At which campus can I study this program?
Program Description
This minor is designed to accommodate undergraduates enrolled in engineering and engineering technology who wish to augment their majors with further studies in industrial or technical sales. This minor is designed for non-business majors. The objective of the minor is to acquaint the technical students of these majors with the issues and methods associated with industrial or technical sales. Relevant studies include principles of management, operations management, supply chain management, marketing, logistics systems, procurement, personal selling or business-to-business marketing, and project management. Students who complete the minor will be positioned for career opportunities as direct sales engineers who play a key role in selection, purchase, installation and maintenance of technical products by selling technology and engineering solutions, or as manufacturing representatives who independently form contracts in exclusive marketing territories for multiple small manufacturers of compatible but not competing technical products.
What is Technical Sales?
A minor in Technical Sales offers engineering, engineering technology, and science students the foundational education in management, marketing, personal selling, and business-to-business marketing needed to build a career in technical sales, industrial sales, procurement, direct sales engineering, and manufacturing representation.
You Might Like This Program If...
- You are a student studying outside of the School of Business who would like to add a business specialization to your major.
- You envision a career in sales, technical marketing, or procurement.
Program Requirements
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Requirements for the Minor | 19 |
Students are required to have a technically-oriented major (i.e. engineering, engineering technology, physical sciences, or other major as approved).
Requirements for the Minor
A grade of C or better is required for all courses in the minor, as specified by Senate Policy 59-10. In addition, at least six credits of the minor must be unique from the prescribed courses required by a student's major(s).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prescribed Courses | ||
| Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| MGMT 301 | Basic Management Concepts | 3 |
| MKTG 301 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| SCM 301 | Supply Chain Management | 3 |
| Additional Courses | ||
| Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| MKTG 410 | Personal Selling (or marketing elective as approved) | 3 |
| SCM 200 | Introduction to Statistics for Business  | 4 |
| or STAT 200 | Elementary Statistics | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Project Management for Engineers | ||
| Project Management | ||
| Logistics Systems Analysis and Design | ||
| Purchasing and Materials Management | ||
Academic Advising
The objectives of the university’s academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.
Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.
READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY
Erie
Gary Smith
Lecturer in Management
287 Burke
Erie, PA 16563
814-898-6429
grs24@psu.edu
Career Paths
The minor in Technical Sales can be pursued by most students in technical-focused Penn State Behrend degree programs. Penn State Behrend has a comprehensive support system to help you identify and achieve your goals for college and beyond. Meet with your academic adviser often and take advantage of the services offered by the Academic and Career Planning Center beginning in your first semester.
Careers
A minor in Technical Sales prepares you for marketing, selling, or procuring technical products, services, and systems. Because all technical organizations are engaged in the selling and purchasing of products, services, and equipment, your career options are limited only by your imagination.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES WITH A MINOR IN TECHNICAL SALES
Opportunities for Graduate Studies
Adding a specialized minor such as Technical Sales to a primary major program demonstrates to graduate programs your commitment to interdisciplinary thinking.
Contact
Erie
BLACK SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
281 Jack Burke Research and Economic Development Center
Erie, PA 16563
814-898-6107
behrendbusiness@psu.edu