Business (B.S.B.)

Program: B.S.B.
SBMS Undergraduate Student Success Center
Richard T. Doermer School of Business and Management Sciences

Neff Hall 366 ~ 260-481-6472 ~ www.ipfw.edu/bms

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The student learning outcomes for the degree are as follows:

• Upon completion of the Bachelors in Business Degree, students will:
• Be able to integrate fundamental principles of business theory and practice.
• Be able to solve problems by modeling, analyzing data (qualitative and numeric), and using critical thinking skills.
• Be able to understand the global and cultural implications of business decisions.
• Be able to understand ethical considerations in business decision.
• Be able to understand the relationship between the community and business.
• Be able to demonstrate the effective communication and teamwork skills.
• Be prepared for life-long learning in a dynamic  environment. 

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The faculty of the Richard T. Doermer School of Business and Management Sciences believe that quality in product and services, competitiveness in the global marketplace, and professionalism are critical to business success. As a result, the undergraduate business curriculum is designed around the principles of competitiveness, quality, and professionalism. Faculty members are dedicated to the development of business professionals who have the knowledge and skills to contribute effectively to their organizations and community. 

A significant portion of the B.S.B. curriculum is composed of courses that provide a basic understanding of principles and practices involved in the management of business firms. Another large component, slightly more than half of your credits, is the general education core. These courses provide a well-rounded background necessary for success in a diverse business environment. Further, in order to ensure a balanced educational program, the business curriculum offers ample opportunities to take courses in a specific concentration area of interest to you.

The B.S.B. program is accredited by the International Association for Management Education (AACSB), which provides a voluntary mechanism of quality control. AACSB is the most prestigious business accrediting body in the nation. Only about one-quarter of all business schools in the nation possess this distinction.

Your initial courses are selected from introductory-level general education, business, and economics subjects. When you have qualified for admission to the B.S.B. program, additional opportunities are provided for in-depth studies in a variety of advanced business, management, and analytical subjects. These advanced studies help you prepare for positions of increasing executive responsibility in the business community.

At the time you are admitted to the B.S.B. program, you must declare a specialization in one of five concentrations: accounting, business economics, finance, management, or marketing.

Admission

Students are admitted as pre-business students until they have completed the specific pre-business requirements needed for admission to the Bachelor’s degree program.

To be admitted to the B.S.B. program applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher and will have completed at least 60 credits that apply toward the degree, including the courses listed below. Within this course listing, successful applicants will have (1) a grade of C or better in each course marked with an * and (2) a GPA of 2.30 or better (the grade for ENG W131 is not included in this GPA calculation).

Courses Specifically Required for Admission to the B.S.B. Program
 

Course Number and Title

Credits

	BUS J100*		Intro to College and Business Careers	1
	BUS A201*		Principles of Financial Accounting	3
	BUS A202*		Principles of Managerial Accounting	3
	BUS K200*		Computer Literacy Concepts	0
	BUS K211*		Spreadsheets for Business	1
	BUS K212*		Introduction to Database Management	1
	BUS K213*		Internet Access and Data Analysis for Business	1
	BUS L200*		Elements of Business Law	3
	BUS W204*		Social, Legal, and Ethical Implications of Business Decisions	3
	COM 114		Fundamentals of Speech Communication	3
	ECON E201*		Introduction to Microeconomics	3
	ECON E202*		Introduction to Macroeconomics	3
	ECON E270*		Introduction to Statistical Theory in Economics and Business I	3
	ENG W131*		Elementary Composition I (or equivalent)	3
	ENG W233*		Intermediate Expository Writing	3
	MA 229		Calculus for the Managerial, Social, and Biological Sciences I	3
	PSY 120  OR		Elementary Psychology	3
	SOC S161		Principles of Sociology	3
	BUS J200		Business Degree Seminar	0

Two additional rules apply to applicants’ progress through the above courses:

1. No more than 6 credits of these courses may be repeated, and no course may be repeated more than once.
2. Both the original and the repeat grades earned in the above courses will be used to compute the admission GPA. This includes courses that you have taken or repeated at IPFW and other IU campuses. Students who transfer in more than 20 credits of the 39 credits listed will be admitted to the B.S.B. program on a probationary basis.

Note:

Bachelor’s degree programs in business are offered at other Indiana University and IU-Purdue campuses. Since admission and graduation requirements vary among these campuses, you must meet the admission and graduation requirements of the campus from which you intend to graduate.

Enrollment in Business Courses Numbered 300 and Above

Unless you have attained junior class standing and met at least one of the following conditions, you are not permitted to enroll in a business course numbered 300 or above:

• You have been admitted to the B.S.B. program at IPFW.
• The course is a specified requirement for another bachelor’s degree program or minor in which you are enrolled and you have completed all course prerequisites.
• You have obtained written permission from the department through which the course is offered.

If you have enrolled and are not eligible, you will be withdrawn from the course.

B.S.B. REQUIREMENTS

To earn the B.S.B., you must complete a minimum of 123 credits as specified below. You must satisfy the requirements of IPFW (see Part 8 ) and the Richard T. Doermer School of Business and Management Sciences, earn a grade of C or better in those courses marked with an * , earn a grade of C or better in each BUS and ECON course, and complete the four categories of requirements described below. Developmental courses (e.g., ENG R150, R151, W129and W130; MA 109, 111, and 113) do not apply to degree requirements.

Your final consecutive 30 credits must be taken at IPFW after you have been formally admitted to the B.S.B. program.  Business majors may not count BUS, ECON or OLS courses towards their general education requirements (the only exception is OLS 454). 

COMPLETION/ TIME LIMIT  Many of the upper level courses required for this degree are sequenced, and many are offered only in alternate semesters. Therefore, regardless of the number of credits you may have earned prior to admission to the B.S.B. program, the school cannot guarantee that you will be able to complete all degree requirements in fewer than four regular semesters after admission.  It is the school’s intention that you possess the most current knowledge and skills when you complete your degree, therefore no more than four years may elapse once you have been admitted to the upper level BSB program.  If more than four years have elapsed, your cumulative academic record will be reviewed by the appropriate business or economics department and you will be required to meet the degree criteria specified in the current IPFW Bulletin.  This may result in your having to repeat those courses in which the original content is determined to be outdated.  In the event that you are not enrolled for one year or more you will be required to follow the current bulleting requirements at the time you return to school.

OVERLAPPING COURSES  You may not count toward graduation any courses or sequences considered to have overlapping content.

CREDIT BY SELF_ACQUIRED COMPETENCY IPFW business programs do not award credit for self-acquired competency (experiential credit).  Credit awarded on this basis, regardless of its source, will not apply toward IPFW business degrees.

ACADEMIC PROBATION You are on academic probation upon completion of a semester or summer session in which you fail to earn a semester GPA of 2.0 or higher.

TRANSFER CREDIT Generally, courses in basic business and economics subjects (freshman and sophomore level courses) will be accepted as equivalent if they are being transferred from regionally accredited institutions.  Courses in advanced business and economics will only be considered equivalent if they are from another business school accredited by the International Association for Management Education (AACSB), were taken within the past four years, and were taken as a junior or senior class standing.   At least 50 percent of required business and economics courses must be completed at IPFW in order for a BSB degree to be awarded.

CORRESPONDENCE STUDY No more than 6 credits earned through correspondence study will be counted toward your undergraduate degree.  Business or economics courses taken by correspondence will not apply to undergraduate business degrees.  This refers to traditional correspondence courses only (not online courses).