March 6, 2007

Starting in the fall 2007 semester, Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ), through the Fox School of Business and Management at Temple University in Philadelphia, will offer a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree as part of its thriving undergraduate program.

TUJ is adding the new BBA program to meet several specific needs. Japanese companies are moving away from traditional HR and staffing models, while foreign corporations often cite the difficulty of hiring qualified employees as a major impediment to doing business in Japan. Both are looking for employees with critical thinking and analytical skills and a multicultural perspective as global competition heats up, markets evolve, and the number of new entrants to the workforce declines. Students in Japan are also demanding high-level business programs to make themselves more attractive to potential employers, and overseas students are seeking opportunities to learn about how to work in and with Japanese corporations.

The BBA course curriculum at TUJ will be identical to what is offered at the Fox School of Business and Management at the University’s main campus in Philadelphia. The highly ranked Fox School, with a long history of introducing innovative programs, is also among the world’s largest business schools, with 6,000 students and 150 full-time faculty members, and its Institute of Global Management Studies is gaining recognition as a premier center of international business education and research. Since the school is fully accredited by AACSB International, the premier accrediting agency for business administration programs worldwide, TUJ’s BBA program will also be AACSB-accredited.

“The new BBA program is an integral part of TUJ’s expanding focus on business and management education,” Assistant Dean of Management Education William Swinton noted. “By offering the same excellent curriculum and following the same standards as the Fox School, TUJ’s BBA program will prepare students for successful business careers in Japan, Asia, and around the world. It will also provide more opportunities for Fox School students at main campus to study in Tokyo.”

The BBA program is the latest addition to TUJ’s fast-growing undergraduate program, which offers 10 other majors and which attracts students from about 40 countries worldwide. It will help to further strengthen TUJ’s ties with multinational corporations, many of which already hire TUJ interns and graduates.

The first BBA major to be offered at TUJ will be Business Management. Other BBA majors will be introduced as enrollment in the program builds.