Business Pathway

​If you are interested in degrees and certificates that might lead to a career in business, government or industry, or maybe you want to start your own business, the Business Pathway might be for you.

Business Pathway degrees and certificates can lead to careers in management, accounting, marketing, network administration, information technology support, and office work in a variety of office environments. This pathway includes a hands-on automotive service technology degree. ​

As with all the pathways, you may choose to move to a different pathway at any time. If you so choose, an advisor can help you.​

Areas of Interest​

Technological advances in today’s automobiles require a highly skilled automotive repair technician. The YVC AST program offers training in all nine NATEF areas of automotive repair. The Program requires two years to complete (six quarters). Enrollment is open to those who qualify at the beginning of fall, winter, and spring quarters of each academic year. An Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree in Automotive Service Technology is awarded upon the successful completion of the program. Career opportunities in the automotive repair industry are better than ever.

  • Automotive Service Technology
  • Electrical and Electronic Systems
  • Steering/Suspension and Brake Systems

This associate degree program provides students with a basic knowledge of business administration. Business administration students choose an area of focus – accounting, banking and finance, management or marketing. Depending on the student’s focus, instruction includes management theory, human resources management and behavior, accounting and other quantitative methods, purchasing and logistics, organization and production, marketing and business decision-making.

Graduates are prepared to enter the workforce in fields including accounting, general business, banking and finance, management or marketing.

  • Accounting
  • Accounting​ Clerk
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Retail Marketing
  • Business Management​
  • Business Management – Marketing Specialty
  • Business Management – Entrepreneurship Specialty

The Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Management Program at Yakima Valley  College is designed for prospective students who have earned an associate’s degree and need a pathway to a bachelor’s degree. This pathway combines lower division technical and transfer courses with upper division credits in business management, resulting in an application-oriented, four-year degree.

The BAS in Business Management caters to working adults. Each class meets in the evenings one time per week for two hours. Continued instruction and student interaction takes place online. Full-time students (those taking 15 credits per quarter) can finish the program in two years, once pre-requisites have been met.

Through business and professional partnerships and student-centered education, the Business Department provides career and enrichment opportunities to equip students with skills, abilities, and extended learning for the changing work environment. The department is comprised of three specific areas: business administration, business technology, and information technology.

The Business Administration Program is designed to equip students with basic knowledge and skills for transferring to a four-year college, entering the business workforce, or updating workplace skills. Students can select courses from a variety of business programs: accounting, business management, business office technology, and information technology.

Associate in Business – DTA/MRP (Direct Transfer Agreement): This degree permits students to transfer to four-year colleges and universities with Junior-level status in the Business Administration departments and programs. The statewide DTA in Business Administration is required for students transferring to four-year colleges and universities as business majors.

The YVC Business Technology Program (BT) prepares students to enter various office positions that meet the local business community standards.  Course offerings are constantly updated to meet student and industry needs.  Many BT students attend classes in the morning and work in the afternoon.  BT students take classes in Business Technology, Information Technology, and Business Administration.  Depending on the major or certificate, students may also take classes in Accounting, Medical Assisting, Medical Billing and Coding, and Spanish.

  • Administrative Assistant
  • Bilingual Administrative Office Assistant
  • Bilingual Legal Office Assistant
  • Bilingual Medical Assistant
  • Bilingual Office Assistant
  • General Office Assistant
  • Legal Office Assistant
  • Legal Receptionist
  • Medical Office Assistant
  • Medical Receptionist

Economics is the study of how individuals and groups, including companies and governments, make decisions about using limited resources to produce and distribute goods and services in order to best satisfy their needs and wants. Economics uses unique methods to analyze and predict individual behavior based on past decisions and the range of possible courses of action under different circumstances. Most simply stated, Economics is the study of making choices.

An understanding of basic terminology and concepts of economics is a foundation for further study in most business courses. Also, knowledge of the fundamentals of economics is becoming more important for programs of study outside the field of business, such as education and medicine. The classes at Yakima Valley College are designed to provide introductory-level study for transfer students and to provide business/community members with information that can be used in daily decision making.

Our modern facility offers several computer classrooms, one hardware classroom, and one network classroom. Practical development is stressed in information technology classes as students are presented with strategies for applying their studies to present and future needs of technology-related careers.

  • Access
  • Cisco Networking
  • Excel
  • IT Computer User
  • IT General
  • Managing & Maintaining the PC
  • Network Administration
  • Office Suite
  • Programming
  • Support Specialist