Business Administration

College of Professional Studies and Social Sciences
BS Business Administration

Business Administration Major with a Sequence 

Students who major in Business Administration choose to focus on a specific area of business. The Business Administration Major with a sequence allows students to focus on areas such as management, accounting, marketing, management information systems, financial services and supply chain management. The major requires all students to take 12 business core courses, a selection of 15 additional credits in a business sequence, and 18 credits in free electives. Majors must complete the 48-credit college core as required of all Misericordia University students.

The Business Administration Major with a sequence permits students to freely fashion their study to meet their professional and personal needs. The curriculum contains sufficient flexibility to meet most needs and expectations of the students, both those who intend to go on to graduate school and those who see immediate entrance into the profession. Students in the major need to work very closely with their advisor in the selection of courses.

The major permits students to take an aggressively quantitative or qualitative track or an equal balance between the "management by numbers" position and the "management through people" concept. Students are given instruction in business writing and presentation skills.  

Success Rate 

ACADEMIC QUALITY AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Misericordia University adheres to the high academic standards required of IACBE accredited business programs. Accompanying the standards are programs to measure student outcomes and assess program input quality. The assessment activity is a continuous process and is stated in a comprehensive business department plan for outcomes assessment available for inspection at "Outcomes Assessment Plan for Business Department at Misericordia University." (MS Word .doc - 351 KB)

Most recent data suggests that the business department is performing well in developing among its students high academic performance, recognition of the need for continuing professional development and imbuing on all, strong employability characteristics:

• In May 2011, 42 undergraduate business students and 13 graduate business students were inducted into the international business honorary society Sigma Beta Delta. 

• Throughout the course of 2010-2011, approximately 75 percent of business students participated in or assumed leadership roles in advanced business internships, sales training, entrepreneurship, service learning, on-campus professional event management and numerous other professional opportunities.

• Surveys of graduating seniors in business continue to indicate that
  • 90 percent rate their experience as good-excellent
  • 94 percent rate the quality of instruction by business faculty as good-excellent
  • 97 percent were satisfied with opportunities to interact with faculty in/out of class

•  Annual surveys of business students six months after graduation continue to show that more than 97 percent have found jobs related to their majors 

The Business Department continues to develop a comprehensive assessment of its business core curriculum. These reviews and recommendations for changes will be brought up for approval in 2012 and will be reflected in the revised university catalog of 2013. Assessment standards also are being revised and implemented accordingly. All business major curricula will be reassessed in light of changed expectations of the business core. These efforts are expected to last through late 2012 and will be reflected in the university catalog for 2013. 

Requirements 

Business Administration majors must achieve a GPA of 2.15 in the major by the beginning of the junior year and a GPA of 2.25 in the major by the beginning of the senior year. Failure to maintain the appropriate GPA will result in suspension from the major until the GPA meets minimum standards. This policy covers all Accounting, Business, Management Information System and required courses in the major. In addition, students must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 for the 48-credit core in order to graduate.