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Undergraduate Bulletin
Document Number 3.01.01

College of Business Administration

Dean and Associate Professor: Dr. Cantrell, 450-3106
Associate Dean and Professor: Dr. Cangelosi, 450-3411

[1] Values, Vision, and Mission

• We value learning, integrity, and ethical behavior; collaborative partnerships with our stakeholders; diversity and innovation in curriculum and instruction; relevance in scholarship and service; and continuous improvement through life-long learning.
• Our vision is to be recognized as a leading regional business college, distinguished by excellence in teaching and enhanced by service and scholarship.
• Our mission is to educate students to meet the dynamic requirements of business, and to make positive contributions to the business community and society. Our priority is student learning complemented by professional service and intellectual contributions. To achieve this mission we are committed to:
  • Maintaining a relevant and innovative curriculum that prepares students for a dynamic global environment through broad exposure to key business disciplines.
  • Enhancing the learning experience by emphasizing communication, critical thinking, collaboration, and information literacy.
  • Serving our stakeholders through research and community involvement.
  • Promoting life-long learning, integrity and ethical behavior.

[2] Limitation on Business Courses Taken by Non-Majors

Students majoring outside of the College of Business Administration may not take more than 30 hours of business courses.

[3] Prerequisites Policy

Credit is not granted toward a degree for any business course taken without the prerequisites required by the College of Business Administration. Students who enroll for courses for which they do not have the prerequisites may be administratively dropped from these courses. Both BBA majors and non-BBA majors are subject to prerequisite requirements. See the course descriptions for details.

[4] Administrative Structure

The College of Business Administration consists of the following administrative units:

Department of Accounting (ACCT)
Department of Economics, Finance, Insurance and Risk Management (EFIRM)
Department of Marketing and Management (MM)
Department of Management Information Systems (MIS)
Small Business Advancement National Center
CBA Technology Services
Graduate Programs in Business

[5] Curricula

[5.1] Associate of Applied Science in Business

[5.1.1] Requirements

A student must complete 63 hours from among the general education, general business, and business electives as described below. At least 24 of the last 30 hours of the degree must be earned in residence at UCA.

General education. Complete 21 hours, to include American History (HIST 2301 or 2302) or US Government (PSCI 1330); WRTG 1310 and 1320, MATH 1360 or above; KPED 1320 or H ED 1320; and 6 hours of other general education courses not specified above.

Required business courses. Complete 30 hours of courses in economics, accounting, statistics, and personal computing to prepare the student to better understand the principal functional areas of business and to develop basic computer skills: MATH 1395; ECON 1310, 2320, 2321; QMTH 2330; MGMT 2301, MIS 2343; ACCT 2310, 2311, 2321.

Business electives. Complete 4 courses or 12 hours of upper-division business electives.

Grades. Candidates for the associate degree must satisfy the following minimum grade point average requirements:

1. a 2.0 grade point average overall;
2. a 2.0 grade point average in all business classes used as "required business courses"; and
3. a 2.0 grade point average in the business elective courses.

[5.2] Bachelor of Business Administration

[5.2.1] Majors

For details on major and minor requirements, please refer to the department listed in parenthesis.

Accounting (ACCT)
Business Administration (EFIRM)
Economics with concentration in International Trade (EFIRM)
Finance (EFIRM)
Insurance and Risk Management (EFIRM)
Management (MM)
Management Information Systems (MIS)
Marketing (MM)
Personal Financial Planning (EFIRM)

[5.2.2] Minors (not open to business majors)

Accounting (ACCT)
Business Administration (EFIRM)
Economics (EFIRM)
Management (MM)
Management Information Systems (MIS)
Marketing (MM)

[5.2.3] Admission Requirements

Students apply to become business majors (BBA majors) when they have met the requirements for admission, usually in their sophomore year. Before being admitted, students are advised as pre-business majors. If students have decided on their intended major during their pre-business term, they may be advised in the departments as pre-accounting, pre-finance, pre-economics, pre-insurance, pre-personal financial planning, pre-management, pre-general business administration, pre-marketing, pre-MIS end user/Internet track, pre-MIS programmer/analyst track, pre-MIS spacial systems track, or pre-MIS telecommunications and computer networks track.

BBA-seeking students must

1. Obtain a 2.0 or higher cumulative grade point average, and
2. Complete at least 24 hours of the business foundation courses, which must include ACCT 2310, 2311, ECON 2320, 2321, QMTH 2330, and
3. Obtain a 2.0 or higher cumulative grade point average in the business foundation courses completed.

To remain eligible to enroll in the business core or major courses a BBA major must:

1. Maintain a 2.0 or higher cumulative grade point average in the business foundation courses, and
2. Maintain a 2.0 or higher cumulative grade point average in the business core courses, and
3. Maintain a 2.0 or higher cumulative grade point average in his or her major.

