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SMG Programs Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

For students who entered the School of Management prior to September 2011

The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) program consists of 33 courses in both the liberal arts and management. Students normally take four academic courses each semester. These courses are distributed as follows:

14 required courses in the School of Management
4 management electives
5 required liberal arts courses
7 Level A and Level B liberal arts electives (described in the Electives section of this Bulletin)
2 non-management Level C electives (described in the Electives section of this Bulletin)
1 free elective (described in the Electives section of this Bulletin)

For all other students

The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) requires that students complete coursework in both the liberal arts and management, and that they complete no fewer than 136.5 academic credits (if they begin as freshmen in the School of Management and complete SMG SM 121 and SM 122) or 134.5 credits (if they transfer into the School of Management and complete SMG SM 299). Students normally take four academic courses each semester. These courses are distributed as follows:

14 required courses in the School of Management
4 management electives
5 required liberal arts courses
7 Level A and Level B liberal arts electives (described in the Electives section of this Bulletin)
2 non-management Level C electives (described in the Electives section of this Bulletin)

Freshman Year

Students in their freshman year are introduced to management as a system—the idea that organizations succeed only when corporate values, business strategy, and administrative procedures form a rational, integrated whole. The course stresses personal ethical behavior as an essential prerequisite for any viable system of corporate governance; written and oral communication skills as essential to effective leadership; quantitative analysis as an essential ingredient of rational business decision making; and teamwork as an essential skill for a management career.

CAS EC 101 Introductory Microeconomic Analysis
CAS EC 102 Introductory Macroeconomic Analysis
CAS WR 100 Writing Seminar (or level of English composition course[s] as determined by the CAS Writing Program)
CAS WR 150 Writing and Research Seminar
CAS MA 121 Calculus for the Life and Social Sciences I or CAS MA 123 Calculus I
SMG SM 121/122 Management as a System
Please note: SMG SM 121 and SMG SM 122 must be completed by all students who enter as freshmen in September to remain in good standing. For transfer students, SMG SM 299 is required in lieu of SMG SM 121 and SMG SM 122. Students must have completed at least one semester of matriculated college coursework to enroll in SMG SM 299.
One liberal arts elective (4 credits total)

Sophomore Year

Students in their sophomore year develop the analytical tools of financial and managerial accounting and statistics, study organizational behavior, and learn the institutional realities of business law. Informed by their freshman experience in Management as a System, students more readily comprehend the importance of these analytical tools, see the need to extend their team skills, and recognize the practical importance of the institutional perspective of business law.

SMG AC 221 Financial Accounting
SMG AC 222 Managerial Accounting
SMG LA 245 Introduction to Law
SMG OB 221 The Dynamics of Leading Organizations
SMG SM 221 Probabilistic and Statistical Decision Making for Management (6 cr)
SMG SM 222 Modeling Business Decisions and Market Outcomes (6 cr)
SMG SM 411 Charting Your Career Path (.5 cr)
Two liberal arts electives (8 credits total)

Junior Year

Juniors at SMG devote an entire semester to SM 323 The Cross-Functional Core. This unit is the cornerstone of the school’s philosophy of teaching management as a system. It combines four functional courses (on finance, management information systems, marketing, and operations and technology management) into a coherent unit that stresses the interrelationships among them. An integral part of the unit is a team project to develop a full business plan for the introduction of a new product.

SMG FE 323 Financial Management
SMG IS 323 Introduction to Management Information Systems
SMG MK 323 Marketing Management
SMG OM 323 Operations and Technology Management
Four liberal arts electives (16 credits total)

Senior Year

During the senior year, students take the final core management requirement—a course in strategy and policy—and management electives. To graduate, students must take four management electives, along with any remaining non-management electives.

SMG SI 422 Strategy and Policy
Four management electives (16 credits total)
Two Level C electives (non-management courses) (8 credits total)
One free elective (4 credits) (for students entering the School of Management before September 2011). Students who enter in September 2011 and beyond must ensure that they have completed 136.5 academic credits (for those who completed SMG SM 121/122) or 134.5 academic credits (for those who completed SMG SM 299) by the time they graduate.

Concentrations

Undergraduate students may choose to concentrate in any one of 10 managerial disciplines or functions. To do so, however, the student must meet the stated guidelines for the selected area.

Concentration requirements are in addition to the 13 courses required as part of the basic program of study. Students use their four management electives to fulfill the concentration requirements. Students may also use their free elective to fulfill concentration requirements.

Any course taken for a concentration must have the SMG prefix. See concentration sections below for those concentrations also having CAS requirements.

