Faculty members of the division participate in research related to their areas of academic interest. In addition, each of us is involved in professional development activities through active memberships in professional societies and associations and community agencies.

To further enhance your career preparation when you major or minor in accounting, business administration, or economics, we encourage you to expand your classroom work through active participation in student and professional clubs, societies, associations, and volunteer work related to your area of study. We also encourage you to participate in internships for experience in actual business environments.

We in the Division of Business and Economics make every effort to notify current and prospective majors of new program standards. Depending on the nature of the program change, we may do so using email, Web pages, orientation sessions, the department advising office, faculty advisors, the catalog, and letters.

Admission to the Division of Business & Economics Majors
All our majors (accounting, business administration, economics-social science, and economics-business economics) are limited enrollment majors. Because we have limited space in our program, we cannot guarantee everyone admission.

We recommend you declare your intent to pursue your DBE major:

1. when you apply for admission to UWSP

2. when attending a freshman orientation meeting

3. when attending a transfer-student orientation meeting

4. or when you attend an “Introduction to the Major” session offered by the DBE Advising Office.

We do not require that you declare your intent to become  an accounting, business or economics major but highly recommend that you do so. As an intended major, you can receive specialized advising from the Division Advising Office and regular updates on events and deadlines.

You must apply for formal admission to your selected DBE major before completing 18 credits in the major. You are eligible to apply once you have completed at least 45 credits toward your UWSP degree. If you wish to request consideration of exceptional circumstances, do so in writing to the DBE Admissions Committee.

We have designed the admission policies for the Division of Business and Economics to support your success in your major. See the descriptions of specific majors for admissions requirements. See the Division of Business & Economics Advising Office and web site for application procedures, forms, and deadlines.

To switch majors or to pursue a second major within the division, apply for that major. See the descriptions of specific majors for admissions requirements. If you are switching majors within the DBE or adding a second DBE major, you may apply even if you already have over 18 credits in the new major, as long as you have met all other admission requirements.

Academic Standards for the Division of Business & Economics
The following academic standards apply to all division majors (accounting, business administration, economics-social science and economics-business economics).

1. In-major GPA: If you have a major in our division (accounting, business, economics-social science, or economics-business economics), your in-major GPA is calculated based on all courses counting towards your major; this includes courses from other departments as well as from the DBE.

If you switch from one DBE major or minor to another, only courses applicable to the new program are included in your new in-major GPA calculation.

If you are a transfer student, all your grades (including grades of D and F) earned at another campus for all classes required for a DBE major are included in the calculation of your in-major GPA.

2. Satisfactory Progress: As a student enrolled in a DBE major GPA standard (2.5 for Accounting or Business Administration and 2.25 for Economics) by the time you have completed 18 credits in your major.

Also maintain reasonable and satisfactory progress in completing the requirements of the major. Issues related to reasonable progress will be decided by the department chair.

If you have not attained the required in-major GPA by the time you have completed 18 credits in the major, you will be dropped from the major and will not be allowed to re-declare the major.

After you have completed 18 credits in your major, maintain your in-major GPA in good standing. If your in-major GPA drops below that major’s standard for two consecutive regular semesters, you will be dropped from the major and will not be allowed to re-declare that major.

If you are dropped from your DBE major, you may submit a written petition for reinstatement to the Admissions Committee.

If your are having trouble maintaining an adequate GPA we encourage you to seek additional assistance from the Tutoring-Learning Center (TLC).

3. Repeating courses: You may request up to three courses in your DBE major in which you earn a D+, D, or an F. To do so, obtain on-line authorization to repeat from your advisor and the chair of the department in which the courses are offered BEFORE registering for the courses. If you repeat a course at UWSP, only the last grade is used in GPA calculations. Permission to repeat a DBE course is only granted after the close of the regular registration period.

See the policy on repeating courses in the Academic Information section of this catalog. NOTE: You may repeat, at other institutions, courses in which you received a grade of F but NOT courses in which you received a grade of D. The repeated course taken at another institution will satisfy the requirement left unsatisfied by the F. The original F will remain on your transcript.

