Welcome to the College of Business at Montana State University-Bozeman! The College is honored to be the recipient of a transformational $25 million gift from MSU alumnus Jake Jabs. We will seek approval from the Montana Legislature in 2013 to use a portion of this gift, the largest private gift ever in the Montana University System, to construct a new building for the College of Business. If approved, ground could be broken on the building in the summer of 2013.
We will use the balance of the gift for student scholarships and new academic programs, focusing in particular on entrepreneurship, professional skills development and interdisciplinary programs with other departments and colleges at MSU. We have exciting plans, so please check our website often for updated information.
The College strives to contribute to the economic development of the state by ensuring that our graduates not only possess strong business knowledge but also have “real world” business experience and the professional skills necessary to be successful professionals and entrepreneurs.
The College offers excellent academic programs and a personalized learning environment characterized by small classes, which are taught by faculty from some of the nation’s best universities who possess a strong commitment to research and significant “real world” business experience. The College’s emphasis on active learning leads to strong academic performance, with our seniors consistently scoring above the 90th percentile on the Major Field Test in Business and our accounting graduate students regularly achieving a first-time CPA pass rate that ranks among the highest in the nation. Simply having excellent technical business knowledge is not enough to ensure professional success. The Professional Advantage Program coaches every business student on a full range of professional skills from how to dress for an interview to how to communicate effectively, and offers a variety of opportunities to practice these skills in the real business environments. Programs and opportunities for students to develop their professional skills include:
- Internships
- Pro bono consulting to entrepreneurs, small businesses and non-profits
- Professionalism coaching through course work and the Professional Coaching Clinic
- The Bracken Business Communications Clinic which provides oral and written communications coaching
- Mentoring opportunities with members of the business community
- Participation by student clubs in regional and national competitions
Many of these activities are coordinated through the Gary K. Bracken Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Education. The Bracken Center offers students professional conference rooms, professional development activities ranging from participation in student clubs to study abroad opportunities, fellowships for professional and international activities, and, working closely with MSU’s Office of Career, Internship and Student Employment Services, resources for internship and career development.
In addition, the Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship for the New West offers a wide array of opportunities to students to learn about entrepreneurship from real entrepreneurs as well as to contribute to the economic development of the state of Montana. Since 2002, students have provided more than 14,500 hours of pro-bono consulting services to 140 businesses, which resulted in the creation of more than 400 new jobs in these companies. The Center also supports two Entrepreneurs in Residence annually, entrepreneurship courses, student scholarships and fellowships, faculty research support, the Family Business Program and the annual Entrepreneur Day for Montana high school students. The Center has received grants from the National Science Foundation and the Small Business Administration and our Alderson Program in Entrepreneurship has been highly ranked by Entrepreneur magazine.
Dr. Susan Dana
Interim Dean, College of Business
