Research your school and program options carefully. Consider academic reputation, cost, length of program, quality of instructors and campus location in your decision-making process. Most business management degree programs offer students the ability to concentrate in particular business subjects such as accounting, human resources, finance, business policy and operations management. Find a program that is good for your desired concentrations.
Review the program requirements for your business school or program. Develop a plan that includes what courses to take and how to sequence them in order to be accepted to your college or university's business program. Many universities, including the University of Washington and UCLA, accept students as "pre-business" but require them to make a successful application to the business school after their first few terms of college.
Take your general education course requirements. Colleges and universities typically require students to begin with them anyway. However, students can use the opportunity to complete general education immediately so the last two years of their degree can involve primarily business courses. Apply yourself in these courses, because even though they are not your major, they affect your GPA and your ability to enter the business program.
Apply to the business school or program of your college or university. The University of Washington, for example, allows students to apply for early entrance to the business school after two quarters of general study and regular admission after three. Students need to have all prerequisite credits completed before they can apply.
Spend several terms taking required business courses. Schools often require students to take a course in each business speciality to create a well-rounded business education. You can use this as an opportunity to find out which area of business interests you.
Select one or more business concentrations. Once you cycle through all your required business courses, begin taking classes needed for your concentration. For example, if you choose accounting, this involves taking a series of higher-level accounting courses that lead to becoming a managerial or certified public accountant.
Review the courses you have taken once or twice a year with a business school academic adviser to make sure you are on track for graduation. If you encounter difficulty enrolling in required courses, an adviser or dean may be instrumental in getting you into a class or helping you find an alternative.