Students build resume with research

Students now can learn research skills and earn the documentation to show for it thanks to the addition of the Business Research Certification Program to the BBA curriculum.

The program started this semester and was established in response to an increasing need and demand for research skills on the job.

“Knowing how to conduct effective business research is crucial to so many careers to which our future consultants, analysts, managers, and marketers aspire,” says Andrea Hershatter, assistant dean and director of the BBA Program. “The problem is not that there is insufficient data out there; the issue is knowing how to sort through and identify useful information from credible sources.”

The certificate and skills will be a valuable tool, helping students find jobs and land jobs, and aiding them in graduate school. “Corporations are cutting back on library and information center staffs,” says Ruth Pagell, executive director of the Goiuzeta Business Library. “Even those corporations with libraries expect employees to do much of their own research. Students who are able to say they can do research and have the certificate to show for it will have an advantage.”

Students are required to attend a hands-on orientation, then go on to select three classes from a suite of five offered over two semesters: research in finance, research in marketing, company and industry intelligence, advanced searching techniques, and country research.

The program draws on the resources and expertise of the Goizueta Business Library staff members—Terrence Bennett, Mary Ellen Templeton, Marilyn Pahr, Frank Vuotto, and Pagell—each of whom is teaching a class.—Denise Noble