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Course Catalog

School of Business Administration

Dean: Kenneth Anderson
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs: Sara Kern
Coordinator of Accounting: M. Hoag 
Director of Graduate Accounting: A. Brajcich
Director of MBA Programs: R. Bull Schaefer  
Director of Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program: D. Stewart
John L. Aram Chair of Business EthicsB. Steverson
Jud Regis Endowed Chair of Accounting: A. Brajcich
Erwin Graue Professor of Economics: K. Henrickson
Mozillo Professor of Finance: D. Xu
Pigott Professor of Entrepreneurship: T. Finkle
Kinsey M. Robinson Professor of Business Administration: G. Weber
Professors:  K. Anderson, C. Barnes (Dean Emeritus), G. BaroneR. Bennett, M. BeqiriA. BrajcichS. BozmanR. Bull SchaeferT. ChuangK. HenricksonE. JohnsonS. KernL. KurpisD. Law, P. Loroz, M. McPhersonV. Patil, M. Pepper, B. Steverson, D. Stewart, D. XuG. Weber
Professors Emeriti: J. Beck, D. Brajcich,  E. Birrer, P. Buller, K. Carnes, N. Chase, C. Chen, D. Elloy, J. Helgeson, K. Hickman, J. Monks, M. Shrader, W. Teets, W. Terpening
Associate Professors: Y. AwotoyeJ. Correia, T. FinkleR. HerzogM. Hoag, C. McNellisJ. MorscheckT. Olsen, C. Stevens, M. Tackett, A. Thatte, R. Vann, A. Voy
Assistant Professors: M. Banyi, K. Carston, S. Hedin, K. Kim, S. Matthews, Y. Nam, S. XiaoM. ZavalaY. Zhang
Senior Lecturer: C. DeHartA. Leithauser 
Lecturers: J. LaBelle

The School of Business was established in 1921 and is accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. As stated in its Mission, the School “strives to develop professionally competent graduates who exemplify the humanistic, ethical, and moral values of a Jesuit institution. A personal learning environment, quality students, and a faculty dedicated to teaching and advising, scholarship, and service will mark our excellence. As part of a dynamic business environment, we will strengthen relationships with the regional, national, international and scholarly communities.” To support the mission of the School of Business, the learning objectives of the programs prepare students to:

  • - apply fundamental business theories and practices to any organization;
  • - analyze challenges and opportunities critically and arrive at a best solution;
  • - understand diverse perspectives and the global reach of business decisions;
  • - communicate ideas and information effectively;
  • - approach decision-making ethically and with a commitment to the common good; and
  • - adapt readily to the changing demands of a high-technology market.

Admission Requirements

In order to take School of Business courses numbered 300 and above, students pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration degree must have: a) attained junior standing, and b) achieved a cumulative grade point average of 2.70 in the following lower division business core courses: ACCT 260-ACCT 261 (Principles of Accounting I and II), BUSN 230 or MATH 321 (Statistics), BMIS 235 (Management Information Systems), and ECON 201-ECON 202 (Microeconomics and Macroeconomics) with a grade no lower than C- in any of these classes. Third-year transfer students who have not completed all the lower division business core courses listed above should consult the business school's transfer advisor.

Degree Requirements of the School of Business Administration

In addition to the general degree requirements of the University, including the University Core curriculum, students earning the Bachelor of Business Administration degree must complete the following requirements:

  1. Completion of the SBA common curriculum consisting of:
    1. Mathematics (3-4 credits): MATH 114, MATH 148, or MATH 157
    2. Business Computing (2 credits): BUSN 111
    3. Accounting (6 credits): ACCT 260 and ACCT 261
    4. Economics (6 credits): ECON 201 and ECON 202
    5. Business Statistics (3 credits): BUSN 230 or MATH 321
    6. Information Systems (3 credits): BMIS 235
    7. Business Law (3 credits): BUSN 283
    8. Finance (3 credits): BFIN 320
    9. Management (3 credits): MGMT 350
    10. Marketing (3 credits): MKTG 310
    11. Operations Management (3 credits): OPER 340
    12. Business Ethics (3 credits):  BUSN 480
      1. also fulfills the following core requirements

        1. Core Integration Seminar
        2. Social Justice
    13. Strategy (3 credits) BUSN 481
  2. Completion of the requirements for a major course of study within the School;
  3. A minimum 2.00 grade point average in all course work taken in the major field;
  4. Of the 128 credits required for the degree, 55 credits must be earned outside the School of Business Administration.
  5. At least 50 percent of all business courses (common curriculum and major requirements) must be taken at Gonzaga.

Please note: Courses which fulfill business common curriculum, major, concentration, and minor requirements may not be taken on a satisfactory/non-satisfactory basis except for internships.

