Business Administration, B.A.
The undergraduate major in Business Administration prepares students with the tools and resources needed to solve challenging business problems in a new way. The major provides students with a solid foundation in subjects including accounting, finance, marketing, human resources management, operations and project management, and leadership.
The major is currently classified as a comprehensive baccalaureate program, subject to the general education degree requirements for comprehensive baccalaureate programs; and is offered in the blended format during the day and evening as well as fully online.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs):
PLO1. Identify, collect, and analyze financial, economic, market, and operational data, and present recommendations for managerial action.
PLO2. Recognize, assess, and propose solutions to legal, social, and ethical issues in the business environment.
PLO3. Identify and analyze global environments and diverse teams within a business and the opportunities associated with them.
PLO4. Devise strategic, innovative solutions for organizational challenges to include leveraging company operations in a market-driven economy.
PLO5. Identify and apply management and leadership theories to real-world settings.
PLO6. Identify and create tools needed for successful job searching and career advancement.
Program Details:
- Requires 180 QH including 60 QH of General Education for completion
- Credit for Prior Learning is accepted for general education and elective credit
- Students may complete any minor or concentration that is not in the same area of study as their program major. Students must consult with their Academic Advisor to select a minor or concentration that best fits their career and personal goals.
- Requires completion of all major and minor courses with a grade of "C" or better
Required Courses
General Education Requirements
Communications
The following courses are recommended:
| ENG 101 | Beginning English Composition | 5 |
| ENG 201 | Intermediate English | 5 |
| ENG 203 | Effective Speaking for the Undergraduate | 5 |
Note: Students transferring credit from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use any three general education courses in the following disciplines: academic writing, oral communications, and any course in the area of communications.
Humanities and Fine Arts
Choose two courses from the list below:
| ART 105 | Race, Identity and Experience in American Art | 5 |
| ART 106 | Race, Identity and Experience in American Art I | 2 |
| ART 107 | Race, Identity and Experience in American Art II | 3 |
| HIS 103 | History Across the Globe | 5 |
| PHI 107 | Ethics, Logic and Critical Inquiry | 5 |
Note: Students transferring credit from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use any two general education courses in the following disciplines:
- Humanities: foreign language, history, literature, philosophy, religious studies, interdisciplinary humanities and fine arts, interdisciplinary humanities and social sciences
- Fine Arts: visual arts (including art history, art appreciation, and studio arts, such as drawing, painting, digital art, or film), film and cinema studies, and performing arts (including music appreciation, music theory, and music performance, theatre appreciation and performance, and dance)
Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Choose three courses from the list below (one must be math and one must be a natural science):
Note: Students transferring credit from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use any three general education courses in the following disciplines:
- Mathematics: college-level and not developmental in nature
- Natural Sciences: physics, chemistry, earth science, astronomy, geology, physical geography, biology, human anatomy and physiology, microbiology, genetics, botany and zoology; and interdisciplinary fields such as environmental science, and ecology and conservation
- Mathematics or Natural Sciences
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Choose two courses from the list below:
| ECO 200 | Macroeconomics for Today’s Professional | 5 |
| HIS 102 | Civics and American Government | 5 |
| HIS 212 | Think Global: Movements in US History and its Impact on Society and School | 5 |
| PSY 101 | Introduction to Psychology | 5 |
| SOC 101 | Foundational Sociology | 5 |
| SOC 204 | Contemporary Chicago | 5 |
| SOC 222 | Culture and Identity | 5 |
| SOC 250 | Cultural and Ethnic Movements in the United States | 5 |
Note: Students transferring credit from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use any two general education courses in the area of Social and Behavioral Sciences in the following disciplines: anthropology, economics, geography, history, human geography, political science, psychology, sociology, interdisciplinary social/behavioral science, interdisciplinary humanities and social and behavioral science.
Program Specific General Education Requirements
| MTH 102 | Statistical Foundations | 5 |
| ECO 200 | Macroeconomics for Today’s Professional | 5 |
Note: MTH 102 and ECO 200 is required if not completed as part of the General Education requirements.
Additional General Education Requirements
| GEN 103 | Student Success Seminar | 5 |
| | or | |
| GEN 203 | NLU & You: Tools & Strategies for Student Success | 3 |
Note: GEN 103 is required for the first-time freshman students only. Students transferring in less than 90 QH are required to complete GEN 203.
Career Development Requirements
First-time Daytime Students
| CAR 214 | Creating and Communicating the Professional Brand | 5 |
| | or | |
| BRV 200 | Braven Leadership and Career Accelerator | 5 |
| | and | |
| CAR 295 | Career Service Learning | 5 |
| CAR 218 | Internship Application Workshop | 0 |
Note:
CAR 218 may be waived for students who have an internship accepted in Handshake prior to Winter term of the junior year.
Transfer Students
| BRV 200 | Braven Leadership and Career Accelerator | 5 |
| | or | |
| CAR 214 | Creating and Communicating the Professional Brand | 5 |
| | or | |
| CAR 202 | Creating Professional Identity | 0 TO 2 |
| | and | |
| CAR 203 | You The Professional | 3 |
Business Administration Major Requirements - 65 QH
Gateway Course
Business Administration Core Courses
| ACC 201 | Principles of Financial Accounting | 5 |
| | and | |
| ACC 202 | Principles of Managerial Accounting | 5 |
| | or | |
| PJM 454 | Project Management | 5 |
| | and | |
| BUS 350 | Legal & Ethical Decision Making in Business | 5 |
| BUS 400 | Operations and Strategic Management | 5 |
| BUS 430 | Management and Leadership | 5 |
| | and | |
| BUS 431 | Professional Communication for Managers | 5 |
| | or | |
| COM 206 | Professional Writing | 5 |
| | and | |
| BUS 450 | Data Analysis for Managers | 5 |
| FIN 444 | Finance and Accounting Concepts for Managers | 5 |
| HRM 400 | Human Resource Management | 5 |
| MIS 103 | Introduction to Software Applications | 5 |
| MKT 300 | Principles of Marketing | 5 |
Internship Course
Electives
Choose additional courses to total 180 QH. These hours may be satisfied by completing any minor or concentration in consultation with your Academic Advisor.