An Overview of the College of Business and Economics
See the COBE Viewbook in a Flipbook
Bronco Business
Business school graduates are uniquely positioned to transform organizations, create value, strengthen communities and impact lives.
The College of Business and Economics (COBE) at Boise State University prepares its students to shape the world of tomorrow. While you earn a COBE degree, you will gain world-class business skills and competencies, and develop your teamwork, innovation and problem-solving abilities.
We Mean Business
At COBE, you will learn to conduct critical analysis, communicate effectively, formulate action plans, and have the opportunity to solve business and economics grand challenges. COBE alumni are known to have fulfilling careers as well as the skills and opportunities to improve lives and make positive change in the world.
Idaho Launch
Most COBE majors are included in Idaho Launch, a grant program aiming to prepare Idaho’s students for Idaho’s workforce needs. Idaho Launch provides students a onetime opportunity to have 80% of the tuition and fees at an eligible institution covered to a maximum amount of $8,000. Up to one-half of the initial grant award can be awarded in the first year of a program. To be eligible, a student must graduate from an Idaho high school, home school, or GED program in 2024, be an Idaho resident, enroll in a qualifying Idaho institution, and start their education the fall after graduation.
Learn more and apply here.
Starting Out Right
Start your journey with a unique and innovative class—Business for the New Generation. This class explores current business issues such as social responsibility, business ethics, sustainability, international business, and technology in business. The content of this course emphasizes strategy, teamwork, communication, problem solving and professional business etiquette, as students learn how to navigate and impact the ever-changing world of business.
“Shoutout to all my COBE professors, who helped me realize that while there are many great investments to make in the world, the best investment to make is in one’s knowledge.” — Brian Wilkerson, Finance
Living Learning Community
Unlock your potential for lifelong success with the COBE Living Learning Community at Boise State University. Join a dynamic cohort of motivated, first-year business students and embark on a transformative journey that combines academic excellence, leadership development, and career exploration. Discover your passion, build essential skills and connect with industry professionals, all within a supportive and close-knit community. Don’t miss out—apply early as space is limited.
Learn more about the COBE Living Learning Community.
The Micron Business and Economics Building
A Beautiful Place to Learn
COBE is housed inside the beautiful Micron Business and Economics Building (MBEB). Here, COBE students can find everything they need to succeed and thrive—a café to keep you fueled throughout the day, 26 team rooms for working on group projects or solo study sessions, a vibrant, open commons area and a beautiful plaza, all with plenty of space for individual study, or just to hangout. MBEB is the perfect home away from home for COBE students.
“The first time I was in the Micron Business and Economics Building, I felt like I was upping my game. The building has a sense of professionalism while also being very welcoming. I knew it would be a place where if I needed help throughout my college career, I could receive it.”—Allison Duggan, marketing, Bend, Oregon
Business-Specific Academic and Career Advising
COBE is also home to its very own Advising Services, where you will work with skilled academic advisors to explore major opportunities, develop a strategic academic plan and find exciting ways for you to grow both professionally and personally, all so you can be more successful at Boise State and beyond. COBE’s academic advisors will guide you through course selection and scheduling, as well as the COBE admissions process. We will help you navigate degree requirements, university policies and procedures and coach you to graduation. COBE Career Services offers business-focused, student-centered advice. Our career-coaching staff will help you one-on-one to prepare resumes, practice interviews, find internships and jobs, and network with business professionals. COBE is the only college at Boise State—and the only business school in Idaho—to have embedded career services.
We Bring Employers to You
Along with career workshop series, career treks and networking events, COBE Career Services brings companies to campus to actively recruit students. Business professionals participate in events such as classroom panel discussions, career fairs, mentorship programs, professional dinners and networking socials.
Our Academic Degree Programs
COBE’s innovative and in-demand academic programs provide our students with an education that is both challenging and rewarding.
In the classroom, our students are receiving an innovative, hands-on education from COBE’s dedicated, nationally recognized faculty. Here, we incorporate the ideals of business ethics into academic activities and curricula while engaging learning opportunities challenge students and provide them with an invaluable academic experience. COBE graduates leave the college with solid, world-ready business knowledge ready to excel as professionals.
