The First Business Courses
By 1918, the university catalog identified four business courses taught by the economics faculty: Money and Banking, Industrial Evolution, Economic History of the U.S., and Principles and Problems of Taxation. The 1922 catalog contained a separate section for business courses. These course offerings emphasized practicality by including typewriting, shorthand, salesmanship, commercial arithmetic, business English, and commercial law. Money and Banking and other similar courses remained under the economics heading. In 1925, university trustees created the College of Commerce. Along with secretarial science courses, the college offered the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree. Toward the end of the decade, the College of Commerce and Finance, as it was then known, had an enrollment of almost 300 students. The college was located in downtown Omaha at 1307 Farnam Street and shared facilities with the College of Law.
By 1925, the university catalog listed a School of Commerce that awarded a bachelor's degree in Commercial Science. The catalog read, "...the subjects offered cover the field of commerce and are given in a thorough, practical way, under University Regulations." Courses included: Bookkeeping, Rapid Calculation, Penmanship, Shorthand Theory, Dictation, Typewriting, Office Practice, Spelling, Multigraphing, and Business English. Also offered was a Real Estate course based on many of the practical courses identified above. Four course programs were cataloged:
The complete course (14 month duration) Example courses: bookkeeping, banking, commercial law, commercial arithmetic, rapid calculation, penmanship, shorthand, dictation, typewriting, filing, spelling, business English, and Multigraphing;
The commercial course (7 month duration) A set of courses from the complete course program.
The calculator course (3 month duration) Fewer courses than in the commercial program.
The secretarial course (9 month duration) Similar to complete program, but with emphasis on shorthand, typewriting, and office practices.
The real estate course (7 month duration) Similar to full course but with the addition of a course in real estate, and one in salesmanship.
Also offered was a four-year traditional college program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.