David J. Olender / Assistant Photo Editor

What do Jack in the Box, Costco, accounting firm KPMG and San Diego Gas & Electric all have in common?

Besides being major corporations with a huge presence in the San Diego market and across the nation, they also have alumni of the San Diego State College of Business Administration in their upper management.

SDSU’s College of Business Administration is ranked second among public undergraduate business programs in California and is recognized nationally as well.

Kathleen Krentler, professor of marketing and director of the undergraduate program for the College of Business Administration, believes it’s because of the way students learn about business.

“We are potentially different from some business schools nationwide,” Krentler said. “I think that we have great diversity within the college. We feel it’s extremely important to give the student practical experience instead of just theory.”

Several business graduates echoed Krentler’s words. Seth Au, a finance major graduate, said he was able to apply what he learned in the classroom to the real world. He and his friend, who also graduated from SDSU’s College of Business Administration, are starting a consulting company.

“As the College of Business brings in more experienced and knowledgeable professionals and faculties, not only do we learn practical business knowledge, we also get the insider knowledge of what the business world is looking for,” Au said.

Major companies in San Diego have also acknowledged SDSU’s business graduates and the professors who prepare these students for entry-level positions. A campus recruiter for PricewaterhouseCoopers’ San Diego office said it seeks SDSU accounting graduates because it feels the program has been well developed.

“If they succeed in those classes, we feel that they’re going to be prepared for our positions,” she said. “We know that they are of a certain caliber.”

Even current business students have said that they consider themselves prepared for high-level work because of the courses they are taking at SDSU. Kyle Linnik, a business management junior, said that the rigorousness of his classes have already helped him understand the intricacies of managing a California Pizza Kitchen in Solana Beach.

“Professors always push you to take up internships to actually get a feel for the business world outside of the classroom,” Linnik said.

Recent business graduate Jared Smits said that his SDSU business degree helped him get a job as the assistant to the director of real-estate management for Walt Disney Co.

“SDSU’s business department is set up to really give you a good specialization in one of their seven options for emphasis,” Smits said. “Business is a great topic of study because you are provided many topics of knowledge you should know to succeed in life.”

Although success is measured by different factors, if one were to use entry-level salary as a success indicator, business majors are highly ranked.

According to the 2006-07 Salary Survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, business graduates with an emphasis in accounting make an average of approximately $43,800 in beginning offers. College of Business Administration graduates with an emphasis in management are receiving average beginning offers of $46,700. And those with an emphasis in business marketing are receiving an average entry-level offer of $40,800.

Compare these numbers to a communication major who makes an average of $34,650 in an entry-level position.

Perhaps the numerous job opportunities and high entry-level salaries have something to do with the fact that business is one of the most popular and impacted majors at SDSU.

“One of the reasons we have such a large market share across the university is because (students) believe that you have to become a business major because it’s going to open the magic door for you,” Krentler said. “But you can be successful going in other routes as well.”

Brandon Loo, a business management junior, said that people who are not sure about what they want to do when they graduate are inclined to choose business. However, he said that the stringent grade point average requirements have filtered out those students who are not really cut out for the major.

Whatever the incentive for choosing business, the high student enrollment and the success of the College of Business has encouraged The Daily Aztec to begin a Business & Finance section that will run once every two weeks. Among other business-related topics, the section will highlight local businesses in San Diego, explore credit card debt and give students advice on how to purchase their first home.

Krentler said that incorporating a Business& Finance section in The Daily Aztec is extremely important because of the major presence that the College of Business Administration has on campus. She said the stories reported will be especially relevant not only to business majors, but to all SDSU students.

This section will be an additional resource for business majors and the rest of the student body who want to improve their business expertise.

“We’re giving (the students) the skills,” Krentler said, “but ultimately, (they’re) going to go out and make the decisions.”

-Staff writer Faryar Borhani also contributed to this report.