Curriculum in Business

Leading to the degree bachelor of science with a major in accounting, finance, management, management information systems, marketing, operations and supply chain management or logistics and supply chain management. The College also offers a secondary major in international business. Total credits required: 124.5

*(1)Students not adequately prepared in mathematics may have to take remedial courses in addition to courses listed above. Remedial mathematics courses may not be used to satisfy credit requirements for graduation in the business curricula.

*(2)Substitutions can be made. See the Undergraduate Programs Office in the College of Business. Stat 326 is a prerequisite for certain required courses in accounting and finance.

*(3)Approved list of courses is available from the Undergraduate Programs Office or on the web at www.bus.iastate.edu/undergrad/ in the College of Business.

*(4)Courses for this requirement may also be used to fulfill other curriculum requirements or electives and therefore credits are not included in the sum needed.

CPA Note: See Accounting Curriculum for information on the additional requirements for students who wish to be candidates for the CPA exam.

Advising System

Students in the pre-business curriculum in the College of Business will be advised by an adviser in the Undergraduate Programs Office. The adviser assists students to develop an academic program, access pertinent university resources and meet their educational objectives. Following admission to the professional program students will also have access to a faculty advising contact in their major. The faculty adviser assists students in understanding career paths in the majors and in choosing electives to complement the major. In addition to the adviser, professional program advisers in the Undergraduate Programs Office are available to assist students in program planning, registration and to review graduation requirements.

The college offers an orientation program each summer for new entering students. All students and family members are encouraged to attend orientation. During orientation the adviser and the student prepare an appropriate schedule and the student registers for courses. Placement assessments may be required in mathematics and English to assist in placing students in the appropriate level of courses if this cannot be determined by ACT/SAT scores, high school preparation classes or transfer courses.

Honors

Entering freshmen who meet one of the following criteria, and have a minimum English ACT of 24, will be invited to apply for membership in the Freshman Honors Program: earned an ACT composite of 30, or ranked in the top 5% of their high school classes; or selected as a National Merit or National Achievement finalist.

Enrolled students who have completed 12 graded credits at Iowa State University and earned a 3.35 can be admitted either as associate or full members of the Honors Program. To qualify for full membership, students must have declared a major, developed a program of study, and have a minimum of 48 credits remaining before graduation.

Pre-business students in the College of Business may apply for associate membership in the honors program; students may apply for full membership after admission to the professional program. Special advisers will assist honors students in developing an appropriate program of study.

Internships

Credit and non-credit internships in business may be approved for College of Business students in all majors including pre-business. Credit hours and requirements vary. Arrangements must be made in the College prior to the beginning of the internship. An internship adviser from the Career Services Center will assist students in making these arrangements.

Double Majors

Undergraduates with a major in the College of Business may complete another major in the College of Business. Those desiring a second major outside the college should refer to the catalog section of the appropriate college and department for the second major requirements.

Undergraduates with a primary major outside the College of Business wanting a second major in business must meet the admission requirements for the professional program as well as complete the following requirements: the business core courses, the major specialization, Econ 102, Acct 215 and Math 151.

All students pursuing double majors or double degrees within the College of Business are required to have 15 credits of coursework in each major that is not used in the other major.

Students are limited to two business majors/degrees within the College of Business, or one business major/business minor within the college. This limit is on business majors/degrees/minors only, and does not apply to multiple majors/degrees/minors taken outside the College of Business.

Curriculum Changes

Iowa State University students wishing to change their curriculum to the College of Business must attend a curriculum change meeting. See Changing Curriculum or Major for more details on this process. Students on temporary enrollment will not be allowed to change curriculum to the College of Business during period three. See Making Schedule Changes.

International Business Secondary Major

A student in the College of Business may earn a secondary major in International Business. The requirements for this major include 12 credits in international business courses, one year of the same university-level foreign language (minimum 6 credits) and an approved international experience (minimum 3 months). Students who pursue this secondary major will be required to complete the requirements for a primary major in Business. Fifteen of the 18 credits required for the International Business major may not be used for the primary major.

Minor

The College of Business offers a structured minor in general business to students outside the College. Requirements for the minor are Acct 285, Fin 301, Mgmt 370, MIS 330, Mkt 340, OSCM 320, and LSCM 360. The minor must include at least 6 credits in courses numbered 300 or above taken at Iowa State University with a grade of C or higher. Students wishing to earn a minor in business must meet the admissions requirements of the College of Business professional program prior to application (see admission standards to professional programs). All requirements and prerequisites for the requirement must be taken for a grade.

