Apply Today

SFA Home / Bulletin

Nelson Rusche College of Business

Violet C. Rogers, Dean

McGee 137
Phone (936) 468-3101
Fax: (936) 468-1560
cobweb@sfasu.edu
www.cob.sfasu.edu

Mission

The College of Business provides a student-focused learning environment through effective teaching supported by relevant research and meaningful service. These endeavors assist our students in becoming competent and ethical professionals in a changing world.

Our Philosophy

We recognize the student as having a major responsibility in the learning process. We seek to attract academically qualified students who welcome opportunities to be challenged to achieve high standards. We strive to prepare graduates who possess:

We provide a learning environment that respects individuals and their uniqueness through:

Our most important resources are individual faculty and staff members. A supportive environment is provided through:

We value our relationships with employers, alumni, parents, governmental bodies and the communities we serve. We interact with these external stakeholders by:

Our Activities

Our primary activity is delivering quality undergraduate education leading to a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Computer Science, or a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Economics. We also provide quality graduate programs leading to the following degrees: Master of Business Administration, Master of Professional Accountancy and Master of Science with a major in Computer Science.

In support of our educational activities we encourage involvement in all intellectual contributions, with primary emphasis on applied research and instructional development. These contributions will be directed toward regional, national and international audiences and will be subject to peer review.

Our works of service will include involvement in the academic, professional and civic communities at the local, regional, national and international levels.

Our Vision

Our vision is to be recognized by students, graduates and other stakeholders as a leading college of business among regional comprehensive universities in Texas.

Accreditation

Undergraduate and graduate business programs are accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Accreditation means that the college meets exacting standards in areas such as faculty resources and qualifications, intellectual climate, admissions policy, degree requirements, library and computer facilities, physical plant and financial resources. The Bachelor of Science degree with a major in computer science is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET Inc.

Advising and Student Services

All students in the College of Business must be advised each semester until they have earned at least 61 semester credit hours. Advising takes place in the Pre-business Advising Center and the Departments of Accounting, Computer Science, Economics and Finance, General Business, and Management, Marketing, and International Business. Students who are on academic probation are allowed to register during the early registration period and must be advised in their academic department before registering.

Scholarships and Fellowships

Scholarships for College of Business majors are administered through the Alumni Foundation. A limited number of scholarships are awarded through the academic departments. Applications for scholarships are due early each spring semester.

Student Organizations

Students interested in clubs and organizations for business majors or minors should visit with an adviser in their major department. Student organizations include Accounting Club, Alpha Omega, American Marketing Association, Computer Science Club, Finance Club, Phi Beta Lambda, and Society for Advancement of Management.

Honoraries include Beta Alpha Psi, Beta Gamma Sigma, Epsilon Chi Omicron, Mu Kappa Tau, Omicron Delta Epsilon, Sigma Iota Epsilon and Upsilon Pi Epsilon.

National Honorary Society

Beta Gamma Sigma is the honor society for students enrolled in business and management programs accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Election to lifetime membership in Beta Gamma Signa is the highest honor a business student in the world can receive in an undergraduate or master’s program at a school accredited by AACSB International. Students, based on high academic achievement, and tenured business school faculty members are the only ones eligible for membership in the society. Membership is limited to outstanding men and women students who give promise of success in the field of business and who rank in the upper seven percent of the junior class or the upper 10 percent of the senior class. With more than 500,000 members worldwide, the society’s membership comprises the brightest and best of the world’s business leaders.

Beta Gamma Sigma membership provides recognition for a lifetime. With alumni chapters in the major metropolitan areas across the United States, the BGS Career Central job board, and the BetaLink online membership community, those recognized for their academic achievements at SFA can continue an active relationship with Beta Gamma Sigma long after graduation. This lifelong commitment to its members’ academic and professinal success is defined in the society’s mission: To encourage and honor academic achievement in the study of business and personal and professional excellence in the practice of business.

