Day in the Life of a Management Major

You’re looking for your future major—but let’s be honest, you don’t know what half of them actually entail. This series fills you in on what these majors mean at a liberal arts college, so you can decide for yourself what’s most interesting to you. Here’s what a management major looks like from the perspective of an actual student.

The management major is very popular at Luther. Through the major, you learn about all aspects of running a business, including marketing, human resources, and financial management. With a variety of electives, you can make this major whatever you want it to be by mixing and matching courses that seem interesting to you. It is versatile, meaning that a lot of people pair it with something else as a double major. Personally, I have decided to double major in management and music. POV: You’re a management major.

8 a.m. Class and Office Hours

Students in Professor White’s management course.

I wake up and go straight to my Financial Management class. This class requires a lot more math than most of my other degree requirements. Because of this, I make sure to be extra attentive in class and ask questions when I don’t understand.

We were assigned our final project after spring break. Because it is such an in-depth project, our professor encouraged us to start earlier rather than later. In order to make sure I am on the right track, I stay late after class most days to connect with my professor on what I am doing right and what I need help with.

10:15 a.m. Brunch and Homework

Students studying at Oneota Market, located on the main floor of the Union.

I get brunch at Oneota every morning, which is my favorite place to eat on campus. They serve breakfast and lunch and have a variety of snacks and drinks available. There are a few different places that students like to get food or drinks, like Marty’s, the Caf, or Nordic Brew.

It gets pretty busy at 10:15 because we have chapel break, which is a service held every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:30-10:50 a.m. To ensure anyone can go, no one has class at 10:15-11 a.m. those days. Chapel is optional and one of the few breaks we get, so a lot of people use this time to get brunch as well. I usually grab a board game from Marty’s and play that with my friends until my food is ready.

After I’m done eating, I go to the Jenson-Noble Hall of Music to study. There is a nice study spot with couches and chairs between the choir room and the orchestra room. Students have lovingly named this spot “The Kingdom.” I sit there and work on my senior project until band rehearsal.

I’m doing my project on how orchestras should market to a wider audience in order to remain relevant. It combines my management and music major and requires a lot of research and dedicated time in order to get all the information I need for my final presentation.

12:15 p.m. Music Ensembles and Classes

Jenna and friends on Concert Band tour to Japan. They are taking a boat on a lake, located near Mt. Fuji.

The management program has a lot of flexibility, making it easier to pair with another interest. I have always been interested in music administration, so I am majoring in music and management. I take a few music courses in addition to my management requirements each semester. I also play the flute and piccolo in two ensembles at Luther: Symphony Orchestra and Concert Band. The music can be relatively difficult, so it requires some practice outside of rehearsal.

These ensembles gave me the opportunity to travel the United States, touring to Ohio and Texas over spring breaks. The Concert Band also went on an international tour to Japan last summer, which was my first time ever going abroad. These opportunities and weekly rehearsals have helped me build a strong community with people from the ensembles. I have been able to meet people from all different backgrounds and majors that I wouldn’t have met otherwise.

2:30 p.m. Work Study

For my work study job, I work in the music office. I like working here because it gives me the opportunity to learn more about what it’s like to work in music administration. I also like getting to talk to other music students and work with music faculty. Separate from my work study, I am a music student representative, meaning I get to go to the faculty meetings and learn about what the faculty does to help the department run smoothly.

6 p.m. Tutoring

As my second work study job, I am a peer tutor for Intro to Statistics, German I and II, and Music Theory I and II. Most of my tutoring is through one-on-one appointments at Preus Library with students who need help. But, for Music Theory, we have a weekly scheduled drop-in session where anyone who needs help can come in and talk to me. I really like tutoring because it helps me maintain my own knowledge of the subject while teaching others different study techniques and time management skills.

7 p.m. Group Project

For my Human Resources class, we have to do a weekly group project where we run a simulation. In this simulation, we make decisions about what to do for the company and see how it affects key performance indicators. This gives us the opportunity to apply what we have learned in class to real world situations.

A lot of management projects are hands-on like this, preparing realistic memos, presentations, and analysis reports. It is meant to prepare you for the real world and expectations you will have in your job. My group meets on Monday evenings to make our decisions for the week. On Tuesday morning, we get to see how our decisions did compared to the rest of the class.

8 p.m. Wind Down

Jenna and Jeff (her emotional support cat) go out on walks sometimes. He gets lots of attention because people don’t see cats on campus often.

After I’m done with all of my responsibilities for the day, I like to go back to my room and watch TV, play games with my friends, or hang out with my emotional support cat, Jeff. If the weather is good, I may even take a walk around campus and watch the squirrels and deer.

More Information About Majors