New major offered at UMD’s Labovitz School of Business and Economics

“UMD and Duluth are our garden, and we are lucky that we can tend to our garden.” Duluth native and UMD alum Joel Labovitz used these words to describe the gift of $4.5 million that he and his wife, Sharon, made for planning and construction of the UMD Labovitz School of Business and Economics in 2003. The new building opened in 2008.

Meeting the demands of the business industry, the prestigious Labovitz School of Business and Economics (LSBE) at the University of Minnesota Duluth has collaborated with the School of Fine Arts to provide a new major starting in Fall Semester 2013 — Marketing and Graphic Design.

With the Marketing and Graphic Design major, students will get a broad exposure to the fundamentals of business and economics, along with specialized training in marketing and creative design.

Graduates will have the ability to work effectively in industry-standard creative teams, moving from empirically identifying and measuring consumer needs and desires to designing effective promotional graphic materials.

Steve Castleberry

“By combining the two majors of graphic design and business, students no longer need to double major,” said Professor Steve Castleberry, chair of the Marketing Department. “As prospective employees, these graduates will be more effective in those specialized marketing positions than employees who are just business or just graphic design majors. They’ll gain a competitive edge in the job search.”

Only 20 students will be admitted to this major annually and may apply at any time of their academic career. However, by applying early in their career, students can start taking classes required for the program right away.

Applications, which are available on the LSBE website, here, and are being accepted currently for the Fall 2013 Semester.