Table of Credits for Degree Majors and Minors

B.B.A. Majors

  1. Accounting (21 credits)
  2. Business Administration (18-21 credits)
    (The Business Administration major includes one of the following 12 or 15 credit concentrations)*
    1. Business Analytics
    2. Economics
    3. Entrepreneurship and Innovation
    4. Finance
    5. Human Resource Management
    6. Marketing
    7. Management Information Systems
    8. Operations and Supply Chain Management
    9. Interdisciplinary Concentrations
      1. International Business
      2. Law and Public Policy
      3. Individualized Study

* Specific course requirements for each concentration are listed in the appropriate sections in the following pages.

B.A. Major

  1. Economics

B.S. Major

  1. Economics

Minors for all majors, including Business and Accounting:

Digital Marketing 24 credits
Economics
18 credits
Sustainable Business Minor
26 credits

Minors for Non-Business Majors:

Analytical Finance 27-28 credits
Entrepreneurship and Innovation 18 credits
General Business 24 credits
Management Information Systems 17 credits
Promotion 18 credits
Engineering Technologies 21 credits
Human Resource Management 18 credits

Major Programs of Study in Business

The degree of Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) is offered with a major in accounting or a major in business administration.

The accounting major requires completion of 27 credits, as described in the accounting section of this catalog.

The business administration major requires completion of 18-21 upper division credits including:

  1. Twelve to fifteen credits from a designated concentration. Requirements of concentrations in economics, entrepreneurship and innovation, finance, human resource management, management information systems, marketing, and operations and supply chain management are described in the respective sections of this catalog. Also offered are interdisciplinary concentrations in international business, and law and public policy. Students may also design an interdisciplinary individualized concentration with the approval of a faculty advisor. A second concentration in the School of Business may be earned by completing 12 to 15 credits required in the area. Only one course may be double-counted between two concentrations in all but the international business concentration, where no double counting is allowed.  International business is only available as a second concentration.
  2. Three to six credits chosen from among the three categories listed below (only one course in a category may be used).
      Students with a Single Concentration: Students will take a Broadening course and either an International or Experiential course chosen from the menus listed below. Note: The requirement applies to all concentrations, regardless of whether those concentrations require a course outside the discipline, e.g., ACCT 367 for the Finance concentration, or even outside the SBA, e.g., certain nonbusiness courses for Marketing.

      Students with Two or More Concentrations (or a concentration in business plus an accounting major):  Students will take either an International or Experiential course chosen from the menus listed below. Exception: Students with an International Business concentration will take either a Broadening, Experiential or 200-level of higher language course. 

      B - Broadening course.  A 3-credit upper division course in business outside a student’s concentration(s). A Broadening course provides students an opportunity to pursue interests in a discipline outside their concentration(s) and, if desired, to complete coursework that complements their respective concentrations (e.g., BMIS 443 “Technology for Web and Mobile-based Business” for students in Marketing; ACCT 363 “Cost Accounting” for students in Operations and Supply Chain Management). Note that the broadening course cannot be double-counted with the International or Experiential Course requirement for the business major.
  3. A course taken to fulfill a concentration requirement may not be double-counted to satisfy a requirement in the Broadening, International, or Experiential area for the Business Administration major.

Students in the School of Business may also earn minors from other areas of the University. No more than six (6) credits of courses taken to satisfy requirements of minors may be double-counted to satisfy the requirements of majors and concentrations in the School of Business.

The B.B.A. is also offered with an Honors designation. Interested students should contact the director of the Honors Program.

Student Internships

An internship program is available to eligible juniors and seniors in the School of Business. In an academic internship, a student collaborates with an organization to learn business knowledge and skills in a professional environment. There are several steps students must take before participating in an academic internship. Internships are not awarded retroactively. Students must receive approval for internship credits before internship hours are started. Internship guidelines are available on the School of Business website. 

Pre-Law Students

Students who intend to pursue the study of law are encouraged to enroll in business courses that will provide a solid understanding of the integral relationship between law and business.

Core courses such as Principles of Accounting I and II (ACCT 260 and ACCT 261), Microeconomics and Macroeconomics (ECON 201 and ECON 202), are recommended for pre-law students with majors outside the School of Business. Accounting provides basic skills to prepare and analyze financial statements and to complete case analysis; economics gives an understanding of how economics affects government fiscal policies, international trade, labor and other resource markets, political decisions, etc.

In addition, a pre-law student in the School of Business will benefit from courses in the law and public policy concentration. This concentration includes various courses which address legal issues such as corporate taxation, regulation of securities trading, business ethics, mergers and acquisitions, and antitrust policy and regulation. All of these courses provide pre-law students a unique insight into how business functions within the framework of the legal system.

Validation of Transfer Courses

Transfer students who take lower division courses at another AACSB-accredited institution equivalent to required upper division business courses at Gonzaga must have those courses validated by the transfer advisor.