College of Business

Frederick D. Niswander, Dean, 3119 Bate Building
Len Rhodes, Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs, 3203 Bate Building

Mission

The College of Business provides an environment where students, faculty, and business professionals can pursue the acquisition of applied and theoretical knowledge relevant to the operation of profit and nonprofit organizations. The college, which consists of five departments, offers the BSBA degree with ten concentrations, the five-year BSA/MSA and a stand-alone MSA program in professional accounting, and the MBA degree. The college also offers a tax option in the professional accounting program as well as health care, management information systems, and other options in the MBA program. We expect our graduates to be prepared to be managers and analysts in large and small organizations which operate on both a profit and nonprofit basis. In addition, the faculty is engaged in the expansion of knowledge through research. The college supports the business practitioner through the Division of Professional Programs, Bureau of Business Research, Small Business Institute, and applied research projects in both graduate and undergraduate classes. The college supports primary and secondary education in the state through its Center for Economic Education.

Accreditation

The undergraduate and master’s business programs are accredited by AACSB International. Since the primary objective of accreditation and the College of Business is to foster high quality in education for business administration and management, most of the school’s resources are dedicated to its degree programs. Consequently, non-business majors will not be permitted to enroll in more than 15 s.h. of graduate course credit offered by the College of Business.

Master's Programs in Business

The master of business administration (MBA) degree program offers professional training to qualified applicants who aspire to careers as efficient and responsible managers. The program is structured for students with baccalaureate degrees in non-business as well as business fields and emphasizes the development of basic analytical skills in problem solving and decision making.

The master of science in accounting (MSA) degree program includes advanced study in business administration and provides for greater depth and breadth in professional courses in accounting than is possible in current undergraduate degree programs or master’s in business administration programs. A business core, accounting core, and graduate accounting electives comprise the graduate program, which requires 30 s.h. of graduate work beyond the baccalaureate in accounting. Students entering the program must satisfy the common body of knowledge and the concentration in accounting as required for the baccalaureate degree.

Admission: The MBA and MSA degree programs are open to students with baccalaureate degrees from institutions accredited by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) - recognized institutional accrediting agency who present evidence of their ability to pursue graduate study. The decision is based on a combination of factors including a total of at least 950 points for the MBA or 1000 points for the MSA based on the formula: 200 times the cumulative GPA (4.0 system) plus the GMAT score; or at least 1000 points for the MBA or 1050 for the MSA based on the formula: 200 times upper division GPA (4.0 system) plus the GMAT score.

There is an additional application for the international management and security studies options.

A maximum of 12 s.h. of the breadth requirements of the MBA or of the accounting electives in the MSA program may be transferred from another AACSB accredited MBA or MSA program or an equivalent international graduate business program with the approval of the assistant dean for graduate programs and the dean of the Graduate School.

MBA

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The MBA degree program has two major components, business core, and breadth, requiring 60 s.h. The courses required to fulfill the business core requirement are ACCT 6241; ENGL 5780; FINA 6144, 6204, 6214; MGMT 6102; MIS 6143; MKTG 6162; OMGT 6123, 6213. Some or all of the business core courses may be waived if equivalent recent work of sufficient depth has been completed at a high performance level which may reduce the program to 30-57 s.h. The breadth requirement is satisfied by completing the following courses: ACCT 6521; FINA 6604; MGMT 6722, 6802; MKTG 6822; OMGT 6613, 6683; and sufficient electives, approved by the assistant dean for graduate programs, to complete the 30-60 s.h. requirement. Electives are divided into analytical and behavioral subgroups and each student is usually required to take at least one elective from each subgroup, although a student judged weak in one of the subgroups may be required to take all three electives from that subgroup. The analytical subgroup includes all accounting, finance, management information systems, and operations electives, and MKTG 6642. The behavioral subgroup includes all management electives and MKTG 6652, 6832, 6842. At least 30 s.h. must be in business courses numbered 6300 or above. Upon approval by the Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs, certain 5000-level courses may be substituted for business electives, reducing the total required business courses numbered 6300 or above to 21. Students may choose to use their electives to complete one of the certificate programs described below.

MD/MBA

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The Brody School of Medicine and the College of Business cooperatively offer a joint doctor of medicine (MD) and master of business administration (MBA) dual degree program. Students in the Brody School of Medicine may use the school’s cooperative educational experience option to enroll in the MBA program in the College of Business, usually between the second and third years of medical school. The MD/MBA dual degree program is also open to medical students who are accepted for, or enrolled in, other accredited medical schools, physicians who are currently in medical residence training programs, and practicing physicians. There is a separate application for the MBA in the MD/MBA dual degree program. The GMAT is waived for applicants with MD degrees or students from accredited medical schools.

Medical students and residents who must complete the MBA program in one year must enter in the second session of summer school and complete 42 s.h. of courses in the first session of summer school twelve months later. Practicing physicians and residents who attend part time may enter in any term. The required courses are ACCT 6241, 6521; FINA 6144, 6204, 6604; MGMT 6102, 6722, 6802; MIS 6143; MKTG 6162, 6822; OMGT 6123 or 6683; 6213, 6613.

