Business
A strong foundation in business is the key that opens the door to advancement or higher pay in many other career areas. Whether you are the receptionist or manage the entire office, own a business or serve as CEO of a major corporation, your success begins with skills in accounting, management, interpersonal communication and computer operation. Whatever your place of employment, whatever goals you have for your future, it's what you learn about business that helps make you a leader.
Imagine yourself making the decisions that matter. Chemeketa can take you there.
Jobs for office specialists, office administrators and receptionists are listed in the Top 20 Growth Jobs in Oregon for 2001-2010. Qualified business support personnel, accounting assistants and especially medical transcriptionists are often in demand.
Chemeketa's various business programs offer the skills and training you need for any aspect of this diverse career field that might interest you. Coursework focuses on current business requirements and might include business communications, office procedures and management, personal and professional development, accounting, electronic communications, and all the necessary software applications.
To make it easier to fit the classes you need into your busy schedule, Chemeketa offers day and evening classes, workshops, and individualized courses on five campuses Dallas, McMinnville, Salem, Santiam and Woodburn. For your convenience, many courses are presented via the Internet and television. You may take a class or two to upgrade your skills, or choose to work toward an Associate of Applied Science degree. You can typically earn an associate degree in two years and a Certificate of Completion in one year.
Associate degrees/certificates
The Business Technology program offers four options: Administrative Assistant, Business Support, Medical Administrative Assistant, and Accounting Administrative Assistant. Each program offers a slightly different emphasis, depending on your particular career path.
In addition to these two-year programs, the Business Technology program offers two one-year options: the Business Technology certificate, which prepares you for a careers such as word processing operator, general office clerk, receptionist, typist, secretary, and an online Business Software certificate, which is offered through online classes. If you want a fast track to a new job, the short-term certificate program in Office Fundamentals, with an open-entry, open-exit curriculum, is a good option. This option allows you to study at your own pace as you gain the skills you need as a receptionist, file clerk, typist or related position.
Associate degree
Health Services Management offers a two-year program leading to a variety of positions in hospitals, state agencies, medical clinics, HMOs or other health organizations. Positions include administrative assistant, data manager, and careers in middle-management. This program also leads into four-year transfer programs in medical office and other health care administrative areas.
Certificate/Medical Coding, Insurance, Medical Records, Medical Reception
Health Information Technology prepares you for a wide range of positions in hospitals, medical offices, insurance companies, HMOs and other health care facilities. Duties may include medical coding, insurance billing, medical records, health information processing, referral clerk and medical reception.
Associate degree
If you are interested in becoming a bookkeeper, accounting clerk or junior accountant, the Accounting program gives you the skills you need for an entry-level position in business, industry and government agencies.
Associate degree
Associate degree graduates in either Computer Programming and Support or Computer Support Specialist qualify to work with computers of various sizes as professional business application programmers in careers involving microcomputer applications and local area networks. This program emphasizes a broad range of software and hardware skills, including training in operating systems, computer programming, networking and use of applications. For more information, see our web site at: cis.chemeketa.edu
Associate degree
Chemeketa's two-year Management program can prepare you for a job as a management trainee or other entry-level employee of a small business or a large firm. Coursework would include Business Environment, Financial Accounting, Business Law, and Financial Management.
Chemeketa offers management programs in Small Business Management and AgriBusiness Management. For more information on these programs call the appropriate phone number listed below.
Associate degree
The two-year Medical Transcription program prepares you for an entry-level career transcribing medical records at medical clinics, hospitals and other care facilities.
For more information about any of these programs, check the web site at: www.chemeketa.edu/programs/bt/training.html
If you are interested in continuing your education after earning your associate's degree, talk to an advisor in the Office of Counseling and Career Services about all the options available at a four-year college or university.
Getting Started
If you haven't been to Chemeketa recently, your first step should be a visit to the college. While there you can talk to an advisor and learn what the college can do to help you reach your goal. You can arrange a time to take the college's free placement tests, which will help determine whether or not you need to take some basic skills classes in mathematics, reading or writing before enrolling in the program.
Through Chemeketa's Credit for Prior Learning program, you may be able to earn credit for learning acquired through job, community or volunteer service, non-credit classes or individual study.
Certain high school classes may be applied toward an associate degree at Chemeketa, so talk to a career and college counselor at your high school about earning college credits while still in high school.
You may also call one of the numbers below:
Accounting — 503.399.6155
Business Technology — 503.399.6054
Computer Programming — 503.399.6074
Health Services Management — 503.399.8343
Health Information Technology — 503.399.5275
Medical Transcription — 503.399.5275
Farm Business Management — 503.399.5089
Small Business Management — 503.399.5181
Outreach campuses:
Dallas — 503.399.5206
Woodburn — 503.399.5283
McMinnville — 503.399.5219
Santiam — 503.399.5215
Updated March 25, 2009 by Web Services.