4. Pass/fail courses: Any courses you take as pass/fail do not count toward any DBE major or minor.

5. Degree and Major Requirements: In addition to the requirements of your selected major(s), satisfy the General Degree Requirements (GDRs) of your degree (either BA or BS). See the Bachelor of Arts General Degree Requirements and Bachelor of Science General Degree Requirements sections of this catalog for information on the requirements for each degree.

Regardless of the type of degree earned, the requirements for any DBE major are the same.

The Test-out and Credit-by-Exam Policy
You may earn credit-by-exam for Econ 210 and 211 through the appropriate CLEP examination. Register and pay fees for CLEP exams through the UWSP Testing Service. To receive credit, score in the 50th percentile or higher on the appropriate exam.

For all other courses in the Division of Business and Economics you may test-out, but not receive course credit. After you confer with the chair, a faculty member who teaches the course will prepare a comprehensive exam and inform you of the criteria for passing before you take the exam. A passing grade is at least five percent above the most recent class average. You may take a test-out exam only once. You are not eligible for test-out if you are currently enrolled in the course.

Abbreviations:
Acct = Accounting; Bus = Business; Comm = Communication;
CIS = Computer Information Systems;
DBE = Division of Business and Economics; Econ = Economics;
FOR = Forestry; Geog = Geography; Math = Mathematics;
NRES= Natural Resources; Psyc = Psychology; WSTE = Waste

Admission to the Business Administration Major
You must apply for admission to the Business Administration major before you complete 18 credits toward the major. You are eligible to apply once you have completed at least 45 credits toward your UWSP degree. You must be admitted to the business administration major to register for some upper-level courses and to graduate with a business administration major.

Once you are accepted as a business administration major, you can receive specialized, one-on-one advising from the division faculty or staff.

Minimum requirements: We encourage you to apply as soon as you have completed all of the following 9-10 credits with at least a 2.25 GPA:

1. One calculus course:  Math 109, 111 or 120 (3-4 credits)

2. Econ 210 (3 credits)

3. Acct 210 (3 credits)

If you are a transfer student: Apply before you complete 18 credits in the business administration major OR during your first semester at UWSP.

Exceptions: If you wish to request consideration of exceptional circumstances, do so in writing to the DBE Admissions Committee.

Academic Standards for the Business Administration Major and Minor
To graduate with a major or minor in business administration, successfully complete all required courses in the major or minor and achieve a cumulative grade point agerage of 2.5 or higher in all your major/minor courses. See Academic Standards for the Divison of Business & Economics for more information on GPA requirements and for the Divisons of Business & Economics repeat policy.

Business Administration Major
Successfully complete a minimum of 45-47credits in  categories 1 through 4 below as well as a minor, second major, or area concentration as described below in category 5:

1. Foundation, Complete 24-26 credits BEFORE taking additional 300-400 level courses including “core” courses.

   1.  One calculus course: Math 109, 111 or 120 (3-4 credits).      

   2.  Economics 210 and Acct 210 (6 credits).

   3.  Economics 211 and Acct 211 (6 credits).

   4.  Math 355 or other approved statistics course (3-4 credits).

   5.  Bus 320 and 330 (6 credits).

2. Core, 12 credits: Bus 340, 350, 360, 370. NOTE: You may take only one of these classes in conjunction with Bus 480.

3. Electives, any 6 credits in 300-400 level courses with the exception of Bus 490, 497, 498, 499. We recommend you take multiple courses in one interest area to develop higher levels of expertise.

 Classes you take as part of areas of concentration (a) through (e) below (finance, insurance, and real estate (FIRE), management, marketing, entrepreneurship, international business) satisfy this requirement.

4. Capstone course, 3 credits: Take Bus 480 during your final semester with instructor approval. You may not take a foundation course in conjunction with 480. You may take only one core course in conjunction with 480.

 If you have a concentration in entrepreneurship, substitute Bus 421, Advanced Entrepreneurship, for Bus 480.

If you have a concentration in marketing, substitute Bus 438, Marketing Strategy, for Bus 480.

5. Minor, second major, or area of concentration: In addition to required courses for the major, complete ONE of the following: (1) a minor, (2) a second major, or (3) an area of concentration (of not less than 18 credits that have been approved by the Division of Business and Economics).

 Minor: You may use any UWSP minor other than the business minor to satisfy this requirement. We encourage you to consider a minor in accounting, or economics.