Accounting

Students who concentrate in Accounting must complete 16 credits beyond SMG AC 221 and SMG AC 222. All concentrators must take:

AC “A” list

SMG AC 347 Intermediate Accounting I
SMG AC 348 Intermediate Accounting II

And 8 credits from the following list:

AC “B” list

SMG AC 414 Financial Statement Analysis
SMG AC 430 Accounting Research (2 cr)
SMG AC 445 Advanced Managerial Accounting
SMG AC 469 Principles of Income Taxation I
SMG AC 541 Advanced Accounting
SMG AC 544 International Accounting (2 cr)
SMG AC 555 Not-for-Profit Accounting (2 cr)
SMG AC 565 Auditing
SMG AC 579 Principles of Income Taxation II
SMG AC 585 Forensic Accounting (2 cr)

The School of Management offers a Certificate in Advanced Accountancy (CAA) program during the summer. The CAA requires completion of 16 credits from among the following courses, in addition to the completion of an accounting concentration. A course cannot count as both a CAA requirement and an accounting “B” list requirement.

SMG AC 430 Accounting Research (2 cr)
SMG AC 541 Advanced Accounting
SMG AC 544 International Accounting (2 cr)
SMG AC 555 Not-for-Profit Accounting (2 cr)
SMG AC 565 Auditing
SMG AC 579 Principles of Income Taxation II

This CAA program is designed to fulfill the 150-credit-hour requirement associated with becoming a certified public accountant.

Requirements to sit for the Certified Public Accountant Exam vary from state to state. Students are encouraged to check with the state in which they plan to practice to ensure that they have completed the necessary requirements. BU SMG students taking the CAA exam must take the following SMG courses for their accounting concentration: AC 347, AC 348, AC 469, and either AC 414 or AC 445.

Entrepreneurship

Four courses in total are required.

Three courses from the following list are required:

EP “A” list

SMG SI 443 The Art of the Start
SMG SI 444 Entrepreneurship
SMG SI 445 Small Business Management
SMG SI 471 International Entrepreneurship

Concentrators must also take one course from the following “B” list:

EP “B” list

SMG FE 450 Private Equity: Leveraged Buyouts
SMG FE 455 Financing New Ventures
SMG FE 469 Real Estate Finance
SMG IS 472 Electronic Commerce
SMG LA 360 Real Estate Law
SMG LA 430 Entertainment Law (offered only in Los Angeles)
SMG MK 463 Services Marketing and Management
SMG OB 448 Negotiations
SMG PL 420 Mistakes We Make: Applications to Financial Decision Making (pilot course in Fall 2012)
SMG PL 430 U.S. Health Reform in the 21st Century
SMG SI 435 Entertainment Management (offered only in Los Angeles)
SMG SI 449 Corporate Entrepreneurship
SMG SI 451 Organizing for Design and Innovation
SMG SI 453 Strategies for Environmental Sustainability
SMG SI 455 Leadership & Management of Nonprofit Organizations
SMG SI 469 Real Estate Development

Students may also seek permission for approval of a fourth course not listed on the above “B” list by petitioning the Entrepreneurship Concentration Liaison.

Finance

Students who concentrate in Finance must take four electives. All concentrators must take the following:

FE “A” list

SMG FE 442 Money, Financial Markets, and Economic Activity
SMG FE 445 Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management
SMG FE 449 Corporate Financial Management

Finance concentrators must choose their remaining elective from among the following courses:

FE “B” list

SMG AC 414 Financial Statement Analysis
SMG AC 445 Advanced Managerial Accounting
SMG FE 427 International Financial Management
SMG FE 429 Futures, Options, and Financial Risk Management
SMG FE 450 Private Equity: Leveraged Buyouts
SMG FE 454 Investment Banking
SMG FE 455 Financing New Ventures
SMG FE 469 Real Estate Finance
SMG FE 498 Directed Study: Finance (4-credit version)
SMG PL 420 Mistakes We Make: Applications to Financial Decision Making (pilot course in Fall 2012)

General Management

The General Management concentration consists of any four management electives. This approach is especially appropriate for students who anticipate pursuing an MBA later in their careers. Students who concentrate in General Management cannot double concentrate.

International Management

Five to nine courses in total are required, depending on the foreign language requirement.

The following two courses are required:

IM “A” list

SMG FE 427 International Financial Management
SMG IM 345 International Management Environment (also offered in London)

One course from the following list is required:

IM “B” list

SMG IM 445 International Management Policy
SMG MK 467 International Marketing Management
SMG OB 444 International Management
SMG OM 467 Global Supply Management
SMG SI 471 International Entrepreneurship

Students completing the International Management concentration are required to take one additional SMG elective in order to satisfy their fourth SMG elective requirement. This elective may be taken in any SMG department.

Additional International Management Requirements

Students concentrating in International Management must (1) complete a language other than English through the fourth-semester level, (2) obtain a certificate of proficiency in a foreign language from CAS, or (3) earn a score of 560 or above on an SAT II foreign language exam as described in the foreign language section of this Bulletin.
All International Management concentrators must also complete one CAS international relations course.
For students graduating in January 2012 and beyond, all International Management concentrators must complete a semester studying abroad, either through a program sponsored by Boston University’s Study Abroad or through another approved program. Please note that only students considered to be international according to University regulations may fulfill this requirement through participation in Boston University’s programs in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.

