Business Administration & Management
As one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy, those who are supervisors and managers in the service industry have wide and varied choices in their career paths and in the industries they work.

What's Your Goal?
If your goal is to obtain technical knowledge and skills and the quickest route to entry-level employment, you should pursue the Associate in Applied Science in Business Administration/Management or the Retail Management Certificate.
If your goal is to transfer to a four-year college or university, you should complete an Associate of Business (DTA/MRP) degree. This degree will provide you with the preferred general education requirements, at a fraction of the cost, that will prepare you to pursue a bachelor’s degree in business. The Associate of Business degree focuses on foundational coursework in math, economics, and accounting to prepare you for junior and senior level classes in business program at a 4-year college or university.
If your goal is to earn the Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Management (BAS-AM) degree at Centralia College, you should pursue the Associate in Applied Science in Business Administration/Management.
- The AAS in Business Administration prepares students for supervisory and entry level positions in management in retail, hospitality, restaurants, and many more.
- The Retail Management Certificate prepares students for success in the retail industry. They are prepared to manage a variety of retail sale operations and to compete for positions as sales supervisors and sales managers.
- A bachelor's degree opens more opportunities in a wide variety of employment options available with a business degree, including but not limited to, general management, operations management, supply chain management, international management, human resource specialists, marketing specialists, financial analyst, and data analyst.
Student learning is central to the college’s mission. All associate of arts, associate of science, and MRP/DTA degrees are designed to provide experiences that lead to the attainment of general education outcomes as embodied in the following student learning competencies:
- Critical Analysis: the student effectively evaluates information and creates solutions through observation, reflection, reasoning, and experience.
- Communication: the student effectively conveys information and ideas by adapting their communication style to different situations and audiences when speaking, writing, and listening to others.
- Global Awareness & Cultural Competency: the student effectively engages with the multi-cultural world by studying the practices and perspectives of varying communities and cultures.
- Information Literacy: the student effectively engages in a reflective process of inquiry to find, evaluate, use, and ethically create content.
Degree: Associate in Business-Direct Transfer Agreement/Major Related Program
Emphasis: Business Administration
Total Credits: 90-98
The Associate in Business is designed for students intending to transfer to a four-year college or university to complete a bachelor's degree in business.
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Upon successful completion, students will have demonstrated the ability to:
- Prepare statements to monitor, evaluate, and assess financial performance of a business.
- Evaluate the performance of a business by using tools of pricing, promotion, product development, & distribution.
- Recognize and analyze how economic forces shape the environment of business and aid in decision making.
- Demonstrate the ability to apply acquired skills to workplace scenarios.
- Demonstrate human relations skills and professional behavior necessary for successful job performance.
- Apply rules of grammar, punctuation, and spelling to written communications.
- Define and compare and contrast characteristics and traits of leadership and management.
- Explain the importance and challenges of diversity, employee motivation, and employee engagement in the workplace.
- Identify and describe various forms of business ownership.
- Summarize basic laws in regard to business ownership, recruitment and hiring practices, OSHA, and liability.
- Explain communication, social responsibility, ethics, morals, and values as they relate to the workplace.
- Create a personal code of ethics and explain how it relates and impacts the workplace.
- Identify the impact of international business and explain various methods for a business to enter the global market.
- Describe the activities involved in each function of management and at various levels of management in the workplace.
Degree: Associate in Applied Science
Emphasis: Business Administration/Management
Total Credits: 91
The Associate in Applied Science with a Business Administration emphasis provides students with a broad exposure to the principles and philosophies of business and management. It will also satisfy the requirements necessary for students to pursue additional advanced degrees.
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Notes
- Students must choose 30 units of Recommended Business Electives:
- Any BUS course, up to 10 additional credits of ACCT courses, ENGL& 102 (C)*, MATH& 146 (M)*, 5 credits Natural Science w/lab (NS)*, and 10 credits Social Science (SS)* (*Indicates course options to fulfill BAS-AM general education requirements)
- ENGL& 101, MATH& 146, and ECON& 201 or 202 are BAS-AM program admission requirements.
- Students interested in fulfilling baccalaureate admissions requirements should seek the guidance of an advisor.
Upon successful completion, students will have demonstrated the ability to:
- Prepare statements to monitor, evaluate, and assess financial performance of a business.
- Evaluate the performance of a business by using tools of pricing, promotion, product development, & distribution.
- Recognize and analyze how economic forces shape the environment of business and aid in decision making.
- Demonstrate the ability to apply acquired skills to workplace scenarios.
- Demonstrate human relations skills and professional behavior necessary for successful job performance.
- Apply rules of grammar, punctuation, and spelling to written communications.
- Define and compare and contrast characteristics and traits of leadership and management.
- Explain the importance and challenges of diversity, employee motivation, and employee engagement in the workplace.
- Identify and describe various forms of business ownership.
- Summarize basic laws in regard to business ownership, recruitment and hiring practices, OSHA, and liability.
- Explain communication, social responsibility, ethics, morals, and values as they relate to the workplace.
- Create a personal code of ethics and explain how it relates and impacts the workplace.
- Identify the impact of international business and explain various methods for a business to enter the global market.
- Describe the activities involved in each function of management and at various levels of management in the workplace.
Degree: Certificate of Proficiency
Emphasis: Retail Management
Total Credits: 48
The Retail Management Certificate prepares current and future retail employees for success in the retail industry. Upon completion, students develop an understanding of the scope and requirements of retail management. Students are prepared to manage a variety of retail sale operations.
Certificate graduates may continue their studies by applying certificate course work towards the AAS degree in Business Administration/Management. The Retail Management certificate meets the needs of industry leaders such as the Western Association of Food Chains (WAFC).
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Business Administration (DTA/MRP)
The Associate in Business Administration transitions seamlessly to Centralia College's Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Management.
In addition, Centralia College has direct AA-degree transfer agreements with the following colleges:
- Bastyr University
- Central Washington University
- City University
- Cornish College of the Arts
- Eastern Washington University
- Gonzaga University
- Heritage University
- Northwest University
- Pacific Lutheran University
- Saint Martin’s University
- Seattle Pacific University
- Seattle University
- The Evergreen State College
- Trinity Lutheran College
- University of Washington
- Washington State University
- Western Washington University
- Whitworth College
AAS Business Administration/Management
- Centralia College Bachelor's of Applied Science in Applied Management
- The Evergreen State College
- Western Governors University
Note: The Associate in Applied Science - Business Administration/Management program is a job-training program meant to prepare students for the workforce. These credits are intended to provide students with career skills. Transferring these credits is limited. If you would like to continue your education elsewhere, you should earn the Business Administration (DTA/MRP).