College of Business Requirements

Declaration of College of Business Major

The Sykes College of Business seeks to effectively advise, track and communicate with its students. To do this, students who intend to graduate with a major in accounting, economics, business information technology, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, finance, financial enterprise systems, international business, management, management information systems or marketing should declare a major in one or more of these areas before completing 62 credit hours. A major may be declared in the Academic Advising Office.

Advisors

Every Sykes College of Business student is assigned a business faculty advisor starting with their sophomore year and after declaring a business major. Students who have not yet declared their majors but are interested in business should request College of Business faculty advisors through the Academic Advising Office. To help students select a specific business major, students learn about every functional area of business in BUS 101, Introduction to Global Business. In addition, students who have not decided on their majors are encouraged to explore career options through the Baccalaureate Office, the Office of Career Services and through discussions with College of Business faculty.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites are imposed to ensure that students have obtained the background information necessary to receive maximum value from each class. Prerequisites for a class must be successfully completed before students may enroll in the class. Failure to meet prerequisites will result in the student being dropped from the class.

COB Residency Requirements

A student earning a degree with a major in economics, entrepreneurship, finance, international business, management or marketing must complete at least 26 credit hours within the Sykes College of Business. At least 15 of these hours must be in the student’s major (courses beyond the business core).

A student earning a degree with a major in accounting, business information technology, cybersecurity, financial enterprise systems, or management information systems must complete at least 30 credit hours within the Sykes College of Business. At least 15 of these hours must be in the student’s major (courses beyond the business core).

COB Grade Point Average Requirements

COB majors must earn 22 credit hours of 100-level and 200-level required COB courses with a minimum GPA of 2.25 before taking 300- and 400-level COB courses. This GPA is computed by taking the highest grades in 100-level and 200-level required COB courses until at least 22 credit hours are reached. Additionally, all business majors must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the courses required to complete the specified major. For this purpose, “specified major” is defined as required courses beyond COB core courses.

Maximum Sykes College of Business Credits

To ensure that all business students have the broad-based education necessary to succeed in the business world, they need to have a balanced exposure to both liberal arts and business concepts. To meet these needs, at least 62 credit hours must be taken outside the College of Business. ECO 204, ECO 205, QMB 210 and QMB 380 are counted in the non-business group.

For recommended computing standards, see the Campus Services section of this catalog.

Independent Study and Special Studies Courses

An independent study course is designed by the professor and student and is not to be identical to any other course offerings that term. A special studies course is designed to be a substitute for an existing course that a student is unable to take for an approved reason. Independent and special studies courses are offered on a limited basis and only in cases of hardship on the part of the student (e.g., graduating senior with schedule conflicts) or for special projects for outstanding students. In either case, the sponsoring professor, the department chair and the associate dean must approve the registration. See the course descriptions to determine if an independent study may count toward the requirements of the major. No special studies courses are allowed for courses in the Sykes College of Business core.

Internships

Students who qualify may count up to 8 hours of internship credit toward their 124-credit baccalaureate degrees. The remaining 116 credit hours must be non-internship credits. Only students majoring in Entrepreneurship can count internship credit toward major electives. Internships, except for those in accounting, are coordinated by a COB internship coordinator. An accounting internship coordinator coordinates accounting internships. In order to qualify for an internship, a student must have junior or senior standing and be considered "in good standing." Additional requirements may apply to internships in each of the COB majors. To register for an internship, the student must submit a permission form to the internship coordinator, along with a job description from the employer. The internship coordinator must approve all internships. Forms are available in the associate dean’s office.

All undergraduate internships have a GPA requirement of 2.25 in COB courses, including:

• ECO
• ENT
• FIN
• ITM
• MGT
• MKT

For Accounting: 2.25 overall and 3.0 in four upper level accounting classes.