College of Business

Programs of Study

The College of Business offers programs of study leading to baccalaureate degrees as listed below:

Bachelor of Science

Business Education for Teacher Licensure

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

Accounting
Business Data Analytics
Finance
Management with tracks in:
   Business Management 
   Entrepreneurship  
   Human Resource Management
Marketing with tracks in:
   Digital Marketing
   Marketing Strategy

Minors

Accounting
Business and Entrepreneurship
Business Data Analytics
Economics
General Business

Arkansas Tech University has offered baccalaureate degrees with majors in business and accounting since 1950 and 1959 respectively. The degree programs were housed in the Division of Business and then in the School of Systems Science prior to the establishment of the School of Business in 1986. The School of Business became the College of Business in 2009. The College is comprised of a Department of Management and Marketing and a Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics. Business students may seek a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with major fields of study in Accounting, Business Data Analytics, Finance, Management and Marketing or a Bachelor of Science with a major in Business Education.

The College of Business is committed to preparing students for meaningful careers in business, industry, government or education; or for admission to and success in quality graduate programs. This commitment is founded on the belief that graduates from the College should have a strong background in the liberal arts as a basis for a mature understanding of the problems of business leadership and management. The objective of the general education curriculum required of all College of Business majors is to ensure they acquire a knowledge and understanding of topics in the humanities, sciences, communications, social sciences and other related subjects to support a lifetime of continual learning.

The faculty believe that teaching excellence and the currency of subject matter are best maintained through ongoing professional interaction with peers and the business community. In support of its mission, the faculty participates in service and engages in scholarly activities oriented towards professional practice and pedagogical research.

College of Business faculty and students use current technology to equip students with the necessary business competency skills needed to be successful leaders in business. Students and faculty are encouraged to participate actively in the learning process. A high degree of faculty-student interaction is sought through the management of class sizes and individualized advising. The College adheres to high levels of ethical conduct and promotes this ideal to its students as they prepare for personal and professional success in an evolving global business environment.

Our Vision

The College of Business at Arkansas Tech University will be known for producing graduates who add value for employers and their communities and who are leaders in their fields.

Our Mission

The College of Business at Arkansas Tech University is a highly engaged organization that cultivates life-long learners through academic programs tailored to the dynamic needs of employers.  Our graduates will add value at the entry-level and beyond because of experiential learning, network building and focused student projects.  Our graduates will harness appropriate technologies and cultivate interpersonal skills to achieve objectives and make sound ethical business decisions.

Our Guiding Principles

• We believe that a quality graduate possesses business competencies and intellectual foundations for lifelong learning.
• We believe that our students and graduates should behave ethically in both their personal and professional conduct.
• We believe that faculty, staff, and administrators, should encourage a welcoming, but respectful relationship with students in and out of the classroom.
• We believe that a quality graduate, in part, is the end product of quality faculty.
• We believe that quality faculty teach beyond the classroom.
• We believe that a quality faculty member is also a lifelong learner and contributes to the life of the profession, institution, and community.
• We believe that our faculty, staff, and students need to conduct themselves in an ethical, professional, and business-like manner.
• We believe that professionalism and quality will help us to protect our brand in a competitive marketplace.
• We believe that our program should always fulfill the highest of accreditation standards, holding students to consistently rigorous levels of academic quality.
• We believe that our quality is judged by our stakeholders: the business community, the state of Arkansas, and our past, present and future students.

The College is committed to:

• High-quality undergraduate learning and faculty development.
• Highest ethical standards of personal and professional conduct for faculty, students and administrators. Professionalism includes maintaining faculty intellectual qualifications and expertise at levels which support the college’s mission.
• Cooperative interaction among students and faculty to achieve the college’s mission.
• A systems approach to continuously improve all aspects of the learning process. This includes feedback from major stakeholders and a spirit of experimentation.

Experiential Learning

The College of Business at ATU offers more than the typical lecture/exam type of education.  With an emphasis on hands-on, experiential learning, the College incorporates consulting projects for real businesses, simulations, case-based learning, and internships so the student practices what they are learning as they are learning it.  Each semester a junior or senior level student is involved in at least one course that includes experiential learning activity, as designated by the professor, a non-credit course will be included on the student’s academic transcript.

