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To Our Visitors: A major strength of the College of Business and Economics is its ability to build upon a recognized strong, traditional business program while responding to the dynamic information based global environment of the 21st Century. As the needs in the marketplace change, the ingredients necessary for success must reflect these new requirements. Lehigh University's College of Business and Economics answers this call with both its undergraduate and graduate curricula. Examples of innovative programs include: business information systems, supply chain management, and the Integrated Business and Engineering Honors program at the undergraduate level. At the graduate level, the MBA program includes a joint MBA & Engineering program, as well as an MBA and Educational Leadership degree program. We also offer concentrations focusing on information technology and supply chain management. Inherent in these programs is the concept of "partnering" on various levels. The CBE curriculum recognizes the importance of partnering across academic disciplines in the educational program within the College. Business operates in cross-functional teams and therefore we must as well. At the undergraduate level, for example, we offer an integrated cross-disciplinary Introduction to Business course for freshmen. Nike is used as the case study where students apply concepts ranging from financial analysis for decision-making and marketing, to logistics and information systems, to developing business plans for new Nike-related products. At the MBA level, we have interdisciplinary coursework leading to positions in consulting, e-commerce, and supply chain management. The MBA capstone experience is flexible to meet the career needs of our students. It may include cross-functional teams of students serving as consultants to a fee paying company to address an important managerial problem. Partnering is also exercised across academic units within the University. At Lehigh University, we not only have an environment that encourages and facilitates joint programs, but we have natural partnering opportunities. In addition to the Integrated Business and Engineering (IBE) Honors program on the undergraduate level and the MBA and Engineering and MBA and Educational Leadership joint degree programs, we also offer unique opportunities such as the Integrated Product Development (IPD) program. This experience joins students from the three colleges to develop new products from conceptualization to commercialization. This concept of partnering extends beyond the College of Business and Economics and Lehigh University to the business community. Our alumni and corporate contacts are crucial in providing meaningful summer paid internships and full-time employment opportunities. The level of career preparation offered at Lehigh University can be found in a recent survey of 1999 graduates of the College of Business and Economics. Within six months of graduating, CBE undergraduate alumni had attained a 97 percent placement rate. The average starting salary for these graduates was 10 percent higher than the national average. On-campus MBA interviews included companies such as Lucent, Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan, AT&T, Conrise Technology, IBM, Bethlehem Steel and Johnson & Johnson, to mention only a few. Students who mean business about their careers, learning and partnering will find the programs offered by the College of Business and Economics the perfect fit. Please browse through our course offerings, faculty web pages, and special programs. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. Richard M. Durand
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