Business
Certificate in Business
The Certificate in Business provides training for early entry into business by offering concentration choices of business management or marketing. The program prepares students as entry-level employees in a variety of positions such as administrative assistants and customer service representatives.
Students are exposed to the fundamentals of how businesses function, key elements in marketing businesses or services, customer service, and the economics of business. The 30 credit hour certificate is designed as a stand-alone academic credential or may be used as the basis for continuing on to an Associate of Applied Science in Business.
Experiential Learning Opportunities
Students are trained to use Microsoft Office products including, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access. Those seeking management concentration will also learn project management. Students pursuing the marketing concentration will learn the four Ps of marketing (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) and will complete a marketing plan for a product or company.
Faculty Expertise
Dr. Sharon Hurley
Dr. Sharon K Hurley earned a doctorate in Accounting with an Economics minor from Texas A&M University. She earned a Masters of Accountancy from the University of North Florida, and Bachelors of Science from Brigham Young University. Dr. Hurley is a Certified Public Accountant, licensed in three states. Additionally, Dr. Hurley has many years of accounting experience including owning her own CPA practice/small business in Los Alamos for twenty-four years. Dr. Hurley has more than 27 years of teaching experience in higher education, and has been with UNM-LA since 2003. During those years, she has been a department chair, budget advisor to the Dean, Associate Dean, Dean of Instruction, and is currently the Program Coordinator for Business and Social Sciences. Dr. Hurley is tenured faculty at UNM-LA.
Cheryl Bernier
Cheryl Bernier earned an MBA from the University of Massachusetts. She has more than 20 years teaching experience in both face to face and online classrooms. Her areas of expertise are primarily in the business, management, and marketing fields. Recently, she added teaching financial literacy to dual credit high school students in New Mexico.
Montana Walsh
Montana Walsh earned a Global Leadership MBA from the University of Texas, Dallas. She has many years teaching experience and has taught in New Mexico for more than a decade. She has created textbooks, recorded cassettes, CDs and DVDs for learning and teaching. She is bilingual, with an expertise in Spanish.
Career Opportunities & Outcomes
Career opportunities for individuals with a Certificate in Business include working in offices as administrative assistants, customer service representatives or entry level marketing communications. Entry level median pay is $46,010* annually. Job duties include routine clerical and organizational tasks, and word processing. Credit hours may be applied toward an Associate of Applied Science in Business degree at UNM-Los Alamos.
*employment and salary data taken from: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/secretaries-and-administrative-assistants.htm (visited October 13, 2024).
Program Highlights & Special Features
Complete the training for a new career in only two semesters. Build workforce skills to be successful in a variety of office and clerical positions. Most graduates work in offices or from home. Students completing the business certificate at UNM-LA may transfer all credit hours to the Associate of Applied Science in Business degree.
Program Details
More information on the Certificate in Business program may be found at:
Program Cost
Contact Information
Coordinator, Department of Business & Social Science
Dr. Sharon Hurley
Associate Professor of Business
shurley1@unm.edu
Harold and Shantel Sanchez are siblings. Both of these students completed the Certificate in Business with an emphasis in marketing while still in high school, through the early college program. Harold is now a Junior in a four-year university, pursing a degree in business. Shantel is scheduled to graduate from high school in May of 2025. At that time she will have completed a certificate in business and will be entering college with 30 credit hours of courses already completed. These siblings exemplify how to utilize the certificate in business as a jump start to furthering educational goals.
Harold and Shantel Sanchez, Former Dual Credit Students
My path began in 8th grade when Los Alamos High School and UNM-LA encouraged me to join the Los Alamos Early College and Career Academy (LAECCA). This opportunity granted me early access to post-secondary training, allowing me to graduate high school with college credits and a certificate, in addition to my diploma. LAECCA and UNM-LA offered me a seamless transition from high school to college and helped build a strong foundation so I could have workplace readiness and enter the workforce. Thanks to these programs, I was able to cut the time needed to earn my bachelor’s degree in half. The lessons I learned along the way shaped my approach to life and opened doors that I would not have had otherwise.
Mia Casados, Former Dual Credit Student