Program Information

  1. See the following Degree Requirements for complete listings of course requirements. See individual departments on the following pages for suggested course sequences.
  2. Students entering the College of Business who wish to pursue a B.B.A. in accounting, business economics, finance, general business, international business, management, marketing or a combined B.B.A./MPAcc in professional accountancy may initially be designated as pre-business (PREB). PREB students will be permitted to convert to their intended major during their first regular semester if all required developmental courses have been satisfactorily completed.
  3. Students are eligible to file a degree plan when they have selected a major and have completed a minimum of 45 credit hours. Students may not apply for a degree plan if they are currently enrolled in remedial courses.
  4. Enrollment in business courses numbered 300 or higher is limited to students who will have completed at least 60 hours of course work by the end of the semester for which the student is enrolling. Specified prerequisites for the course(s) in question must be completed before enrollment in the respective course unless indicated otherwise in the course description. If a student has fewer than 60 hours of course work at the time of registration, he/she may register for business courses numbered 300 or higher only with permission of the chair of the department(s) offering the course(s).
  5. No more than three hours of Special Problems (475) and no more than three hours of Internship (ACC 485, CSC 385, ECO 485, FIN 485, GBU 485, MGT 476, MKT 486) may count toward a bachelor’s degree in the College of Business. Internship courses may count only as electives and may not count toward completion of major or minor requirements in accounting, business economics, computer science, computer information systems, economics or finance.
  6. Management 463 - Business Policy and Strategy, the capstone course required of all B.B.A. students, must be completed in residence at Stephen F. Austin State University.
  7. A student on academic suspension as defined earlier in this bulletin may be allowed to continue in the College of Business by one of the following procedures:
    1. Attend summer school at SFA and
      1. Raise his/her SFA grade point average to 2.0, or
      2. Pass with a C average or better at least nine semester credit hours as specified by the dean’s office. This will take two summer sessions.
    2. Be reinstated on continued suspension automatically after meeting the required semester(s) absence from the university.
  8. No non-business major may have more than 25 percent of his or her undergraduate program in business courses.

Degree Requirements

Bachelor of Arts Degree [B.A.]

Economics

  1. Core Curriculum Requirements
    1. Communication Skills (12-14 hours)
      1. Six semester hours from ENG 131, 132, 133H, 235
      2. Six to eight semester hours from BCM 247; COM 111, 170; ENG 273; FRE 131, 132; SPA 131,132; ILA 111, 112; SPH 172, 272
    2. Mathematics (three hours)
      1. MTH 220
    3. Natural Sciences (six to eight hours)
      1. Six to eight semester hours from AST 105*; BIO 121*, 123*, 131,133, 225, 238; CHE 111*, 112*, 133*, 134*, 231*; ENV 110, GOL 131*, 132*; PHY 101*, 102*, 110*, 118*, 131*, 132*, 241*, 242*.
        * Where indicated by an asterisk, the appropriate laboratory course must be taken in conjunction with the lecture course.
    4. Humanities & Visual and Performing Arts (six hours)
      1. Three semester hours from ART 280, 281, 282; MUS 140, 160; THR 161, 370; DAN 140, 341
      2. Three semester hours from ENG 200, 211, 212, 221, 222, 229, 230, 233H, 235, 300; PHI 153, 223; HIS 151, 152
    5. Social and Behavioral Sciences (15 hours)
      1. Six hours from HIS 133, 134, 335
      2. PSC 141, 142
      3. ECO 231
  2. Major requirements
    1. CSC 121, ECO 231 and MTH 220 (if not already completed in Item 1 above)
    2. Proficiency in a modern foreign language through the equivalent of SFA’s 232 courses or four semesters of the same language
    3. ECO 232, 331, 339, 351, 353
    4. Twelve hours of advanced ECO electives (courses numbered 300-499)
  3.   A.  An academic minor of at least 18 semester hours, but not more than 23 semester hours, with at least nine hours advanced and at least six hours advanced at SFA; or
      B.  A second major of at least 24 semester hours with at least 12 advanced hours at SFA.
  4. Hours requirements: At least 42 semester hours of advanced work, with at least 36 advanced at SFA; at least 42 semester hours of work in residence at SFA; and at least 130 semester hours total. No more than 32 hours of course work from the following areas: ACC, FIN, GBU, OSY, MKT, MGT, BLW, BCM.
  5. Grade requirements: A grade of at least C in each freshman English course; at least a 2.0 GPA overall at SFA; at least a 2.0 GPA in major courses taken at SFA and in transfer courses; and at least a 2.0 GPA in all minor or second major courses overall and in transfer courses.
  6. No more than three hours of Special Problems from the College of Business (ACC 475, CSC 475, ECO 475, FIN 475, GBU 475, MGT 475, MKT 475) and no more than three hours of Internships from the College of Business (ACC 485, CSC 385, ECO 485, FIN 485, GBU 485, MGT 476, MKT 486) may count toward a B.A. in Economics. In addition, the internship courses may count only as electives and may not count toward completion of major or minor course requirements for the B.A. in Economics.
  7. All students must satisfy provisions of the Texas Success Initiative program. See TSI information elsewhere in this bulletin.

Bachelor of Business Administration Degree [B.B.A.]

