Students interested in selling products online can gain educational experience through a certificate offered through the College of Business.

In Fall 2001, three students graduated with the new E-Commerce Business Certificate. This year, more than 50 students are signed up for the program, and about 20 students will get the certificate this semester.

The intention is to “provide students with an opportunity to learn more about information technology and how it effects the process of business and the individuals working in those businesses,” said Mary Anderson, academic adviser for the business undergraduate program.

“It is new enough that we don’t have any long-range data,” Anderson said. “We hope that it will give the student an edge on the job market and show that these students have done more than the minimum for their degree.”

The idea for the program began when Troy Strader, chairman of the e-business supervisory committee, and another professor talked about developing a course on Internet marketing.

“This was a single course. The next step was to develop the program,” Strader said.

The E-Commerce Business Certificate has been set up for undergraduate students. It is awarded by the College of Business, but will not appear on their transcripts.

The program is available to all business majors and other selected majors in agricultural business, family and consumer sciences, and journalism and mass communication.

“This is a great addition to whatever your major is,” said Strader, assistant professor of logistics operations and management information systems. “It broadens your education.”

The three required courses are Management Information Systems 330, Marketing 340 and Transportation Logistics 360. Students must also complete six elective credits from the approved course list.

“Eventually, e-commerce will become a large part of the major,” Strader said. “This program won’t be needed anymore.”

The program is not considered a minor, and is not expected to be one in the future.

“The certificate was easier to implement than a minor,” Strader said. “This is more of a temporary program.”

Admission into the program is limited to a certain number of non-business majors per semester. To participate, students must be selected by the faculty from that program, Strader said. The criteria to be selected for this program as a non-business major varies by department.