The Anderson Graduate School of Management

The Undergraduate Business Program has partnered with the UCR Career Center to bring its students the following resources:

• A Career Center counselor available in Olmsted 2340 Tuesday mornings and Wednesday afternoons
• customized quarterly workshops
• a Career Leader
• employer networking
• industry panels

Visit the Undergraduate Business Professional Development Partnership Web page to learn more.

Effective managers are needed at all levels of business, industry and government - from first line supervisors to top executives - to plan and direct the work of the organization, set policy, establish channels of communication, and evaluate the work that is done.

Entry-level opportunities for business graduates are categorized by the following functional areas: accounting and finance; personnel/administration; marketing and sales; and production operations.

Within the area of accounting and finance, a broad range of positions exists whose primary function is that of analysis. Examples of position titles are financial, budget, credit, cost, methods, and statistical analyst. Financial analysts study trends and assess economic performance of individual firms or whole industries. Cost analysts study costs involved in manufacturing, construction, or services provided to develop and establish standard hour and related cost data or effect cost reductions.

Administration comprises activities that are primarily non-technical in nature. In corporations, they are usually performed at headquarters staff locations since they are corporate-wide functions serving all areas of the company. Administrative activities include materials management, contract administration, and human resources. Materials management involves controlling the flow of materials from purchase of raw materials to final delivery of products to customers. Purchasing or procurement of goods and services, transportation to production facilities and distribution centers, packaging, and distribution to warehouses and customers are all activities included in this area. Contract administration entails supervising the details of a contract once it has been awarded. On the industry side, the contract administrator serves as the customer liaison for the whole project. If one works for a government unit that awards the contract, then one is responsible for contract compliance.

Production is the function that turns out the product, and is usually reserved for goods producing industries-manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and mining/resource recovery. Production planners, sometimes called production engineers, design the production scheme, i.e., the flow of work and information.

Marketing and Sales positions at the entry level include sales activities as well as "field engineering" or customer service. Other marketing specialties such as market research, advertising and sales promotions, and marketing management usually build on this experience or require specialized training in marketing.

Nearly all of the jobs listed above may be obtained with a bachelor’s degree depending heavily on the type of coursework completed and experience gained while in school. Those job titles preceded by an asterisk generally require specific education and/or experience beyond the bachelor’s degree.

Entry-level positions for business graduates typically involve training programs. The approach to training varies widely, however, from highly structured programs, to less formalized on-the-job training situations. Formal management trainee programs are most frequently found in finance, trade, and manufacturing companies and in government agencies.

For more information, see Career Services.