Program Description
Successful completion of this one-year program leads to a Business Administration Certificate. In addition, six specialized certificates, ranging from 15 credits to 20 credits, are also available. This one-year program leads toward the 2-year degree in Business Administration.
Program Length: 3 Quarters
Program Code: BAMBAC45
Career Opportunities and Earnings
Previous graduates have found employment in education, government and private industry. Many firms, especially those looking for management and sales trainees, are primarily interested in hiring persons with a general background. The greatest expansion in the job market over the next decade is expected to occur in the small business sector. The demand for persons trained in this field should remain strong over the next several years.
- Accounting
- Banking customer service representative
- Data entry
- General office assistant
- Retailing sales representative
- Sales trainee
For current employment and wage estimates, please visit and search for the relevant occupational term: bls.gov/oes.
Program Outcomes
- Prepare and analyze company financial statements
- Prepare budgets for a company using Microsoft Excel
- Identify key legal principles that apply in business transactions and demonstrate an understanding of legal risk management
- Apply qualitative and quantitative methods for critical thinking and problem solving
- Formulate a personal code of ethical behavior as it relates to a modern business environment
- Utilize electronic technology, including accessing information from various sources
- Demonstrate competency in written and oral communication
- Apply basic computational skills to practical applications
- Demonstrate an understanding of management principles
Special Features
- Short-term certificates of proficiency, which include courses within the program, are offered to provide students benchmarks of achievement leading to degree completion
- Classroom instruction and practical experiences are combined into a course of study that provides students with broad exposure to the principles and philosophies of business and management
- Students can continue their academic studies at Peninsula College in the Bachelor of Applied Management degree (BAS). Please contact the BAS advisor for additional prerequisite requirements at BAS@pencol.edu.
Program Goals
- Prepare students for a variety of business related job opportunities
- Prepare students for a rapidly changing business environment
- Measure and assess student learning and implement improvements to ensure a high quality program
- Monitor the needs of the business community and maintain the relevancy of program curriculum through advisory committee meetings and program reviews
Approximate Additional Costs
- Books, supplies and miscellaneous fees (per quarter): $200 - $500
- Calculator (recommended): $30
- Tuition and fees: $5,402.85 total based on 2024-25 WA resident tuition rates (additional fees may apply)
- First quarter (15 credits): $1,800.95
- Second quarter (15 credits): $1,800.95
- Third quarter (15 credits): $1,800.95
Sample Schedule
This sample schedule is provided as a guide for a full-time student starting in fall quarter whose goal is to earn a certificate. The typical student schedule is based on entering the program during the fall quarter, however some programs allow students to enter in the winter or spring as well. Since not all do, please confirm with an advisor whether this program must be started during a specific quarter or not.
First Quarter (Fall)
Emphasis on nature of accounting as a system of information for decision making. Specific topics include basic financial statements, the accounting cycle, forms of business organization, financial assets, inventories, and depreciation. This class may include students from multiple sections. (Elective)
Credits: 5
Introduction to business systems, processes, and the general business environment. Students explore marketing, management, finance, accounting, business law, information technology, human resources, entrepreneurship, and emerging business topics. This class may include students from multiple sections. (Elective)
Credits: 5
Second Quarter (Winter)
Study of accounting is continued through specific topics, including liabilities, stockholder’s equity, statement of cash flows, financial statement analysis, and global and management accounting. This class may include students from multiple sections. (Elective)
Credits: 5
Introduction to the fundamentals of business law and the principles of the American legal system including criminal, tort, and business law, contracts, sales, Uniform Commercial Code, and employment. Familiarity with Washington’s RCWs (Revised Codes of Washington) and WACs (Washington Administrative Codes) emphasized through researching regional business law cases. This class may include students from multiple sections. (Elective)
Credits: 5
An introduction to management concepts, including topics of planning, organizing, leading, managing, and motivating available human resources and business assets to optimally and ethically accomplish performance goals. This class may include students from multiple sections.
Credits: 5
Third Quarter (Spring)
Develop beginning through intermediate spreadsheet skills in Microsoft Excel and associated technologies. Create, edit, and format spreadsheets; analyze data using formulas, manage workbook data, create and analyze table data. Interactive training and skill-based assessments are completed in a virtual environment; projects are based on real-world business situations. Integration with cloud computing. Touch keyboarding skills is recommended. This class may include students from multiple sections.
Credits: 5
Introduces the fundamental concepts about management information systems and the integral role they play in a successful business. Course objectives embrace the notion that management of a modern organization requires knowledge of information systems to gain a competitive advantage, defining what they are, how they affect the organization and its employees, their strategic importance, and the role of emerging technologies in business processes. Students will develop and demonstrate proficiency in the use of key business application technologies. This class may include students from multiple sections.
Credits: 5
Active reading, effective writing, and critical thinking, using subjective and objective approaches. Introduction to research techniques. This class may include students from multiple sections. (Communication Skills)
Credits: 5
Your personal educational plan will vary based on many factors including:
- The quarter you begin
- How many classes/credits you plan to take in each quarter
- Your math and English placement; Learn more about placement options by visiting the Assessment and Placement website.
- If you start in our Transitional Studies program