Undergraduate students now have the option of declaring an interdisciplinary major that combines aspects of business and language studies - the Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and language and cultural studies.
Two faculty members - Jesse Boeding, director of undergraduate programs for the Kogod School of Business, and Alina Israeli, a College of Arts and Sciences professor - co-wrote the degree, which became available the beginning of the fall 2007 semester.
The new undergraduate major allows students to combine core business courses with a specialization in one of four languages. Students majoring in business administration and language and cultural studies may specialize in German, French, Russian or Spanish, according to information on Kogod's Web site.
"These are the only four languages offered as majors on campus," Boeding said in an e-mail. "You need to have the equivalent of a major in credits to complete [business administration and language and cultural studies]. If other language majors are added to [the AU curriculum], they will be considered for this program."
It is the first major AU offers that requires students to study abroad for a semester in a country where citizens commonly speak the student's concentration language, according to Boeding.
The program could be a gateway for other schools to begin requiring their students to go abroad, said Sarah Husseini, a sophomore in the School of International Service.
"I think it's amazing, especially with business and culture," she said. "I think a semester abroad should be required with any major."
Students must complete at least 33 credit hours in business core courses and 32 credit hours in foreign languages. A business administration and language and culture major is required to take at least 12 credit hours in a foreign language during his semester abroad. Students in the major must also take a minimum of six credits of business classes held in a foreign language at AU or a Kogod-approved institution, according to the Web site.
Due to the demanding nature of the requirements, the major is only a viable option for current freshmen, Boeding said.
Eight students are currently business administration and language and cultural studies majors, according to Boeding.
Interdisciplinary major programs were a great way to get more out of education at AU, said Roman Ryan, a sophomore in the Kogod School of Business and the School of International Service.
"Especially in business and international relations, both have components of the other," he said.
The new major is not AU's first interdisciplinary degree program. The School of Public Affairs offers a communication, law, economics and government degree, commonly known as CLEG, according to information on the School of Public Affairs' Web site.
The School of Communication also offers students an interdisciplinary major, which combines aspects of the school's journalism, film and media studies or public communication programs with a concentration in one of the four major languages taught at AU, according to the SOC Web site.
Interdisciplinary degrees offer a well-rounded, more diverse skill set for the future, said Daniel Doll, a sophomore in the CLEG program.
"They don't keep you pinned in one specific field," he said. "You have more trade opportunities."
Mark Clark, an associate professor in Kogod, said there has always been an interdisciplinary foundation within the school, but that he would prefer to see students become well-rounded rather than overspecialized.
"Let's not abandon the liberal arts system," he said. "Instead, let's pair it with professional programs and do it in such a way that students come out well-rounded and ready for the working world"