For more information on the Bachelor of Business Administration degree, please see the BBA General Bulletin.
For specific course syllabi, please visit Course Information.
General Business
OBJECTIVES
The general business major is ideally suited for students who know exactly what career paths they plan to pursue after graduation and who wish to select courses that directly apply to that specific career. This major also allows students to obtain a broad-based B.B.A. degree without emphasizing any one of the functional areas of business.
DEFINITION OF MAJOR
In addition to the foundation courses that are required for the Bachelor of Business Administration degree, the major in general business consists of:
- Six hours selected from ECO 331; FIN 357, 361; GBU 321; and MGT 373
- 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
- Nine advanced hours within the College of Business.
AREAS OF EMPHASIS
Students interested in a corporate communication emphasis should choose the following courses in their general business major: BCM 347, 447 and 450; GBU 321; MGT 373; three hours from GBU 310, 440, 461 or CSC 340; and three hours from BLW 456 or GBU 345 or 485.
Students interested in a legal studies emphasis should choose the following courses in their general business major: nine hours from BLW 366, 437, 456, 468, 478 or GBU400; six hours from ECO 331, FIN 357 or 361, GBU 321, or MGT 373; three hours from ACC 343, ECO 345, GBU 485, MGT 379 or MKT 425 or 357; and three hours from BCM 450 or GBU 440.
DEFINITION OF MINORS
To further meet the specialized needs of students, the department offers minors in administrative law, business communication, general business and general business technology applications. At least nine hours of any minor (six of which must be advanced) must be completed at SFA.
A minor in administrative law consists of BLW 335, 437 and PBA 300; six semester hours selected from BLW 456, 468 and 478; and three semester hours selected from PSC 301, 302, 403, 447, 448 or CJS 305. Total 18 hours with at least a 2.0 GPA.
A minor in business communication consists of BCM 247, 347, 447, 450 and six semester hours selected from the following courses: COM 170, 380; MKT 352, 353; and ENG 273, 473. Total 18 hours with at least a 2.0 GPA.
A minor in general business consists of ACC 101 or 231; GBU 147 or FIN 369; BCM 247 or BLW 330; ECO 231; and nine advanced hours from the College of Business with no more than six advanced hours from any one of the following areas: accounting, business communication, business law, computer science, economics, finance, general business, management and marketing. No more than three hours from BLW 330 and BLW 335 will apply to the general business minor. Total 21 hours with at least a 2.0 GPA. Students earning the B.B.A. degree are not eligible to earn the general business minor.
A minor in general business technology applications consists of BCM 347; GBU 310, 321, 440, 461; and six hours from CSC 102, 202, 211, 340, 350. Total 21 hours with at least a 2.0 GPA.
PETROLEUM LAND MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATE
The courses required for the Petroleum Land Management Certificate are ACC 101 or 231, BLW 366 and 468, and GBU 400 and 485. General business majors who wish to earn the PLM Certificate may select the required courses as part of their major and complete the certificate without taking any additional coursework. GOL 131 and 132 are suggested as the required science courses and suggested electives include GOL 350, FOR 223 and GIS 224. Students pursuing the general business minor can concurrently earn the PLM Certificate by taking one additional course: suggested electives include those previously mentioned as well as FIN 333 and GBU 440. Astudent who has previously earned a bachelor's degree in any field may take the required courses and earn the PLM certificate.
TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Students who obtain a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and also complete the courses that are necessary to teach business education in the secondary schools of Texas have a certain amount of flexibility in job choice. The business teaching certification requires the B.B.A. foundation courses and a general business major incorporating the following courses: GBU 310, 321, 440; BCM 447; and BLW 437.
The technology applications certification requirements can also be met through the general business major. The requirement for this certification includes the B.B.A. foundation courses plus the following courses: BCM 347; CSC 340; and GBU 310, 321, 440, 461, 475.
These programs also require that students complete the professional development courses that are specified by the College of Education for teaching certification. (See the College of Education section of the General Bulletin).
Bachelor of Business Administration
| Suggested Program for General Business Majors* (120 hours) | |||
Freshman Year** (32 hours) |
|||
| ENG 131 | 3 | ENG 132 | 3 |
| MTH 143 | 3 | MTH 144 | 3 |
| Science | 4 | Science | 4 |
| HIS or PSC | 3 | HIS or PSC | 3 |
| CSC 121 | 3 | COM 111 | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
Sophomore Year (30 hours) |
|||
| ACC 231 | 3 | ACC 232 | 3 |
| ECO 231 or 232 | 3 | ECO 231 or 232 | 3 |
| HIS or PSC | 3 | HIS or PSC | 3 |
| ENG/HIS/PHI | 3 | MTH 220 | 3 |
| BCM 247 | 3 | ART, MUS, THR, or DAN | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
Junior Year*** (30 hours) |
|||
| GBU 325 | 3 | FIN 333 | 3 |
| BLW 335 | 3 | MGT 371 | 3 |
| MGT 370 | 3 | Major Requirement | 3 |
| MKT 351 | 3 | Major Requirement | 3 |
| ECO 339 | 3 | Major Requirement/Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
Senior Year (28 hours) |
|||
| Major/Minor Requirements and Electives | 14 | Major/Minor Requirements and Electives | 11 |
| MGT 463 | 3 | ||
| 14 | 14 | ||
* A minimum of 120 hours is required for graduation.
