Undergraduate Programs

Undergraduates programs in the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business are distinct in balancing solid theoretical preparation with practical application. Students are given broad business preparation with contextual applications to prepare them for general business decision making.

In all business majors, undergraduate students distinguish themselves by demonstrating ability to:

• Understand the legal, ethical, organizational and historical aspects of business;
• Demonstrate accounting literacy and financial analysis;
• Understand group dynamics, systems thinking, and business strategy;
• Understand economic systems and the role of business within the domestic and international economies;
• Understand the role of marketing within the organization and society.

Students further distinguish themselves by mastering the following professional skill areas in addition to functional areas:

• Computer literacy—applying software tools to business problems, and using databases and library resources to find and evaluate relevant information;
• Communication—clear and succinct oral, visual, and written;
• Ethical literacy—ability to identify, discern, and understand the social responsibility of business organizations;
• Quantitative literacy—ability to apply mathematical techniques to business decisions and to present results in tables, graphs, and words; to use and apply statistical techniques and to interpret empirical results;
• Interpersonal/team skills—capability to work with and through people to accomplish goals.

Students completing business programs use these skills throughout the programs and across the curriculum to develop literacy and mastery of the skills. All students also complete practical experiences, in either internships or practicum projects, to give context and experience to learning achieved in the classroom.

In most business majors, students can elect to complete Bachelor of Science (B.S.) or Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) programs. The B.S. programs are designed to give students deeper specialization within the major area, while B.A. programs are designed to give broader preparation in both the program area and in other areas depending on the student’s background, preferences, and interests. Students completing the B.A. option are required to complete either a declared academic minor other than the Business minor, or twelve credit hours of foreign language.

Students should discuss B.S. and B.A. options with their academic advisor to determine which better meets their career goals.

Undergraduate Business Core

Students in all business majors (with the exception of flight operations and some economics programs) complete a common undergraduate core designed to develop skill in all functional areas of business.

There are two components to the common undergraduate core: the lower-division requirements, and the upper-division requirements. Since many of the lower-division core requirements are prerequisites for upper-division major requirements, students should work to complete lower-division courses early in their programs. Upper-division core requirements should be taken when prerequisites are met. Refer to course descriptions to determine prerequisites.

Students should try to complete as many core business requirements as possible in their LE course selections. Those courses that meet LE requirements are annotated below: