FAQ - business administration
1. Is Introduction to Business (BusAd 20) a required course for students majoring in business administration?
No. It is an elective course open to all undergraduates with the exception of upper division business administration majors.
2. Will any statistics course offered at the College meet the statistics course requirement for the business administration major?
No. Students majoring in business administration must take BusAd 40 (Business Statistics) in order to fulfill this requirement.
3. When should students take the mathematics requirement for the business administration major (Math 3 - Finite Mathematics or Math 27 – Calculus I)?
It is preferable to take the math requirement during the freshman year.
4. Does International Business (BusAd 180) satisfy the College’s diversity requirement?
No. A list of courses that satisfy this requirement is available from the Registrar’s office and from the Admission office.
5. When should business administration majors take the capstone course, Strategic Management (BusAd 140)?
Strategic Management should be taken during the spring semester of the senior year after all prerequisites for the course have been completed.
The following upper division course requirements for the business administration major should be taken prior to enrolling in Strategic Management:
| Econ 106 | Macroeconomic Theory | ||
| BusAd 120 | Business Law | ||
| BusAd 123 | Financial Management | ||
| BusAd 124 | Marketing | ||
| BusAd 131 | Organizational Theory | ||
| BusAd 132 | Operations Management |
6. Can a business administration major take any of the upper division courses in the major concurrently with Strategic Management (BusAd 140)?
Only the Field A (Focus) course requirement or Field B (Business context) course requirement may be taken concurrently with the Strategic Management course. However, in order for the student earlier on to have sense of the role of business in a broader societal context, it is recommended that the Field B (Context) requirement be taken during the junior year.
7. Which courses are business administration majors at Saint Mary’s College not allowed to take at another campus?
In general, the majority of the courses required for the major must be taken at Saint Mary’s. The following upper division courses, if required for the student’s program, must be taken at Saint Mary’s College:
| BusAd 100 (A, B, C) |
Senior Honors Forum | ||
| BusAd 120 | Business Law | ||
| BusAd 121 | Advanced Legal Topics | ||
| BusAd 125 | Marketing of Financial Services | ||
| BusAd 126 | Advanced Marketing | ||
| BusAd 140 | Strategic Management | ||
| BusAd 180 | International Business | ||
| BusAd 181 | Ethical, Social and Political Issues in Business | ||
| BusAd 182 | Business, Economics and Catholic Social Ethics |
8. Can business administration majors substitute Marketing of Financial Services (BusAd 125) for the major’s marketing requirement (BusAd 124)?
Yes.
9. If I transfer from another school to Saint Mary’s College of California at the beginning of my junior year, will I be able to complete the Business Administration major in 2 years?
Usually. However, you must plan carefully and seek the assistance of your academic advisor.
10. Before I start taking most of my business courses, is it a good idea to take all or most of my general education requirements in my freshman and sophomore years?
No. The major in business administration has many requirements that should be taken during freshman and sophomore years in order for you to have sufficient space for the upper division business administration courses during your junior and senior years. It is advisable to spread upper division requirements (both business administration and general education courses) across the junior and senior years for 2 reasons. First, you will want to leave some of your general education requirements for those years in order to allow you to fill out your schedule with a variety of courses. Second, a number of the upper division courses involve group projects. It is advisable not to take too many such courses during the same semester.
