Undergraduate Business Administration Program
Milton L. Cofield, Ph.D., Executive DirectorTepper School, Room 141
miltonc@andrew.cmu.edu
The Tepper School program in undergraduate business education is intended for students interested in an undergraduate management educational experience that is broad and based upon the liberal arts, quantitative studies and analytical reasoning as its foundation. Such a program is both intellectually strong and flexible enough to accommodate the interests of students with diverse goals, ranging from beginning a career to graduate study.
The curriculum is designed around a central core of courses in the liberal arts, the functional areas of business, economics, mathematics and computing course requirements. To this is added a requirement for in-depth study in one of the core functional business areas such as finance, information systems, marketing, entrepreneurship or manufacturing management. Finally, the curriculum requires all students to have a minor in the curricula of another college in order to obtain the additional breadth and flexibility that promotes confidence in one's knowledge and its benefits for a lifetime. We believe this curriculum structure is that needed for those who will be leaders in the increasingly global business and political environment in which organizations of the future will pursue their goals.
Our curriculum prepares students to begin their professional careers in all areas of management and they do so in some of the world's leading service, manufacturing, and governmental organizations. Many go on to graduate study in law, economics, finance and policy studies at the leading universities in the world.
In addition to the major in business administration, we offer the opportunity for a minor or second major to students in other programs of the university. If you are seriously interested in management education in an environment that offers the best undergraduate experience, please contact the undergraduate business advisor in the Tepper School of Business.
Business Administration Major Requirements
To receive a degree in business administration, students must complete at least 364 units, consisting of three basic core sequences, as well as breadth, track and minor requirements.
These requirements break down as follows:
111 UnitsFunctional Business Core
| 70-100 | Global Business | 9 |
| 70-122 | Introduction to Accounting | 9 |
| 70-201 | Professional and Service Projects | 9 |
| 70-311 | Organizational Behavior | 9 |
| 70-332 | Business, Society and Ethics | 9 |
| 70-340 | Business Communications | 9 |
| 70-345 | Business Presentations | 9 |
| 70-371 | Production/Operations Management | 9 |
| 70-381 | Marketing I | 9 |
| 70-391 | Finance | 9 |
| 70-401 | Management Game | 12 |
| 70-451 | Management Information Systems | 9 |
27 unitsEconomics Core
| 73-100 | Principles of Economics | 9 |
| 73-150 | Intermediate Microeconomics | 9 |
| 73-200 | Intermediate Macroeconomics | 9 |
59 unitsMathematics/Computing Core Units
| 15-110 | Principles of Computing | 10 |
| 21-120 | Differential and Integral Calculus | 10 |
| 21-256 | Multivariate Analysis (1) | 9 |
| 21-257 | Models and Methods for Optimization (2) | 9 |
| 70-207 | Probability and Statistics for Business Applications | 9 |
| 70-208 | Regression Analysis | 9 |
| 99-101 /102 Computing @ Carnegie Mellon | 3 | |
1 or 21-259 Calculus in Three Dimensions
2 or 21-292 Operations Research I
63 UnitsBreadth Requirements
For a list of courses in each category, please see the Undergraduate Business Administration website: www.tepper.cmu.edu.
Required:
| 76-101 | Interpretation and Argument | 9 |
| 79-104 | Global Histories | 9 |
Science & Technology
Cognition, Choice & Behavior
Political & Social Institutions
Creative Production & Reflection
Cultural Analysis
A TOTAL OF SEVEN BREADTH COURSES IS REQUIRED.
54 UnitsTrack Requirements
A track consists of a menu of courses (both required and elective) that the student must complete in order to obtain in-depth knowledge of a particular functional area of management expertise.
Tracks:
- Computing and Information Technology
- Entrepreneurship
- Finance
- General Management
- Graphic Media Management
- International Management
- Manufacturing Management and Consulting
- Marketing
54 UnitsMinor Requirement
All business students are required to complete a minor in another department. Students may select any minor offered at Carnegie Mellon to fulfill this requirement. Minors that blend well with the business curriculum include: psychology, statistics, economics, communication design, and political science. Students should consult the catalog regarding the specific requirements of any minor and should meet with their advisor to discuss their choice.
Suggested Course Plan
What follows is a suggested course plan for business administration students. Be careful to observe any pre- and co-requisite requirements for each course.