Accountancy
COBE’s accountancy program is built on the strength of academic integrity, strong community bonds and student involvement. With an accounting major, you can have a career in a growing profession with a strong entry-level job market, opportunity for rapid advancement and a backstage pass to the business world. Accountants are trusted business advisors that leverage their technical and analytical skills to help organizations run efficiently. Answering the industry demand, we are enhancing our curriculum with data analytics. Students will be well prepared to use data to understand clients’ whole businesses and anticipate needs. The Department of Accountancy has strong ties with accounting professionals that we leverage for the benefit of students.
Beta Alpha Psi
Beta Alpha Psi is an award-winning international honor organization for financial information students and professionals. BAP membership gives students opportunities for leadership, service, teamwork, camaraderie and professional development. One of Boise State BAP’s crowning achievements is the annual Get to Know CFOs event. In partnership with the Treasure Valley CFO Forum, this event exposes students to financial executives’ secrets of success. Students gain networking experience interacting one-on-one with C-suite leaders from financial services, accounting, banking, healthcare and manufacturing.
Business Administration
Learn critical management skills—strategic planning, teamwork, leadership and more. You will dive into topics on business law, building a workforce, global markets and corporate social responsibility. Wide varieties of employment opportunities are possible with a business administration degree in hand. The business administration major provides a broad curriculum for students who want experiences in several functional areas. You will develop the competencies to become a business leader and decision maker. You will gain communication and analytic skills to make informed business decisions. A broad range of business knowledge prepares you for a career in a variety of areas.
Business and Economic Analytics
Would you like to help a business by analyzing data to discover the paths for growth? Business and economic analysts identify and describe business problems and opportunities by using analytical tools to formulate statistical models. A degree in business and economic analytics will give you the skill set necessary to turn big data into actionable information to make strategic decisions. Every industry needs this type of analysis in order to succeed in and adapt to ever-changing business environments.
Business and Economic Analytics
Economics
Economists study how people and societies decide what goods and services to produce, how to allocate resources for production and how to divide the income created in the process. Economics courses deal with national economic health and the behavior of industries and individual firms, as well as the decisions made by individuals in households and families. Economists have the opportunity to guide companies in critical business decisions, influence politicians at all levels of government, address social problems and affect positive change in people’s material wellbeing.
Entrepreneurship Management
Learn the valuable entrepreneurial skills you need to launch a new venture, lead a growing business or manage a family-owned or small business. The program helps you develop the skill and competencies for problem solving, opportunity assessment, marketing, funding and leadership. Your entrepreneurial abilities will help you with your own business or be a big plus with an employer.
Finance
Finance classes emphasize pragmatic applications of current financial decision-making theory in a changing global environment. As a finance student, you will develop important financial competencies such as cash flow analysis and financial risk estimation and you’ll have access to a wealth of technological tools.
Trading Room and Student Managed Funds
The Dykman Financial Trading Room houses nine individually licensed Bloomberg terminals. Available databases provide hands-on experience with powerful financial management applications. You can use the same cutting-edge data, research, analytics and news that industry professionals employ. The room has an exciting Wall Street atmosphere with an electronic stock ticker streaming the latest market activity. Students stay abreast of rapidly changing financial market conditions and make investment decisions with real money in the student managed funds.
Experience High Finance in New York City
Annually, the Financial Management Association (FMA) student organization travels to New York City. Students immerse themselves in the world of high finance and learn about cutting-edge solutions to current issues involving financial systems. Students visit iconic organizations like Bloomberg,
Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan. “Being in New York was a highlight of my collegiate career,” said student Roxy Herron. “Students should capitalize on these opportunities and they will develop professionally and personally.”
Human Resource Management
Human resource management is one of the fastest growing careers in the world today. HR professionals help manage an organization’s most important assets—people—by creating policies and practices that influence employees’ behavior and performance. HR professionals are not only employee champions but also act as administrative experts, change agents and strategic partners. You will learn talent management, problem solving, change management, strategic HR planning (including recruitment, selection, compensation and training) and decision-making skills.
Human Resource Management
Interested in a career in human resources?
