Program Curriculm

The Retail Management Certificate coursework incorporates both educational knowledge and technical skills, and is structured to lead students to competence in several areas.  It is important to note that the program is not limited to direct vocational training.  In fact, many of the courses are transferable to four-year institutions, and will provide a strong foundation for students intending to pursue Bachelor’s or Master’s Degrees in accounting, marketing, business, finance, communications, liberal arts, and other areas where general management competencies are important.

WAFC Retail Management Curriculum

  • Introduction to Management
  • Business Communication (written) or Composition course
  • Business Mathematics
  • Bookkeeping or General Accounting
  • Marketing Management
  • Oral Communications (Business or Speech)
  • Human Resources Management
  • Retail Management/Merchandising
  • Leadership/Human Relations
  • Microcomputer Applications

Course titles/numbers will vary slightly at each campus, but the content for “like” courses must be substantially similar at each participating college for WAFC endorsement and consistency.  In addition, students should be made aware of transferable options (to 4-year schools) wherever possible.

Proposed Sequence of Courses

There is no required sequence of courses, but it is recommended that students structure their schedule to move through three general levels of training and experiences. 

Group A – Foundational Courses Group B – Intermediate Courses Group C – Terminal or Advanced Courses

The students should have exposure to foundational courses in writing, speaking, math applications, and computer literacy before moving into more content specific areas.   These foundational courses can be taken in any order.

  • Business Writing
  • Business Math
  • Microcomputer Applications
  • Oral Communication

The second component of course offerings should cover specific business and management content.  Again these “intermediate” courses can be taken in any order.

  • Introduction to Management
  • Bookkeeping/Accounting
  • Introduction to Marketing

Finally, it is felt that the “capstone” or more advanced topics should include the retail-specific courses and human relations topics closer to the end of a student’s/employee’s training experience.

  • Retailing
  • Human Relations/Leadership
  • Human Resource Management

Transferability of Courses

Each college is different, however, a few of the WAFC selected courses include an option for those interested in transferability  (e.g.: General Accounting meets the General Education requirement at most 4-year colleges, whereas Bookkeeping may transfer only as an elective).  Students who anticipate transferring to a four-year institution should talk to an educational advisor at that four-year institution regarding this issue.