Major in Business Administration

The College of Business prepares students with the knowledge and skills needed to become effective leaders and decision makers in today’s dynamic business environment.

The four-year curriculum leads to a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Business Administration. The program focuses on global orientation, technology, ethics, business processes, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility.

Lower-division work provides a cultural and analytical foundation. Upper-division work provides specialized work in business disciplines to prepare students to enter their chosen fields in the business world. At the same time, the program develops the attitudes and analytical abilities required for future professional advancement.

The College of Business has a strong reputation among regional, national, and international employers. As a whole, graduates from the College of Business are well-prepared to enter challenging positions. The program centers on an approach which emphasizes: knowledge of concepts, processes, and institutions; understanding of the financial, economic, legal, ethical, social, and organizational influences; information systems; and interpersonal communications. The senior capstone course offers an opportunity for students to apply these skills in an active and engaging learning environment.

All undergraduate business majors must complete the All-University Core Curriculum (AUCC) as part of their graduation requirement. Coordinated with this general education, all business students take business core subjects plus a concentration with its specified course sequence. Fifty percent of the total credits required for the business core and concentration must be completed at CSU.

Each student selects one of the following concentrations: Accounting, Finance, Financial Planning, Human Resource Management, Information Systems, Marketing, Management and Innovation, Real Estate, or Supply Chain Management.

Students have the opportunity to select a second Business Administration concentration in International Business to be taken in conjunction with their first concentration.

Admission

Direct entry as a new freshman or transfer to the College of Business is highly selective and only those students meeting academic requirements will be accepted. For details contact the Office of Admissions.

CSU and the College of Business use holistic review when determining eligibility for admission to the College of Business as a new freshman. An example of a strong candidate for admission to the College of Business is one who is actively involved in their high school and community, and has at least a 3.200 GPA. For current admission criteria, contact the CSU Office of Admissions. New freshmen admitted to CSU but not directly to the College of Business will be admitted as “Exploratory Studies: Business Interest." To be eligible for transfer admission to the College, CSU students (including Exploratory Studies: Business Interest) must have a 3.000 cumulative GPA on a minimum of 15 graded credits at CSU, a grade of B- or higher in ECON 202, and three equivalent course credits from the following list with grades of C- or higher in each course completed:  MATH 117, MATH 118, MATH 120, MATH 124, MATH 125, MATH 126, MATH 127, MATH 141 or a higher-level calculus course. 

External transfer students who have completed a minimum of 15 graded credits with ECON 202 with a grade of B- or higher, and three equivalent course credits from the following list with grades of C- or higher in each course completed:  MATH 117, MATH 118, MATH 120, MATH 124, MATH 125, MATH 126, MATH 127, MATH 141 or a higher-level calculus course, and a 3.000 cumulative GPA will be admitted directly to the College.

External transfer students who do not meet the above criteria will be admitted as Exploratory Studies: Business Interest, and must complete the requirements stated above.

The College of Business participates in a statewide transfer articulation agreement for the bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. That agreement is available online with the Registrar's Office.

Learning Objectives

Students will demonstrate:

1. The ability to speak the language of business by constructing and analyzing financial and operating reports and using this information to make various business and capital allocation decisions.
2. An appreciation of the impact of the marketing environment on developing and sustaining a coherent marketing strategy that addresses the needs and wants of a selected target market.
3. An understanding of leadership principles, effective communication, and ways to collaborate within and across organizations.
4. An understanding of risk and the time value of money, how to use and value different types of securities, and how to make sound financial management decisions.
5. An understanding of the all-encompassing role information technology plays in all aspects of a business and the ability to collect, store, analyze, and professionally disseminate data using business technology tools to solve problems and make decisions.
6. The ability to identify and analyze various ethical dilemmas that occur in organizations, apply sound moral reasoning to address these situations, and defend recommended courses of action.
7. An understanding of the dynamics of the global business environment and, when appropriate, the application of elements of a global perspective in making business decisions.
8. An understanding of the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability and how to measure, report, and manage sustainability in organizations.

Accelerated Program

The major in Business Administration includes an accelerated program option for students in the Accounting, Finance, Financial Planning, Information Systems, Marketing, Management and Innovation, and Real Estate concentrations to graduate on a faster schedule. Accelerated Programs typically include 15-16 credits each fall and spring semester for three years, plus 6-9 credits over two to three summer sessions. Students who enter CSU with prior credit (AP, IB, transfer, etc.) may use applicable courses to further accelerate their graduation. Visit the Office of the Provost website for additional information about Accelerated Programs.

Course Requirements

The first two years of study include completion of the All-University Core Curriculum (AUCC) and the lower-division business core courses. Some lower-division specialized course work is required in the Information Systems concentration. Students must have junior or senior status and be admitted into the College of Business in order to take specialized course work in the business concentrations.

Concentrations

• Accounting
• Finance
• Financial Planning
• Human Resource Management
• Information Systems
• International Business (second concentration)
• Management and Innovation Concentration
• Marketing
• Organization and Innovation Management (No new students are being admitted into this concentration. Interested students should see the Management and Innovation Concentration).
• Real Estate
• Supply Chain Management

Concentrations

• Accounting
• Finance
• Financial Planning
• Human Resource Management
• Information Systems
• International Business (second concentration)
• Management and Innovation
• Marketing
• Real Estate
• Supply Chain Management

Core Curriculum

The following core curriculum sets the minimum course requirements for all business majors. With recommendations of the student’s advisor, supplementary courses are selected to meet the total minimum of 120 credits required for the Bachelor of Science degree. 

All freshman and sophomore required courses must be completed prior to or concurrent with first enrollment in required junior and senior courses. By the beginning of the junior year, students must select one of the above concentrations approved for the major in Business Administration.

Additional requirements which all business majors must complete are:

1. one of the approved concentrations;
2. All-University Core Curriculum (AUCC) requirements;
3. Business majors must not utilize the satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) grading option in any Business concentration course or and Business core course (BUS and non-BUS subject codes) except when a course allows S/U grading.

Effective Fall 2024

The College of Business requires a minimum grade point average of 2.000 in business and economics courses as a graduation requirement. 

¹

BUS 220 and BUS 225 will fulfill the AUCC 3B requirement. If BUS 201 is selected, 3 additional credits in AUCC 3B must be completed before graduation.

²

Students who have taken FIN 305 and/or MKT 305 prior to admission to the College of Business may substitute those courses to satisfy the category 4A and 4B requirements. All other students are required to take FIN 300 and MKT 300 to satisfy categories 4A and 4B.