** For undecided business majors, GBU 147 is recommended as an elective.
*** See information at the beginning of the College of Business section regarding eligibility for upper-level business courses.
COURSE CREDIT
Unless otherwise indicated, courses are three semester hours credit. Enrollment in courses numbered 300 or higher requires junior standing.
COURSES IN BUSINESS COMMUNICATION (BCM)
247. Business Communication (BUSI 2304) - Application of business communication principles through creation of effective business documents and oral presentations. Includes study and application of team communication and use of technology to facilitate the communication process. Prerequisites: six hours from English 131, 132, 133 or 235 and basic keyboarding skills.
347. Administrative Communication - Study of administrative communication skills with focus on written and visual communication. Incorporation of electronic presentation tools in document development. Prerequisites: BCM 247 or ENG 273. Recommended prerequisites: CSC 101 or 121.
447. Organizational Communication - Study of the total organizational communication process within business organizations, including issues of organizational culture, diversity, power, leadership, conflict resolution, ethical issues and international communication.
450. Executive Communication - Study and practice in communication skills useful for today's business executive. Specific areas covered as they apply to business include interviewing, listening, meeting planning, presentations, crisis communication and other communication topics.
475. Special problems - Instruction in special topics in business communication.
COURSES IN BUSINESS LAW (BLW)
330. Personal Law - Examination of the law that defines general legal rights and responsibilities of individuals, including the law of contracts, torts, real property, employer-employee relations, consumer transactions, constitutional protections, estate planning, family relationships and criminal liability. Course may not be used to satisfy requirements of the B.B.A. degree.
335. Business Law - Examination of various legal relationships, which are significant in business, including, contracts, agency, torts, intellectual property, personal property, bailments and related subjects. Prerequisite: junior standing.
366. Real Estate Law - Examination of real estate concepts, including estate in land contracts, voluntary and involuntary conveyances, real estate description, liens, methods of title assurance, recording procedures, landlord-tenant law, agency law, and licensure requirements for real estate professionals. Emphasis on Texas Real Estate Law concepts. (Same as FIN 366).
437. Regulation of Business by National Governments - Legal principles involved in the regulation of international business activity by the governments of the world. Prerequisite: BLW 335.
456. Employment and Agency Law - Study of the legal principles that define the relationship between employers and employees, including obligations imposed by federal and Texas statutes. Prerequisite: BLW 335 or consent of department chair.
468. Oil and Gas Law - Examination of the legal principles involved in oil, gas and mineral ownership, title research, curative work and leases. Prerequisite: BLW 335 or consent of department chair.
475. Special Problems - Instruction in special topics in business law.
478. Environmental Regulatory Law - Study of environmental regulation, including regulations directed at business activities and intended to define the use and protection of natural resources. Examination of both statutes and case law, providing an overview of the history and current requirements of selected environmental regulation. Prerequisite: BLW 335 or consent of department chair.
COURSES IN GENERAL BUSINESS (GBU)
147. Introduction to Business (BUSI 1301) - Overview of basic business functions, including accounting, business law, communication, computer technology, economics, finance, marketing and management. Not open to students with junior or senior standing in the College of Business.
310. Business Communication Technologies - Comprehensive study of word processing equipment, systems and procedures. Emphasis on word processing applications, work measurement and comparative product evaluation. Prerequisites: CSC 121 or equivalent and keyboarding skills of at least 30 wpm.
321. Information Technology - Introduction to the technology and processes used within the information processing cycle and its impact on organizational and personal productivity.
325. Business, Ethics and Society - Comprehensive study of the dynamic social, political, legal and regulatory environments within which domestic and international business must operate. Course topics are examined with emphasis on ethical business decision making and consideration of social responsibility of business.
345. Training and Development - Application of theories of learning and instructional development to the education and training of employees in the organizational environment.
400. Negotiation and Alternate Dispute Resolution - Study of negotiation theories and skills applicable to internal and external business transactions. Conflict analysis in domestic, international and cross-cultural settings will be addressed. Dispute resolution methods, resolution systems, social and ethical issues, and trends will be examined.
440. Records Management - In-depth study of records management programs for organizations. Hands-on application with an appropriate database management software program. Prerequisite: CSC 121 or equivalent.
461. Information Management - Theories, issues and strategies related to the management of information as a corporate asset. Emphasis on strategic information planning, information access, computer-human interaction, data security and electronic privacy.
470. Special Topics - In-depth study of current interest within the disciplines offered in the Department of General Business. One to three semester hours. Can be repeated for a maximum of three credit hours. Prerequisite: junior standing.
475. Special Problems - Instruction in special topics in general business. Prerequisite: approval of department chair.
485. Internship in General Business - Individually supervised internship in general business. Advanced standing as a major in general business. Consent of department chair.
See General Bulletin.