Law

Students who concentrate in Law must take four electives. All concentrators must take three courses from among the following:

LA “A” list

SMG LA 346 Law and Ethics
SMG LA 349 Intellectual Property, the Internet, and Public Policy
SMG LA 355 Employment Law and Public Policy
SMG LA 360 Real Estate Law
SMG LA 430 Entertainment Law (offered only in Los Angeles)
SMG LA 450 Advanced Business Law
SMG PL 420 Mistakes We Make: Applications to Financial Decision Making (pilot course in Fall 2012)
SMG PL 430 U.S. Health Reform in the 21st Century

Students must also choose a fourth elective from among the SMG elective offerings.

Management Information Systems

Students who concentrate in Management Information Systems must take four electives. All concentrators must take one of the following two required programming courses:

CAS CS 108 Introduction to Application Programming
CAS CS 111 Introduction to Computer Science I

The following three Management Information Systems courses are all required:

IS “A” list

SMG IS 465 Managing Data Resources
SMG IS 467 Networking and Data Communications
SMG IS 469 Designing Information Systems

The applications knowledge requirement can be fulfilled by taking one of the following management information systems applications courses:

IS “B” list

SMG IS 428 Managing Information Security
SMG IS 472 Electronic Commerce
SMG IS 474 Information Products: Applied Economics and Strategy
SMG IS 479 Innovating with Information Technology (offered only during the summer)
SMG IS 498 An approved 4-credit directed study with an IS faculty member
SMG SI 451 Organizing for Design and Innovation

Marketing

Students who concentrate in Marketing must take four electives. All concentrators must take the following:

MK “A” list

SMG MK 445 Consumer Behavior
SMG MK 447 Marketing Research

Concentrators must choose the remaining two electives from the following list:

MK “B” list

SMG MK 449 Business Marketing
SMG MK 463 Services Marketing & Management
SMG MK 465 Retailing Management
SMG MK 467 International Marketing Management (also offered in London)
SMG MK 468 Advanced Marketing Strategy (offered only during the summer)
SMG MK 469 Advertising and Promotional Strategy
SMG MK 486 Internet Marketing (offered only during the summer)
SMG MK 487 Branding
SMG MK 498 An approved 4-credit directed study with an MK faculty member

Operations & Technology Management

Students must fulfill the following requirements for a concentration in Operations & Technology Management.

Four courses in total are required.

All concentrators in Operations & Technology Management must take the following two courses:

OM “A” list

SMG OM 440 Operations Strategy
SMG OM 441 Operations Analysis

At least one course must be chosen from the following list:

OM “B” list

SMG OM 443 Supply Chain Modeling Practicum
SMG OM 447 Service Operations Management
SMG OM 453 Project Management
SMG OM 465 Improving Quality: Six Sigma Certification
SMG OM 467 Global Supply Management

The fourth elective may be chosen from the “B” list above (recommended) or, in consultation with the OM Concentration Liaison, from a selection of SMG elective courses that have a cross-functional link to operations & technology management (the OM “C” list).

OM “C” list

SMG AC 445 Advanced Managerial Accounting
SMG FE 449 Corporate Financial Management
SMG IS 469 Designing Information Systems
SMG MK 463 Services Marketing and Management
SMG OB 441 Human Resource Management
SMG OB 448 Negotiations
SMG OM 450 Business Analytics
SMG OM 498 An approved 4-credit directed study in OM
SMG SI 451 Organizing for Design and Innovation
SMG SI 453 Strategies for Environmental Sustainability

Organizational Behavior

Students who concentrate in Organizational Behavior must take the following two courses:

OB “A” list

SMG OB 441 Human Resource Management
SMG OB 460 The Leadership Challenge

One course must be chosen from the following electives:

OB “B” list

SMG OB 442 Leading High-Performance Teams and Project Groups
SMG OB 444 International Management
SMG OB 445 Managing the Family Firm
SMG OB 448 Negotiations
SMG SI 445 Small Business Management

The fourth elective can be one of the above OB “B” list electives or an approved, behaviorally oriented class from the following list:

OB “C” list

Approved Suggestions:

SMG IS 472 Electronic Commerce
SMG IS 479 Innovating with Information Technology
SMG LA 346 Law and Ethics
SMG LA 355 Employment Law and Public Policy
SMG MK 445 Consumer Behavior
SMG MK 463 Services Marketing & Management
SMG MK 468 Advanced Marketing Strategy (offered only during the summer)
SMG MK 469 Advertising and Promotional Strategy
SMG MK 486 Internet Marketing (offered only during the summer)
SMG OB 498 An approved 4-credit directed study with an OB faculty member
SMG OM 440 Operations Strategy
SMG OM 447 Service Operations Management
SMG OM 453 Project Management
SMG OM 465 Improving Quality: Six Sigma Certification
SMG PL 420 Mistakes We Make: Applications to Financial Decision Making (pilot course in Fall 2012)
SMG SI 435 Entertainment Management (offered only in Los Angeles)
SMG SI 443 Art of the Start
SMG SI 444 Entrepreneurship
SMG SI 449 Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation
SMG SI 451 Organizing for Design and Innovation
SMG SI 453 Strategies for Environmental Sustainability
SMG SI 455 Leadership & Management of Nonprofit Organizations
SMG SI 471 International Entrepreneurship