  1. Core Curriculum Requirements
    1. Communication Skills (12 hours)
      1. Six semester hours from: ENG 131, 132, 133H, 235.
      2. BCM 247, COM 111
    2. Quantitative Skills and Sciences (three hours)
      1. MTH 220
    3. Natural Sciences (six to eight hours)
      1. Six to eight semester hours from: AST 105*; BIO 121*, 123*, 131,133, 225, 238; CHE 111*, 112*, 133*, 134*, 231*; ENV 110, GOL 131*, 132*; PHY 101*, 102*, 110*, 118*, 131*, 132*, 241*, 242*.
        *An asterisk following a course number indicates that the appropriate laboratory course must be taken in conjunction with the lecture course.
    4. Humanities and Visual and Performing Arts (six hours)
      1. Three semester hours from: ART 280, 281, 282; MUS 140, 160; THR 161, 370; DAN 140, 341
      2. Three semester hours from: ENG 200, 211, 212, 221, 222, 229, 230, 233H, 235, 300; PHI 153, 223; HIS 151, 152
    5. Social Sciences and Behavioral Sciences (15 hours)
      1. Six semester hours from: HIS 133 and 134. (Three hours of Texas history may be substituted for one of the American history courses.)
      2. PSC 141 and 142.
      3. ECO 231.
  2. Business Field of Study (Some of these requirements may be taken to satisfy part of the Core Curriculum Requirements listed in Item 1.)
    1. MTH 143, 144, 220
    2. COM 111, BCM 247
    3. ECO 231, 232
    4. CSC 121
    5. ACC 231, ACC 232
  3. Foundation Requirements: ACC 231, 232; BCM 247; CSC 121; GBU 325, BLW 335; ECO 231, 232, 339; FIN 333; MGT 370, 371, 463 (MGT 463 must be completed at SFA); and MKT 351.
  4. Major Requirements:
    • Accounting Major: ACC 331, 332, 333, 343, 437, 442, 453, 465, CSC 340, ENG 273 (30 hours); Five-Year Accounting Program (B.B.A./M.P.A.): Degree requirements are listed in accounting section;
    • Computer Information Systems Major: CSC 102, 202, 211, 214, 241, 321, 323, 412, 426, plus six hours from advanced-level courses in Computer Science excluding CSC 340, 350 and 385 (33 hours). A student must have a grade of C or better in all courses which are prerequisite to a computer science course before enrolling in that course. At least 12 advanced hours of computer science must be completed at SFA. Must maintain a C average in advanced computer science courses at SFA. A Computer Information Systems major is not required to take CSC 121 in the core requirements.
    • Business Economics Major: ECO 331, 351, 353, plus 12 hours from advanced level courses in Economics (21 hours);
    • Finance Major: FIN 357, 370, 373 and 18 hours from the following: three to six hours from FIN 401, ACC 331, 332, 333, 343; and 12-15 hours of advanced electives from ECO 331, FIN 358, 367, 401 (if not taken above), 410, 415, 433, 458, 471, 474, 475 and 490 (27 hours);
    • General Business Major: (a) six hours selected from ECO 331, FIN 357, 361, GBU 321 and MGT 373; (b) six hours, representing two of the following areas - law: BLW 366, 437, 456, 468 and 478; communication: BCM 347, 447 and 450; technology: GBU 310, 440, 461 and CSC 340; (c) nine advanced hours within the College of Business. (21 hours);
    • Management Major: MGT 422, 472, three to seven hours from MGT 380, PSY 330, SOC 378, STA 320, or ACC 333, and nine to12 additional advanced semester hours in management. (See Department of Management, Marketing, and International Business for more detailed information.) (21-22 hours);
    • Marketing Major: MKT 355, 452, 455, 457, plus nine hours from advanced Marketing courses (21 hours) (See Department of Management, Marketing, and International Business for more detailed information.);
    • International Business Major: See Department of Management, Marketing, and International Business section for major requirements.
  5. No more than three hours of Special Problems (475) and no more than three hours of Internship (ACC 485, CSC 385, ECO 485, FIN 485, GBU 485, MGT 476, MKT 486) may count toward a bachelor’s degree in the College of Business. Internship courses may count only as electives and may not count toward completion of major or minor course requirements in accounting, business economics, computer science, computer information systems, economics or finance
  6. Hours Requirements: At least 42 hours in residence at SFA; at least 42 hours advanced; at least 36 hours advanced in residence at SFA; at least 50 percent of business requirements including at least 12 hours of advanced work in major in residence at SFA; at least 65 hours of non-business courses (up to nine hours of economics, six hours of statistics, and all CSC courses may be counted as non-business for this purpose); and at least 130 semester hours total (excluding remedial type courses or activity courses in excess of four semester credit hours).
  7. Grade Requirements: *Maintain at least a 2.0 GPA average in courses completed at SFA and a grade of at least C in each freshman English course. Maintain at least a 2.0 GPA average in major course work, minor course work, B.B.A. foundation requirements, and overall in College of Business courses at SFA and in transfer courses.
    *Note: Required averages are based on those courses in each category which are included in the student’s official degree plan.
  8. Other Requirements: If the approximate equivalent of a required upper division course is taken at another accredited institution at the freshman-sophomore level and transferred to SFA, the transferred course will be accepted for elective credit only and an appropriate junior-senior level course in the same field will be substituted for the required course.
  9. All students must satisfy provisions of the Texas Success Initiative program. See TSI information elsewhere in this bulletin.