 Second major: You may use any UWSP major other than the business major to satisfy this requirement. We encourage you to consider a major in accounting, economics-social science, or economics-business economics.

 Areas of concentration: Areas of concentration (a) through (e) below (finance, insurance, and real estate [FIRE], management, marketing, entrepreneurship, international business) require 24 credits. At least 15 of these credits must be business courses. Of the remaining 9 credits, you may take up to 6 credits from the listed courses outside the DBE. Earn at least a 2.5 GPA in courses in the concentration.

        To complete a second area of concentration, complete at least 15 additional credits.

        These are approved areas of concentration:

1.  FIRE (Finance, Insurance & Real Estate), 24 credits.  Select 24 credits from: Bus 343, 352, 353, 355, 356, 357, 390, 455, 493, 496; Econ 272, 360; Eng 351.

2. Management, 24 credits:

1.  Required: Bus 322.

2.  Select 21 credits from: Bus 321, 324, 325, 326, 327, 341, 342, 390, 493, 496; Acct 321; Econ 330, 340, 345, 346, 370, 420; Comm 342, 343, 345, 349 (Prereq for these Comm courses is Comm 240); Psyc 345 (Prereq is Psyc 110); Eng 351.

3.  Marketing,  24 credits:

1.  Required: Bus 331, 337, 438.

2.  Select 15 credits from: Bus 335, 336, 339, 493, 496; Econ 330, 340; Comm 336; Eng 351.

4.  Entrepreneurship, 24 credits:

1.  Required: Bus 321, 331, 421; Econ 272.

2. Select 12 credits from: Acct 330 (Pre/Coreq Acct 310), 331 (Prereq Acct 330); Bus 324, 335, 493, 496; Econ 340, 345, 370, 420; Eng 351.

5.  International Business, 24 credits:

1.  Required: Bus 327, 357, and an international experience selected from 493, 496, or other approved international experience.

2. Select 15 credits from: Bus 339, 342, 390, 496; Econ 362, 365; Geog 325, 327, 328; Poli 388; Foreign Language Courses numbered above 200 (Limited to 2 classes in the same foreign language; language placement does not satisfy this requirement); Eng 351.

6.  Forest Recreation:

1.  Required: FOR 330, 334, 335, 381 (3 cr), 394.

2.  Select 6-9 credits from: FOR 385, 480; NRES 367, 368, 382, 383, 388, 474, 490.

7. Soil Science, 18 credits:

1.  Required: NRES 251, 373; Soil 461.

2.  Select remaining credits from: Soil 362, 363, 364, 365, 465, 493; NRES 335, 336, 337; WSTE 380, 476, 488, and other related courses approved by the College of Natural Resources Associate Dean.

8. Foreign Language: Cross-cultural experience for students planning to work in international or multicultural environments. Emphasizes practical language skills and knowledge of appropriate cultural forms and behavior.

1.  French, 20 credits: French 211-212, 313, 314, 318, and 317 or 340.

2.  German, 20 credits: German 211-212, 313, 314, 318, and 317 or 340.

3.  Spanish, 20 credits:  Spanish 211-212, 313, 314, 318, and 317 or 340.

9. Wood Products Industry, 18 credits:

1.  At least 8 credits from FOR 370, 428, 429 (at least 6 cr), 499; Bus 496, 497, 498, 499 (forest products subtitle).

2.  At least 5 credits from FOR 232, 322, 335, 381; NRES 150, 151, 320, 330, 357, 490; PSCI 101.

3. Three credits from Bus 321, 324, 336, 341; Econ 342.

Business Administration Minor
Successfully complete 24 credits:

1. Required: Acct 210, Econ 210, and Bus 320 and 330.

2. Electives: Minimum of 12 credits in business administration courses at the 300-400 level not including Bus 497, 498, 499.

Collaborative Program
UW-Marathon  in Wausau has joined with UW-Stevens Point to offer a bachelor’s degree with a major in business administration. Students can attend classes at UW-MC. A combination of face-to-face instruction and distance learning technologies are used to offer upper level courses. You must have accumulated 30 freshman and sophomore credits at an accredited college or university to enter the program. For more information call the College of Professional Studies Continuing Education office at 715-346-4324.

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Revised: September 24, 2009.