Florida State University 2008-2009 General Bulletin Undergraduate Edition

College of Business

Dean: Caryn Beck-Dudley; Associate Deans: Joe D. Icerman, Bruce T. Lamont

Mission

It is the mission of the College of Business to provide high quality, innovative instruction that prepares, challenges, and inspires students to shape the future of business; to be an international thought leader by producing high quality scholarly research and publishing in top tier journals; to establish and foster relationships with our alumni, the business community, and our other stakeholders; and to help the University fulfill its mission and achieve its vision.

General Information

The College of Business is one of a select group of business programs in the country fully accredited by AACSB-International. This accreditation includes all undergraduate and graduate programs in business and separate accreditation of the programs in accounting.

Since its founding in 1950, the College of Business has provided quality business education to over 40,000 alumni who have gone on to positions in regional and national organizations. The college, through its faculty, curricula, and programs, is committed to educating and developing its students for careers as future business executives and leaders.

Over the years the College of Business has been successful in building a very capable and motivated business faculty. Faculty members throughout the several business disciplines are very productive researchers and effective teachers. These faculty members also maintain important contacts with the business community through various types of service and applied research activities.

As a result of its capable and dedicated faculty, the College of Business has been able to attract highly qualified students. Business students have strong analytical and communicative aptitudes and have a spirit of enterprise and creativity. The interaction of these students with highly qualified business faculty, coupled with well-designed business program options, creates a stimulating learning environment.

The achievements of the College of Business have been recognized by the business community in the form of development funds for scholarships, endowed chairs, professorships, teaching and research grants, and other program activities.

Programs Offered

The college offers curricula leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Science (BS), Bachelor of Arts (BA), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Accounting (MAcc), Master of Science in Management (MSM), Master of Science in Management Information Systems (MSMIS), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in business administration. The College of Law and the College of Business offer a joint-degree program leading to the Juris Doctor (JD) and the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees.

At the undergraduate level, students may major in accounting, entrepreneurship and small business management, finance, hospitality management, human resource management, management, management information systems, marketing, multinational business operations, professional golf management, real estate, or risk management and insurance. Students may also pursue a double major by satisfying the requirements of each curriculum.

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is a twelve-month program designed for students who have an undergraduate business degree (or who have completed a specific set of prerequisite business courses). The program is offered on a full-time and part-time basis. The full-time program begins once each year in the Summer term. The part-time program begins once each year in the Spring term. Students are encouraged to have at least two years of work experience prior to entering the MBA program. The part-time MBA program is also offered online for students outside the Tallahassee area. The online MBA program begins each fall.

The Master of Accounting (MAcc) program is designed to allow the student to concentrate in either assurance services, accounting information systems, corporate accounting, or tax accounting. This program provides students with greater breadth and depth in accounting education than can be accomplished in the baccalaureate program.

The Master of Science in Management program (MSM) with a major in risk management/insurance is taught online. It is designed for professionals who wish to study part-time to advance and enhance their careers in the risk management/insurance industry.

The Master of Science in Management Information Systems (MSMIS) program prepares students for careers in information systems analysis and design. The program is designed for students with a background in business who are looking to enhance their information systems development skills and/or change careers to management information systems. The program is taught online.

The objective of the doctoral program in business is to prepare students for careers in university teaching and research, as well as for selected administrative and research positions in industry and government. Students receive the doctor of philosophy in business administration and concentrate in one of the following: accounting, finance, management information systems, organizational behavior and theory, strategic management, marketing, or risk management and insurance.

Institutes and Centers

The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship provides services to small businesses throughout Florida and provides students with opportunities to consult with and learn from successful entrepreneurs. The Marketing Institute conducts a wide range of marketing research and offers developmental support services to professionals in the public transportation, tourism, and sports. The Carl DeSantis Center for Executive Management Education sponsors numerous outreach programs that strengthen the relationship between College of Business faculty and the business community. The Center for Real Estate Education and Research fosters interaction among students, faculty, and the real-estate community through forums in which executives and world-class scholars exchange ideas and share their insights with students. The Center for Human Resource Management facilitates networking among HR professionals and FSU faculty and students, aiming to establish and transfer best practices that support the advancement of human-resource management. The Florida Catastrophic Storm Risk Management Center is funded by the State of Florida to support the state's ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from catastrophic storms. The Gene Taylor/Bank of America Center for Banking and Financial Studies encourages excellence in education through research and service activities related to banking and finance.