The Boise State chapter of the Human Resource Association (HRA) is a student organization focused on the HR field with opportunities for mentoring, networking and experience. They are Merit Award winners through the National Society for HR Management, the world’s largest association of HR professionals.
Information Technology Management
ITM is the application of technology to solve business problems in every facet of the organization. ITM graduates are highly in demand, with management analyst jobs expected to grow 10% through 2032. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Business Analytics Service Experience (BASE) Are you interested in working with nonprofits? Hosted by the Department of Information Technology and Supply Chain Management, BASE is a student group that offers students the opportunity to learn and apply data skills for nonprofits and partners in local communities. Each semester, students in BASE choose teams and projects where they gain valuable real-world experience by using data skills to solve problems and complete projects.
Information Technology Management
International Business
Breaking new ground with international internships and global partnerships. Many of the most dramatic changes in the business landscape come from the globalization of markets and supply chains. As an international business major, you will study both traditional business areas such as management, marketing and finance in an international context as well as gain a basic mastery of history, political science and language courses—all of which makes international business a uniquely strong interdisciplinary degree. Furthermore, you will complete an international business career experience and are strongly encouraged to take advantage of our many study abroad options. International business will prepare you to solve global challenges both in business and society as a whole.
“The College of Business and Economics has played a pivotal role in my academic path and career. From growing my interest in Asia to supporting my graduate school applications, the international business program truly changed my life. I could not have asked for more supportive and erudite professors.” — Greg Wischer, BBA international business ’20, from Grand Forks, North Dakota
Management (Online)
The online Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Management degree is designed for working adults and other non-traditional students who want to advance their careers and build on prior college and professional experience. Online BBA students cultivate the skills necessary to be effective, ethical leaders and managers.
Interested in Hospitality?
COBE’s Resort and Hospitality Management program is the first university-level hospitality degree in the state of Idaho. Students in this program will learn how to become a leader in the thriving hospitality industry with courses that develop leadership, financial and management skills. The program can also be completed fully online, either as an emphasis for the Online Management BBA, or in just one year as a certificate.
Marketing
Does a career managing a brand or introducing new products and services into the marketplace interest you? Or are you interested in a career in advertising, digital marketing, or social media promotions? Students majoring in marketing can choose a concentration in brand and product marketing or marketing communications that will lead to a rewarding career in the dynamic field of marketing.
Run an Ad Agency
Put your marketing knowledge to the test in our Advertising Agency Management courses. Be part of a team that creates a functioning advertising agency with local advertising professionals as your instructors. Develop an integrated marketing campaign for a real client and pitch to that client in a competition with other northwestern universities.
Supply Chain Management
Do cutting-edge business processes like using drones to deliver packages fascinate you? If so, supply chain management may be for you. Supply chain professionals focus on the important and rewarding managerial activities required to design, plan, produce, distribute and support goods and services around the globe. The Supply Chain Management program at Boise State has a reputation for being one of the most comprehensive and respected programs in the Pacific Northwest.
Johannes de Quant was selected to participate in a project with Micron. After the project de Quant was hired at Micron.