First Year
| Fall | Units | |
| 21-120 | Differential and Integral Calculus | 10 |
| 70-100 | Global Business | 9 |
| 73-100 | Principles of Economics | 9 |
| 76-101 | Interpretation and Argument | 9 |
| xx-xxx | Breadth course | 9 |
| 99-101 /102 Computing @ Carnegie Mellon | 3 | |
| 49 | ||
| Spring | Units | |
| 21-256 | Multivariate Analysis | 9 |
| 73-150 | Intermediate Microeconomics | 9 |
| 15-110 | Principles of Computing | 10 |
| 79-104 | Global Histories | 9 |
| xx-xxx | Breadth course | 9 |
| 46 | ||
Sophomore Year
| Fall | Units | |
| 21-257 | Models and Methods for Optimization (3)(6) | 9 |
| 70-122 | Introduction to Accounting | 9 |
| 70-207 | Probability and Statistics for Business Applications | 9 |
| 73-200 | Intermediate Macroeconomics | 9 |
| xx-xxx | Breadth course | 9 |
| 45 | ||
| Spring | Units | |
| 70-208 | Regression Analysis | 9 |
| 70-311 | Organizational Behavior | 9 |
| 70-340 | Business Communications | 9 |
| xx-xxx | Minor Course | 9 |
| xx-xxx | Breadth course | 9 |
| 45 | ||
3 or 21-292 Operations Research I, offered in spring semesters only
Junior Year
| Fall | Units | |
| 70-371 | Production/Operations Management | 9 |
| 70-381 | Marketing I | 9 |
| 70-391 | Finance | 9 |
| 70-451 | Management Information Systems | 9 |
| xx-xxx | Breadth Course | 9 |
| 45 | ||
| Spring | Units | |
| 70-332 | Business, Society and Ethics | 9 |
| 70-345 | Business Presentations | 9 |
| 70-451 | Management Information Systems | 9 |
| 70-xxx | Track Course | 9 |
| 70-xxx | Track Course | 9 |
| 45 | ||
Senior Year
| Fall | Units | |
| 70-xxx | Track Course | 9 |
| 70-xxx | Track Course | 9 |
| xx-xxx | Minor Course | 9 |
| xx-xxx | Minor Course | 9 |
| 70-201 | Professional and Service Projects | 9 |
| 45 | ||
| Spring | Units | |
| 70-401 | Management Game | 12 |
| 70-xxx | Track Course | 9 |
| 70-xxx | Track Course | 9 |
| xx-xxx | Minor Course | 9 |
| xx-xxx | Minor Course | 9 |
| 48 | ||
364Total units required:
Bachelor of Science in Computational Finance
The Bachelor of Science in Computational Finance is an Intercollege Program. Students who pursue Computational Finance as their primary major may elect to have either the Mellon College of Science (MCS) or the Tepper School of Business (Tepper) as their home college. The coursework required for the major is the same in either case, with the exception of the breadth component requirement and those of the functional business core.
Tepper School Students must complete the breadth requirements of the business administration program. Additionally, they must complete the Functional Business Core. The complete sequence of courses for this major may be found in the Inter-college Programs section of the catalog.
Students who are thinking of the BSCF major should meet with an academic advisor in the Tepper School as soon as their interest is firm in order to make sure they are completing the correct sequence of courses.
Additional Major Requirements
Students may apply to be admitted to the study of an additional major in business administration in their junior year. Applications will be accepted two weeks prior to Spring & Fall Registration week.
The decision to accept a student into the additional major will be based upon a variety of factors including:
- An overall GPA of 3.25 or greater;
- Having completed or being currently enrolled in all of the mathematics & statistics, economics, and computing requirements of the business administration degree prior to submitting an application for admission to the additional major;
- The extent of completion of the business administration functional core course requirements;
- The availability of admission enrollment spaces in the graduating class year for which the student is applying.
Acceptance in the additional major is subject to the University policy which states that the ability to satisfy the requirements for an additional major cannot be guaranteed for any student and will be based upon course availability and the time the student is willing to invest to satisfy all of the requirements of the additional major. In some cases this might require more than 8 semesters of undergraduate study.
The student seeking an additional major in business administration is required to complete all of the requirements listed below without substitution:
