Business, Organizations & Society
About Business, Organizations & Society
Our Program and Courses
By the time you graduate, you will have developed:
- Analytical reasoning, or the ability to take descriptive material and draw conclusions more generally about a particular phenomenon. This includes identifying appropriate analytical techniques to solve business problems, recognizing and critically analyzing ethical issues, conducting a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis in a business context, and more.
- Practical reasoning, or the ability to draw upon business, financial, and ethical theories and techniques; consider how these affect the individual; and understand how the individual’s decisions affect businesses, organizations, and society.
- Multiple framing, or the ability to effectively argue more than one side of an issue or conflict. You’ll have confidence in comparing the shareholder to the stakeholder perspective, developing and considering the viability of multiple solutions for a problem, and more.
- Reflective exploration of meaning, or the ability to reflect on how class material affects the individual, and how the individual’s decision affects the firm and society. This can range from identifying a business decision’s potential impacts on environmental sustainability to considering the impact a particular understanding or approach has on who you are or how you engage with the world.
Learning Outside the Classroom
Your ideas may start in the classroom, but they won’t be contained there. Discover how, by studying BOS at F&M, you can connect the things you care about to meaningful experiences.
Student-Managed Investment Portfolio (SMIP)
Get real-world portfolio management experience with the Student-Managed Investment Portfolio (SMIP). SMIP is a portfolio of stocks students exclusively and collectively manage in the portfolio management course (BOS 363). A share of the funds generated by SMIP are used to provide financial assistance for F&M students.
Entrepreneurship at F&M
In the spirit of living up to Benjamin Franklin’s legacy of creating solutions in the service of the public good, Entrepreneurship at F&M is a program that offers exciting opportunities for all students to explore and develop entrepreneurial skills.
Explore entrepreneurship at F&M
Internships for Credit
Gain experience now and a competitive advantage later. Internships not only enrich
your academic journey, but also allow you to immerse yourself in the day-to-day life
of your field prior to entering the workforce. These short-term work experiences help
you identify the careers and industries that best fit your distinctive talents and
goals, while making you a more competitive applicant in the job market. You can even
submit an application to earn academic credit for your internship experience.
Explore internships at F&M
Research and Independent Studies
At F&M, you’ll work and learn side-by-side with faculty to test your ideas — not just
read or talk about them. BOS faculty are expert researchers on a wide array of business
topics, including accounting, finance, investment portfolios, international business,
law, management, marketing, human resources, organizational behavior, sustainability,
and more. You can also create and lead an independent study in close collaboration
with a faculty member.
Explore research at F&M
Off-Campus Study
Travel the globe to become a well-rounded scholar and person. Studying off campus gives you extraordinary opportunities to encounter, engage with, and understand perspectives around the world, strengthening your ability to live and work in our global society.
Off-campus study experiences aren’t simply time away from campus; they’re meaningfully
woven into your entire academic journey. You will work with your academic adviser
and your off-campus study adviser for a full year to craft an experience that complements
your F&M degree and goals.
Explore off-campus study at F&M
Dual Degree Programs
Earn Master of Human Resource Management
In partnership with Rutgers University, this program allows F&M graduates with a bachelor’s degree in business, organizations and society (BOS) or the relevant eligible F&M courses to earn credits toward a master of human resources management (MHRM). Up to five of the Rutgers MHRM’s 16 courses will be waived if students have had similar courses at F&M and earned a B or better in those courses.
Earn Master of Science in Accounting
Through partnerships with Wake Forest University, Vanderbilt University, and New York University, F&M students of any major are eligible to complete both a bachelor's degree at F&M and a master of science (accounting) over the span of five years. After completing four years at F&M, students apply for admission at the respective graduate program, and then complete one full year at that institution. At the end of the five-year experience, students will be eligible to sit for the CPA exam. If you enroll at Wake Forest University or Vanderbilt University, you will receive a minimum of $10,000 / semester tuition scholarship. At the end of the five-year experience, you will be eligible to sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam.
Success Beyond F&M
The tremendous success of F&M graduates demonstrates the tangible value of an F&M degree when compared to national outcomes. Within six months after graduation, 92% of the Class of 2024 were either employed or furthering their education. This is higher than the national average, which is typically in the mid-80% range.
Graduate School
BOS graduates have gone on to study law, while others have pursued advanced degrees in business at University of Pennsylvania, Villanova University, Columbia University, Cornell University, and Drexel University.
