Degree Requirements

Business Administration Studies

Requirements for the Major in Business Administration. Students complete the university Central Curriculum, the business foundation courses, and an emphasis in entrepreneurship, finance, global management, human resource management or marketing. Students also may substitute the minor in information systems for an emphasis. No grade below C- will be accepted to fulfill emphasis requirements or in any foundation course.

Entrepreneurship Emphasis. Entrepreneurship is important to the overall economic future of our society, as well as being a leading area of interest to students. The creation of new products, services, jobs, business, and in fact, entire industries, is more dependent upon entrepreneurship today than it has ever been in the past. The importance of entrepreneurship has become more widely acknowledged and understood, generating enormous opportunities for entrepreneurial thinking and considerable interest in the field by students and educators.

The goal of the entrepreneurship emphasis is to assist students in gaining the knowledge, skills and confidence to become successful entrepreneurs. Students gain an appreciation of the entrepreneur in society, the entrepreneur's struggle, and an understanding of how to start and/or manage a business. The classes enable and encourage students to create innovative entrepreneurial and small-business ventures.

The entrepreneurship emphasis requires 16 semester hours as follows:

semester hours

Finance Emphasis. The field of finance encompasses three interrelated areas. Each views the management of assets, liabilities and equity from a different perspective. One area of finance deals with the behavior and characteristics of financial intermediaries. A second area, investments, focuses on the decisions of both individual and institutional investors. The third area, financial management, deals with the management of assets, liabilities and equity within a business organization. Career opportunities in each area are many and varied. The finance emphasis prepares students for positions in financial management with manufacturing and service organizations or with financial intermediaries, such as banks, insurance companies, brokerages and investment advisory firms.

The finance emphasis requires 12 semester hours, as follows:

semester hours

Global Management Emphasis. This emphasis provides a broad background in international business and global management. It is suitable for a student contemplating an MBA in international business or the study of international law.

The emphasis requires 18 hours, as follows:

semester hours

* Director of Weis School International Programs approval required

Human Resource Management Emphasis. In the face of today's intense scrutiny and competition, both public and private organizations are placing greater emphasis on the management of their human resources. Managers are beginning to view Human Resource Management (HRM) as a strategic business function to be leveraged in pursuit of competitive advantage. The objectives of the HRM emphasis are (1) to immerse students in this new strategic perspective; (2) to familiarize students with the language, concepts, theory and application of numerous fundamental HRM activities; and 3) to provide in-depth knowledge into at least one of these activities. Thus this emphasis would be appropriate for students who are considering careers or graduate study in general HRM, compensation administration or labor relations.

The human resource emphasis requires 16 semester hours as follows:

semester hours

Information Systems Emphasis. Business administration majors may elect an emphasis in information systems by completing courses for the minor in information systems.

Marketing Emphasis. Marketing involves managing the interface between an organization and its customers by determining their needs and behaviors, and delivering need-satisfying value to them while meeting the organization's goals. Marketing has a fundamental role in virtually all business decisions and in directing the efforts of customer-driven organizations. Marketing is essential not only to retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers, but also to attorneys, accountants, museums, hospitals, colleges, the performing arts and political action groups.

The marketing emphasis requires 12 semester hours, as follows:

semester hours

Minor in Business Administration. The minor in business administration requires six or seven courses totaling at least 24 semester hours. To complete the minor, students must have a GPA of at least 2.0 and no grade below C- in courses chosen from the following:

semester hours