Mar 28, 2024  
2020-2021 Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Business Administration, B.A.


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The Business Administration major includes studies in leadership, organizational change and development, organizational culture, organizational design, communication skills, quality improvement, human resources, values and ethics, understanding financial statements and accounting.

The program is for aspiring and working professionals from a number of fields with opportunities for managers, technical employees, and administrative personnel. Graduates have used their degrees to gain promotions, start their own business, or go on to graduate school in such diverse fields as teaching, health care administration, public administration, human resource management, counseling, consulting, and business administration.

The degree combines strong liberal arts backgroung in crucial skill such as effective communication and critical thinking with core business knowledge and relevant applications to grow leadership and management abilities.

Learning Outcomes

As a graduate, a student will earn an Bachelor of Arts degree with realized proficiency in APU’s Core Competencies:

  1. Effective Communication [EC]:  Demonstrate the ability to get one’s point across in writing, presentations, and organizations in order to share information, teach others, and foster collaboration
  2. Critical Thinking [CT]:  Demonstrate the ability to compute, analyze, make sense of information or data, and reach reasoned conclusions cognizant of possible bias or fallacies
  3. Cultural & Historical Perspective [CH]:  Demonstrate the ability to effectively consider tradition and heritage in relation to decision-making in a world shaped by diverse cultures and abiding histories
  4. Scientific Inquiry [SI]:  Demonstrate the ability to reach verifiable conclusions based on documented observations, findings, and recognized methods in order to know how things work in our world
  5. Ethical Engagement [EE]:  Demonstrate ability to raise needed questions and apply ethical and effective problem-framing and problem-solving to make things better

 

The degree is designed to meet the following Professional Competencies:

  • Manage Organizational Change (MOC): Develop competencies in the core areas of business [CT, SI]
  • Leadership (L): Learn to identify different leadership strategies to motivate employees and effectively manage organizations [EC, CT, CH, SI, EE]
  • Global Strategy (GS): Acquire knowledge on techniques for achieving competitive advantage in the global market environment [CH, EE]
  • Written & Oral Communication (WOC): Develop written and oral communications skills for effective performance in the work place (WOC) [EC, CT, CH]
  • Problem Solving (PS): Develop competencies in the methods of inquiry to solve organizational problems (PS) [EC, CT, EE]
  • Financial Management (FM): Attain an understanding of business financial management including financial statement analysis, financing and investing [CT, SI, EE]
  • Law & Ethics (LE): Understand the law of contracts and legal and ethical issues involved with business management  [CH, EE]
  • Research & Application (R&A): Gain an understanding of the research process and its application  [EC, SI, EE]

Foundational Studies (32-40 credits)


  • EC Written Communication** (WRIT 20100) (4)
  • EC Presentation & Media Literacy (from 10000-20000 level COMM) (3-4)
  • CT Critical Thinking (from 10000-20000 level CRIT) (3-4)
  • CT Computation** (MT 10100, BA 10500, or higher placement) (3-4)
  • CH Intellectual Traditions (various) (4)
  • CH Creative Endeavors (various) (4)
  • CH Intercultural & Spiritual Understandings (various) (3-4)
  • SI Biological/Physical Scientific Inquiry (various) (4)
  • SI Social/Behavioral Scientific Inquiry (various) (3-4) †
  • EE Social Responsibility (LS 10200) (2)
  • EE Personal Responsibility (various) (1-2)

     [†  Foundational Studies requirement satisfied in the Major Studies]
     [**  Minimum grade of ‘C’ (defined as C+, C, C-) must be earned]
    (Unless otherwise noted, check for courses which satisfy Foundational Studies categories under ‘Bachelor-level Degree Requirements- Overview’)

Self-Determined Studies (varies)


  • Students are encouraged to undertake an emphasis, concentration, or minor to develop professional distinctions. 
  • Students can meet the minimum graduation credit requirement (128 credits) by applying transfer credit, credit-by-exam, credit earned through military training, assessment of prior learning (through the Documenting Experiential Learning [DEL] process), or other alternative methods of earning credit.

Minimum Graduation Credit Hour Requirement: 128


NOTE:  A grade of “C” (defined as: C+, C, C-) or better must be earned in all Major Studies requirements including Senior Project. A course must be repeated if a grade lower than “C” (defined as: C+, C, C-) is earned.

Non-Profit Management Emphasis (12 credits)


A non-profit management emphasis is available to students in the Business Administration degree program. This emphasis provides an introduction to the non-profit sector, an understanding of the business functions, and skills necessary for non-profit program management. In addition to completion of the BAM major, student take 4 courses (12 credits).  Required courses:  

 

Non-profit Emphasis Learning Outcomes: Students completing an emphasis in Non-profit, in addition to meeting learning outcomes for the Business Administration Degree will be able to:

  • Understand the unique business, social, and government contexts within which non-profits operate
  • Locate, write, and submit grant proposals to funding agencies
  • Understand how to recruit and manage boards of directors
  • Understand how to recruit and manage volunteers
  • Recognize skills necessary for fundraising
  • Demonstrate knowledge & skills necessary to manage non-profit organizations and foundations 

Health Care Management Emphasis (12 credits)


A Health Care Management (HCM) emphasis is available to students in the Business Administration degree program. This emphasis provides an overview of HCM and an understanding of the business functions necessary for providing services. In addition to completing the requirements for the BA major, students are required to take four of the following HCM courses (12 credits):

Health Care Emphasis Learning Outcomes: Students completing an emphasis in Health Care Management, in addition to meeting learning outcomes for the Business Administration Degree, will be able to:

  • Understand the distinctive characteristics and complexities of the US Health Care Delivery System
  • Understand the industry-specific requirements for information management, licensing and accreditation, physician relations and human resources management
  • Understand the unique aspects of health care fiscal management including reimbursement, accounting and financing 

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