Foster College of Business Administration

The Foster College of Business offers a comprehensive business education, integrating the theoretical and the practical to achieve balanced and relevant preparation for today’s competitive job market.  The Foster College serves approximately 900 undergraduate business students through 9 major programs of study and 7 minors. Another 150 graduate students attend accelerated, part-time, or full-time programs within our 5 advanced degree options.

Focused on You

Foster College of Business faculty and staff are dedicated to teaching and learning, taking a personal interest in the success and growth of our students. Our students learn from 54 full-time faculty – including three executives-in-residence – not from graduate assistants. Informed by their on-going research and consulting, our faculty readily share their knowledge and first-hand business experiences with students both in and out of the classroom.

Have Confidence in Your Degree

Ranked among the best, the Foster College of Business is one of only 3 percent of the world’s business schools to achieve and maintain the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) accreditation for both our business and accounting programs.

The Foster College of Business was rated 28th for academic quality and 98th overall in the Bloomberg Businessweek ranking of the best U.S. undergraduate business programs for 2012. Bradley’s undergraduate entrepreneurial program has ranked among the top 25 in the nation for the past two years by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine.

Over 80 percent of our students secure at least two internships, many with Fortune 500 companies. For the past five years, at least 96 percent of our graduates were either putting their degrees to work or attending graduate school within their prospective fields within six months of graduation. Foster College of Business graduates routinely gain full-time career positions with top employers—recent graduates have joined companies such as JP Morgan, State Farm, Caterpillar, Boeing, PepsiCo, Northern Trust, Apple Computers, and Kraft.

Bradley University consistently ranks among the top Midwestern comprehensive universities (U.S.News & World Report: Guide to America's Best Colleges). U.S. News also ranks Bradley third among "Great Schools at Great Prices." Bradley University was included in the "Top Colleges for Top Students" in Peterson's Competitive Colleges, and ranked 24th Most Entrepreneurial in the nation by Forbes.

Global Initiative

As one of the first in the nation to offer an undergraduate major in international business, Foster College of Business keeps pace with the global direction of our economy and understands the importance of international knowledge and experience in preparing our future business leaders.

Foster College of Business students study abroad throughout Latin America, Eastern and Western Europe, and Asia. Our unique Global Scholar Program focuses on the ways in which culture influences business by offering specific coursework, language instruction, and two intensive international experiences centered on emerging business destinations within China, India or Mexico.

Over the last two decades, Foster College of Business faculty have consulted extensively in Russia, assisting Russian businesses in the transformation to a market economy. Foster College of Business was also instrumental in establishing the International Market Institute, a business school in Samara, Russia. Faculty in the Department of Economics are currently researching entrepreneurship networks, supported by a grant from the Finnish government. Foster College of Business just developed a new center, the Global Innovation Network and Institute (GINI). GINI works with governments, corporations, universities, and research organizations to advance technology in the United States and the world.

Practical Experiences

In addition to coursework that combines a theoretical and practical perspective, students gain real-world experience through special projects, field experiences and internships. Since 1972, every senior business student has undertaken the Senior Capstone, a team-oriented consulting project, gaining practical experience in solving a business challenge for a local business or not-for-profit organization.

All students participate in an intensive weekend course in Team Dynamics taught by the staff of the Executive Development Center, a network associate of the Center for Creative Leadership, the preeminent leadership development organization in the world. Through projects sponsored by the FCBA’s Center for Business and Economic Research, The Center for Economic Education, and The Turner Center for Entrepreneurship, Foster College of Business students graduate with practical knowledge gained from several real-world experiences.

Dedicated Faculty

Our faculty’s first passion is helping our students learn. Courses are not taught by graduate assistants, but by professors who take a personal interest in their students. Foster College of Business faculty are a vibrant community of scholars attracted to Bradley from prestigious graduate schools throughout the nation. Energized by their research and continued work with the business community, our faculty share their knowledge and experience to provide a rich and relevant learning environment for our students.

A Modern Facility with Technological Resources

Students study in Baker Hall, home to the Foster College since 1991. Baker Hall is outfitted with an Executive Classroom and additional classrooms designed to facilitate class discussion, case-methods instruction, and collaborative learning. In addition, fully networked multimedia classrooms and computer lab/classrooms contain state-of-the-art projection capabilities. Within the Multimedia Presentation Lab, students can prepare presentations, digitize images and sound, design commercial artwork, and create animated effects.

Service to the Business Community

The Foster College provides the business community a variety of resources, including management talent, graduate andexecutive programs, and cutting-edge business information. Foster College's Business Centers also work closely with the business community, providing educational, research, and consulting expertise. Ongoing educational events, theTheresa S. Falcon Executive Speaker Series and the McCord Lecture Series offer Foster College of Business students and the Peoria community opportunities to learn from internationally known speakers, scholars, and business leaders.