Comparing Business & Technology Programs at Four Universities
This paper compares and contrasts the undergraduate business programs at four major university schools of business: a general business program requiring 120 credit hours, the Haas School of Business, the Wharton School of Business, and the Fischer College of Business. The paper examines each program's core course requirements, elective structures, and opportunities for technology-focused study. It concludes that while all four programs share similar foundational curricula, Wharton and Fischer offer significantly more structured and extensive opportunities for students to pursue concentrations in technology-related fields such as information systems and management and technology.
- Introduction: Overview of the paper's comparative purpose
- General University Business Program: 120-credit-hour program with limited technology requirements
- Haas School of Business: 32 upper-division hours with technology-focused electives
- Wharton School of Business: Integrated four-year program with technology joint degree
- Fischer College of Business: Twelve specialization areas including information systems
- Comparative Analysis: Similar cores; Wharton and Fischer lead in technology
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What makes this paper effective
- It follows a clear compare-and-contrast structure, presenting each program individually before synthesizing findings in a concluding section, making it easy for readers to follow the analysis.
- The paper grounds its comparisons in specific, concrete details — credit hour requirements, course titles, and specialization options — rather than vague generalizations.
- The conclusion directly addresses the paper's stated purpose by identifying a meaningful distinction (technology coursework depth) across otherwise similar programs.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates the block method of compare-and-contrast writing, in which each subject is described fully before comparisons are drawn. This approach works well when the subjects share a common evaluative framework — in this case, core requirements, elective opportunities, and technology integration — allowing the synthesis section to efficiently highlight similarities and differences.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a brief statement of purpose, then devotes one section to each of the four business programs. A final comparative analysis section synthesizes the findings, noting that core curricula are largely uniform across schools while Wharton and Fischer stand out for providing structured technology concentrations. References follow at the end.
Introduction
This paper compares and contrasts four university colleges of business and technology. Information is first provided on each of the four programs individually, followed by a summary in which the programs are compared and contrasted.
General University Business Program
At the first university examined, students pursuing a bachelor's degree in business must obtain 120 credit hours, with one-half of those hours comprised of non-business electives. The remaining 60 credit hours are devoted to required and elective business courses. Core business courses are taken during the student's junior year and include: Organizational Behavior Theory in Management, Business Law, Corporate Strategy, Economics of Enterprise, Financial Management, Introductory Probability and Statistics, Computer Information Systems, Marketing Management, Operations Management, and Principles of Financial and Managerial Accounting. As is evident from this list, Computer Information Systems is the only required course with a technology focus. Elective courses are not identified in publicly available materials; therefore, it is not possible to determine the extent to which students can pursue further knowledge and skills in technology through electives.
Haas School of Business
At the Haas School of Business, students must complete 32 hours of upper-division core and elective courses. The core courses include Business Communication, Microeconomic Analysis for Business Decisions, Macroeconomic Analysis for Business Decisions, Introduction to Financial Accounting, Introduction to Managerial Accounting, Financial Management, Organizational Behavior, Marketing, and Social and Political Environment of Business. While none of the core courses are focused on technology, there are a total of five elective courses that are technology oriented, providing students with some opportunity to pursue technology-related study outside the required curriculum.
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