Facilities

The Charles A. Rovetta Business Building is ideally located near the center of campus adjacent to Strozier Library and the Oglesby Union. It contains modern classrooms, faculty and staff offices, and numerous support facilities. The College of Business Technology Center houses state-of-the-art computer laboratories and training rooms. It provides students access to the latest technology used in business. The Business Placement Center assists students in their employment search with services ranging from resume preparation to on-campus interviews with potential employers. The College of Business Undergraduate Programs Office and Advising Center provides students a wide variety of advising services.

The Dedman School of Hospitality is located in the University Center Building B, which provides for the specialized academic/training objectives established by the school. In addition to classrooms, this state-of-the-art facility provides hospitality students with teaching kitchens, a satellite technology center, a publication resource center, and a placement center. The building also contains an affiliated professionally managed city club that provides hospitality students with real-world food and beverage experience in elegant surroundings.

Opportunities

The College of Business programs are designed to provide high-quality business education to its students. This goal is accomplished through the following instructional objectives:

  1. The curriculum instills in students a sense of ethical values and an appreciation of their responsibility for contributing to the continuing advancement of our culture and for dealing with emerging societal problems;
  2. The curriculum provides a thorough understanding of the methods of analysis used in identifying and solving the more difficult intellectual problems met by professionals and/or managers who are involved in policy-making;
  3. The curriculum develops within students a spirit of enterprise based on imaginative and creative ability so that they will be willing to venture into new business and organizational activities and to initiate new concepts of management; and
  4. The curriculum increases students' abilities to communicate ideas clearly and to appraise critically both written and spoken discourse and offers opportunities for in-depth study in the areas of the behavioral, quantitative, and information sciences.

Using these objectives as its guide, the College of Business has created an active, stimulating learning environment for both students and faculty. As part of this environment, students participate in independent study, research, laboratory experimentation, field experience, discourse, and scholarly writing.

Scholarships/Awards

Faculty

The College of Business possesses several eminent scholar chairs and numerous professorships. These prestigious faculty positions are occupied by outstanding scholars in various disciplines of business. These faculty not only conduct research, but teach at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Student Awards and Honors

A number of organizations are available to students in the College of Business. These organizations include service clubs as well as honor societies. The most prestigious honor society in business is Beta Gamma Sigma. This national honor society for business students was founded in 1913. The Florida State University chapter was established in 1962. Election to membership is the highest honor one can achieve in academics in the business area. Membership is available to both undergraduate and graduate students and is based upon outstanding academic achievement.

Scholarships

The College of Business offers several types of scholarships and financial aid for both undergraduate and graduate students. At the undergraduate level, the funding sources for the scholarships include the College of Business, specific individuals and firms, and various state and national industry associations. The amount and selection criteria of each award vary according to the program the award supports and the funding source. In addition to scholarships, the College of Business and the University provide numerous opportunities for part-time work as student assistants.

At the graduate level, the College of Business provides a number of fellowships to master's and doctoral students. Graduate research and teaching assistantships are also provided to doctoral students and master's students.

Requirements

All of the undergraduate programs in the College of Business are designated as limited access programs. To pursue any major in the College of Business, students must meet the admission requirements for these limited access programs. All majors in the College of Business have the admission requirements listed below.

Students should complete the prerequisite courses required for admission during their first three to four semesters of college work. Students attending Florida community colleges should complete the prerequisite courses required for admission while fulfilling general education requirements leading to the Associate in Arts (AA) degree. Electives taken in the first two years, after fulfilling general education requirements and the prerequisite courses for business, should be in areas such as English, communication, social sciences, humanities, and analytical reasoning.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the limited access programs in the College of Business is based on availability of faculty and space by discipline. For each admission cycle (academic year), a minimum grade point average (GPA) is established by the College of Business that limits enrollment to a number of students consistent with the available faculty and space.