Any BBA major who fails to meet the requirements listed above after being admitted to the upper division business core and major courses for any semester will be placed on CBA probation for the following semester. If the student does not satisfy all of the grade point requirements listed above by the conclusion of the CBA probation semester, he/she will be dropped from the College of Business Administration core and upper division major courses for which they may have pre-registered for the next semester. Thereafter a student can enroll in non-business upper division courses in order to raise his/her GPA to meet admission requirements for the College of Business.

Business Education majors, business minors, and others who wish to enroll in courses in the College of Business Administration are not bound by the grade point requirements above but must complete the prerequisite courses stated in the bulletin. Non-BBA majors may not take more than 30 hours in the College of Business Administration.

[5.2.4] Requirements for the Bachelor of Business Administration

The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree emphasizes professional development based on a general education background of liberal arts and business courses. Degree requirements are divided into five groups: general education, business foundation, business core, major, and electives.

General education. Complete 47 hours of general education courses. (See the university's general education requirements, listed elsewhere in this bulletin.) Courses in English, history, humanities, culture and language, government, the sciences, mathematics, and health prepare students with basic speaking, reading, writing, and analytical skills as well as the time management and self-discipline skills needed for advanced study.

Business foundation. Complete 30 hours of freshman and sophomore courses in economics, accounting, statistics, and personal computing to prepare for study in the core functional areas of business and to develop computer skills. ACCT 2310, 2311, 2321; ECON 2310, 2320, 2321; QMTH 2330; MGMT 2301, MIS 2343; and MATH 1395.

Business core. Complete 18 hours of upper-division (3000-4000 level) courses to provide the student with functional business skills. FINA 3330, MIS 3321*, MGMT 3340, MGMT 3344*, MGMT 4347**, and MKTG 3350.

Major. Complete 24 hours of upper-division courses designated by the department administering the major. The management information systems major requires an additional 3 or 4 credit hours of lower-division courses in CSCI 1470 or MIS 1370. All majors include at least one required "writing-intensive" and at least one required "computer applications" course.

Electives. Students must complete the appropriate number of electives to ensure a minimum of 124 credit hours required for graduation. All BBA majors are reminded that graduation requirements include a minimum of 40 hours of upper-division courses.

Notes on the Business Core:
* Accounting majors take ACCT 3320 in place of MIS 3321 and ACCT 4315 in place of MGMT 3344.
** MGMT 4347 must be taken in the student's last semester.

[5.2.5] Other Academic Policies and Requirements

In addition to the courses required to earn the BBA degree, the university and college have established policies on the following: minors and second majors, assessment tests, and grade requirements.

Minors. The BBA degree does not require a minor. BBA degree students cannot minor in any field within the College of Business Administration.

Second majors. By completing the major requirements in a second major beyond the minimum 124 credit hour requirements and prior to earning the first degree, students can complete a second business (BBA) major. If students return after graduation to earn another BBA major, at least 30 semester hours must be taken.

Assessment tests. The university and college reserve the right to require, administer, and apply the results of appropriate assessment tests for the purpose of ensuring the student's basic qualifications to proceed with the desired program of study and/or to earn a degree. Such tests may include, but are not limited to, assessments of (1) personal computing skills, (2) economics knowledge, (3) general education achievement (rising junior exam), and (4) major field achievement.

Grades. Candidates for the BBA degree must satisfy the following minimum grade point average requirements:

1. a 2.0 grade point average overall
2. a 2.0 grade point average in all courses used in the foundation and core areas
3. a 2.0 grade point average in all major courses taken as determined by the department

[5.3] Transfer of Credit Policies

In addition to university policies controlling the granting of credit for course work taken at other institutions, the following policies apply to transfer work applied to any undergraduate business program:

Transfer students who are considered for admission to pursue a major in the College of Business Administration must have completed 24 hours of the business foundation courses, which must include ACCT 2310, 2311, ECON 2320, 2321, and QMTH 2330 (or an equivalent course) and have a 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale) cumulative grade point average in the business foundation courses and his or her overall grade point average.

1. A student's records will be evaluated each semester to determine whether he/she should be admitted to a major. After receiving notification that a student has been admitted into his/her major, the student is expected to arrange for a degree check by his/her College of Business Administration advisor to ascertain remaining requirements.
2. A transferred course cannot carry more degree hours than are available in a similar University of Central Arkansas course. For example, a four-hour principles of accounting course transfers to UCA as three hours.
3. Credit earned at a two-year college cannot be used to meet upper-division requirements in the College of Business Administration.
4. Courses taken at any institution of higher education where the course content is remedial are not acceptable for degree credit.
5. The student should be prepared to submit course descriptions, syllabi, or other course-related information for transfer course work if there is any question as to whether the College of Business Administration will grant degree credit for such work.
6. Exceptions. All requests for variations from the rules, regulations, and requirements of the College of Business Administration should be made in writing to the Associate Dean of the College of Business Administration. Consult the Dean's Office of the College of Business Administration for these requests. A committee will be formed with one representative from each department serving on this Exceptions Committee, which will be chaired by the Associate Dean. A student has the right to appeal decisions of the Exceptions Committee to the University Adjustments and Credentials Committee.

