Central 141A
541-552-6484
www.sou.edu/business
Raj Parikh, PhD, CFA, CMA, CFM, Dean
René Leo E. Ordoñez, Chair

Introduction

SOU’s School of Business is friendly enough to know your name, professional enough to attract quality students and faculty, and flexible enough to keep up with the dynamic demands the business world places on universities and students.

At SOU, we are changing the way we do business. The School of Business has heard the demand from employers for graduates who can write clearly, think critically, and work in groups that are aware of the social issues facing business here and abroad. We have been able to move quickly to meet this demand for several reasons:

1. Our small class sizes facilitate group work and discussion.
2. Our classrooms are well-equipped with complete multimedia capabilities.
3. Our faculty is well-educated, friendly, flexible, and dedicated to providing our students with the best possible education.

Our students don’t sit back and watch the world go by. They bring to school an entrepreneurial attitude, to which we add a structure and a plan. In Orientation to the School of Business (BA 100), students are presented with a framework of the core business courses at the beginning of their business study. This course includes highlights of the important topics covered in each class, and students are encouraged to challenge faculty members to address these topics in a meaningful fashion. Students complete their business education with a comprehensive business plan as a capstone project. The plan clearly demonstrates the writing, thinking, social, and business skills students have acquired and refined while working in SOU’s School of Business.

Mission

The mission of the School of Business is to prepare students for challenging, socially responsible careers in a dynamic, globally competitive business environment. As part of a contemporary liberal arts and sciences university, the School of Business integrates a solid foundation in the liberal arts and sciences with the primary areas of business administration. The school emphasizes excellence in teaching, individual advising, and flexible course scheduling. Programs are readily accessible to students via the Internet and multiple locations. Small class sizes allow for significant interaction between professors and students. Elements essential to the mission include:

1. A coherent, integrated curriculum that emphasizes the increasingly global nature of the business environment, ethical conduct in business decision making, and technological competency.
2. A requirement that students show an ability to communicate in a clear, concise, and professional manner. These communication skills are demonstrated and refined through oral class presentations, written assignments, and a comprehensive business plan that serves as a senior capstone project.
3. A strong foundation in the liberal arts and sciences supplemented by a required non-business minor or liberal arts enrichment area or an approved SOU certificate.
4. A broad variety of related academic offerings, including five business options, four business co-majors, and six certificate programs.
5. A requirement that students earn internship credit or engage in practical undergraduate research, which is enhanced by ties between the School of Business and the community.
6. Programs that are accessible to all qualified students through on- and off-campus day and evening courses and a comprehensive degree completion program.
7. Faculty members who reflect a balance between theory and practice, teaching and research, and service to the University and the community.

Accelerated Baccalaureate Degree Program

Curt Bacon, Program Coordinator  Bacon@sou.edu

Business administration majors may participate in the Accelerated Baccalaureate Degree Program. This selective program enables students to complete a business degree in three years.

Evening and Online Programs

Business Degree Completion Program

Joan McBee, Coordinator  McBeeJ@sou.edu

The Business Degree Completion Program is designed for working people who have completed approximately two years of college coursework and who find it difficult to attend daytime classes at the Ashland campus. Classes are available in the evenings and on weekends at the Higher Education Center in Medford and on the Web. Students in this program may pursue a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an option in management, management of aging services, or accounting. For more information, contact Joan McBee at 541-552-8151 or visit www.sou.edu/degreecompletion.

Online Degree Completion Program

Joan McBee, Coordinator McBeeJ@sou.edu

The Online Degree Completion Program is designed for those who live outside of Ashland or who need additional flexibility in their schedule due to work and family responsibilities. The program offers upper division coursework needed for a bachelor of science degree in business administration with an option in management or accounting and a minor in psychology or criminology. Most lower division course requirements are not offered online at SOU and must be taken on campus or online elsewhere. Students are required to attend classes on campus twice during their program: in the fall for an orientation to the School of Business (BA 100) and at the end of their program for their senior capstone presentation (BA 499). For more information, contact Joan McBee at 541-552-8151 or visit www.sou.edu/distance learning.

