Business Administration BS

College of Management
Undergraduate major / Bachelor of Science

About this program

Do you want to prepare for a dynamic and challenging career in the ever-changing business world? And, gain skills in demand by businesses and other organizations? Then study Business Administration with us, either online or on-campus. Expect to be better positioned for career opportunities and promotions. 

You will also:

  • learn about the functional areas of organizations and how to manage them effectively,
  • gain the organizational, communication, and critical thinking skills necessary for you to be a great manager, consistent with the College of Management undergraduate student outcomes
  • prepare for positions in business, nonprofit organizations, and government, including supervisor, department manager, or agency director,
  • understand the increasingly diverse business world, and
  • build a network with business administration professionals and alumni.

Student outcomes

As a graduate in Business Administration you will be able to: 

  • Apply management principles to diverse organizations,
  • Recommend strategic actions based on analyses of organizations and their environment,
  • Analyze the impact of human behavior on the culture and the performance of the organization,
  • Apply accounting and legal principles when analyzing organizational issues.

Enrolling in this program

Program eligibility requirements

Prior to declaring this major, students must complete the COM Foundation Courses with a grade of C- or better.  The COM Foundation Courses are prerequisites for many upper division College of Management courses. Completing these courses early in your program will help you succeed and have the most valuable experience in other College of Management courses.

Current students: Declare your program

Once you’re admitted as an undergraduate student and have met any further requirements your chosen program may have, you may declare a major or declare an optional minor.

Future students: Apply now

Apply to Metropolitan State: Start the journey toward your Business Administration BS now. Learn about the steps to enroll or, if you have questions about what Metropolitan State can offer you, request information, visit campus or chat with an admissions counselor.

Get started on your Business Administration BS

More ways to earn your degree: Metropolitan State offers the flexibility you need to finish your degree. Through programs at our partner institutions, you can find a path to getting your Business Administration BS that works best for you.

About your enrollment options

Program requirements

BS in Business Administration residency requirement:  At least 24 credits from among the Business Core Courses, Major Required Courses, Major Electives, and Capstone must be completed at Metropolitan State.  See also the COM policies page for requirements that are common to all programs.

Course requirements

Requirements (120 credits)

College of Management Foundation (22 credits)

MIS 100 Fundamentals of Information Technology in Organizations

4 credits

This course is the first information technology foundation course in the College of Management. It focuses on the technology literacy, managerial and business problem solving dimensions of computer based information systems. It provides students with an introduction to the fundamental terminology of the hardware, software and the people involved with computer based information systems. The course includes hands on computer lab time to introduce students to word processing, database, spread sheet, and Internet microcomputer applications. This course is designed specifically to prepare students for information technology competence as needed in College of Management courses.

Full course description for Fundamentals of Information Technology in Organizations

MATH 115 College Algebra

4 credits

This course develops the fundamental concepts of algebra with an emphasis on the classification and analysis of linear, quadratic, polynomial, exponential and logarithmic functions. Applications to the natural and social sciences are given throughout. It aims to provide insights into the nature and utility of mathematics, and helps students develop mathematical reasoning skills.

Full course description for College Algebra

STAT 201 Statistics I

4 credits

This course covers the basic principles and methods of statistics. It emphasizes techniques and applications in real-world problem solving and decision making. Topics include frequency distributions, measures of location and variation, probability, sampling, design of experiments, sampling distributions, interval estimation, hypothesis testing, correlation and regression.

Full course description for Statistics I

ECON 201 Macroeconomics

3 credits

This course focuses on the economy as a whole and studies how government can affect the economy. After starting with principles of markets, the price system and supply and demand, the course covers national income accounting, business cycles, inflation, unemployment, fiscal policy, monetary policy and the Federal Reserve System, different approaches to economic growth, and the foundations of international trade.

Full course description for Macroeconomics

ECON 202 Microeconomics

3 credits

This course focuses on the interactions between the consumer and the producer. It begins with the theory of markets, supply and demand, and the price system. Then it covers demand elasticity, the costs of production including the various factor inputs, the four major market structures (pure competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly and monopoly), and ways to increase the competition in markets.

Full course description for Microeconomics

ACCT 210 Financial Accounting

4 credits

This course in financial accounting acquaints students with the "language of business" and the concepts and practices of accounting in order to understand, interpret, and analyze the financial accounting reports of economic entities. Topics include: economic context of accounting; introduction to basic financial statements with emphasis on the statement of cash flows; measurement fundamentals; analysis of financial statements; cash; receivables; inventories; investments in equity and debt securities including Consolidations; long-lived assets; current and long-term liabilities; stockholders' equity; and time value of money concepts and computations for decision making: international accounting practices are incorporated into every topic. This is not a bookkeeping course.

