HELP 2015-2016 Undergraduate Catalog [NOTE!!!! THIS IS AN ARCHIVED CATALOG. FOR THE CURRENT CATALOG, GO TO CATALOG.NIU.EDU] College of Business Print-Friendly Page (opens a new window)

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Dean: Denise D. Schoenbachler, Ph.D.
Associate Dean: Beth R. Towell, Ph.D.
Associate Dean: Paul R. Prabhaker, Ph.D.
Interim Associate Dean: Daniel R. Wunsch, Ph.D.

Programs leading to the degree Bachelor of Science (B.S.) are offered in all departments in the College of Business and are accredited by AACSB International-The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Inquiries concerning guidelines for the College of Business should be directed to the Office of Undergraduate Studies in Business.

Department Names and Undergraduate Programs Offered

Department of Accountancy
B.S. in accountancy

Department of Finance
B.S. in finance

Department of Management
B.S. in management
B.S. in business administration

Department of Marketing
B.S. in marketing

Department of Operations Management and Information Systems 
B.S. in operations and information management

College Mission Statement

Create innovative academic and business experiences through partnerships among students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the business community.

College Learning Goals and Objectives

College of Business undergraduates are expected to achieve the following learning goals and objectives.

Our graduates will be effective business communicators.

• College of Business graduates will be able to create common business documents.
• College of Business graduates will be able to deliver a business presentation using the appropriate technology.
• College of Business graduates will be able to analyze business situations and respond with the appropriate channel, form, content, and format.

Our graduates will demonstrate business ethical awareness.

• College of Business graduates will be able to identify ethical issues, decision alternatives and the consequences of those alternatives, including the impact on stakeholders in business decision making.

Our graduates will demonstrate problem solving skills.

• College of Business graduates will be able to identify a wide array of business problems and their interdependencies.
• College of Business graduates will be able to analyze situations and identify relevant factors that contribute to business problems by using appropriate quantitative and qualitative tools.
• College of Business graduates will be able to generate a range of alternative solutions, analyze their feasibility and effectiveness, and recommend the optimal solution.
• College of Business graduates will be able to develop action plans to implement the recommended solutions.

Our graduates will demonstrate common business knowledge.

• College of Business graduates will be able to apply the theory of the management and control of money-related operations within a business.
• College of Business graduates will be able to apply the theory and practice of the functions of Management.
• College of Business graduates will be able to describe the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create and keep customers.
• College of Business graduates will be able to apply fundamental theory and manage processes to transform inputs into outputs for creating greater customer value.
• College of Business graduates will be able to apply cross-functional concepts among the principles of business through the use of interdisciplinary exercises.
• College of Business graduates will be able to identify the role and impact of information technology on organizations to support competitive advantage.

Career Compass

Career Compass is a non-credit program required of all incoming freshmen who are pursuing a major in business or who intend to pursue a major in business. During the freshman and sophomore years, students will complete an assessment of their interests, abilities, and motivators, and based on this assessment, the program will help students select a specific business major and ultimately a successful career that best matches their personal characteristics. Students will also be provided an introduction to internship and job search skills during the sophomore year.

Passport to the Business World

Passport is a non-credit program following the completion of the Career Compass program and is required for all sophomore, junior, and senior students who are pursuing a major in business. Passport helps students become aware of the variety of co-curricular options the College of Business has to offer outside the classroom as well as course electives that particularly strengthen the likelihood of a student’s eventual success in the “real world.” Before graduation, students are required to participate in activities in each of these areas: Business Communications, Career Development, Ethics, Experiential Learning, Global, Leadership, and Service.
 

Limited Retention Requirements

All business majors must complete UBUS 310 in the first semester in which they enroll in 300- or 400-level business courses. Prerequisites for UBUS 310 are: a grade of C or better in each of the 100- and 200-level courses in the Business Core; having satisfactorily completed UBUS 100 (this course is optional for transfer students with 45 or more credit hours); having a 2.75 or better cumulative GPA; and having junior standing. To continue as a business major, students must earn a C or better in UBUS 310. UBUS 311 and OMIS 351 (accountancy students are required to take ACCY 310 in place of OMIS 351) must be completed no later than the semester or term immediately following completion of UBUS 310. Additional retention requirements for each major can be found under Department Requirements.

Additional Requirements

The major portion of the professional business courses must be taken during the junior and senior years.

Students may be allowed to audit a business course with permission from the Office of Undergraduate Studies in Business; however, enrollment preference goes to students who are taking course work for credit.

Students may enroll in a business course no more than twice. A withdrawal from a 300- or 400-level business course counts as an enrollment. Students enrolling in a junior-senior level business course may not subsequently transfer that course from another college or university.

A minimum of 6 semester hours of credit in senior (400-level) courses required in the major must be earned at NIU.

To graduate with a degree in the College of Business, students must have a minimum GPA of 2.00 (C average) in their majors, computed by using all 300- and 400-level courses taken in a student’s major whether elective or required. Included in the calculation of a student’s major GPA are all 300- and 400-level courses taken outside the department and outside the College of Business that are required by the student’s major.

Transfer Credit in the College of Business

Decisions about the transfer of course credits to meet baccalaureate degree requirements in business are based upon the following guidelines.

Students transferring in from accredited community/junior colleges or from accredited four-year colleges are covered by the same curriculum policies that apply to students at NIU. Courses approved for transfer to meet general education requirements or as general free electives are determined by the Office of Admissions. Courses transferred to meet requirements for the accountancy, business administration, finance, management, marketing, or operations and information management majors are determined by the College of Business in conjunction with the Office of Admissions.

Students who plan to transfer to NIU and major in an area of business should have taken as many of the lower-division business core courses as possible. Students are advised not to take the equivalents of any 300- or 400-level business courses restricted to juniors and seniors during the first two years whether in a junior college or a four-year school.

Undergraduates Completing Phase One Requirements for an Advanced Degree in Business

Students who plan to pursue a graduate degree in business at NIU may satisfy most of the Phase One requirements as a result of their successful completion of an undergraduate business degree or a business minor. Contact the director of M.B.A. programs to determine what restrictions apply to Phase One course work.

Dean’s List Criteria

Through the Dean’s List, the College of Business recognizes undergraduates whose academic performance has been outstanding. The Dean’s List recognizes those students who achieve a GPA of 3.75 or higher (on a 4.00 scale) while completing a minimum of 12 graded semester hours within a fall or spring semester.

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