The first two graduates of the Gemological Institute of America Bachelor of Business Administration program have been granted their BBA degrees. They are Wade H. Clar, Jr. and Tyler Harden.

The BBA program provides a comprehensive business education with a specialized focused in the jewelry industry.

Clar of Canandaigua, N.Y., received his BBA on Dec. 21, 2007, and soon after gained a position as an Inventory Control Manager for the America’s Value Channel, a gems and jewelry shopping network. Clar’s role will include acting as a liaison with manufacturers and marketing services, both on a national and international level.

The second graduate, Harden of Ontario, Canada, received his BBA March 28.  He came from Canada to attend GIA in Carlsbad specifically to obtain this specialized BBA education. Harden’s immediate plans include working in his family’s commercial development business heading the leasing department and he believes the well-rounded classes the program provided him will be an asset to him wherever his career takes him.

GIA’s BBA degree completion program is offered through Distance Education or On Campus. The academic focus includes marketing, retail management, accounting and finance, entrepreneurship, and international law and trade specific to the jewelry industry.

For more information about GIA’s School of Business, www.gia.edu/education or contact a GIA Admissions representative at (800) 421-7250, ext. 4001.

JCK