Full course description for Financial Accounting

College of Management Business Core (20 credits)

DSCI 434 Introduction to Operations Management

4 credits

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the fundamental concepts and techniques of production and operations management for both service and manufacturing organizations. It will address the role of operations in relation to other functions and the methods to increase organizational effectiveness and efficiency. Topics covered include: product and service design, capacity planning, design of work systems, location planning and analysis, material requirements planning, supply-chain management, enterprise resource planning, inventory management, total quality management, Six Sigma, lean enterprise and kaizen approaches, aggregate planning, just-in-time systems, scheduling, and project planning. Also included are tools and processes used in operations decisions such as forecasting, breakeven analysis, and critical path method using available software.

Full course description for Introduction to Operations Management

FIN 390 Principles of Finance

4 credits

This course introduces the application to financial decision-making of mathematics, statistics, economic theory, and accounting procedures. The two central ideas are time value of money and the relationship between expected return and risk, and how these ideas are used to value bonds, stocks, and other financial securities, and to make capital investment decisions.

Full course description for Principles of Finance

MIS 310 Principles of Management Information Systems

4 credits

This course is designed to define the role of information systems in organizations, and in particular the roles of IS staff and end-users in developing and maintaining computer systems. The managerial aspects and implications of databases, telecommunications, hardware, software and e-commerce are included. Special attention is given to management information systems theories in the organizational setting including: infrastructure, transaction processing, operational reporting, decision support systems and executive information systems. Also included are all phases of the systems development life cycle (SDLC) as well as alternative development methodologies. The course prototypically includes analysis of real world business cases and post-implementation audit report of a recently completed management information system. All students taking this class must have completed as a prerequisite the MIS 100 Fundamentals of Information Technology in Organizations course or its approved…

Full course description for Principles of Management Information Systems

MKTG 300 Marketing Principles

4 credits

This course surveys factors that marketing managers take into account when creating a marketing plan, including consumer behavior principles, market segmentation, product life cycle, packaging, branding, pricing, advertising, sales promotion, public relations, personal selling, product distribution methods and key laws affecting marketing practices. The course takes a practical approach to explaining how to identify marketing objectives and determine strategies for reaching them. It is useful to general business students, students who plan marketing management or marketing communications careers and those who wish to be better informed consumers. This course is also offered online. Prerequisite: Goal 1 writing requirement plus 30 credits must be satisfied.

Full course description for Marketing Principles

Required (16 credits)

ACCT 320 Strategic Management Accounting

4 credits

This course provides an introduction to the role of financial and nonfinancial information for planning and control decisions, emphasizing the strategic role of the management accountant in the organization. It emphasizes strategy and the application of concepts and practices of management accounting on economic and noneconomic decisions. Topics include: cost behavior and estimation; cost analysis for planning and control decisions including value chain analysis, target costing, quality costs, customer value measurement systems, and benchmarking; cross-functional teams; activity-based management; and capital budgeting.

Full course description for Strategic Management Accounting

BLAW 320 Legal Environment of Organizations

4 credits

The behavior of organizations and people in organizations is influenced in a variety of ways by the Constitution, state and federal legislation, regulations by all levels of government, by judicial opinions and by ethical considerations. This course explores selected aspects of the legal environment, including antitrust and fair trade laws, the law of contracts, laws and regulations concerning the workplace and workplace behavior, environmental protections, and ethical standards. Issues relating to franchising and trading in securities are also addressed within the context of the law and ethics.

Full course description for Legal Environment of Organizations

MGMT 360 Managing a Diverse Workforce

4 credits

This course focuses on policies and practices for effectively managing a diverse workforce in private, public and nonprofit organizations. The current context, legal environment and historical development of equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, and diversity are addressed. Students gain theoretical and practical knowledge to understand beliefs, attitudes, biases, and prejudices to more effectively manage differences in order to enhance organization productivity. A significant amount of time will be focused on racism, origin of racism, and individual responsibility of racism.

Full course description for Managing a Diverse Workforce

Electives (4 credits)

Choose 4 upper division credits (300-500 level) from the following disciplines: Accounting, Business Law, Decision Sciences, Economics, Entrepreneurship,Finance,Human Resource Management,International Business,Management,Management Information Systems,Marketing,Risk Management and Insurance, or Philosophy 320: Business Ethics. Some Major Electives may overlap with your minor and GELS requirements. Entrepreneurship 300: Interdisciplinary Business Skills and Knowledge is not a Business Elective.

College of Management Capstone (4 credits)

MGMT 499 Case Studies in Strategic Management

4 credits

This advanced course uses the case study approach to develop systems and techniques for analyzing the internal strengths and weaknesses of diverse organizations and the external environments in which they operate. Students craft strategies and develop implementation plans that apply organizational resources to opportunities and threats in its external environment. This course should be taken during the last semester of a student's program.

Full course description for Case Studies in Strategic Management