[5.4] Bachelor of Science

Major in Economics

[5.5] Bachelor of Arts

Major in Economics

[5.6] Master's Degrees in Business Administration

The university offers a program of study leading to a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree and an MBA with a specialization in International Business Administration (IMBA). These degrees are designed to serve the needs of qualified students preparing for careers in accounting, business, government, and doctoral study in business administration. Specialization in International Business Administration is especially designed for students preparing for careers in multinational businesses or working in businesses that engage in international commerce. An undergraduate business degree is not an admission requirement for graduate business study. Pre-MBA leveling classes are available for Non-Business majors to provide necessary competencies for success in the MBA program. For more information, see the Graduate Bulletin.

[5.7] Master's Degree in Accountancy

The university offers a program of study leading to a Master of Accountancy (MAcc). The degree is designed to provide a fifth year of accounting education to prepare students for careers in professional accounting. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants recommends five years of academic study in order to obtain the professional knowledge for a career in accounting. Most states (including Arkansas and surrounding states) have laws requiring five years of study as a prerequisite to sit for the Certified Public Accountant's examination.

The objective of the Master of Accountancy program is to give students greater breadth and depth of accounting knowledge and if desired, a specialization in taxation. The program requires 30 hours of course work beyond the Bachelor's degree and, with proper scheduling, can be completed in 12 calendar months. A bachelor's degree in accounting or the completion of certain undergraduate courses is required for admission to the program. Admission is also based on an applicant's undergraduate record and on their score on the GMAT. Outstanding employment opportunities in public accounting, industry, and government await graduates of the Master of Accountancy program. For more information, contact the Department of Accounting.

[6] Small Business and Entrepreneurship

The College of Business Administration houses the Small Business Advancement National Center (SBANC), which is devoted to teaching, research, and service in the areas of small business and entrepreneurship. These activities are provided locally, statewide, nationally, and internationally for those interested in small business and entrepreneurship using electronic linkages, newsletters, counseling sessions, and website. The SBANC houses the Small Business Advancement Electronic Resource (www.sbaer.uca.edu), which is both nationally and internationally acclaimed for its information and research dealing with small business and entrepreneurship. The center has links with hundreds of universities and serves as an information and research point for many government agencies around the globe.

[7] International Exchange Programs

Students and faculty in the College of Business Administration have the opportunity to participate in numerous business and cultural exchange programs. The College is a partner in several mobility grants sponsored by the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE), US Department of Education. These grants provide travel stipends for students and faculty to cover some of the expenses incurred during the international exchange. One of the FIPSE grants is between the US and four European universities and the other is between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Participating Mexican and Canadian universities are: Universidad de Colima (Mexico), Universidad Veracruzana (Mexico), Universidad Baja California Sur (Mexico), St. Francis Xavier (Antigonish, Canada), University of Moncton (Canada), and the University of Prince Edward Island (Canada). The College also has exchange agreements with the following European universities: FUNDESEM Business School (Alicante, Spain), The Haagse Hogeschool University (Netherlands), University of Leon (Spain), University of Mons Hainaut (Belgium), and Fachhochschule Bielefeld (Germany). Recently, a study abroad experience has been established with universities in China.

[8] CBA Technology Services

CBA Technology Services provides support for the instructional, research, and technological needs of the faculty, staff, and students in the College of Business Administration. The office maintains four networked computer labs for instructional and student use.

Visit the CBA website at www.business.uca.edu to view a listing of other services and facilities that are available in the college.

[9] Co-op Internships

The College of Business Administration is an active participant in the university's Career Services Programs which include career guidance, aptitude testing, individual instruction, seminars and a non-credit and credit co-ops. Co-op internships provide students with the skills, experience, and knowledge that give them an advantage in the job market. Many co-op students return to their co-op employer for a full-time career-track job. For further information, contact the Office of Cooperative Education (209 Bernard Hall).

To receive academic credit for internships, students must participate in a CBA Approved Internship. The College seeks to provide students with a number of competitive specialized disciplinary experiences to reinforce the content and theory of their major field of study. CBA approved internships require an ongoing business mentor who is committed to partner with college faculty members in adding realism, practice and guidance to our students' understanding of their professions. Students should contact the CBA Internship Director, and the Chair of their major field, for more information. No more than 6 hours of internship credits may be counted toward a BBA major.