Undergraduate Bulletin > Academic Units > Joseph M. Bryan School of Business & Economics

Joseph M. Bryan School
of Business and Economics

The Bryan School of Business and Economics is organized into four academic departments, each of which offers a program leading to the Bachelor of Science degree. The Department of Economics also offers a liberal-arts-oriented program leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree.

Student Learning Goals

The primary learning goal for the undergraduate program in the Bryan School is to prepare students to perform successfully as business professionals in a global economy. The following learning objectives have been endorsed by the faculty to guide the development, evaluation, and continuous improvement of the undergraduate degree programs, and to assure that our graduates are prepared to meet the challenges of the future. These objectives are common to all B.S. majors and concentrations, and are supplemented by additional learning objectives that are relevant to the specific major or concentration.

• Students will be skilled in critical thinking and decision-making, as supported by the appropriate use of analytical and quantitative techniques.
• Students can recognize and assess the ethical and social dimensions of management activities and evaluate their impact on management decisions.
• Students can communicate clearly and correctly, and can demonstrate collaborative and leadership skills.
• Students understand the core organizational functions and activities and how they interrelate to accomplish an organization’s major goals through effective processes.
• Students can evaluate the role global markets have on management decisions and formulate appropriate strategies to improve performance in the world economy.

Departments

Accounting and Finance

Business Administration

Economics

Information Systems and Operations Management

The School’s Office of Undergraduate Student Services provides academic advising which supplements and complements faculty advising. The Director, with a professional staff, coordinates orientation and registration for the School, and administers admission and retention of majors in the School.

The Office houses the Bryan School location of the University Career Services Center, which is dedicated to working with business majors on career development and placement needs, and internship experiences. Additionally, the Office coordinates the advising and registration for business majors interested in study abroad.

The School supports two research centers and one executive education office. The McDowell Research Center for Global IT Management supports and stimulates the application of information technology in organizations worldwide with an emphasis on the Piedmont Triad region, North Carolina, and the United States, and contributes to the IT-related industry clusters in the Triad region, thereby aiding in the economic development and business environment of the affected firms. The Center for Business and Economic Research conducts sponsored research of regional, national, and international interest. The Office of Executive Education Programs designs and provides the Program for Management Development and a variety of other high value executive and professional development programs and custom services designed to meet the specific needs of clients.

Accreditation

Professional business and accounting programs offered by the Bryan School of Business and Economics are accredited by AACSB International, The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Scope

Programs within the Bryan School of Business and Economics prepare students for careers in business and other managed organizations, teaching, and government, or for graduate study. These programs combine the essentials of a professional education and the breadth of general education.

The essential components of a professional education in business and economics (Bachelor of Science degrees, excluding the B.S. in Economics) include common courses for breadth and opportunities for advanced work for depth in the various business disciplines. The common courses required for Bachelor of Science majors within the Bryan School of Business and Economics include ACC 201 or 218, 202; ECO 201, 202, 250, 300; FIN 315; ISM 110, 280; MGT 301, 309, 312, 330, 491; MKT 320; and SCM 302.

Noncredit courses, workshops, and special lectures and seminars by distinguished persons of national prominence promote continuing education for a diverse public.

Collaboration with North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (located in Greensboro) permits UNCG students to take courses not offered on the home campus—for example, Agricultural Economics or Agribusiness.

Enrollment in Bryan School Courses

Enrollment in Bryan School courses requires a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 on UNCG course work, regardless of the student’s major or minor. This includes all courses offered under the following prefixes: ACC, BUS, ECO, ENT, FIN, ISM, MKT, MGT, and SCM. Courses numbered 300 and above may have additional enrollment restrictions that are outlined in the course description for each course.

Requirements for Majoring or Minoring in Bryan School Programs

Students pursuing a major or minor in the Bryan School of Business and Economics must have a grade point average no less than a 2.0 on UNCG course work. Students in the International Business Studies major must have at least a 2.50 on UNCG course work. Requests to major in one of the Bryan School’s programs can be made in the Office of Undergraduate Student Services, 232 Bryan Building. After being accepted as majors in the Bryan School, students must then work toward admission to a specific program of study.