Learning Goals

Students who major in any of the bachelor degree programs in the College of Business are required to complete a common core of business courses. The learning goals of the BSBA degree include the following.   Students:

1. Use technology to support business decisions.
2. Demonstrate communication skills in a business context.
3. Interact professionally with other students, professors, and future employers.
4. Use an ethical decision-making framework in a business context.
5. Demonstrate the foundation knowledge for conducting business.

Accreditation

The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree programs offered by the College of Business are accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. AACSB International is the premier accrediting agency for business schools, stressing academic excellence and a commitment to continuous improvement. Approximately one third of the business schools in the United States and several selected schools internationally have earned AACSB International accreditation.

The Bachelor of Science with a major in Business Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Residency Requirement

A maximum of six (6) hours of the non-Core business courses required in the major may be taken at another institution and transferred for credit in the major; any additional hours taken in the major at another institution will be transferred as general electives.

Transfer Students

To meet baccalaureate degree requirements, all transfer students must take in residence a minimum of fifty percent (50%) of the College of Business courses required for the degree; this includes support courses required by the College of Business, core business classes, and specific courses in the major.  Of these courses, at least 24 hours must be 3000-4000 level.  As noted in the Residency Requirement, only six (6) hours of the non-Core business courses required in the major may be transferred from another institution; any additional courses in the major taken at another institution will be transferred as general electives.

Business courses taken at other institutions at the 1000-2000 level which are offered by Tech at the 3000-4000 level will be transferred as free electives. Business courses taken at other institutions at the 3000-4000 level are subject to validation by the College of Business.

The Curriculum

A student who majors in one of the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (B.S.B.A.) programs in the College of Business must complete:

1. The general education requirements as described in this catalog.
2. The following business core requirements:
   
   ACCT 2003 Accounting Principles I
   ACCT 2013 Accounting Principles II
   ECON 2003 Principles of Economics I
   ECON 2013 Principles of Economics II
   BLAW 2033 Legal Environment of Business
   BUAD 1111 Introduction to Business
   BUAD 2003 Business Information Systems
   BUAD 2053 Business Statistics
   BUAD 3023 Business Communications
   FIN 3063 Business Finance
   MKT 3043 Principles of Marketing
   BDA 2003 Business Problem Solving
   MGMT 3003 Management and Organizational Behavior
   MGMT 3103 Operations Management
   MGMT 4013 Management Information Systems OR ACCT 3023 Accounting Information Systems¹
   MGMT 4083 Business Policy
   
   
3. The following courses in the quantitative area:
   
   MATH 1113 College Algebra²
   MATH 2223 Quantitative Business Analysis
   
   
4. Requirements that are listed on the following pages under each major.
5. Sufficient elective hours to bring the student’s total hours to 120 (the number required for graduation).

In order to enroll in 3000- and 4000-level courses offered by the College of Business, students majoring in business must have the proper course prerequisites and satisfy the following enrollment requirements:

1. Must have completed a minimum of 54 hours.
2. Must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or above.
3. Completion of the following eighteen hours of business foundation courses:
   
   ACCT 2003 Accounting Principles I and ACCT 2013 Accounting Principles II
   ECON 2003 Principles of Economics I and ECON 2013 Principles of Economics II
   Six hours from BDA 2003 Business Problem Solving, BLAW 2033 Legal Environment of Business, BUAD 2053 Business Statistics

Business students who meet enrollment requirements (1) and (2) above and have only completed fifteen hours of the foundation courses, may enroll in upper division business courses, provided they have the proper course prerequisites and they enroll in the remaining required foundation courses in the same semester.

Students majoring in fields outside the College of Business may enroll in 3000- and 4000- level College of Business courses provided they have completed 54 credit hours, have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0, and approval from the College of Business Dean.

¹Accounting majors must take ACCT 3023 Accounting Information Systems. All other business majors must take MGMT 4013 Management Information Systems.
²Students who have two years of high school Algebra with a grade of “C” or better and a math ACT score of 22 or above may omit College Algebra and enroll directly in MATH 2223 Quantitative Business Analysis.