Academic Guidelines
Students are advised to read the Regulations and Requirements section of the catalog for general guidelines regarding academic policies and graduation requirements. Of additional note for business majors are the following:
Transfer of Credit
Students transferring into the Bauer College’s Undergraduate Program who receive elective rather than specific course-designated credit from the University of Houston Transfer Credit Department for courses taken at other schools may submit transfer course equivalency petitions, along with appropriate documentation, via their UH Access student account, clicking on the “Advising” tile, and following the instructions to complete a Transfer Credit Petition e-formto the Office of Undergraduate Business Programs for departmental evaluation.
Degree Progress and Filing a Degree Plan
Students are required to file a degree plan through the Office of Undergraduate Business Programs (UBP) by the end of the term in which they complete 45 hours, or for students who transfer to UH with 45 or more hours, by the end of their first term at UH, unless an exception is approved by UBP. Pre-business students planning to take 3000-level business courses, except for designated courses, must be approved by their academic advisor for a mixed program, and have completed all specific course prerequisites and corequisites. A mixed program is a one or two-term transition in which pre-business students with a GPA of 2.5 or above are approved to take 3000-level business courses or by petition for 4000-level business courses prior to the next registration cycle. Pre-business majors with 45 or more hours on College Academic Notice (below a 2.5 GPA) should consider alternative majors to business and courses appropriate for transitioning to those majors unless approved by their academic advisor for an exception. In accordance with HB 3025, pre-business majors must file a degree plan in business no later than the end of their second regular term after completing 45 hours, or if they transferred to UH with 45 or more hours, not later than their second regular term at UH, or they must change their major to a non-business major for which they qualify.
In order to declare a business major and file a major degree plan (and for business majors to file a business minor), students must:
- be a pre-business major with a 2.5 or above cumulative grade point average at the University of Houston,
- complete ENGL 1301 or core-approved Communication course with a passing grade. Core courses for American History, Government/Political Science, Life and Physical Sciences, Language, Philosophy and Culture, Creative Arts, and the Writing in the Disciplines (met through BUSI 4350 ) requirements may be completed after students file a degree plan (note that the last 30 semester hours for a degree must be completed in residence; see the university policy for permitted exceptions),
- complete all Business Administration and Management Field of Study courses with a grade of “C” or higher in each course, unless as a transfer student, a student has completed the Business Administration and Management Field of Study (BAMFS), to file a degree plan in a specific major in business. BAMFS courses include BUSI 1301 , BCIS 1305 , MATH 1324 , ACCT 2301 , ACCT 2302 , ECON 2301 , ECON 2302 , and BUSI 2305 .
- complete with a passing grade or be enrolled in BUSI 3302 . The Business Writing Evaluation (BWE) is administered as part of BUSI 3302 . Students who do not clear the BWE requirement as part of BUSI 3302 are required to clear it the following regular (fall or spring) semester. Students who do not clear the BWE requirement by the end of the following regular (fall or spring) semester will have a registration hold placed on their record.
Internships for Credit
No more than six semester hours of internship courses may count toward the Bachelor of Business Administration degree plan; only three hours may count in the student’s major if the internship is within the major. The other three semester hours of internship course work may count as elective credit. Business students within the College of Business with a double major may count three semester hours of internship course work toward the second major if the internship is within that major, not to exceed a total of six semester hours of internship courses toward the bachelor of business administration degree plan.
Independent Study Courses
Independent study courses are available to juniors and seniors with the approval of the instructor, the department chair and the Office of Undergraduate Business Programs. To take an independent study course, the student must first obtain a general petition, complete the form, and have it signed by the faculty member who will be supervising the course and the department chair. The petition must include a description of the course and indicate the term and year in which the study will take place, along with the number of credit hours. The signed petition form must be returned to the Office of Undergraduate Business Programs at least five working days prior to the enrollment (registration) or add/drop period of the term in which the course will be taken in order to assign a section number, which is required for enrollment (registration).
No more than six semester hours of independent study courses may count toward the business administration degree plan; only three of these hours may be in the student’s area of concentration. The other three semester hours of independent study course work may count as elective credit. It is the student’s responsibility to seek a faculty member to help design the independent study course and supervise it.
Business Administration and Management Field of Study
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board requires a common set of courses for the B.B.A. as indicated in the chart below. Students with transfer credit for courses that meet the Business Administration and Management Field of Study meet the B. B. A. requirements for the Field of Study. Note that some courses require a grade of C or higher, and some majors may require additional courses in these areas.
Prerequisites and Corequisites
Prerequisites and corequisites as specified under the business course listings are strictly enforced by the Bauer College of Business. Students who have taken prerequisites at other schools should make sure those courses are transferred and evaluated by the Transfer Credit Department, and if necessary, evaluated by petition by Departments, before classes begin.
In addition to specific course prerequisites and corequisites, advisors approval for a mixed program and good academic standing at the University of Houston are required for Pre-business majors to take upper-level business courses. Students who drop a corequisite course are subject to be dropped from the courses that require that course as a corequisite.
Residency Requirements
The last 30 semester hours of a bachelor’s degree must be completed in residence; see the university policy for permitted exceptions. Eighteen semester hours of advanced MIS course work in residence are required for the MIS major. A residency requirement of 15 semester hours of advanced accounting course work is required for the accounting major. In the remaining business majors, 12 semester hours of advanced course work in residence are required.
GPA in Major and Other Special Graduation Requirements
Students must earn a 2.0 minimum cumulative grade point average in courses attempted in the major at the university to graduate. All courses with the same rubric as the major are used in the calculation of that grade point average for the major, with the following exceptions: ACCT 2301 and ACCT 2302 are not used to calculate the grade point average for the accounting major; BCIS 1305 (formerly MIS 3300) is not used to calculate the grade point average for the management information systems (MIS) major; and ENTR 3312 is not used to calculate the grade point average for the entrepreneurship major.
Students filing for a bachelor of business administration degree (B.B.A.) must also meet the following requirements:
- Completion of a confidential post-graduation intentions database (www.UHIREBauer.com).
- Completion of the confidential AACSB/EBI Undergraduate Assessment Study when administered.
- Completion of a business competency assessment.
Business Students with Double Majors or Minors in Business
Business students with a double major in business can count hours taken in the second major or in the minor toward the advanced business electives required for the first major or toward advanced and general elective requirements for the B.B.A. degree.
|