Caldwell Launching Business and Literary Studies Double Major

Caldwell, N.J., – Caldwell University is launching a double major in Business Administration and Literary Studies to provide students with highly marketable skills for today’s digital economy by combining Business and English courses.  

“Employers seek graduates with not only analytical skills, but also the professional skills of effective communication and critical thinking,” said Tara Harney-Mahajan, assistant professor of English, co-director of the Honors Program, and co-founder of the double major program. “Many institutions foreground the importance of these skills, but Caldwell University is leading the space here by encouraging students to major in Business and English. This dynamic dual degree gives you a highly unique skill set to navigate the complex and ever-changing postgraduate and post-pandemic landscape.”

The program is being made possible through a generous scholarship from Goldman Sachs Gives.

“I feel passionately that degrees in Business and English–which are not typically thought of together–will give our graduates a bold edge in the professional world,” said Harney-Mahajan.   

She draws on personal experience recounting how she graduated from college with a degree in English and, instead of taking an offer at a publishing company, went to work for a software company. Although she first felt in over her head — “I did not know a thing about commodities or software,” she found that those specifics could be learned on the job. What she did possess was the ability to read closely, think critically, conduct complex research, and communicate ideas effectively. Soon professionals were coming to her for all their writing needs.

Virginia Rich, J.D., associate dean of the School of Business and Computer Science, who also is co-founder of the double major program, says the modern workplace needs professionals who are cogent writers and critical thinkers, those who can communicate the information needed to make effective business decisions and lead various constituents in today’s dynamic business environment.  

“When asked what is needed to thrive in the post-pandemic era, managers, business leaders, and senior executives cite as invaluable assets certain key attributes, such as analytical thinking, effective communication, leadership, an empathetic orientation, a global mindset, and the ability to write well in all aspects. In our data-intensive workplace, these skills are necessary for career growth and success. This double major develops and strengthens all of these competencies,” said Rich.

Some career opportunities the program prepares students for include: corporate communications, business journalism, social media management, investor and employee relations, business and people analytics, international marketing and management, new product and technical product training.

Caldwell is currently accepting applications for the Caldwell University Business and Literary Studies Goldman Sachs Scholarship. The academic components of the program will be overseen by Dr. Tara Harney-Mahajan (English Department) and Associate Dean Virginia H. Rich (Business and Computer Science). Interested students can contact Melissa Cook at mecook@caldwell.edu who will be coordinating the application process.