“The experience the project gave me was instrumental in my growth as a career professional. It allowed me to apply the knowledge I learned throughout the course of my major in a professional setting.” —Johannes de Quant
Degrees at a Glance
BBA: Bachelor of Business Administration, B.S.: Bachelor of Science, B.A.: Bachelor of Arts. Salary information is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, bls.gov/oes/current/oes_stru.htm. Salaries shown are for mid- to late-careers and may vary depending on geographic location and experience.| Degree | If you like to ... | A sample of the careers and average mid-late salaries |
|---|---|---|
| Accountancy, BBA | • Solve problems • Work with money • Work with numbers • Analyze finances • Catch errors | • Financial managers | $177,880 • Financial analysts | $97,310 • Accountants and auditors | $91,140 • Bookkeeping and auditing clerks | $46,690 |
| Business Administration, BBA | • Lead others • Organize • Problem solve • Have career options • Develop skills in many areas | • General managers | $185,320 • Credit analysts | $97,340 • Business operations specialists | $89,460 • Buyers and purchasing agents | $86,440 • Labor relations specialists | $107,400 • Payroll and timekeeping clerks | $56,390 |
| Business Economics, BBA Economics, B.A. | • Think critically • Analyze and interpret data • Propose solutions • Learn about how the world works • Work in many different fields | • Economists | $144,610 • Management occupations | $173,020 • Economics teachers postsecondary | $127,410 • Financial analysts | $97,310 • Insurance underwriters | $76,660 • Advertising sales agents | $143,730 |
| Entrepreneurship Management, BBA | • Be your own boss • Work with people • Generate ideas • Be creative | • Top executives | $207,340 • Purchasing managers | $162,390 • Training and development managers | $143,060 • Business operations specialists | $89,460 |
| Finance, BBA | • Make decisions • Work with money • Work with numbers • Analyze • Think critically | • Financial analysts | $197,310 • Securities commodities and financial services sales agents | $120,450 • Financial examiners | $97,500 • Budget analysts | $77,780 • Credit counselors | $40,380 |
| Human Resource Management, BBA | • Work with people • Organize • Help people • Improve organizations | • Compensation and benefits managers | $160,940 • Human resources managers | $163,760 • Training and development managers | $143,060 • Human resources assistants | $46,680 • Payroll and timekeeping clerks | $56,390 |
| Information Technology Management, BBA | • Lead others • Solve problems • Think critically and creatively • Implement technology | • Information systems managers | $173,200 • Computer network architects | $127,320 • Information security analysts | $117,520 • Computer systems analysts | $110,050 • Database administrators | $107,770 • Web developers | $95,930 |
| International Business, BBA | • Lead others • Make decisions • Travel the world • Work with people of other cultures • Learn new cultures | • Sales managers | $169,850 • Financial analysts | $97,310 • Operations research analysts | $99,730 • Logisticians | $86,180 • Training and development specialists | $79,990 • Meeting convention and event planners | $75,960 |
| Marketing, BBA | • Think creatively • Work with people • Design sales promotions • Communicate with customers | • Marketing managers | $169,380 • Advertising and promotions managers | $162,570 • Market research analysts and marketing specialists | $92,240 • Public relations specialists | $88,860 |
| Supply Chain Management, BBA | • Use data to solve problems • Tackle new challenges every day • Analyze and improve business processes | • Industrial production managers | $159,230 • Transportation storage managers | $146,980 • Buyers and purchasing agents | $86,440 • Production occupations | $60,980 |
Other Things
COBE’s investment in student success just doesn’t stop. Here are resources, opportunities and such.
The Thompson Family Writing Lab
The Thompson Family Writing Lab is a satellite of the Boise State Writing Center, conveniently located in MBEB on the first floor and has drop-in hours. It helps students advance their careers by developing strong and effective writing and communication skills.
Bronco Corps Internships
COBE students can take advantage of the Bronco Corps internship program, which provides students with paid internships. Bronco Corps connects COBE students with local small businesses and nonprofits, allowing COBE students to gain real-world experience while working on high-need community projects.
Get Involved with a Student Organization for Early Business Connections
Alpha Kappa Psi, a co-ed business fraternity, is recognized as the premier developer of principled business leaders. Membership is lifelong and rewarding. Join the more than 298,000 members and alumni worldwide who are dedicated to helping one another achieve academic excellence and succeed in their careers.
Business Professionals of America prepares members to contribute to the world-class workforce through the advancement of leadership, citizenship, academic and technological skills. See other student organizations here.
Meet the Students
Our viewbook features seven students (some are now alumni) and their affiliation with COBE and a glimpse into their achievements.
No Minor Thing
Adding a business-related minor gives you a major competitive edge in the job market and skill sets employers want and need. Minors are available in most our business subjects and also in industrial engineering, nonprofit management and sustainability.
Certificates are available in business analytics, business creation, business prep and resort and hospitality management.
Not Planning to Major in Business? Add +Business to Your Major
Add a +Business certificate or minor to complement your major field of study. You will gain business competencies and develop knowledge and skills which will help you succeed in any career.
Learn More—Go to Grad School
Continue your education in a graduate program at the College of Business and Economics at Boise State University.