Business, Organizations & Society

Business, Organizations & Society (BOS) is a major at F&M. By studying BOS at F&M, you’ll get a broad understanding of the roles organizations play in society as well as management philosophies, processes, styles, and the dynamics between theory and practice. 

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. 

In order to major in BOS, you'll first need to apply to the department since the number of students in the program is capped.

Curious to learn more about BOS classes? Explore our course catalog to see what’s available to you.

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. In addition to courses in entrepreneurship, there are several supporting programs, including: 

• The F&M Incubator, which offers opportunities for students to bring their creative solutions to life. You’ll work in a team and you may receive mentoring, specialized support, and/or project funding. You’ll also attend a series of workshops on customer identification, design thinking, marketing and legal considerations, and other topics.  
• A summer entrepreneurship experience during which you’ll earn course credit and gain real-world experience for your resume while discovering and mastering the entrepreneurial skills needed to bring innovation to any organization. You’ll be matched as a paid intern with sponsoring startups, entrepreneurs, and other organizations that are looking to innovate or disrupt the status quo across a variety of industries.
• Workshops that introduce, discuss, or focus on entrepreneurship methods and insight
• Events featuring F&M alumni and members of the wider community who have changed the status quo in all sectors of the economy and society

Explore entrepreneurship at F&M 

Internships for Credit

What better way to put your earned skills to the test than with an internship? By completing an internship for credit, you can add valuable experience to your resume while earning a credit toward your degree. 
Explore internships at F&M

Research Opportunities and Independent Studies

Every student at F&M has extraordinary opportunities to engage in independent or faculty-led research. BOS faculty are expert researchers on a wide array of business topics, including: accounting, finance, investment portfolios, international business, law, management, markets, marketing, human resources, organizational behavior, sustainability, and more. 
Explore research at F&M

Off-Campus Study

Off-campus study, in the U.S. and internationally, is encouraged. F&M students have studied abroad in Spain, Italy, France, China, England, Ireland, and much more.
Explore off-campus study at F&M

Earn Master of Human Resource Management

In partnership with Rutgers University, this program allows F&M graduates with a bachelor’s degree in Business, Organization and Society (BOS) or the relevant eligible F&M courses to earn a Master of Human Resources Management (MHRM).

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.

What happens when you graduate with a liberal arts degree in BOS? A world of opportunities awaits.

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 hold positions such as:

• Account Coordinator
• 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 Advisor
• Investment Banking Analyst
• Lawyer
• Marketing Associate
• Marketing Manager
• Paralegal
• Recruiter
• Research Associate
• Social Media and Marketing Coordinator
• Trade Analyst