ACHIEVE at SBA - Center for Integrated Business Research and Education

ACHIEVE

ACHIEVE is a professional and career development program designed to provide you with critical career support through all the stages of your educational development.

Our mission is to:

Inspire and guide students towards their ideal career in business, and provide skills to equip students for excellence in their chosen fields.

We pursue this mission through the following program objectives and curricular structure:

1. Business Exploration

Students will develop an understanding of the various business sectors (e.g., health care, manufacturing, and information technology) and functional areas within business (e.g., marketing, accounting, and human resources). Students will also obtain hands on knowledge of business sectors and functional areas by interacting with business professionals at various stages of their careers.

2. Career Exploration

Students will explore various career paths within business, obtain major-specific career information, and be exposed to employment trends and forecasted future opportunities. Students will also have the opportunity to interact with business professionals within different business careers.

3. Job Acquisition Skills

Students will develop self-knowledge related to career choice by identifying, assessing, and understanding their competencies, interests, values, and personal characteristics. They will receive aid with career planning to optimize future employment options and learn how to develop or refine their job acquisition skills such as developing a resume, interviewing and pursuing internship opportunities.

4. Professional Skills

Student will develop basic business information research skills, be exposed to basic financial literacy principles and develop self-knowledge related to work performance by identifying, assessing, and understanding their competencies, interest, values, and personal characteristics.

As a business students you are required to participate in the SBA’s ACHIEVE program. You must successfully complete SBC 199 and SBC 299 to obtain major standing within the business school. In order to graduate you must complete SBC 399 and SBC 499. Each of these zero credit classes address different aspects of the program objectives.

SBC 199 - As incoming freshman, you will be introduced to different business careers and have the opportunity to network with professional working in those areas. You will also become familiar with OU’s Career Services, get involved with SBA student organizations, and build relationships with other students in the business program.

SBC 299 - As a sophomore, you will receive introduced to the basic principles of financial literacy instruction and receive research instruction to help strengthen your business-related information literacy. You will also be afforded additional networking opportunities with business professionals through the SBA’s student organizations and ACHIEVE-sponsored events.

SBC 399 and SBC 499 – During your junior and senior years in the business school, the faculty in each of your majors have designed specialized programs to help you get a realistic preview of employment in your chosen major and provide you with major-specific career guidance and support.