Career Paths
BOS majors are prepared for careers in a wide array of industries. Many obtain positions in education, business, banking, government, and law. They work at companies such as:
- Goldman Sachs
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- Bloomberg Philanthropies
- The Baltimore Orioles
- The Vanguard Group
They hold positions such as:
- Account Director
- Accountant
- Assistant Vice President
- Banking Director
- CEO
- Chief Financial Officer
- Chief Operating Officer
- Client Relationship Associate
- Data Analyst
- Director of Human Resources
- Financial Adviser
- Investment Banking Analyst
- Lawyer
- Marketing Director
- Paralegal
- Social Media and Marketing Director
- Trade Analyst
Center for Career and Professional Development
F&M’s Center for Career and Professional Development offers targeted, expert guidance
while you discover your professional calling and develop the skills you need to succeed.
Our career guidance is structured through “career communities” – dynamic groups aligned
with specific industries that transform your aspirations into clear options, meaningful
opportunities, and a network of support. Among these, our Business & Finance career
community offers a wealth of resources tailored to help you lead with vision, drive
success, and bring transformative ideas to life.
Learn more
Student Spotlight
“There’s so much opportunity at F&M.”
A two-week research project helped Elshaday Melakamu ’26 connect with a professor and eventually led her to present at a conference for the Academy of Management, a prestigious management association with 20,000 members in 120 countries. “There’s so much opportunity at F&M,” Melakamu said. “That classes are really small helps to build relationships with professors. That’s how I got to know Professor Kurland really well. I emailed her and told her my interest, we got connected, and I started working on the project.” Business, Organizations and Society Professor Nancy Kurland submitted a paper based on their research collaboration, which was accepted for presentation at the conference. “I have never heard of an undergraduate student attending, let alone presenting, at this conference,” Kurland said. “So it is a big deal that Elshaday did.”Read More »
Alumni Spotlight
A BOS Lawyer
Alysse Danyi ’23 always knew she wanted to study business in college. “One reason why I chose F&M was because of the BOS major,” she said. “I was drawn to F&M’s unique liberal arts approach to business.” Danyi crafted a major in business, public policy, and German, a unique blend that led her to post-graduate success pursuing a Juris Doctor at Villanova University. “My incredible professors, my research experience in the BOS department, and F&M's rigorous liberal arts education prepared me well to critically analyze policy issues and formulate credible, convincing arguments…both of which are important skills for learning and applying the law,” she said.Read More »
Related Fields of Study
Economics
Economics is a social science that focuses on the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. By studying economics at F&M, you’ll develop a framework for understanding how the economy works, its shortcomings and how to remedy them, and broaden your perspective of how the economy influences daily lives in all corners of the world.
Mathematics
The study of mathematics is ancient, and its roots in clear and creative thought can still be seen today. While studying mathematics at F&M, you will learn both the fundamental foundations and theories of the field as well as how to apply these theories to real-life problems.
Social Entrepreneurship (Certificate)
Are you interested in having a positive impact on the world around you? F&M’s social entrepreneurship certificate leverages best practices in innovation, social change, and startups to address the social issues that matter most to you.
BOS in Action
September 3, 2025
F&M Faculty Promotions Recognize Excellence
Our faculty are at the core of what makes F&M extraordinary. Four faculty members have received promotions and seven have earned endowed chair appointments for distinctive scholarship, exemplary teaching, and commitment to the College.
August 5, 2025
Nicolas Rios ’23 Brings the Liberal Arts to Goldman Sachs
“At F&M, I wasn’t just learning what to think—I was learning how to think,” said Nicolas Rios ’23. “That ability to analyze, adapt and connect ideas across disciplines has been incredibly valuable in the workforce.” Rios, a business, organizations and society graduate, is now an analyst at Goldman Sachs.
July 10, 2025
F&M to FBI: How Kristopher Martinez ’24 Embraced an Unexpected Opportunity
For Kristopher Martinez ’24, F&M wasn’t just a place to study business and government — here, he could live it, question it, and grow through it. Martinez said this immersive experience not only fostered skills in critical thinking, communication, and leadership, but instilled the confidence he needed to embrace unexpected opportunities — such as landing a role as a contract specialist with the FBI. “F&M gave me skills that have been essential in the start of my career,” he said. “I credit F&M for challenging me and allowing me to see untapped opportunities.”