisciplinary insights that can inspire innovative thinking.

Marketing & Interdisciplinary Business Department contact info:

Chair – Dr. John McCarty; 609-771-3220; mccarty@tcnj.edu

Department Secretary – Quiana ; 609-Starr771-2566; starrq@tcnj.edu

 

Contact

School of Business

Business Building, Room 114
The College of New Jersey
P.O. Box 7718
2000 Pennington Rd.
Ewing, NJ 08628

609.771.3064
business@tcnj.edu