Cluster Analyses of American Universities' Business Core Curricula Structures Utilized to Satisfy Fifteen Curriculum Areas

Abstract

This research reports findings from cluster analysis of data from a national survey of schools and universities offering a four-year business major curricula. Responses from 107 American higher-education institutions composed of the largest American schools to the smallest were studied to gain insights as to how course fields were utilized, i.e., percentage of curriculum area coverage provided by a particular course field, to satisfy fifteen suggested curricula areas. Finding of the study include: seven of the fifteen areas cluster pedagogy structures explained 40 percent or more of the variation within the cluster structure, with another area almost 40 percent (39.99%); seven area pedagogy structures have a few directly related course fields explaining a large percentage of the cluster variation. Thus, it appears that approximately half of the curriculum area pedagogy structures are to a major extent covered by a single course field, one specific to that curriculum area, with minor amounts of the topic covered in various secondary courses. Therefore, curriculum design appears to be influenced by additional factors of a non-pedagogical nature curriculum design decisions. e.g., faculty resources, size of institution, historical emphasis of the school among the arts and sciences, etc. Also evidence is provided indicating that curriculum area.