Transforming Industry and Business

Transforming Industry and Business
Transforming Industry and Business

A liberal arts major offers a unique perspective in business, combining critical thinking, creativity, and insights into human behavior.

We prepare you to excel at analyzing market trends, crafting compelling marketing strategies, and promoting inclusive workplace cultures. This interdisciplinary approach fosters innovation and adaptability, equipping you to shape the future of business with key transferable skills like:

  • Communication and Listening
  • Decision Making and Analytical Thinking
  • Attention to Detail
  • Computer and Technology Skills
  • Interpersonal and Social Skills
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Interested in learning more about what you can do with a liberal arts degree?

Future Students

Majors

Explore our degrees designed for those passionate about finance, management, marketing, and more. Our programs will equip you with the skills to excel and turn your business interest into a rewarding career.

Provides a holistic understanding of human cultures and societies. Equips students to address cultural injustices, design equitable policies for diverse populations, and engage in community advocacy with a nuanced perspective.

Explores the justice system, criminal behavior, and societal impacts of crime. Equips students to reform criminal justice policies, advocate for fair treatment, and address systemic inequalities in the legal system.

Analyzes economic systems and their societal impacts. Prepares students to design equitable economic policies, address financial disparities, and advocate for systemic economic justice.

Studies global political systems and diplomacy. Equips students to navigate international justice efforts, advocate for human rights, and shape policies promoting equitable global governance.

Focuses on workplace equity and organizational behavior. Prepares students to advocate for fair labor practices, design inclusive workplace policies, and address systemic inequities in employment.

Analyzes political systems, governance, and public policies. Prepares students to develop equitable legislation, advocate for justice reforms, and contribute to systemic social change through political action.

Studies human behavior and mental processes. Equips students to address social injustices through behavioral insights, develop equitable mental health policies, and advocate for community well-being.

Examines social structures and systemic inequalities. Prepares students to design policies addressing injustice, advocate for marginalized communities, and promote equity in societal systems.

While this page shows many opportunities and examples of what our students and alumni have done related to this area of interest, this is not an exhaustive list of majors or experiences.

Out-of-Classroom Experiences

  • Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Highmark Health
  • Amazon
  • Salesforce
  • Volvo Group
  • IBM
  • Consulting firms like Deloitte, McKinsey & Company, and Bain & Company

Education Abroad Destinations

Greece

Students enrolled in LHR 499 spent a week in Greece as a part of the “Comparative Labor and Human Resources: The Greek Experience” embedded program. The students explored comparative labor relations and human resource policies between the United States and Greece.
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Sweden

Italy

Spain

United Kingdom

Australia

Post-Graduation Opportunities

  • Law school
  • MBA
  • Graduate school to study clinical psychology, education theory, human resources, human rights, marketing communication research, public administration, and international affairs
  • Entrepreneur/CEO
  • Business Development Manager
  • Human Resources Professional
  • Market Research Analyst
  • Innovation Consultant
  • Corporate Strategist
  • Career Counselor
  • Brand Manager
  • Management Consultant

 

  • Financial Services
  • Technology and Innovation
  • Consumer Goods and Retail
  • Health Care Administration
  • Logistics and Supply Chain Management
  • Media and Entertainment
  • Energy and Utilities
  • Manufacturing and Industrial Design
  • Real Estate Development
  • E-commerce and Digital Marketing
  • Deloitte
  • UPMC
  • Google
  • Vanguard
  • Amazon
  • Merck
  • Penn Medicine
  • Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
  • U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
  • University of Pittsburgh
Headshot of Ricardo "Rico" Brooks
Faculty Research

Ricardo “Rico” Brooks

Assistant Professor of Industrial-organizational Psychology
Assistant Professor of Industrial-organizational Psychology
Ricardo’s research explores multiple factors associated with workplace learning and development. His work will address a major gap in the field – that most employee learning is informal (about the individual), yet most organizations focus on organizational-centric approaches (what’s best for the organization).   
Cameryn Allen, who graduated Penn State in 2025, smiles wearing a long-sleeve white shirt and glasses.
PsychologyUndergrad Research

Cameryn Allen

’25
Psychology
Psychology
Cameryn has worked in several research labs, including the Survey Research Center in the Social Science Research Institute and the Parent-to-Child Anxiety Transmission Lab and the Gene Environment Interplay Across the Lifespan Lab in the College of the Liberal Arts. “Research teaches you so much more than how to collect and analyze data. It builds leadership, communication, teamwork and project management skills — things you can take anywhere.”
Jasmine Upchurch, a 2025 Penn State graduate, smiles while wearing glasses and a white sweater, in a library.
InternshipSpanishUndergrad Research

Jasmine Upchurch

’25
Psychology
|
Spanish
Psychology
Spanish
A Partnerships for International Research and Education Fellow, Jasmine spent part of summer 2024 conducting behavioral and neural research at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, specifically examining how individuals fluent in both Spanish and English process native and nonnative accents.
Banerjee_Nicholas
Undergrad Research

Nicholas Banerjee

University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
Nicholas spent a summer in Scotland conducting workplace behavioral research, blending his backgrounds in psychology and labor and human resources. His work centered on fostering innovation and creativity in professional environments.
Knox-Sabrina-edit
Chapel InternsInternshipPaterno FellowsSchreyer Scholar

Sabrina Knox

’26
Philosophy
|
English
|
International Affairs (IUG master's degree)
Philosophy
English
International Affairs (IUG master's degree)
A Paterno Fellow and Schreyer Scholar, Sabrina developed a passion for the energy industry, while interning at Westinghouse Nuclear. She became especially interested in the development of nuclear technology and the role it will play in the future of the global energy landscape. She has decided to pursue an energy policy concentration as part of her Master of International Affairs degree and hopes to continue working in the industry after graduation.
Sabrina Knox, who will graduate from Penn State in 2026, stands next to the Westinghouse logo inside a Westinghouse building in Pittsburgh.
Chapel InternsInternship

Sabrina Knox

’26
I was introduced to Westinghouse through a Penn State connection and was immediately drawn to the company’s global presence and dedication to innovation. I’m very interested in an international career, so the global aspect of Westinghouse excited me. It’s also an exciting time for the nuclear energy industry across the globe and Westinghouse inspired me to dive into learning about the nuclear space.
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