Students with a major in the College of Business may qualify for a minor specialization in one of the college’s departments by taking at least 15 credit hours in the minor specialization, nine hours of which may not be used to satisfy any other department, college, or university requirement. The minor must include at least 6 credits in courses numbered 300 or above taken at Iowa State University with a grade of C or higher. Students with declared majors have priority over students with declared minors in courses with space constraints.

Students with a major outside the College of Business are eligible for a general business minor only—not a specialization in a business department.

Students are limited to one business major/business minor within the College of Business, or two business majors/degrees within the college. This limit is on business majors/degrees/minors only, and does not apply to multiple majors/degrees/minors taken outside the College of Business.

Entrepreneurial Studies
Cross-Disciplinary Minor

The College of Business participates in a cross-disciplinary minor in Entrepreneurial Studies. This minor is only available to business and non-business majors. Requirements for the minor include Mgmt 310, 313, and 9 credits from an approved list. The approved list is available in the Undergraduate Programs Office in the College of Business and on the web at www.bus.iastate.edu/undergrad/minors.asp. The minor must include at least 6 credits in courses numbered 300 or above taken at Iowa State University.

Nondegree Seeking Students

Students who wish to take courses in the College of Business, but are not seeking an undergraduate degree, should apply to the college as nondegree seeking students. Nondegree seeking students are eligible to take up to 9 credits in 300-level and above business courses without meeting the college’s admission requirements. Students who desire to take more than 9 credits, however, must meet the College’s professional program admission requirements and have approval of a department chair. Nondegree seeking students must meet all course prerequisites.

Upper Division Courses for Students Outside the College

Students from outside the College of Business are eligible to take up to 9 credits of 300-level and above business courses without meeting the college’s admission requirements, as long as they meet course prerequisites. Students who desire to take more than 9 credits, however, must meet the college’s professional program admission requirements.

Graduate Study

Four programs are offered at the graduate level: a master of business administration (M.B.A.) program, a master of accounting (M.Acc.), a master of science (M.S.) in business, and a master of science in information systems (M.S.I.S.). These programs are intended to meet distinct sets of educational objectives.

The M.B.A. is the professional management education program for those pursuing careers in business. The purpose of this professional program is to provide professional business education by preparing students to understand the impact of technology on business organizations in a global environment. The M.B.A. program consists of a 48-credit curriculum leading to a nonthesis, noncreative component master of business administration. Students may pursue a specialization in accounting, agribusiness, family financial planning, finance, human resource management, information systems, international business, supply chain management or marketing.

The master of accounting (M.Acc.) is a 32-hour degree. The program requires 15 hours of graduate accounting courses, at least 9 hours of nonaccounting graduate electives, a communications course and an international course from an approved list, and a 2-hour creative component. The M.Acc. is appropriate for any student wanting to pursue a variety of accounting careers. Additionally, the program is designed to help interested candidates meet the 150-hour education requirement for CPA certification in Iowa.

The master of science in information systems (M.S.I.S.) is a 32 credit (minimum) curriculum designed around three inter-related areas - Foundation, IS core, and electives. All students are expected to be familiar with basic computing skills before they enter the program. The M.S.I.S. will educate students on applying IS theory and concepts to modern IS development through classes that enable them to learn and use the latest software in application projects. Students graduating from the program will have advanced technical and managerial skills to develop and manage information systems projects.

The M.S. program, consisting of 30 minimum credits, is oriented toward further business specialization at the master’s level for students with undergraduate degrees or academic backgrounds in business. The program is intended to serve those students who desire specialized study of an area within business. Students in the program must complete a thesis. This program is also a suitable vehicle for students planning to pursue a Ph.D. in business.

Double degree programs are offered with architecture (M.Arch./M.B.A.), community and regional planning (M.B.A./M.C.R.P), informational systems (M.B.A./M.S.I.S), and statistics (M.B.A./M.S.-Statistics). Various departments in the College of Business participate in the following graduate level interdepartmental majors: Information Assurance, Human Computer Interaction, Enterprise Computing, Information Assurance and Transportation. The College of Business also offers a business administration minor to students with majors outside the college. A concurrent B.S./M.B.A. is available to eligible engineering undergraduate students.