College of Business Administration

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Jan R. Williams, Dean
Ted Stank, Associate Dean, Executive Education
Robert T. Ladd, Associate Dean, Research and Technology
Alex Miller, Associate Dean, Academic Programs
Fred A. Pierce, III, Director, Undergraduate Programs
Matthew B. Myers, Executive Director, Global Business Institute
C. Warren Neel, Director, Corporate Governance Center

http://bus.utk.edu/

The College of Business Administration at the University of Tennessee is widely recognized for its leadership role in implementing some of the most innovative and exciting curricular changes occurring during the last forty years of management education.

The curriculum course work is divided into four components – general education, pre-business core, business core, and major.

The 59 hours of general education focus on all aspects of human endeavor – written and oral communications; mathematics; social, behavioral, and natural sciences; humanities; foreign language; ethics; and the arts. General education courses span the student’s entire academic career.

The pre-business core courses (14 hours) are taken during the student’s second year. The pre-business core provides students with the fundamentals of business education, introducing the tools, the environment, and the functions of contemporary business practices.

Building on the pre-business core foundation, the business core (23 hours) consists of integrated contemporary business management modules in supply chain management, demand management, lean operations, information management, and integrated process management; discipline-specific courses in financial management and business strategy; and course work on global and legal issues. As business management perspectives change, the topics in the business core will, by design, adapt.

Simultaneously, students are completing the course work (24 hours) required by their chosen major. The College of Business Administration offers nine majors – accounting, economics, finance, human resource management, logistics, management, marketing, public administration, and statistics. Within the 24 hours of their major, students may study two areas of emphasis – their major with a collateral or their major with a dual concentration. With a collateral, students complete 15 hours in their major and 9 hours in their collateral area (with the exception of economics and statistics majors, who complete 18 hours in their major and 6 hours in their collateral area). With a dual concentration, students complete 12 hours in each area of emphasis. See the chart in this section for details of the collateral and dual concentration options for each major. A minimum grade of C must be earned in every course counted toward the major, including major, collateral, or dual concentration courses.

Upon the completion of this curriculum, students are awarded a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

*In addition to its collateral options, Economics also offers areas of focus in international economics, industrial organization, public economics, quantitative economics, money/macroeconomics, regional/urban economics, environmental economics, labor economics, and health economics.

**Because public administration is interdisciplinary in design, it does not offer any collaterals or concentrations.

College of Business Administration students are required to take 18 of the 24 major hours (75 percent) in residence at the University of Tennessee. This 24-hour major requirement includes all major, collateral, and/or dual concentration course work.

College of Business Administration students who wish to pursue optional second majors within the College of Business Administration may do so by completing a minimum of 15 or 18 additional hours of primary emphasis (major) outlined by each department. These hours must be distinct from the 24 hours required by the student’s first major. Students who choose a second major in public administration must complete an additional 24 hours of major course work.

College of Business Administration students who wish to pursue optional second majors in the College of Arts and Sciences may do so by completing all curricular requirements for the College of Business Administration and only the major requirements outlined by the College of Arts and Sciences department.

In either instance, the optional multiple majors (or second major) may be listed on the student’s transcript. Students should understand that meeting the requirements of second majors may lengthen their academic programs and they should consult with advisors in both areas.

Students in the College of Business Administration benefit from the countless faculty recognized for excellence in teaching, research, and public service. One of the first in the South to be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International, the University of Tennessee’s College of Business Administration strives for excellence in all endeavors.

In addition to challenging students in the classroom, faculty also devote their energies to professional growth and commitment to the community by participating in other College of Business Administration programs, like the Global Business Institute, the Corporate Governance Center, the Center for Executive Education, and the Center for Business and Economic Research.

Success in today’s business environment is largely a function of accessibility to and interpretation of information. This information provides the knowledge that allows employees and employers to make smart business decisions. Because today’s business world demands that employees be able to effectively use personal computers and diverse software applications, the College of Business Administration intertwines technology with its curriculum at all levels.

In order to take advantage of these unique learning tools, all business students are required to have their own laptop computers when they start their business core courses, which is typically at the beginning of the third year. With the wireless network at the University of Tennessee, students will be able to use their laptop computers almost anywhere on campus.

Seeking to instill a global perspective in all of its students, the College of Business Administration challenges undergraduate students to develop the requisite knowledge and skills to prosper in today’s global business environment. To help students meet that challenge, the college provides these critical tools – an enhanced core curriculum that covers international business topics in all relevant courses; extraordinary programs for international study and internships; and a unique opportunity to delve into the principles of international business through a collateral or dual concentration in international business.

Students who choose a collateral or dual concentration in international business will gain an understanding of how functional strategies are carried out and how to assess business opportunities in other cultures and countries. With the ability to appreciate different cultural perspectives, political, and economic institutions and to scan the broader environment of world events, students will be prepared to succeed in future international assignments in their careers.

The Global Business Institute, located in 328 Haslam Business Building, serves as the primary catalyst for international awareness and change in the College of Business Administration. By offering speakers and event planning, partnership coordination, and program and curricula facilitation, the Global Business Institute helps students, faculty, managers, and public policy makers meet the challenges of a global marketplace.

The Office of Diversity Initiatives, located in 329 Haslam Business Building, leads efforts to build a diverse college community by fostering a climate that respects, celebrates, and embraces diversity. The college stands firm in the belief that an appreciation of individuals from a multitude of backgrounds and experiences is a necessity in the global workforce.

We create and sustain a welcoming, supportive and inclusive climate through goals such as attracting and retaining faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds; attracting, retaining, and graduating students from historically under-represented populations; and ensuring that undergraduate curricular requirements include significant intercultural perspectives.

