Business-related upper-level classes currently have the highest registration rate for the upcoming semester at the University of Alabama. 

According to the Office of the University Registrar, students registered for the classes marketing 300, management 300 and operations management 300, general business administration 300 and finance 302 the most. Students can still change their enrollment for fall classes, so the exact numbers are still in flux. 

Danielle Clarke, registrar at the Culverhouse College of Business, said the Culverhouse College of Business has the largest undergraduate student population, potentially explaining why business classes have the highest registration among upper level classes on campus. She said Culverhouse requires all students in the college, whether majoring or minoring, to take six common upper-division courses. 

Director of marketing and communications for Culverhouse College of Business, Zach Thomas, said the Culverhouse College of Business is seeing “record levels of enrollment,” which explains why these courses are so popular. 

“We take pride at Culverhouse in providing an inclusive community with an emphasis on providing a personal touch,” Thomas said. 

Paige Ridley, a senior majoring in business management and anthropology, said all business students have to complete these classes before they can take upper division courses. 

“As an incoming freshman, I knew that I wanted to major in business management and specialize in international business,” Ridley said. “In order for me to be able to declare my major, it was integral that I complete all of the listed courses above.”

Ridley said the five courses offer a great experience for undecided students. 

“They are introduction courses that allow each individual to get a feel of what that major is like,” Ridley said. “This setup is beneficial as many students come to college not knowing exactly what they want to major in, and this allows them to explore their options.”

Marquis Hollingsworth, a sophomore currently serving as senator for the College of Commerce, said the business school’s numerous opportunities helped the Culverhouse College of Commerce become the college with the largest undergraduate student population. 

“We have professors and advisors who have actually been accountants or worked in their field of study,” Hollingsworth said. “They really understand what they are teaching.”

Hollingsworth said he believes experience is a great way to learn.

“I’m a firm believer that experience is the best teacher, and that’s why our professors do such a great job and can really help put students where they want to be,” Hollingsworth said. “We implement a process and students have assistance every step of the way as they move forward and build upon their journey.”

Ridley said she chose Alabama’s business school because of its national recognition and opportunities that it had to offer. 

“In the spring of 2014, when I was applying to different business programs across the nation, I was the most impressed with Alabama and all of the opportunities that it had to offer,” Ridley said. “The foundation of the business school is very strong and well known throughout the nation.”

Audrey Eckart, a freshman majoring in management information systems, said she chose Alabama’s business school because of the immeasurable opportunities it provides while in school and after graduation.

“I chose to study MIS at The University of Alabama majorly due to the 99 percent job placement rate upon graduation,” Eckart said. “The incredible opportunities that have already been available to me as a freshman in this program have far outnumbered what I could have expected.”

Ridley said business majors are essential because they are needed in every industry of today’s economy. 

“Accounting, management, human resource, finance and economics [and] management information systems are just some of the majors that lay the foundation of which all businesses are built from,” Ridley said. “It is rewarding to know that my generation has the ability to continue to shape the future of business just through the opportunities that have been presented before us here at The University of Alabama.”