Professional Certifications

Students may take coursework to prepare for a professional certification examination. In accounting, students may prepare for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Examination or the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) Examination. In management, coursework is available to prepare students for the Professional in Human Resources Certificate (PHR). SOU is also a Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Testing Center for students enrolled in BA 383 or 384. Completion of a course of study to prepare for any certification does not guarantee receipt of the desired certificate, nor does the University offer any such assurance. Professional certification examinations in business are administered by the state of Oregon and various professional organizations.

Teacher Licensing

Students who would like to teach business at the middle school or high school level in Oregon public schools must complete a bachelor’s degree in business administration before applying for admission to the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program at SOU. Interested students should consult the department chair for an appropriate advisor and the School of Education regarding admission requirements for the MAT teacher education program.
Students must prepare in advance to increase their chances of acceptance into this competitive program. Practica, internships, and volunteer experiences in the public schools prior to application to the MAT program are required.

Student Groups

The Accounting Students Association (ASA)
Business Club
Hospitality and Tourism Association
MBA Association
Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM)

Accreditation

The University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Facilities

The School of Business has equipped its classrooms with complete multimedia capabilities. The school’s thirty-station microcomputer lab is available exclusively for classroom teaching and individual use by business administration majors. In addition, these students enjoy access to computers at the Computing Services Center and Hannon Library.

The school also houses a presentation room equipped with multimedia capabilities, including built-in microphones, surround sound, videotaping, and an electronic white board. The presentation room is not only technologically equipped, but it is also professionally designed and decorated.

Degree Programs

Students who have been admitted to SOU may take any lower division (100- or 200-level) course in business administration if they have met the course prerequisites. Students who anticipate declaring a major in business are classified as premajors until they are admitted to the School of Business. All business premajors and majors should contact the School of Business office in CE 144 to secure a faculty advisor.

Admission to the School of Business

Students who wish to take upper division (300-level or above) courses in business administration must first be admitted to the School of Business. For exceptions, see course descriptions and Nonadmitted Status (two sections below). Admission forms may be obtained from faculty advisors or the School of Business office in Central Hall 144.

Transfer Students

Requirements for admission to the School of Business are the same for transfer students as they are for nontransfer students (see Requirements for Admission below).

Students planning to transfer to the School of Business should contact the school before registering for classes. An advisor can then help with first-term enrollment.

Business administration courses successfully completed at accredited two- or four-year institutions are accepted for transfer credit. However, courses that do not correspond with existing programs in the School of Business may not count toward the 52 credits of upper division business administration courses required for the degree.

Lower division transfer courses in business administration may not be substituted for upper division business administration courses without a formal agreement with the institution from which the credits are being transferred.

Once a student has been admitted to the SOU School of Business, transfer credits in business administration will not be accepted toward degree requirements without prior written approval from the student’s faculty advisor.

Nonadmitted Status

Students in the following categories may take upper division courses in the SOU School of Business without being admitted to the school (provided they have met the prerequisites for the courses and obtained instructor consent):

1. students working toward co-major degrees in business;
2. non-business majors, including those working on a minor in business administration; and
3. students required to take specific business courses as part of a non-business major.

Some upper division courses may be taken without approval and formal admittance to the School of Business. See course descriptions for upper division business administration courses. Co-majors and computer information science (CIS) majors may obtain approval from their major advisors to take upper division courses in business administration. 

International Dual Degrees

Donna Lane, Coordinator
541-552-8203  LaneD@sou.edu

Students in this program earn both a business degree from SOU and a degree from one of our partner universities in Germany (Hochschule Harz or HTW Saarlandes). The program of study can be completed in four years, with a year of study at one of the German universities during the student’s junior or senior year. Business classes are taught in English.

Program Requirements