Course Requirements
Mathematics and Statistics
| Units | ||
| 21-120 | Differential and Integral Calculus | 10 |
| or | 21-111 Calculus I (10 units) and | |
| 21-112 Calculus II (10 units) | ||
| 21-256 | Multivariate Analysis | 9 |
| or | 21-259 Calculus in Three Dimensions (9 units) | |
| 21-257 | Models and Methods for Optimization | 9 |
| or | 21-292 Operations Research I (9 units) | |
| 70-207 | Probability and Statistics for Business Applications | 9 |
| or | 36-201 Statistical Reasoning and Practice (9 units) | |
| 70-208 | Regression Analysis | 9 |
| or | 36-202 Statistical Methods (9 units) | |
| 46 | ||
Computing
| 99-101 /102 Computing @ Carnegie Mellon | 3 | |
| 15-110 | Principles of Computing | 10 |
Economics
| 73-100 | Principles of Economics | 9 |
| 73-150 | Intermediate Microeconomics | 9 |
| 73-200 | Intermediate Macroeconomics | 9 |
Business
| Units | ||
| 70-122 | Introduction to Accounting | 9 |
| 70-311 | Organizational Behavior | 9 |
| 70-332 | Business, Society and Ethics | 9 |
| 70-345 | Business Presentations | 9 |
| 70-371 | Production/Operations Management | 9 |
| 70-381 | Marketing I | 9 |
| 70-391 | Finance | 9 |
| 70-451 | Management Information Systems (4) | 9 |
| 70-401 | Management Game (5) | 12 |
| 70-3xx | /4xx Electives (2) | |
| 84 | ||
4 Students in IS and CS must select a 70-4xx course from the Computing and Information Technology Track.
5 Students seeking an additional major in business administration may not substitute 70-440 for 70-401 .
Minor in Business Administration
The minor in business administration requires a total of 6 courses or 54 units of which two courses must be 70-381 Marketing I and 73-100 Principles of Economics . The remaining 4 courses can be chosen from any offered in the department. Some of the most common choices that have been made are from the following list:
(A Total of 54 units or 6 courses):
| Units | ||
| 73-100 | Principles of Economics (required) | 9 |
| 70-122 | Introduction to Accounting | 9 |
| 70-311 | Organizational Behavior | 9 |
| 70-371 | Production/Operations Management | 9 |
| 70-381 | Marketing I (required) | 9 |
| 70-391 | Finance | 9 |
| 70-342 | Managing Across Cultures | 9 |
| 70-430 | International Management | 9 |
| 70-451 | Management Information Systems (6) | 9 |
| 70-480 | International Marketing | 9 |
| 70-481 | Marketing Research | 9 |
| 70-483 | Advertising and Marketing Communications | 9 |
| 108 | ||
6 Students in Information Systems and Computer Science cannot take 70-451 ; they may select another 70-4xx course from the Computing and Information Technology (CIT) track.
Some courses have prerequisites that might include specific mathematics or other BA courses. These may be found in the course descriptions and should be discussed with an advisor.
Students may declare the minor at any point after their freshman year by completing the minor declaration form. The form is available online at the Undergraduate Business Administration Website.
Minor in Business Administration (CIT Students Only)
Only students in the Carnegie Institute of Technology are permitted to meet the business adminisration minor requirements by completing the following selection of courses:
Required:
| 70-371 | Production/Operations Management | 9 |
| 70-471 | Logistics and Supply Chain Management | 9 |
| 21-257 | Models and Methods for Optimization | 9 |
| 21-292 | Operations Research I | 9 |
| 70-460 | Mathematical Models for Consulting | 9 |
| 70-474 | Quality Principles and Techniques | 9 |
Business Administration Policies
Transfer Students
The undergraduate business administration program does not accept students for transfer admission from any academic institution outside of Carnegie Mellon University.
Current Carnegie Mellon University students who are in other colleges may seek to transfer into the undergraduate business administration program on a limited basis. Freshman students will not be considered for transfer until the spring term mid-semester grades for their first year of study have been posted.
All other students may apply for transfer by completing the Transfer Application that is found online in the undergraduate business program pages of the Tepper School website. Students may apply for transfer two times in each academic year at the mid-semester of the Fall and Spring terms. Successful transfer is limited by both space and academic performance criteria. Students may be denied transfer if their academic performance prior to seeking transfer indicates that they will be unable to complete degree requirements in a timely way or if they have serious academic performance deficiencies.
Transfer of Course Credit
Students may receive credit for a maximum of three courses (27 units) of course work taken at other institutions and only provided they have received prior approval to take these courses for degree credit. Students seeking an additional major may only receive credit for a maximum of two courses (18 units), and those completing a minor may only receive credit for one course (9 units) through transferred credit. No transferred credit will be awarded for any course in which the grade received is less than a B.
Students receiving 36 units or more of AP/IB/Cambridge credit towards their degree requirements will not be eligible to transfer any additional coursework unless it is for an approved study abroad experience. Credit for college courses taken prior to enrolling at Carnegie Mellon will be at the discretion of the department.
No courses taken online will be accepted for transfer credit.
Pass/Fail
Students may use a maximum of 9 units Pass/Fail credit towards their graduation requirement.
Academic Advising
Students are required to meet with an advisor at least once each semester to ensure that they are making normal progress towards their degree. An appointment for advising may be scheduled at any time by sending a request to uba@andrew.cmu.edu.
Dean's List
Students who receive a semester QPA of 3.50 or higher (with at least 45 factorable units and receiving no incompletes) will be placed on the Dean's List for that semester.
The College Honors Program
Students with outstanding records (minimum QPA of 3.75) and with at least 270 units of credit are invited to undertake an honor's thesis project under the direction of a faculty member for 18 units of credit. Students meeting these criteria are highly encouraged to consider the honor's thesis option. For more information about the honor's thesis, please see the course description for 70-500 or contact an advisor.
Graduation Requirements
In order to graduate with the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, students must meet all requirements specified for the program with a cumulative QPA of at least 2.00.
Students must also meet all university residence requirements and all financial obligations to the university before being awarded a degree. It is the student's responsibility to make certain they meet all of the requirements for graduation by consulting with our advising staff on a regular basis.