In addition to meeting the general University requirements, the student in business administration must take at least 82 credits in business administration courses of which at least 41 must be taken at PSU. This total will include the business core (50 credit hours if taken at Portland State), at least one option area (20-36 credits, depending on option chosen), and enough business electives to meet the minimum of 82 credits in business. Each student in business must also take at least 90 credits outside the School of Business Administration. A minimum of 180 credits is required for graduation.
Prerequisites are strictly enforced in the School of Business and exceptions are not made. Before enrolling in any business course, students should read the course description and must complete any prerequisites that are listed. If a student completes a course before completing the prerequisite and later completes the prerequisite, credit for the prerequisite will not count toward 82 credits required in business. The instructor and/or SBA Administration have the authority to administratively drop any student who has not completed the prerequisites. Students must successfully complete the prerequisite course with a C- or better.
Second degree (post-baccalaureate) students need to meet the requirements for their major. In addition, post-baccalaureate students must request a review of their first degree to determine if they have met the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science requirements. This can be done by emailing their business advisor with the request for a first degree evaluation. Post-baccalaureate students should also meet with an advisor to determine if any of their previous course work counts towards the business major requirements and to plan out their curriculum and to discuss career resources.
Requirements
Business administration students must complete the following courses with a C- or better:
Business specialization options
(see descriptions below)
Core courses
| BA 101 | Introduction to Business and World Affairs | 4 |
| BA 205 | Business Communications Using Technology | 4 |
| BA 211 | Fundamentals of Financial Accounting | 4 |
| BA 213 | Decision Making with Accounting Information | 4 |
| BA 301 | Research and Analysis of Business Problems | 4 |
| BA 302 | Organizational Behavior | 0-4 |
| BA 303 | Business Finance | 4 |
| BA 311 | Marketing Management | 4 |
| BA 325 | Competing with Information Technology | 4 |
| BA 339 | Operations and Quality Management | 0-4 |
| BA 385 | Business Environment | 4 |
| BA 495 | Business Strategy | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 50 |
Business Concentrations
The School of Business Administration offers concentrations for those students seeking specialization in a subject area. Each student must select one of these concentrations and complete the required courses with a C- or better. Concentration requirements are satisfied by taking 20 to 36 upper-division credits beyond the required business core. The courses specified to satisfy the concentration requirements are:
Accounting
Objective: to enable students to acquire the necessary technical and professional skills for successful careers in public, management, or governmental accounting.
| Actg 335 | Accounting Information Systems | 4 |
| Actg 360 | Management Accounting | 4 |
| Actg 381 | Financial Accounting and Reporting I | 4 |
| Actg 382 | Financial Accounting and Reporting II | 4 |
| Actg 383 | Financial Accounting and Reporting III | 4 |
| Actg 421 | Introduction to Taxation | 4 |
| Actg 430 | Governmental and Not-for-Profit Accounting | 2 |
| Actg 492 | Auditing Concepts and Practices | 4 |
| Actg 495 | Integrated Accounting Issues | 4 |
One upper-division accounting course to be chosen from:
Students electing accounting as a concentration will also be required to take:
| Phl 308U | Elementary Ethics | 4 |
| | or | |
| Phl 309U | Business Ethics | 4 |
| | | |
| PS 101 | United States Government | 4 |
| PS 102 | United States Politics | 4 |
| | | |
| | Anthropology, psychology, or sociology | 3 |
Advertising Management
Objective: to provide the knowledge and skills necessary for students to create and execute advertising strategy within the broader context of the marketing function.
Note: Students who wish to complete a double concentration in advertising management and marketing cannot apply more than eight common MKTG elective credits to each concentration.
Finance
Objective: to provide undergraduate students with the educational foundation and exposure to the broad field of finance, enabling them to develop their financial decision making skills so that they can be successful as finance professionals in their chosen financial career path.
| Actg 381 | Financial Accounting and Reporting I | 4 |
| Fin 319 | Intermediate Financial Management | 4 |
| Fin 352 | Investments | 4 |
| Fin 441 | Fundamentals of Derivative Securities | 4 |
| Fin 449 | Valuation | 4 |
| Fin 456 | International Financial Management | 4 |
| Fin 465 | Finance Topics and Cases | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 28 |
Human Resource Management
Objective: to provide a conceptual framework, as well as the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities, that allow students to understand what is required to more effectively manage human resources within an organization.
| Mgmt 351 | Human Resource Management | 4 |
| Mgmt 461 | Reward Systems and Performance Management | 4 |
| Mgmt 471 | Staffing and Employee Selection | 4 |
| Mgmt 493 | Human Resource Strategy | 4 |
| | Upper-division management courses | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 20 |
Note: Students who wish to complete a double concentration in management & leadership and human resource management cannot apply more than eight common credits to each concentration.
