Professional Sales, B.A.


Please note: The Professional Sales, B.A. program is no longer accepting new applications after May 26, 2025. The program will be closed effective May 5, 2026.

Learn valuable sales management strategies needed for business success by learning how to build business relationships, negotiate sales terms and ultimately close the business deals needed for companies to succeed now and in the future.

Sales professionals keep businesses running. In our increasingly solutions-driven economy, connecting consumers and companies with the products and services they need to stay competitive is a fast-growing field for ambitious people excited to make connections and create lasting value for customers.

Despite overwhelming demand for sales professionals in the business world, only a handful of schools in the U.S. offer a dedicated program in professional sales. The Lenoir-Rhyne University program was built by leading experts and industry stars from Fortune 500 companies and leaders in academia to create a specialized offering for our students. 

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Take the next step toward completing your B.A. in Professional Sales degree at Lenoir-Rhyne University.

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Take the next step toward completing your B.A. in Professional Sales degree at Lenoir-Rhyne University.

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A business education is built into our program, so you’ll have expertise ready to apply as soon as you graduate. Learn how to analyze, how to coach and excel as a sales leader, including the following.

  • Relationship-driven professional selling
    Learn prospecting through relationship building to a higher and deeper level of “thinking” through the sales approach as a master planner, listener, negotiator and partner. Obtain fundamental knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to succeed in a professional selling position and focus on the planning and research necessary to be a credible and compelling salesperson. Advanced topics include team selling, negotiating, and leveraging account development activities.
  • Negotiation in business and sales
    Learn the concepts behind negotiation and develop your own negotiating style. 
  • Sales leadership
    Learn the “hard” analytical skills as well as the “soft” skills for effective management and coaching. Explore key sales and management concepts related to the sales function and that of the sales manager in the firm. Develop hands on analytical and management coaching skills using business case studies and articles, and active hands-on practice.

Program Outcomes


With a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Sales you will be able to apply the principles of relationship-driven selling to sales activities, including: 

  • Choose the correct approach to manage sales teams.
  • Provide critical feedback about the selling practices of others.
  • Develop skills in buyer/seller negotiation strategies.
  • Create an integrated sales strategy for any organization.

Learning Outside the Classroom


International students gather for an international fair at LR

Future employers and post-graduate schools will look at your entire undergraduate work both inside and outside the classroom. Take full advantage of all opportunities that are available to you at LR, including research, study abroad, internships, student clubs and organizations.

Accreditation


Lenoir-Rhyne is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

The B.A. in Professional Sales is not accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) due to the recent start of the program. We are in the process of collecting data for future accreditation.

Major Requirements

The Professional Sales major is designed for those individuals who wish to pursue a career in building customer relationships and driving business growth through strategic selling. The main focus of this major is preparation for identifying customer needs, presenting value-based solutions, negotiating effectively and managing long-term client relationships in a competitive and ever-changing marketplace. The major prepares students for careers as Sales Managers, Account Executives, Business Development Representatives and Sales Consultants. The program of study combines courses from all the functional areas of business to develop persuasive, ethical and results-oriented decision makers. The Professional Sales major earns a B.A. degree.

Transfer Policy

A student may transfer in the following:

  1. the common Business core courses except for   - Business Policy and no more than 6 credit hours from  ,  ,  ,  , and  .
  2. no more than 6 credit hours from the required major courses.

Honors

Students in the College of Business & Economics may elect to pursue honors work. To be eligible for honors, students must:

  • have a 3.2 cumulative GPA;
  • have a 3.5 GPA in the major; and
  • have completed ACC 231, BUS 340, BUS 360 and CSC 175 or BUS 125 or have been invited to apply by the faculty of the College of Business & Economics;
  • have successfully completed BUS 320 and BUS 344 as honors courses;
  • have successfully completed BUS 499 which includes a specific business written analysis report and an oral presentation to the faculty of the College of Business & Economics.

 

Earning two or more majors in Charles M. Snipes College of Business and Economics

Students seeking two or more majors in the Charles M. Snipes College of Business & Economics must complete 15 hours of unique course work in the Major Requirements section of each major. All required course work for the major must be completed. The unique course work will come from the required courses and elective courses prescribed for the additional major. Some courses may require substitutions approved by the dean.

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