Business Administration Bachelor of Arts
The Bachelor of Arts program in Business Administration prepares students for professional careers by stimulating rigorous, imaginative, analytical, and inquisitive attitudes. An emphasis on teamwork and problem solving is evident at all levels of education in the business administration major. The department offers four areas of emphases. Each emphasis is described below:
Accounting
The emphasis in Accounting qualifies students to enter private, public and governmental accounting. Students are prepared in the practical areas of tax accounting, cost accounting and auditing as well as the application of computer techniques to corporate accounting systems. Graduates will be qualified for professional employment in corporate accounting departments, public accounting firms, and governmental agencies.
The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Accounting Concentration, at Mount Saint Mary’s University (MSMU) offers 124 credit units, which allows graduates to sit for the Uniform Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Exam in California. However, the state boards of accountancy require students to complete 150 academic credit units to be eligible to become a licensed CPA. For a full list of California CPA licensure requirements, please visit This Way to CPA, California. Individual states may also have additional educational and/or non-educational requirements. Prior to enrollment, prospective students must review the lists below to determine whether this program meets the educational requirements in a specific state. Contact the Business department at busadmin@msmu.edu to discuss the process of obtaining a CPA license in any particular state. For a general overview of CPA licensing requirements by state and territory, students may contact an individual state board of accountancy or visit This Way to CPA, state requirements.
International Business
The emphasis in International Business prepares students for the many opportunities available in the fields of international management and government service. The International Business emphasis is designed for individuals with an interest in business on a global scale. The program concentrates on the social, political, and economic aspects of the international marketplace.
Management
The emphasis in Management offers a curriculum based on practical, applied courses that qualify students to enter administrative positions immediately after graduation. Courses cover the broad spectrum of business activity and allow students to choose from a variety of possible career opportunities in large, midsize and small organizations.
Marketing
The emphasis in Marketing provides students with a “strategic orientation'' in the areas of advertising, public relations, design, sales, research and marketing management. The program is designed to prepare students for marketing related careers in the public and private sectors.
Social Impact and Sustainability
The emphasis in Social Impact and Sustainability is designed for individuals with an interest in utilizing business skills to make the world a better place. The program provides students with practical knowledge and tools to address global social and environmental problems such as poverty, homelessness, violence, climate change, healthcare disparities, etc. The emphasis prepares students for careers that create both social impact and financial sustainability in entrepreneurial ventures and in the public and private sectors.
The requirements for the B.A. Degree with a Major in Business Administration include the completion of all Lower Division Core Requirements (30-32 units), all Upper Division Core Requirements (27 units), and an emphasis (18-23 units). (Some Accounting courses are four-unit courses.) Students are required to declare the emphasis of choice in writing by the end of their sophomore year. Students completing a double major are not required to complete an emphasis but may elect to do so. (See Double Major Program.) An emphasis is required for all other Business Administration majors in the B.A. Degree program.
Business Administration B.A. Degree Requirements
Lower Division Core Requirements:
| BUS 4 | Business Foundations and Analysis | 3 |
| BUS 5 | Business Law I | 3 |
| BUS 15A | Accounting Principles I | 3 |
| | or | |
| BUS 16A | Accounting Principles I | 4 |
| BUS 15B | Accounting Principles II | 3 |
| | or | |
| BUS 16B | Accounting Principles II | 4 |
| BUS 18 | Professional Development and Presentations | 3 |
| BUS 21 | The Essentials of Business Writing and Presentation | 3 |
| ECO 1 | Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECO 2 | Macroeconomics | 3 |
| MTH 28 | Mathematical Analysis for Business | 3 |
| MTH 38 | Elements of Probability and Statistics | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 30-32 |
Upper Division Core Requirements:
| BUS 122 | Management Communications | 3 |
| | or | |
| BUS 106 | Business Law II | 3 |
| | | |
| BUS 130 | Principles of Finance | 3 |
| BUS 131 | Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| BUS 160 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| BUS 177 | Management Information Systems | 3 |
| BUS 185 | Principles of Management | 3 |
| BUS 190 | Business Administration Internship | 3.0-6.0 |
| BUS 191 | Senior Seminar | 3 |
| BUS 192 | Business Policy and Strategy | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 27 |
*BUS 169 and PHI 192 are required as part of the upper division LACE Integrative Scholarship requirements.
Accounting Emphasis
International Business Emphasis
Plus three courses from the following
| BUS 123 | Travel and Study Abroad | 3 |
| ECO 112 | World Economic History | 3 |
| | or | |
| HIS 112 | World Economic History | 3 |
| BUS 183 | Management Seminar | 3 |
| ECO 195 | International Economics | 3 |
| POL 125 | U.S Foreign Policy | 3 |
| POL 128 | Politics of Globalization and Interdependence | 3 |
| SOC 185 | Global Studies | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 18 |
Social Impact and Sustainability Emphasis
| BUS 183 | Management Seminar | 3 |
| BUS 146 | Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability | 3 |
Plus three courses from the following
Plus one 3-unit upper division elective
Management Emphasis
Six courses from the following:
Marketing Emphasis
Plus General Education requirements and electives totaling 124 semester units, including the Language requirement.
*BUS 192 fulfills the capstone requirement for Business. Must be taken at Mount Saint Mary's University.
BUS 122: Required for Management Emphasis
BUS 106: Cannot double count in core and emphasis
For students transferring in business courses upon admission to Mount Saint Mary’s University, at least 21 units of the upper division business courses must be completed at Mount Saint Mary’s University.
Once enrolled at Mount Saint Mary’s University, all upper division business courses must be completed at the University.
Suggested Sequence of Courses: Bachelor of Arts
Freshman Year
The following is a model for completing the Business Administration major in four years. Only Business Administration courses are listed.
Fall Semester
| BUS 4 | Business Foundations and Analysis | 3 |
| BUS 15A | Accounting Principles I | 3 |
| MTH 28 | Mathematical Analysis for Business | 3 |
Spring Semester
| BUS 15B | Accounting Principles II | 3 |
| BUS 21 | The Essentials of Business Writing and Presentation | 3 |
| MTH 38 | Elements of Probability and Statistics | 3 |
Sophomore Year
Fall Semester
| BUS 18 | Professional Development and Presentations | 3 |
| ECO 2 | Macroeconomics | 3 |
Spring Semester
Junior Year
Fall Semester
| BUS 160 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| BUS 185 | Principles of Management | 3 |
| | Upper Division Emphasis Course | 3 |
Spring Semester
| BUS 122 | Management Communications | 3 |
| BUS 177 | Management Information Systems | 3 |
| | Upper Division Emphasis Course | 3 |
Senior Year
Fall Semester
| BUS 130 | Principles of Finance | 3 |
| BUS 190 | Business Administration Internship | 3.0-6.0 |
| BUS 191 | Senior Seminar | 3 |
| | Upper Division Emphasis Course | 3 |
| | Upper Division Emphasis Course | 3 |
Spring Semester
| BUS 192 | Business Policy and Strategy | 3 |
| | Upper Division Emphasis Course | 3 |
| | Upper Division Emphasis Course | 3 |