Management and Leadership
Objective: to provide requisite knowledge and skills which enable the student to meet the challenges of leadership and managerial responsibilities.
| Mgmt 351 | Human Resource Management | 4 |
| Mgmt 428 | Team Processes | 4 |
| Mgmt 445 | Organizational Design and Change | 4 |
| Mgmt 464 | Contemporary Leadership Issues | 4 |
| | Upper-division management courses | 4 |
| | Elective | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 24 |
Of the 8 credits of electives, four credits must be taken within the management area at the 400 level.
The final four credits can be either: within the management area at the 400 level or from an approved list of courses.
Note: Students who wish to complete a double concentration in management and leadership and human resource management cannot apply more than eight common credits to each concentration.
Marketing
Objective: To provide students with a strong academic foundation in marketing and to enable students to gain the strategic, technical, and professional skills necessary for career success.
| Mktg 363 | Consumer Behavior and Customer Satisfaction | 4 |
| Mktg 460 | Marketing Research | 4 |
| Mktg 464 | Marketing Strategy and Management | 4 |
Track courses or marketing electives: (16 credits)
Students are encouraged to complete 8 of their 16 elective credits from one of the following specialized tracks, or they may choose 16 credits of marketing electives (excluding MKTG 404). Of the 16 elective marketing credits, eight credits must be at the 400 level and no more than eight elective credits can be shared with a dual concentration in advertising management.
Food and consumer package goods marketing track:
Global marketing management track:
Upper-division Marketing Electives
| | Upper-division marketing elective(s) | 8 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 28 |
Note: Students who wish to complete a double option in marketing and advertising management cannot apply more than eight common MKTG elective credits to each option.
Supply and Logistics Management
Objective: to provide students with an interdisciplinary foundation in supply chain management in preparation for careers in purchasing, industrial distribution, logistics, transportation, and operations management.
| ISQA 429 | Transportation and Logistics Management | 4 |
| ISQA 439 | Purchasing and Supply Chain Management | 4 |
| ISQA 479 | Global Supply Chain Strategy and Sustainability Management | 4 |
Three of the following electives as approved by supply and logistics management faculty:
| ISQA 430 | Industrial Transportation and Freight | 4 |
| ISQA 431 | Transportation Regulation | 4 |
| ISQA 440 | Governmental Procurement | 4 |
| ISQA 449 | Process Control and Improvement | 4 |
| ISQA 450 | Project Management | 4 |
| ISQA 451 | Business Forecasting | 4 |
| ISQA 454 | Supply and Logistics Negotiations | 4 |
| ISQA 458 | Purchasing and Logistics within the Food Industry | 4 |
| ISQA 459 | Production Planning and Control | 4 |
| ISQA 410 | Selected Topics | 1-6 |
| | Other electives as approved by Supply and Logistics faculty | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 24 |
SBA Honors Track
The SBA Honors Track is a two year program with approximately 50 undergraduate business students (25 accepted each year) who are admitted to the SBA. Honors track students challenge themselves and polish their professional and academic business skills through a combination of special honors track sections of core business classes and a variety of extra-curricular workshops and events. Honors track students enjoy special opportunities to interact with business professionals, including CEOs, presidents, and vice-presidents of local and national companies. The honors track classes prepare students for MBA level work. Successful completion of all track requirements results in a separate designation on the student’s diploma.
Requirements for honors track designation include:
- Honors only sections for BA 301, BA 311, BA 385, and BA 495
- Perspectives in Leadership: BA 423H
- Required half-day workshop each term (excluding summer term)
- Advanced Business Communications Workshop
- Executive Days in Residence
- Honors Book Group
- Advanced Microsoft Excel Workshop
For admission to the honors track, students must be degree-seeking undergraduates who are admitted to the SBA by the end of the summer term prior to starting the honors track. Applications are evaluated based on GPA, application essays, and recommendation letters. Students must apply in the spring or summer term before the fall term in which they wish to be admitted to the honors track. A maximum of 25 students are accepted each fall for admission to the honors track.
Honors track requirements are subject to change. For the most current honors track requirements and more detailed application information visit: www.pdx.edu/sba/business-honors-track.