FAQ

The College of Business has a dedicated team of academic advisors who support students throughout their time at Oregon State University, helping them navigate course selection, degree requirements, and pathways to their business and design majors. This personalized support ensures students stay on track academically and make informed decisions about their education and career goals.

No! You can add a business minor onto any major from any other college at Oregon State University

The College of Business has about an 85% job placement rate for graduating seniors.

It’s okay if you haven’t decided on a major yet! There’s time for major exploration in the first year. In the College of Business, we host major exploration events for our first-year business and design students. This gives our students an opportunity to meet with faculty in our majors to learn more about each program and decide on a major.

Class sizes fluctuate depending on several variables. The further a student progresses through their major, the smaller the classes tend to be. A typical class will sit 30-70 students, while larger lecture halls can seat up to 400 students. Lecture classes typically allow for personalization through labs and small group sessions, called recitations, which tend to be about 20 students in size. Only 17% of our classes seat over 100 students. Austin hall is the home to the College of Business and includes one 250-seat auditorium, one 65-seat classroom, and eight 48-seat classrooms.  

The College of Business offers a comprehensive 12-course series focused on professional and leadership development and financial literacy, forming the foundation of every business major. Known as Blueprint, this program integrates career advising, student-employer interaction, and work-based learning throughout the student experience, ensuring that graduates are profession-ready and equipped with the skills to succeed in both their careers and personal lives. Beginning in the first year, students create and run microbusinesses—88+ in 2024 alone, generating over $80,000 in revenue and $50,000 in profit—while gaining hands-on experience in teamwork, problem-solving, website creation, and social media marketing. In their second year, students identify their personal strengths, align them with industry expectations, and begin developing their financial literacy by learning key concepts like budgeting and credit management. By the third year, students update their professional materials (e.g., resume, LinkedIn, Handshake), begin the job search process, and participate in a college-wide case competition that sharpens critical thinking and business acumen. The fourth year focuses on transitioning into the workforce, with instruction on how to evaluate job offers, negotiate salaries and benefits, and plan for long-term financial success. Throughout the series, students explore core business disciplines such as accounting, marketing, and management, and participate in career-building activities including company visits and workshops with industry professionals. Emphasizing work-based learning, every course is designed to develop transferable soft skills—like adaptability, communication, and teamwork—while also teaching students how to network, pitch ideas, and manage their financial futures. Notably, the College of Business is one of the only colleges to embed financial literacy into its entire four-year curriculum.

The College of Business is home to the only college-specific career center on campus, offering dedicated support to business students in their academic and professional journeys. Our team works closely with students through one-on-one appointments to provide personalized guidance on resumes, interview preparation, job and internship searches, and major or career exploration. To further support student success, the College hosts a variety of events each term—including career fairs, workshops, and professional meet-ups—that encourage engagement beyond the classroom. Each term features a College of Business Career Fair, held virtually and in person, where students connect with 45+ recruiters offering valuable opportunities for internships and full-time roles. These experiences help students build their professional networks, gain real-world experience while in school, and prepare for career success after graduation.

"Our own Career Success Center focused on professional development, internship and job placement.  Focus on innovation and entrepreneurship.  
You are focused on getting to college; we are focused on how we can prepare you for your career upon graduation.  
Design thinking, or solution-focused thinking, is a formal method for practical creative resolution of problems and creation of solutions. The philosophy of design thinking is incorporated into several aspects of student life within the College of Business at Oregon State University. In the transfer transitions courses, students identify a problem and build a solution, company or social entrepreneurship venture to address the issue.   
Collaboration with industry and industry professionals. This includes career fairs, case studies from real companies, internships, and so on. "

All first-year business and design students participate in the BA 160 series, a year-long program designed to build community, develop essential skills, and introduce students to the entrepreneurial mindset. Known as the "Class of 36," students take these courses in dedicated classrooms within Weatherford and Poling Halls, where many also live, further strengthening the living-learning community. The series begins in the fall with BA 160: B-Engaged, which helps students acclimate to Oregon State University and the College of Business while introducing them to available resources, helping them explore their interests, set goals, and work collaboratively on a team challenge. In the winter, BA 161: Awareness to Action builds a foundation in business and entrepreneurship, with students gaining a competitive edge as they explore key disciplines such as accounting, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems, management, and marketing. During this term, students begin the design process for launching a microbusiness with their peers. The series concludes in the spring with BA 162: Ideas to Reality, where students remain in their same cohort and with the same instructor from BA 161 to implement the microbusinesses they developed. Teams of nine students run these ventures hands-on, with any funds raised going toward student success initiatives such as scholarships and experiential learning opportunities.