The curriculum and activities required in this program focus on the technical and managerial skills students need to start a new business or join an organization as an agent of change and new development. Working closely with PEI faculty and advisors from the corporate community, entrepreneurial undergraduates run an import-export business clinic and participate in a business plan competition where their plans are judged by a panel of venture capitalists, bankers, and investors. Some students have businesses up and running prior to graduation. Admission is open to students throughout the University of Washington, both undergraduates and graduate students. Retail growth in recent years has created a high demand for qualified retail managers.
Admission is selective.
Informal Areas of Concentration Finance Finance addresses the investment and funding decisions of business firms, the portfolio decisions of individuals, and the institutional and financial market environment in which these decision-makers operate. Topics include securities markets, portfolio analysis, firm investment policy, firm financing, and business acquisitions. Courses in finance prepare students for careers with financial institutions, in the finance departments of major corporations, and with consulting firms. Students who focus on international business may go on to careers in international banks, export and import firms, and other multinational business enterprises, as well as to positions with government agencies and other international organizations. Marketing The marketing curriculum emphasizes the planning, implementation, and evaluation of strategies to research markets, develop products, determine prices, establish distribution systems, communicate to customers, and convince customers to purchase products or services.