We recognize diversity in terms of ethnic, social, economic, and cultural differences.

The mission of the Undergraduate Programs Office is to provide comprehensive academic and educational program planning that promotes integrity and responsibility within a diverse environment. The Undergraduate Programs Office, 342 Haslam Business Building, maintains a full-time staff of academic advisors to answer students’ questions concerning majors, curriculum, and elective options. Student advising is achieved through these professional advisors and through faculty mentors when students are admitted to a major. While the university’s policy requires students to have one mandatory academic planning session per year, the College of Business Administration considers academic planning to be so critical that we require our students to meet with an advisor every fall and spring semester. To schedule an appointment, sign up online at http://bus.utk.edu/undergrad.

In addition to advising, the Undergraduate Programs Office provides individual and group educational program planning, management of student data and enrollment information for the college, recruitment and retention, administration of the undergraduate scholarship program, coordination of progression procedures to business majors, and career counseling.

Acceptance to the College of Business Administration does not guarantee acceptance to a specific major. Students are admitted to the college as pre-majors and must earn admission to the major prior to the completion of 75 hours of coursework. Application to a major is a one-time only event and occurs as part of the student’s advising session in the Undergraduate Programs Office the semester a student completes the following coursework or honors equivalents:

MATH 123 -MATH 125 , or MATH 141 -MATH 142  (6 or 8 hours); Oral Communication (3 hours from CMST 210  or CMST 240 ); Written Communication (3 hours from ENGL 255  or ENGL 295 ); ACCT 200  (3 hours); ECON 201  (4 hours); STAT 201  (3 hours); BUAD 201  (4 hours).

Students will progress to a major provided they have earned a 2.75 cumulative GPA (3.0 in accounting) in the course work listed above.

The Admissions Committee will review applications the week after final grades are posted and students will be notified via mail. If denied progression, the student must pursue a major in a college other than Business Administration at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Only in unusual cases will an application be considered beyond 75 hours of completed course work. Progression standards are subject to change. Current standards are always available in the Undergraduate Programs Office, 342 Haslam Business Building.

Students who have been denied progression to a major within the College of Business Administration may appeal to the Undergraduate Admissions Appeals Committee. Information on appeal procedures may be obtained in the Undergraduate Programs Office, 342 Haslam Business Building.

Students in other colleges at the University of Tennessee or from other institutions should apply for progression to the College of Business Administration at the earliest possible date – no later than the completion of 75 hours. Only in exceptional cases will application be considered after 75 hours of course work (at the University of Tennessee or elsewhere) have been attempted. The following minimum requirements must be met in order to be considered for admission to a major.

The student must have earned a minimum 2.75 cumulative average in the courses required for progression (3.0 for accounting majors).

Progression standards are subject to change. Current standards are available in the Undergraduate Programs Office, 342 Haslam Business Building.

The College of Business Administration has special transfer articulation agreements with some Tennessee community colleges leading to admission with third-year standing in particular majors at the University of Tennessee. Students are awarded an associate’s degree by the specified community college and a baccalaureate degree by the University of Tennessee provided the student successfully completes all the courses required in a particular program and meets the progression standards. All other academic regulations of the degree-granting institutions must also be satisfied.

Details on specific programs and requirements are available from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Tennessee or from the specified community college.

A limited number of scholarships are available for highly-qualified students. Students are invited to apply for a College of Business Administration scholarship. Selection criteria considered for scholarships include academic merit, financial need, and leadership.

To be considered for a scholarship, students must meet the following criteria.

• Unweighted grade point average of 3.0.
• ACT composite score of 23 or SAT combined score of 1050.

Students must complete the Entering Freshman Academic Scholarship Application which can be obtained from UT’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, 115 Student Services Building or online at http://web.utk.edu/~finaid/, and submit it by the date printed on the application, with the following items.

• A current high school transcript and a current college transcript, if the student is a transfer student.
• ACT or SAT scores.

Several opportunities for study abroad are available to College of Business Administration students, such as group programs arranged and supervised by the college’s departments on a full semester or summer term; direct exchange, summer study, and semester programs organized by the Programs Abroad division of the Center for International Education; and individualized programs.

Students planning foreign study must first meet with their academic advisor in the Undergraduate Programs Office to discuss curricular issues.

Recognizing that learning is not restricted to formal classroom situations, students may earn credit towards graduation for approved off-campus study. It may include certain types of work experiences or community involvement. Such study may be undertaken only with prior approval of the department granting credit.

The Global Leadership Scholars Program offered by the College of Business Administration serves its talented and motivated undergraduate students. The program consists of specified honors classes, seminars in leadership training, international experiences, and extracurricular activities including community service. Taught by a cadre of designated honors faculty and invited guest lecturers, the program promotes the development of international and intercultural awareness, leadership, and personal and professional growth and responsibility. Upon application, students can be admitted at the end of their first year; and a secondary round of limited admission will occur at the end of the second year. Accepted students will be admitted to the major of their choice and will pursue a dual concentration in international business.

The admissions committee will employ a combination of the following evaluative information in assessing each candidate’s qualifications – UT cumulative grade point average, high school cumulative grade point average, ACT or SAT scores, academic references, demonstrated leadership experience, extra-curricular activities, and a written self-statement. A mandatory interview is required for all finalists.

Students are evaluated annually and must be in good standing to be retained. Cumulative grade point averages that drop below a 3.25 will incur probationary status, and students will be given one semester to raise their average above the 3.25 standard. Failure to improve one’s cumulative grade point average will lead to dismissal from the program. Grades are not the only criteria by which retention is judged. Other criteria including participation, leadership, class performance, and faculty feedback will also be used to judge annual retention.