Students with no previous keyboarding instruction are advised to take Beginning Keyboarding and Formatting in the summer session in order to be able to follow the fall-spring sequence of courses. All students in the Business Office Technology associate degree programs must fulfill these General Education Requirements. Please see course description pages for details on each course. A career as an administrative assistant requires preparation in business skills and an acquisition of general background information and administrative capability. Skills include those techniques, e.g., keyboarding, records management, word processing, that must be mastered to achieve competence in basic office work.
General background is acquired from liberal arts courses and business courses.
Administrative capability involves the knowledge and use of problem-solving techniques by the office professional. The foreign language option affords students the opportunity to begin or continue the study of Italian, French, or Spanish while perfecting their administrative skills. The duties of a legal administrative assistant vary considerably depending on the specialty of the law office. Knowledge of legal terminology is essential to anyone who plans a career as a legal administrative assistant. The duties of a medical administrative assistant will vary from one doctor s specialty to another, and within the confines of a hospital or clinic.