New major fuses business and tech to meet industry needs
By Jenna Harrity
Businesses are filled with everyday processes ranging in difficulty: clocking in, booking a flight online, completing insurance forms for human resources. Our days are filled with processes, even if we might not realize it.
For companies and organizations, these processes are made simpler by incorporating technology.
The Department of Business Analytics & Technology Management (BATM) recently unveiled a major that trains students in hands-on technology and process theory, both of which contribute to a successful business system. The new major, called business systems and processes (BSAP), effectively bridges the fields of technology and business, according to associate professor Stella Tomasi, Ph.D., who helped develop the new major.
“People who work in business or project management have processes in place already, but they may not know the methodology to improve them,” explains Tomasi. “Likewise, the people who work in tech may know the processes but will not know the business side. Graduates of BSAP major will provide the middle ground between those two perspectives.
“These companies that use SAP and business systems regard Towson University as an emerging major player in that field.”
To ensure the program’s relevance, the department assembled the BSAP Industry Outreach Committee. Composed of faculty members and professionals from Baltimore–area companies—including Under Armour, Northrop Grumman, McCormick and Stanley Black & Decker—the committee curates classes that meet workplace and student needs.
Students pursuing the BSAP degree also earn a certificate from the leading integrated business systems software company, SAP. More than 50,000 companies worldwide use SAP’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to track, plan and measure their processes. Upon hiring a new employee, companies typically spend weeks training new hires in ERP. However, a resume listing an ERP certification will stand out from the rest; companies value saving time and money.
“These companies that use SAP and business systems regard Towson University as an emerging major player in that field.”
“This hands-on software experience, from working with SAP coupled with the related knowledge to managing processes, fits the industry expectation for young professional hires,” Tomasi says.
Brent Sewell, who works on the ERP team at Northrop Grumman, has first-hand knowledge about the industry expectation. He explained having any experience with SAP would fast track a candidate’s resume to the interview or hire pile.
“The CBE’s training in ERP is second-to-none in this area,” says Sewell. “TU’s curriculum is positioning students to be at the front of the line when regional companies are looking for [new hires]. SAP experience is that valuable.”
The new major also incorporates business process management (BPM) courses. They integrate experiential and project-based learning using live consultations with clients to produce successful business models through manipulation of software. Tomasi’s effort in designing BPM courses earned her Towson University’s Office of Academic Innovation Teaching Award in 2018.
In October, TU broke ground as a major player in the world of business systems when it hosted the Maryland/Baltimore chapter of America’s SAP Users’ Group’s (ASUG) fall conference. ASUG provides an opportunity for local and national businesses to network with each other and BSAP students who attended the conference.
“Students were able to see the company involvement with SAP, companies were able to see TU students’ knowledge of SAP, and, overall,” continues Tomasi, “these companies that use SAP and business systems regard Towson University as an emerging major player in that field.”
As BSAP bridges two fields historically dominated by men, it is notable that TU’s program attracts both women and minority students.
International student and BSAP major Riya Patel agrees.
“I think this major will help me stand out because of the knowledge I‘ve gained from using the SAP program and learning about data,” said Patel. “BSAP integrates technical knowledge with business skills, both of which are essential in today’s world.”