Chapman means business with major changes

Photo by Trinity Johnson, Photographer

Business as usual? Not quite.

Chapman is shaking up its most popular major, business administration, for the 2026-2027 academic year by turning finance, real estate and marketing into standalone majors and giving students new ways to specialize.

Offered through the Argyros College of Business and Economics, business administration students can choose to specialize in business economics, entrepreneurship, international business or management. These emphases are meant to allow students to develop expertise in one of these topics while maintaining a broad foundation in business.

Finance, real estate and marketing were previously concentrations within the business administration major, but these disciplines are now offered as standalone majors to give students a more specialized curriculum. 

Business administration students can choose to specialize in business economics, but economics still remains a separate major.

Associate Dean of Academic Operations and assistant professor Kaan Ataman said that both business administration and the new standalone majors include foundational business classes accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business as well as specialized electives. 

“The design of the current majors provides students with both breadth and depth in business,” Ataman said. “Specifically, each major includes core classes required by [the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business] that cover key competencies in accounting, finance, management, economics, information systems and marketing.”

Ataman said that business administration students do not need to declare an emphasis, but students interested in one of the four emphases should make that decision early in their undergraduate career. Business administration students without an emphasis are required to take five upper-division electives from any Argyros College discipline. 

Sophomore economics and business administration double major Blaise Bowers had mixed opinions about these restructuring changes. Although Bowers respects Chapman’s decision to add standalone finance and real estate majors, he said that the large number of these students may cause decreased enrollment in the business administration major. 

“Chapman’s really more of a finance and real estate school on the business side, so I’m shocked that they haven’t done this before,” Bowers said. “However, most people in the business administration degree are in finance, so it’s going to significantly decrease the business administration majors here and have them go with the finance major.”

Bowers hasn’t declared a specific emphasis for his business administration major, but he has considered entrepreneurship as a possible concentration. His main career goals include becoming an entertainment attorney and an economist, explaining that business administration has been more helpful in preparing for a law career than economics. 

“[Business administration] is very helpful for getting your baseline in negotiation and figuring out how to work with other people,” Bowers said. “It gives you a lot of soft skills that are necessary for being an attorney, particularly in civil space, so I think business administration prepares you very well for law.” 

Senior Andrew Leal is pursuing a real estate emphasis under business administration. Now that real estate has become a standalone degree, he is weighing whether to switch with only one semester and an interterm left. 

“I’m super interested in actually switching to the major, but I don’t really know how it would work out,” Leal said. “Depends on how many classes I would need to take, plus all of my minor classes and everything else I need to finish.”

However, Leal said the emphasis has given him something the standalone major might not have. 

“The business administration/real estate emphasis track has taught me a lot more than just real estate stuff,” Leal said. “Which is good to have versatility with the degree, so I’m not stuck to one specific niche.”

His business administration classes have already proven useful in the real world. At an internship this past summer, Leal’s boss pointed him to a finance class he is currently enrolled in. 

“He said that was one of the most important classes he took as a real estate emphasis,” Leal said. “So I think [taking broader business classes] directly helps with your career.” 

For now, the decision is still open. 

“If it’s like one extra class, I wouldn’t be opposed to it, but it depends on how the cookie crumbles,” Leal said.