MSA

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Applications for direct admission into the MSA program are invited from students with undergraduate degrees in accounting, business, and areas other than business. The MSA degree program has three major components, business core, accounting evaluation, and required accounting courses, requiring 60 s.h (possibly less). The courses required to fulfill the business core requirement are ENGL 5780, FINA 6144, 6204, 6214, MGMT 6102, 6722, MIS 6143, MKTG 6162, OMGT 6123, 6213. Some or all of the business core courses may be waived if equivalent recent work of sufficient depth has been completed at a high performance level which may reduce the program to 30-57 s.h. The courses required to fulfill the accounting evaluation requirement are ACCT 6241, 3551, 3561, 3621, 3731, 3851, 4641. Accounting evaluation classes must be completed either at the undergraduate or graduate level. For undergraduate accounting majors, the required accounting courses are satisfied by completing the following courses: ACCT 6611, 6701, 6801, 6891, 6901, 6951, 6981, FINA 6604, MGMT 6832, and one accounting elective numbered 6300 or greater. For undergraduate non-accounting majors, the required accounting courses are satisfied by completing the following courses: ACCT 6611, 6701, 6891, 6901, 6951, 6981. Waived courses must be replaced with one or more of the following courses: ACCT 6801 or 6911, FINA 6604, MGMT 6832 or MIS 6143 as appropriate. Required courses and other program requirements for each applicant must be individually determined by the assistant dean for graduate programs.

BSA/MSA (Five-Year, Combined Degree Program in Accounting)

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ECU undergraduate accounting majors may submit application in their junior or senior year to the BSA/MSA five-year combined degree program in accounting. All graduate school admission criteria must be satisfied.

Minimum degree requirement for the five-year combined program is 150 s.h. of credit as follows:

1. Foundations curriculum requirements (See Section 4 of undergraduate catalog), including ECON 2113, 2133; MATH 1066; PHIL 2275; PSYC 1000; SPCH 2520; SOCI 2110 - 42 s.h.
2. Cognates: ENGL 2730 or 3870; 3880; MATH 2283 - 9 s.h.
3. Business core: ACCT 2401, 2521, 6701; FINA 2244, 3724, 6604; MGMT 3202, 4842, 6832; MIS 2223, 3063; MKTG 3832; OMGT 3123, 3223, 4293; one of the following: ACCT 4451; FINA 4454; MGMT 3352; MKTG 3852, 4992 - 48 s.h.
4. Area of concentration: ACCT 3551, 3561, 3621, 3731, 4641, 4651, 6611, 6801, 6891, 6901, 6951, 6981; 6811 or 6911 or any other accounting course above 6600 - 39 s.h.
5. Electives - 12 s.h.
   Electives must be undergraduate and a maximum of 9 s.h. may be in business courses not listed above.

A minimum grade of C and a 2.8 GPA in accounting courses is required to satisfy any upper-level undergraduate accounting prerequisites.

The Department of Accounting will not accept for credit upper-level courses (those numbered 3000 or above at ECU) taken at a junior college or community college. The departmental chairperson will determine on an individual basis the extent to which upper-level courses taken at senior colleges may be used to meet degree requirements at East Carolina University. All other East Carolina University Graduate School and College of Business requirements must be followed. Students not completing the entire curriculum will be required to meet the BSBA requirements in order to receive a bachelor’s degree. The BSA degree may not be awarded separately from the MSA.

Certificate Programs

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The certificate programs are open to students enrolled in the MBA and MSA programs, applicants with graduate business degrees from AACSB accredited schools of business, and applicants with graduate business degrees from schools of business without AACSB accreditation with the approval of the assistant dean for graduate programs. Requirements for the various certificates require from 9-15 s.h. as follows:

Development and environmental planning (12 s.h.): PLAN 6301, 6305; choose two from: PLAN 6000, 6009, 6010, 6019, 6020, 6029.

Electronic commerce (12 s.h.): MIS 6863, 6883; MKTG 6662, 6762.

Finance (12 s.h.): Choose four from the following: FINA 6624, 6654, 6814, 6824, 6854, 6874, 6876.

Health care management (12 s.h.): COHE 6000, 6600, 6610, 6620.

Hospitality management (12 s.h.): HMGT 6310, 6400, 6410, 6420.

International management (12 s.h.): INTL 6005, 6105, 6500; choose one from: FINA 6876; MGMT 6322; MKTG 6992; complete the foreign language requirement for the master of arts in international studies; and have a minimum of a semester-long international field experience in the area in which the selected foreign language is used, as approved by the assistant dean for graduate programs.

Management information systems (12 s.h.): MIS 6843, 6863, 6873, 6883.

Professional investment management and operations (12 s.h.): FINA 6624, 6824, 6904, 6914.

School business management (12 s.h.): LEED 6804, 6807, 7408, 7470.

Security Studies (15 s.h.): Through the Division of Academic Affairs, the university offers the interdisciplinary graduate certificate in security studies. See Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Political Science, for certificate requirements.

Sport Management (12 s.h.): EXSS 6106, 6132; choose two from: EXSS 6001, 6102, 6131, 6133, RCLS 6005.

Supply Chain Management (12 s.h.): OMGT 6383, 6743, 6763; choose one from: MKTG 6762, OMGT 6493.

Tax (9 s.h.): ACCT 6911, 6921, 6931.