Bachelor of Science Degree [B.S.]

Computer Science

  1. Core Curriculum Requirements
    1. Communication Skills (12 hours)
      1. Six semester hours from: ENG 131, 132, 133H, 235.
      2. ENG 273 and COM 111
    2. Mathematics (three hours)
      1. MTH 220
    3. Natural Sciences (six to eight hours)
      1. Two semesters of one natural laboratory sciences from: AST 105*; BIO131, 133, 225, 238; CHE 133*, 134*, 231*; GOL 131*, 132*; PHY 110*, 131*, 132*, 241*, 242*. AST 105 counts as a non sequence physics course.
        One science must contain a two-semester course sequence.
        *An asterisk following a course number indicates that the appropriate laboratory course must be taken in conjunction with the lecture course.
    4. Humanities and Visual and Performing Arts (six hours)
      1. Three semester hours from: ART 280, 281, 282; MUS 140, 160; THR 161, 370, DAN 140, 341.
      2. Three semester hours from: ENG 200, 211, 212, 221, 222, 229, 230, 233H, 300
    5. Social and Behavioral Sciences (15 hours)
      1. HIS 133 and 134. (Three hours of Texas history may be substituted for one of the American history courses.)
      2. PSC 141 and 142
      3. Three semester hours from: ANT 231; ECO 231, 232; GEO 131, 132; PSY 133, 153; SOC 137, 139.
  2. College selected requirements (Some of these may be taken to satisfy part of the Core Curriculum requirements listed in Item 1):
    1. COM 111, ENG 273
    2. MTH 220, 233, 234, and three semester credit hours from MTH 305, 317, 320, 333 (refer to the description of MTH 233 for prerequisites.)
    3. Two semesters each of two natural laboratory sciences from: AST 105*; BIO 131, 133, 225, 238; CHE 133*, 134*, 231*; GOL 131*, 132*; PHY 110*, 131*, 132*, 241*, 242*. One science must contain a two-semester course sequence. AST 105 counts as a non sequence physics course.
    4. Three hours from ENG 200, 211, 212, 221, 222, 233H, 300.
  3. Major Requirements: CSC 102, 202, 211, 214, 241, 321 or 331, 323, 333, 342, 343, 412; nine hours from (CSC 425, 435, 441, 442, 445), plus three advanced hours of computer science excluding CSC 340, 350, and 385 (45 hours). A student must have a grade of C or better in all courses which are prerequisite to a computer science course before enrolling in that course. At least 15 advanced hours of computer science must be completed at SFA. Must maintain a C average in advanced computer science courses at SFA.
  4. Minor Requirements: An academic minor of at least 18 semester hours and not more than 24 semester hours. At least nine hours (six of which must be advanced) must be completed at SFA.
  5. Hours Requirements: At least 42 hours in residence at SFA; at least 42 hours advanced; at least 36 advanced hours in residence at SFA; at least 15 hours of advanced work in computer science at SFA; at least six hours of advanced work in the minor at SFA; six hours of electives, at least 130 semester hours total (excluding remedial type courses or any activity courses in excess of four semester credit hours.)
  6. Grade requirements: *Maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average in courses completed at SFA and a grade of at least C in each freshman English course. Maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average in major and minor course work and in advanced computer science courses at SFA, and in transfer courses.
    *Note: Required averages are based on those courses in each category which are included in the student’s official degree plan.
  7. Other Requirements: If the approximate equivalent of a required upper division course is taken at another accredited institution at the freshman-sophomore level and transferred to SFA, the transferred course will be accepted for elective credit only and an appropriate junior-senior level course in the same field will be substituted for the required course.
  8. All students must satisfy provisions of the Texas Success Initiative program. See TSI information elsewhere in this bulletin.

Top of page

Future Students Visit Academics Students Faculty/Staff Library Alumni & Friends Administration