College of Business

 Ellen Foster Curtis, Dean

Faculty in the College of Business

Undergraduate Programs Overview

The College of Business’ primary mission is to offer a demonstrably excellent education that meets the demands of our region and state for informed and skilled professionals in business and public administration, and that is accessible to a diverse and intellectually stimulating community of learners.

Students will graduate with a firm liberal arts foundation; the critical professional knowledge, skills, competencies, values, and initiative for effective initial employment, and career progression; and individual enterprise in business, industry, nonprofit, and government organizations.

We encourage and assist our students in creating opportunities for lifelong advancement through lifelong learning. We recognize scholarship, research, and creative endeavors as inherently valuable and enriching activities. We encourage our faculty and students to engage in these activities.

Faculty, students, and staff are encouraged to make meaningful contributions as citizens, professionals, and scholars to the university community, the region and the state, and their respective disciplines.

In support of its mission, it is the goal of the College of Business and Public Administration to meet the diverse educational needs of students and society by providing:

• flexible instructional and scheduling alternatives;
• contemporary business and educational technologies and instruction that imparts current practice;
• content that is consistent with the needs and standards of business, industry, government, and community organizations that employ our graduates;
• strong theoretical foundations in knowledge of the field, with development and application of practical skills,
• supported by liberal learning;
• instruction, that is challenging, engaging, and rewarding; and
• valuable knowledge obtained through research and scholarship.

The College of Business has designed its undergraduate majors to prepare students for careers in business, government, and industry. Because all the functions of a complex business or government organization are interrelated, students are required to be familiar with the functional areas of administration.

The majors are designed with the understanding that students enrolled in the college are pursuing management degrees for careers in the public or private sector. Accordingly, the college offers rigorous programs of study that challenge students and provide them with the preparation to assume positions of leadership and responsibility. To this end, the college emphasizes clearly defined instructional methods and curricula that reflect the growing sophistication of modern management techniques.

All of the college’s business programs are fully accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs.

“IAI” course designations refer to the statewide Illinois Articulation Initiative previously discussed and found at website www.itransfer.org.

Announcements

Students are responsible for checking the college bulletin boards and GSU email for announcements concerning scheduling, policies, job and financial aid opportunities, and collegial activities.

Minors Available through the College of Business

The following undergraduate minors are available to all students. For students enrolled in programs outside the College of Business, these minors are particularly appropriate, especially for those whose career goals include management in addition to their chosen field of study.

Students majoring in Business Administration, who must choose a concentration as a requirement of the degree program, may also choose a second concentration from among the Business Administration concentration offerings, or a minor outside of Business Administration (i.e., accounting). Students in other undergraduate programs in the College of Business and Public Administration may choose any minor outside of their major field of study.

Requirements for a Minor

Students must meet all university requirements for a minor.

In addition, students must:

1. complete a study plan with the Academic Advising Office;
2. complete all courses required for the minor with a grade of “C” or better;
3. complete at least nine hours of the course work required for the minor at Governors State University; and
4. submit transfer course documentation to the Academic Advising Office for approval before the first week of the semester of intended graduation.

Note: Prerequisite courses may also be required to complete a business minor. Please consult the course descriptions, the website, or a CBPA advisor for more detailed course information for each business minor.

Degree Requirements for Undergraduate Programs

The university degree requirements for undergraduate programs are listed in the Bachelor’s Degree Requirements  section of this catalog.

Requirements for specific degree programs are listed below under Programs Offered.

Graduate Programs Overview

The College of Business presents strong theoretical and pragmatic programs at the graduate level which prepare students for careers in business, government, and industry. The majors are designed with the understanding that students enrolled in the college are pursuing management degrees for careers in the public or private sector. Accordingly, the college offers rigorous programs of study which challenge students and provide them with the preparation to assume positions of leadership and responsibility. To this end, the college emphasizes clearly defined instructional methods and curricula that reflect the growing sophistication of modern management techniques. To prepare leaders for the 21st century, graduate majors are designed to accommodate those with undergraduate degrees in business, as well as those with undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, sciences, engineering, education, and other disciplines.

All of the college’s business programs are fully accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

Announcements

Students are responsible for checking the college bulletin boards and GSU email for announcements concerning scheduling, policies, job and financial aid opportunities, and collegial activities.

Degree Requirements for Graduate Programs

The university degree requirements for graduate programs are listed in the Master’s Degree Requirements  section of this catalog.

In addition to university degree requirement for graduate programs the College of Business has the following requirements for Master Degree Programs:

1. All students must have a signed study plan complete in the CBPA Academic Advising Office during the initial semester of enrollment in the degree program.
2. Students must earn an overall G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher in all course work required for the degree with no more than two grades of “C”.
3. Only credits earned with a grade of “B” or higher will be considered for transfer credit.
4. Transfer credits earned more than five years before the request to transfer will not be accepted toward meeting degree requirements.
5. Transfer credits can be applied toward required courses only with the permission of the Dean.
6. Credits for experiential learning will not be accepted toward meeting degree requirements unless approved by the Dean.
7. A readmitted student may not apply credits earned more than five years before readmission to degree requirements, unless approved by the Dean.
8. The total number of credits applied toward degree requirements earned in independent studies, internships, and practica cannot exceed six hours, unless approved by the Dean. A maximum of three hours in internships can be counted toward this total.
9. A student who has enrolled in the same course two times without receiving a passing grade must receive permission from the dean to register for that class a third time.
10. A maximum of six credit-hours of graduate course work earned in the last term of an undergraduate program and before official acceptance in the graduate program may be applied toward graduation requirements, with permission of the division chair and the Dean.
11. All graduate students within the College of Business and Public Administration will be required to demonstrate competency in the field of MIS/personal productivity tools by achieving a score of 80% or higher on all appropriate competency exams prior to their second semester of enrollment. Students who fail to achieve the 80% minimum will be required to enroll in the corresponding zero level course(s) and complete with an 80% score or higher. (Students who achieve an 80% on any undergraduate MIS/productivity tools competency exam(s) in the three (3) years prior to enrollment in a graduate program may use this/these undergraduate score(s) and will only be required to meet this requirement on any outstanding area or areas in which they do not meet the 80% criteria. Requirements for specific degree programs follow.

Student Course Load: Graduate students may not take more than 12 hours per term without obtaining permission from the dean of the college or designee.

Programs Offered