Every bachelor of science in business administration degree program requires that students first complete a solid foundation of general education courses. In a typical four-year program, students spend nearly half of their credit hours on non-major, prerequisite courses. Many of these are in the following liberal arts areas: English composition, history, psychology, philosophy, communications, economics, foreign language, foreign culture, sociology, political science and public policy. Eligibility for a business administration program requires students to maintain at least a C average in liberal arts courses.
Bachelor of Science in business administration programs require science and mathematics courses as prerequisites for the major. Most programs require that students successfully complete courses in algebra, calculus (often a series of two or more courses), statistics, multivariate analysis, regression analysis, probability, biology, chemistry, natural sciences, cognitive psychology and computer science. To remain in good standing and move on to major courses, students must maintain at least a C average in science and mathematics.
Business administration BS degree programs offer students core major courses in the following areas: finance, accounting, organizational management, management information systems, marketing and business presentations. However, to take core major courses in these areas, students must first complete prerequisite and co-requisite business courses in the following fields of study: introduction to business, business ethics, business society, business communications, microeconomics and macroeconomics. While most programs require that students maintain a C average, some of the more competitive programs require that students maintain a B average to move on to core major courses in business administration.