Criteria for Admission to Programs of Study in the Bryan School of Business and Economics

The following are minimum requirements for programs of study in the Bryan School. Individual programs may have additional requirements.

Pre-Admission Courses

B.S. programs (except Economics B.S.):

ACC 201 or 218, 202; CST 105; ECO 201, 202, 250; ENG 101 or FMS 115 or RCO 101; ISM 110, 280; and MAT 120 or 191

Business Minor program:

ACC 201, 202, or 218, ECO 101 or 201, and ISM 110

Students should plan to complete the pre-admission courses by the end of the sophomore year, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Application for Admission

Students should apply for admission to the School and to a major during the semester in which they are completing pre-admission courses. Those completing the courses during a fall semester should apply by October 1. Those completing the courses during a spring semester or during the summer, should apply by March 1. Applications are available in the Undergraduate Student Services Office, 232 Bryan Building. Departments may require additional steps in the admission to major process.

Admission to a program of study may be denied in cases where additional enrollments would threaten the academic quality of classes or programs.

Criteria for Continuing in the Bryan School of Business and Economics

Students who have been admitted to the Bryan School of Business and Economics must be in good academic standing at UNCG, must maintain at least the GPA required for program admission, and must meet the continuation requirements of their programs of study.

Foreign Language Requirements

Foreign language through the first level of intermediate proficiency (through the 203 level) is required for all B.S. majors, with the exception of the B.S. degree in Economics. The typical sequence of UNCG courses for foreign language is 101, 102, and 203. Students may be exempted from the beginning levels through a placement test. Students studying abroad may fulfill the foreign language requirement by taking any foreign language course in the host-country language, at any level.

Students are reminded that they will be eligible for election to the UNCG chapter of Phi Beta Kappa only if they have completed the equivalent of six semester hours of foreign language study, excluding American Sign Language, at the intermediate (203–204) college level.

International Business Studies majors are required to take additional foreign language courses and should work closely with their advisor in selecting the appropriate sequence.

Non-native speakers of English are exempted from this requirement.

Transfers

Since most of the courses in the major are taken during the junior and senior years, transfer students often complete their programs without extending their total stay beyond the usual four years. As a general guide, courses taught mainly to freshmen and sophomores here will usually, but not always, be accepted in transfer from accredited two-year colleges. Courses numbered 300 and above generally will not be accepted in transfer credit from two-year institutions. In order to allow timely completion of the pre-admission courses, transfer students are encouraged to complete MAT 120 or 191 (Calculus) prior to transferring.

Second Baccalaureate Degrees

Students pursuing a second bachelor’s degree must meet all requirements within the Bryan School. A minimum of 50% of the Bryan School and departmental requirements must be completed at UNCG. The Bryan School cannot, at this time, accommodate persons who seek only to complete a series of courses in one field (such as Accounting or Information Systems).

Suggested Academic Workload Guidelines

The faculty of the Bryan School of Business and Economics recognizes that many Bryan School students hold jobs to support college expenses. The faculty wishes to emphasize that academic excellence and scholastic achievement usually require a significant investment of time in study, research, and out-of-class projects. To provide guidance to students in planning their academic and work schedules, the faculty of the Bryan School have endorsed the following recommendations:

1. In general, students should plan to devote between 2–3 hours outside of class for each hour in class. Thus, students with a 15-hour course load should schedule between 30–45 hours weekly for completing outside-of-class reading, study, and homework assignments.
2. Students who are employed more than 5–10 hours each week should consider reducing their course loads (semester hours), depending upon their study habits, learning abilities, and course work requirements.
3. Students should take into consideration that many business courses require group work and plan accordingly.

Scholarships and Fellowships

Procedures and requirements for applying for undergraduate scholarships are described in Expenses, Payments, Refunds, and Financial Aid.

Honors Programs

The Bryan School supports and encourages students to participate in the Honors Programs administered by the Lloyd International Honors College.

Additional Information

Additional information regarding academic planning, course sequencing, and course requirements can be found at www.uncg.edu/bae.