Liberal arts majors toughen up at new ‘business boot camps’

As a junior at Southern Methodist University, Wade McDonald figured out he wanted to start his own video production business after graduation.

But there was a wrinkle in McDonald’s plan. He was clueless about even the most basic elements of running a business. After all, he was a cinema-television major, not an MBA student.

"I was rapidly discovering that producing TV and video is largely business," McDonald said. "It’s sales. It’s face-to-face meetings. It’s finance. I needed some business savvy."

McDonald signed up for a monthlong summer crash course taught by SMU business professors and sprinkled with lectures from executives from major companies with nearby headquarters, such as movie-rental chain Blockbuster Inc. For six hours a day, he crammed lessons about marketing, accounting, finance, operations and business law.

The business boot camp, one of a handful like it across the country, aims to give liberal arts students a grounding in basic business concepts. It tries to make them better candidates for corporate jobs or starting their own business.

By David Koenig, Associated Press

Full Story: http://www.insidebayarea.com/businessnews/ci_2780551