Introduction to BA Program at CAS MOHE

1. Name of Degree

Bachelor in Business Administration, (BBA) with specializations in: 

• Business Administration
• Tourism and Hospitality
• Accounting 

2.   Rationale

The Business Administration (BBA) degree is a 4 year under graduate degree program taught in English. This Program requires students to accumulate 128 credit hours that include: 30 hours College requirements, 26 Degree requirements, and 72 Major requirements (18 credit hours as electives).

The BBA program contains Eight Majors which prepares CAS students to work confidently in the field of Business Administration, Marketing, Supply Chain Management, Accounting, Banking and Finance, Insurance, Tourism Management and Hospitality Management. These specializations are offered at CAS Nizwa, CAS Ibri and CAS Salalah.

Our Vision and Mission

VISION

The BBA Program at the Colleges of Applied Sciences (CAS) will help in the economic diversification drive of Oman and in taking Oman forward in the world, through its contribution to applied sciences by offering Business and Tourism education consistent with Omani cultural values.

MISSION

BBA program s responsibilities are the creation and dissemination of Business and tourism knowledge through cooperation, practical orientation and collaboration with students, communities and businesses, which will help in the economic diversification endeavors of Oman.

We will provide students with a strong multicultural understanding and ethical values. BBA program is dedicated to the development of the student as well rounded, responsible and informed citizen of Oman. We will continuously strive to attain national and international accreditation and standing (academic and competence) for the quality of our programs.

3. Attributes and skills of graduates

BBA degree is designed to develop appropriate business knowledge, decision making and problem solving skills in the students. The degree graduates will have a comprehensive knowledge of their chosen field and can manage their own up to date learning. The specific learning objectives have been developed for each course in course outline plan to guide the students. 

The key attributes are: 

• Academic and Professional Knowledge- Graduates work confidently with sound academic and professional knowledge;
• Communication - graduates have good oral and written communication skills;
• Teamwork & Leadership- graduates have good interpersonal, leadership skills and can work successfully both independently and in team as a professional.
• Information & IT Literacy-graduates can find and manage the information and communicate clearly the results to clients and managers. graduates will have sufficient IT skills and are computer literate;
• Global Outlook & Cross Cultural Adaptability- graduates are culturally oriented to appreciate other cultures and demonstrate global perspectives;
• Critical and Analytical Thinking - graduates are able to critically analyze and solve the day-to-day business related problems.
• Social Responsibility and Ethics- graduates have high standards of integrity, social responsibility and ethical actions.
• Entrepreneurial Aptitude- graduates will have necessary entrepreneurial aptitude.
• Life Long Learning -graduates will have necessary skills to recognize opportunities for further learning in both familiar and unfamiliar national situations or cultural settings
• Research skills - graduates will demonstrate skills in recognising problem situation, data gathering, analysing and interpretation, competence in formulating policies and implication of research.

4.  Career opportunities

Career opportunities for business graduates are many and varied, including the emerging Hospitality and Tourism industries, which are truly international with graduates finding employment in the wide range of businesses and enterprises delivering services in these areas.

Graduates will have sufficient knowledge and skills to gain employment either domestically or internationally as described below:

4.1. Business Specialization

Business Administration is the field of management which deals with business activities that includes international and national boundaries. The specialization is a forward-looking area of study that magnifies local issues and how they are intertwined with global challenges in business administration such as globalization and liberalization which are the engines for trade, commerce and economic growth.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the Business Administration, Marketing and Supply Chain Majors fit into different business settings, ranging from large multinational corporations to small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) operating in the field of manufacturing, banking, oil sector, government, financial institutions, market research analyst, Business manager, Human resources manager, customer service manager, public relations officer, logistics manager, integrated programs director, supply chain director, inventory manager, supply chain planning manager,  marketing manager, product manager, social media manager, market research analyst, supply chain analyst. Graduates can start their own venture as an Entrepreneur.

Prospective Employers

International and Government Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of National Economy, Ministry of Tourism, Multinational Enterprises, Small-Medium sized Firms Operating Internationally, Industry and manufacturing sector, Omani Centre for Investment Promotion and Export Development, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Import/Export Operators.

4.2. Tourism & Hospitality Specialization

The objective of the tourism management specialization is to enable students to develop rational and practical competencies, skills, and capability to face the challenges and successfully work in domestic as well as international tourism environments. Hospitality Management involves the management of hotels, restaurants, cruise ships, resorts, clubs, events, entertainments activities etc.

Career Opportunities

There is a huge range of career opportunities for the tourism management graduates such as travel agents, tour operators, event planners, tourism guides, airport jobs, entrepreneurs, tourism consultants, tourism planners and developers, in airline operations and cruise operations. The hospitality industry can provide huge career opportunities for Hospitality Management graduates ranging from entry level positions to management level positions such as hotel managers, operation managers, catering managers, restaurant managers, event organizers and planners, guest relation executives and cruise director. Graduates can start their own venture as an Entrepreneur

Prospective Employers

Tourism and Hospitality Organizations, National and international Airlines, Hotels and Resorts, Leisure Organizations, Tourism and Leisure Attractions, Research and Tourism Consultancies, Regional and National Tourism Boards, Adventure Tourism Operations, International Development Organizations, Museums, Universities and other Tertiary Organizations, Government Departments such as the Department of Conservation and the Ministry for the Environment, Sporting Organizations, Special Events Management and Planning Organizations.

4. 3. Accounting Specialization

The main objective of accounting specialization is to provide students with an in-depth understanding of the different accounting and finance fields including Banking and Insurance areas and to provide students with required knowledge and technical skills suitable for todays’ accounting and finance applications.

Career Opportunities

The BIBA Program in Majors such as Accounting, Banking and Finance and Insurance provides a range of career opportunities to the students to work in accounting, banking, finance, insurance and corporate houses, in the government as well as in the private sectors as cost accountants, financial accountants, auditors, financial planners, financial analyst, investor relations associate, budget analyst, bank teller, bank marketing representative, bank loan office, data processing officer, equity traders, Asset managers, insurance sales agent, insurance investigators, claims examiners and adjusters  etc. Successful graduates can further pursue professional certificates such as CA, ACCA, CPA, ACPA, CMA, ICWA, CIMA, CFA, CFM. The graduates can also become entrepreneur.

The nature of work is usually office work in Business Administration, Banking and Finance, Tourism and Hospitality Management areas but few jobs in the areas such as Marketing, Insurance, Supply Chain and Tourism requires field work as well. Hospitality jobs in the field of hotel management are mostly technical in nature.

Prospective Employers

The BBA Accounting graduate might join a public accounting firm, which offers services such as auditing, tax, management advisory and/or small business services. The graduate accountant might also join the staff of a business firm and work as a management accountant in

• Government Organizations
• Manufacturing industry,
• Retail industry,
• Banking sector,
• Multinational companies and other private industrial ventures in Oman.
• Entrepreneurship-establishing their Accounting and Auditing firms, and
• Consultancy.

5. Distinctive Features of Delivery

Distinctive features of the degree include: 

• The chance to mix management and international language studies;
• Opportunities to engage in team based projects;
• Investigative research supported by business organizations is a core requirement;
• The development of analytical skills involving both quantitative and qualitative skills;
• Use of business related software;
• Unique emphasis on developing a constructive and critical understanding of management.