In order to be eligible for admission to one of the limited access programs in the College of Business, the student must complete the following requirements:

  1. Must have completed at least fifty-two (52) acceptable semester hours;
  2. Must have compiled the required GPA (based on all attempted course work at the college level) that is in effect for the term in which application is made. The required GPA may change each year; information regarding the current required GPA is available at http://www.cob.fsu.edu; and
  3. Must have completed all the State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites for Business Programs listed below except for ACG X071. All business students, except accounting majors, must complete ACG X071 prior to graduation, but not necessarily prior to admission to one of the limited access programs. Accounting majors at Florida State University are not required to complete ACG X071 and may only take MAC X233.

State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites

  1. ACG X021 or ACG X001 and ACG X011;
  2. ACG X071 (not required of students majoring in accounting at Florida State University);
  3. CGS X100*/or CGS X100C*;
  4. ECO X013;
  5. ECO X023;
  6. MAC X233 or MAC X230;
  7. STA X023 or STA X122 or QMB X100.

Note: Courses marked with an asterisk (*) have at least one acceptable substitute. Please visit http://facts23.facts.org/cpp/transition/alpha_index_2008.htm for a current list of approved substitutes.

Course Requirements

All undergraduate business students must complete: 1) the University-wide baccalaureate degree requirements summarized in the "Undergraduate Degree Requirements" chapter of this General Bulletin; 2) the State of Florida common prerequisites for business; 3) the general business core requirements; 4) the general business breadth requirements; and 5) the major area requirements for their chosen major.

General Business Core Requirements

All business students (except accounting majors, see note below) must complete the following five courses. A grade of "C–" or better must be earned in each course.

Note: *BUL 3310 is not required of accounting majors; accounting majors must complete BUL 3330 with a grade of "C–" or better as part of their major area requirements.

General Business Breadth Requirements

All business students must complete five (5) of the following courses. The specific courses that must be completed to meet general business breadth requirements vary by major. Please refer to the appropriate departmental chapters of this General Bulletin to aid in selecting specific courses to meet these requirements for each major. Each course selected must be completed with a grade of "C–" or better. No course may be used to satisfy part of the general business breadth requirements and part of the major area requirements.

Major Area Requirements

Students must meet the major area requirements for their chosen major. These requirements are described in the appropriate departmental chapter of this General Bulletin. Students may major in:

Academic Policies

  1. Students are required to meet College of Business graduation requirements specified in the University General Bulletin in effect at the time they are admitted to one of the limited access programs in the College of Business, or subsequent General Bulletins including the General Bulletin in effect at the time they graduate, provided they graduate within a period of six years from the date of first entry.
  2. Changes to this General Bulletin that have been formally approved prior to Fall 2008, but not in sufficient time to meet publication deadlines, will be effective Fall 2008. Students can receive information on these changes in the undergraduate programs office of the College of Business.
  3. All students must complete an official pregraduation check in the undergraduate programs office of the College of Business during the first three weeks of the semester prior to the semester in which they plan to graduate.
  4. All students must apply for graduation at the Office of the University Registrar during the first two weeks of the semester in which they plan to graduate.
  5. A minimum of thirty (30) semester hours of the general business and major area requirements must be taken at Florida State University.
  6. Transfer of upper-level business courses must be from business colleges at other senior institutions, must carry prerequisites similar to those of the courses they are replacing, and must be approved by the Dean of the College of Business. In evaluating this transfer credit, emphasis will be given to courses taken at other AACSB-International accredited business programs.
  7. Students are not allowed duplicate credit hours for courses repeated in which they have made a "D" or better.
  8. The only College of Business courses that may be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) basis are those courses restricted to S/U grades only.

Requirements for a Minor in Business

Students who are majoring in areas outside the College of Business and are interested in completing a minor in general business should contact the College of Business Undergraduate Programs Office for additional information. This information is also available at http://www.cob.fsu.edu. Course availability for students interested in a minor in general business is limited.

Return to top of page.