541-552-6484

 Introduction

SOU’s Business program 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 SOU Business program 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 in the U.S. 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 members are well-educated, friendly, flexible, have years of private sector business experience, and are dedicated to providing our students with the best possible education.

Our students are active learners. 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 Business program is to prepare students for challenging, socially responsible careers in a dynamic, globally competitive business environment. As part of a contemporary liberal arts university, Business integrates a solid foundation in the liberal arts and sciences with the primary areas of business administration. The program emphasizes excellence in teaching, individual advising, and flexible course scheduling. Programs are readily accessible to students at multiple locations and in multiple formats (face-to-face, on-line and hybrid). 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 an approved SOU certificate.
4. A broad variety of related academic offerings, including four business options and five certificate programs.
5. A requirement that students earn internship credit or engage in practical undergraduate research, which is enhanced by ties between the Business program 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

Business administration majors may participate in the Accelerated Baccalaureate Degree Program (Acc Bacc). The Acc Bacc is a course reduction program that allows qualified students to waive up to 24 general education and 21 elective credits. As a result, these students are able to complete a business degree in three years. For more information see www.sou.edu/abp.
 

Evening and Online Programs

Business Degree Completion Program

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 on the Ashland campus. Classes are available in the evenings at the Higher Education Center (HEC) in Medford and on the Web. Students in this program may pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an option in Management, Public Accounting or Managerial Accounting. For more information, contact David Parker at 541-552-8151 or visit www.sou.edu/degreecompletion.

Online Degree Completion Program

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, Public Accounting or Managerial Accounting and a minor in Psychology, Criminal Justice, or Early Childhood Development. Some lower division course requirements may not be offered online at SOU and may be taken on campus or online elsewhere. Online students are strongly encouraged to read the Online Student Handbook located at www.sou.edu/degreecompletion. For more information, contact David Parker at 541-552-8151 or visit www.sou.edu/degreecompletion.
 

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. SOU is also a Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Testing Center for students enrolled in BA 285 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)
The Business Club
Hospitality and Tourism Club
Alpha Kappa Psi
 

Accreditation

The University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Additionally, SOU Business programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).
 

Facilities

Business has multimedia-equipped classrooms and facilities. The 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 University offers wireless Internet access for students who wish to use their own laptops or mobile devices.

The Business program 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 Business major. All business premajors and majors should contact the Business office in CE 144 to secure a faculty advisor.
 

Admission to Business Programs

Students who wish to take upper division (300-level or above) courses in business administration must first be admitted to the Business major. In order to be fully admitted into one of the Business major options, a student must have completed the following business and non-business courses, or their transfer equivalents:

1. USEM 101, 102, 103; EC 201, 202, MTH 243; BA 100, 131, 211, 213, 226, and 282.
2. Must have earned a grade of at least C- in the above required BA (Business Administration) classes taken at SOU or transferred from another institution.
3. Must file an application for admission to the Business major.

For exceptions, see course descriptions and Non-admitted Status (two sections below). Admission forms may be obtained from faculty advisors or the Business office in Central Hall 144.
 

Transfer Students

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

Students planning to transfer to the Business major should contact the school before registering for classes. An advisor can then help with first-time 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 SOU Business program 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 Business major, transfer credits in business administration will not be accepted toward degree requirements without prior written approval from the student’s faculty advisor.
Non-admitted Status

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

1. non-business majors, including those working on a minor in business administration; and
2. 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 Business major. See course descriptions for upper division business administration courses.
 

International Dual Degrees (Undergraduate)
 

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.

International Dual Degrees (Graduate)
 

MiM

Students in this program earn a Master in Management degree from SOU and a Master in Management degree from our partner university in Mexico (University of Guanajuato). This dual degree program can be completed in approximately two years, with core courses taken at the University of Guanajuato in Guanajuato, Mexico and remaining courses taken at Southern Oregon University. All MiM courses in Guanajuato are taught in English.
 

MBA

Students in this program earn an MBA from SOU and a Master of International Management from HTW Saarlandes in Germany. The program of study can be completed in one year, with two quarters of study at SOU and one semester at HTW. All classes in Germany are taught in English.
 

Program Requirements

Programs

• Business Administration, BA or BS

• Innovation and Leadership, Bachelor of Science

• Management, BAS

• Master of Business Administration, MBA

• Certificate in Applied Finance and Economics (CAFE)
• Certificate in Business Information Systems (CBIS)
• Certificate in Interactive Marketing and E-Commerce (CIMeC)
• Certificate in Management of Human Resources (CMHR)
• Certificate in Nonprofit Management (CNPM)

• Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Accounting

• Business Administration Minor

Courses

• BA 546 - Retail Management
• BA 547 - International Marketing
• BA 548 - Mediation and Conflict Management
• BA 550 - Using GIS in Business
• BA 551 - Cost and Management Accounting
• BA 553 - Individual Taxation
• BA 554 - Accounting Information Systems
• BA 555 - Auditing I
• BA 556 - Auditing II
• BA 557 - Taxation of Corporations and Other Entities
• BA 558 - Consolidation and Segment Reporting
• BA 559 - Financial Analysis and Advanced Accounting
• BA 560A - Nonprofit Accounting and Financial Management
• BA 560B - Nonprofit Accounting and Financial Management
• BA 565A - CPA Review I
• BA 565B - CPA Review II
• BA 568 - Principles of Fundraising, Public Relations, and Marketing
• BA 570 - Financial Markets and Institutions
• BA 571 - Financial Management
• BA 572 - Investments
• BA 573 - International Financial Management
• BA 575 - Organizational Behavior
• BA 576 - Business Ethics
• BA 577 - International Business
• BA 578 - Corporate Law
• BA 579 - Small Business Start-up and Management
• BA 580 - Nonprofit Theory and Leadership
• BA 581 - Principles of Human Resource Management
• BA 583 - Sustainability Leadership
• BA 584 - Business Information Systems: Analysis and Design
• BA 585 - Compensation Management
• BA 586 - Strategic Staffing
• BA 588 - Fundamentals of Project Management
• BA 590 - Case Studies in Corporate Sustainability
• BA 592 - Working with Emotional Intelligence
• BA 597 - Advanced MIS: Business Analytics

• INL 437 - Creative Thinking
• INL 438 - Group Dynamics

• MBA 509 - Ethics
• MBA 511 - Critical Analytical Thinking and Communication
• MBA 512 - Marketing Management and Strategies
• MBA 514 - Strategic Operations Management
• MBA 515 - Information Systems
• MBA 516 - Managerial Accounting for Decision Making
• MBA 519 - Graduate Research Project
• MBA 520 - Economic Analysis
• MBA 521 - Legal Issues in Business and Management
• MBA 575 - Advanced Organizational Behavior
• MBA 585 - Financial Management Practices
• MBA 590 - Capstone

• MM 503 - Thesis
• MM 509 - Internship
• MM 512 - Budget and Finance
• MM 513 - Strategic Management
• MM 514 - Practical Research, Analysis, and Decision Making
• MM 515 - Management Information Systems
• MM 516 - Organizational Leadership and Communication
• MM 517 - The Human Resource Environment
• MM 518 - Marketing for Public and Private Organizations
• MM 519 - Legal Issues in Management
• MM 540 - Topics in Management
• MM 598 - Capstone Project