Welcome to Career Corner, a regular feature in Cougar News which highlights workforce programs at Collin College. Today, we are looking at business management.
According to Jim Gilbert, discipline lead for business management, the classes in this degree program can benefit virtually any student.
“It doesn’t matter if you are an electrical or mechanical engineer, a doctor, or an attorney, you have to have management skills,” Gilbert said. “Today’s industry leaders come to us asking for students who have soft skills, students who can think critically, serve as team players, and communicate well with others. Ethics is also a big focus for the corporate world today, and people with business management degrees can work in risk management and ethics positions.”
Gilbert has managed people for most of his life. In fact, it was a mere six months before he was managing people at his first job after serving as an E4 in the U.S. Air Force. With more than 40 years of business experience, Gilbert believes students should have the opportunity to interact with business leaders, so he takes students to the college’s business advisory committee meetings.
“Throughout the semester, I bring in five or six industry executives to speak with students,” Gilbert said. “This reinforces what they learn in the classroom. I also take classes to corporate locations for presentations and company tours. This provides students with real-world experience.”
A store manager for a farm and ranch store in McKinney, Collin College student Julie Ramirez loves working in retail and helping customers.
“Collin College’s business management classes are very helpful,” Ramirez said. “I take the knowledge I learn and use it every day. I’ve learned how to truly lead and delegate and how to avoid micromanaging.”
Ramirez said she appreciates the fact that the professors use real life scenarios in their lectures. She also enjoys the varied class times and the diversity of the students in the classes.
“The business management program works for every type of student,” Ramirez said. “I am a mother and work a 50-hour work week. There are classes offered during the day and at night. That works for people in job settings. Also, the classes have students with different cultural backgrounds, and you learn from the students as well as the professors.”
The college has many partnerships with area universities, and students can continue their education and earn bachelor’s degrees in business on two Collin College campuses. Students can earn a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The University of Texas at Dallas at the Collin Higher Education Center (CHEC) as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration in General Business, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Analytics, and a Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness from Texas A&M University-Commerce at the Frisco Campus (Preston Ridge). For more information about upper-level business degrees at the CHEC, click here. For more information about upper-level business degrees at the college’s campus in Frisco, click here.
This spring Collin College will offer two new bachelor’s degrees: a Bachelor of Applied Technology in Cybersecurity (BAT) and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). For more information about the BAT, click here. For more information about the BSN, click here.
Career Facts
First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers
- Average Salary: $85,600*
- 8% growth*
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
- Average Salary: $63,600*
- 2% growth*
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers
- Average Salary: $68,200*
- 1% growth*
Social and Human Service Assistants
- Average Salary: $40,600*
- 6% growth*
Program Options
Business Management Associate of Applied Science degree
Business Management Track (60 credit hours)
Certificate Level 1 – Business Management (18 credit hours)
Human Resources Management Track (60 credit hours)
Certificate Level 1 – Human Resources Management (18 credit hours)
The Collin College business management degree provides students with the ability to relate with others, the skills to work in teams, the knowledge to initiate change, and the experience to solve problems in the workplace. The business management program is currently available at all three main Collin College campuses in Frisco, McKinney, and Plano. In fall 2020, it will also be available at the new Wylie Campus.
For more information, visit www.collin.edu/department/business/, email Jim Gilbert at jegilbert@collin.edu or email workforce-programs@collin.edu.
For more information about workforce programs, check out the information sheets at www.collin.edu/academics/info/ or visit www.collin.edu/academics.
* Job growth projected from 2019-2025. Data obtained from JobsEQ (Collin County), O*NET,
and Workforce Solutions of North Central Texas.
Note: The earning potential for employees with certifications and associate of applied science
degrees may exceed the average salary