Maine’s Innovation Business School
Launch your business career at UNE in a community of difference-makers who seek to do well by making a positive impact. UNE’s College of Business, on the coast of Maine, produces graduates with the relevant skills and understanding needed to thrive in today’s evolving business world. We offer a range of programs from Business Administration and Marine Entrepreneurship to Accounting and Marketing degrees.
As a student in UNE’s College of Business, you are engaged with experiential learning opportunities and prepared for rewarding, enriching careers and leadership positions with some of Maine’s and the nation’s largest employers, from private entities, nonprofit organizations, professional sports organizations, manufacturers, and more.
You also benefit from many internal and external opportunities afforded to you including internships, mentorship, and interdisciplinary fellowships offered through UNE’s Office of Innovation and the P.D. Merrill Makerspace.
College of Business Majors
College of Business Dean Norm O’Reilly
UNE is proud to announce Norm O’Reilly, Ph.D., a leading scholar in the business of sports, inaugural dean for the University’s recently established College of Business. O’Reilly joins UNE with two decades of leadership experience in higher education, including his most recent role as dean of the Portland-based Graduate School of Business at the University of Maine (UMaine).
In his time at UMaine, O’Reilly oversaw the establishment and growth of business programs for Maine’s public universities, notably the MaineMBA which now numbers more than 400 students. He enhanced interdisciplinary education opportunities by growing its MBA concentrations and increasing dual degrees with partnerships within many sectors, including law, engineering, and public policy. He also spearheaded multi-university fundraising initiatives and significant projects, including the highly successful MaineMBA Academy and the Maine Brand Study.
Where time-tested meets future-forward
P.D. Merrill Makerspace
The P.D. Merrill Makerspace is a fully equipped laboratory for creating and building, turning ideas into reality, and developing solutions to real-world problems.
Office of Innovation
In the Makerspace and across campus, the Office of Innovation team partners with students, faculty, and professional staff from virtually every unit at UNE.
Seth Semmelrock ’19
Why UNE
My program at UNE did a really good job of teaching me about both small and big business, by showing that there are many pros to small business and “keeping it local” while simultaneously encouraging us to question everything.
In Maine, there is definitely an emphasis on small business across the state. It’s evident in the sheer amount of small business in Maine and how strong that community is. I think that it's very important to keep small business around and not allow big business and major corporations to become overbearing.
The local feel here in Maine is genuine. When you go into a local shop or restaurant or whatever it may be, it is an exponentially different experience than when you walk into a cookie-cutter corporate office or even a chain restaurant. The atmospheres, people, and experiences at small businesses are unique and refreshing.
Beyond the Classroom
In Community Health and Environmental Development in Kenya, we learned about what goes on in Kenya politically, environmentally, and developmentally in the classroom here in Maine. The ultimate goal of the class was to travel to Kenya to put our classroom learning to use in a hands-on setting. We did just that.
We fit into three weeks the amount of activities that you could have done over the course of two or three months. We worked with numerous different NGOs and other organizations that are all focused around healthy community and environmental development in Kenya. We also got to do a bit of touristy stuff, like visit a museum, we went to an elephant orphanage and giraffe center, and we went to Nairobi National Park. Every experience that we had was deeply educational. We were doing different bits and pieces, learning whatever we could about this place that was new to us.
One day, we were all going out in a big group for a tour on foot. We had some very young Kenyan students along with us for the trek. I was tapping my metal water bottle along the way, and it was making a tinny, ringing sound. One little Kenyan girl — she couldn’t have been more than four — turned around and stared at me, mesmerized by the sound. We don’t speak the same language, so I had no way of communicating to her in words, but I could see that it was the sound that she was interested in. I bent down, held out the water bottle, and kept tapping at it. She kept looking at it, entranced. Eventually, she reached out and tapped it too. She smiled so big. It was this special moment of communication between us. We hadn’t spoken a word to each other, and I felt like we had had an entire conversation. There was a mutual understanding that felt really cool and was a moment that made my decision to go [to Kenya] worth it.
The ultimate goal of the class was to travel to Kenya to put our classroom learning to use in a hands-on setting. We did just that.
Business Student Success By The Numbers
of undergrads employed or in ongoing higher education within one year of graduating
in Maine for getting a job
A Business School on Maine’s Coast
As a student in one of our Maine-based Business degree programs, you study on UNE’s scenic Biddeford Campus, where the waters of the Saco River flow into the Atlantic Ocean. Over the years, this location has inspired students and faculty from around the world. Recently named the youngest city in Maine, Biddeford and its twin city, Saco, boast an up-and-coming, hip downtown offering delicious eateries, exciting social and cultural events, and more. With the transformation of the old Biddeford/Saco mills into restaurants, breweries, housing, fitness facilities, salons, and retailers, there is something for everyone to explore in downtown. Looking to try a new type of food, grab a coffee, or shop for locally-made clothes? Biddeford/Saco has it all.
News
Business Degrees Accreditation
The University of New England’s Business Administration and Sport Leadership and Management programs are accredited Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs.
Report to Communities of Interest and Student Achievement (PDF)