Bachelor of Science in Business Administration: Concentration in General Business

Lam Family College of Business

Dean: Dr. Eugene Sivadas

Contact: Dr. Denise Kleinrichert
Email: genbus@sfsu.edu
Business Building, Room 310
Office phone:  (415) 338-2652

Concentration in General Business

The concentration in General Business is designed to provide a solid foundation in the functional areas of business and offers students flexibility in selecting from a broad range of business courses. The concentration is intended, but not limited, to prepare students for careers in small, medium, or family businesses.

Program Learning Outcomes

  1. Students have basic competencies in business-related disciplines. 
    1. Students will demonstrate discipline‐based knowledge in accounting, economics, finance, information systems, international business, management, marketing, operations, and statistics;
    2. Students will demonstrate the ability to integrate the knowledge of different functional areas into effective business solutions. 
  2. Students demonstrate effective communication skills. 
    1. Students will create well‐written documents on a business topic; 
    2. Students will deliver an effective oral presentation on a business topic. 
  3. Students demonstrate the ability to analyze business situations. 
    1. Students will solve business problems using appropriate quantitative and analytical techniques; 
    2. Students will demonstrate the ability to identify and analyze alternatives in a business context; 
    3. Students will demonstrate the ability to articulate and defend a course of action; 
    4. Students will apply appropriate information systems and technologies to solve business problems. 
  4. Students demonstrate the ability to work effectively in diverse teams that embrace equality and inclusion. 
    1. Students contribute effectively to accomplishing teams’ goals; 
    2. Students leverage diverse viewpoints by communicating effectively and respectfully with teammates from different backgrounds;
    3. Students demonstrate the ability to be effective team leaders. 
  5. Students demonstrate the ability to solve business problems with ethical and environmental implications. 
    1. Students identify the ethical dilemmas inherent in the operation of a business and explore company performance from a triple bottom line perspective: social, environmental, and financial; 
    2. Students demonstrate ethical decision-making and analytical skills through cases and projects that focus on each of the stakeholder categories and identify sustainable solutions that account for a triple bottom line. 
  6. Students demonstrate the ability to develop global business solutions through analyzing legal, political, social, and cultural factors. 

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration: Concentration in General Business — 69 Units Minimum

Except in cases of credit by examination, no more than 6 units of the core may be completed on a CR/NC basis.

Students must earn a grade of C- or higher in core Business courses required as prerequisites for other core Business courses.

All concentration courses must be taken on a letter-grade basis. Students must have a minimum grade point average of 2.0 in all concentration courses.

Prerequisite Courses (9-12 units)

Select one:3-6
Calculus with Business Applications
Mathematics for Business Calculus I
and Mathematics for Business Calculus II
Business Calculus
ECON 101Introduction to Microeconomic Analysis3
ISYS 263Introduction to Information Systems3
or a passing score on the ISYS 263 CLEP Exam

These courses must be completed before enrollment in certain core courses. Most core courses have specific prerequisites that are listed in the course descriptions.

Note: DS 110ECON 101, and ECON 102 fulfill General Education requirements.

Core Requirements (39 units)

ACCT 100Introduction to Financial Accounting3
ACCT 101Introduction to Managerial Accounting3
Select one:3
Business Communication for Professionals - GWAR
Communications for Business Analytics - GWAR
BUS 682Seminar on Business and Society 13
BUS 690Seminar in Business Policy and Strategic Management 13
Select one:3
Business Statistics
Elementary Statistics
DS 412Operations Management3
ECON 102Introduction to Macroeconomic Analysis3
FIN 350Business Finance3
IBUS 330International Business and Multicultural Relations3
ISYS 363Information Systems for Management3
MGMT 405Introduction to Management and Organizational Behavior3
MKTG 431Principles of Marketing3
1

Must be taken for a letter grade.

Concentration Requirements (21 units)

Select seven courses from at least four different prefixes:
A U 220SF State and Braven Career Accelerator3
BUS 350Introduction to Entrepreneurship3
BUS 354Starting a Small Business3
BUS 400Professional Communication for the Global Workplace3
BUS 430Social Entrepreneurship: Mission-Driven Ventures3
BUS 440Ethics at Work: Business Impacts3
BUS 450Greening of Business3
DS 312Data Analysis with Computer Applications3
DS 408Computer Simulation3
DS 411Decision Modeling for Business3
DS 601Applied Management Science3
DS 604Applied Business Forecasting3
DS 624Quality Management3
DS 655Sustainable Supply Chain Optimization3
DS 660GWCommunications for Business Analytics - GWAR3
ECON 400Economic and Social History of the United States3
ECON 450Health Economics3
ECON/HIST/LABR 474History of Labor in the United States3
ECON/LABR 510Labor Economics3
ECON/LABR 511Collective Bargaining3
ECON 620Economic Development3
ECON/I R 635Economics of Globalization3
HTM 324Historical and Contemporary Aspects of Food, Beverage, and Culture in America3
HTM 351Asian Food, Culture, and Hospitality3
HTM 400Wine Appreciation3
HTM 421Food, Wine, and Culture in California3
HTM 424Tourism Management3
HTM 425The Business of International Tourism3
HTM 560Hospitality Human Resource Management3
IBUS 430Import-Export Management and Small Business Operations3
IBUS 517Legal Environment of World Business3
IBUS 590International Environmental Analysis3
IBUS 592Doing Business in Greater China3
IBUS 593Doing Business in Europe3
IBUS 596Doing Business in Japan3
IBUS 598Doing Business in Emerging Markets3
IBUS 620Research in International Business and the Global Market3
IBUS/MGMT 659Introduction to International Business Negotiation3
IBUS 676Social Entrepreneurship in a Global Context3
IBUS 681Seminar in Comparative Management3
IBUS 690Global Strategic Management3
ISYS 350Building Business Applications3
ISYS 463Information Systems Analysis and Design3
ISYS 565Managing Enterprise Networks3
ISYS 568Multimedia Business Applications Development3
ISYS 569Information Systems for Business Process Management3
ISYS 575Information Security Management3
ISYS 650Business Intelligence3
MGMT 648Seminar in Leadership and Influence Skills3
MKTG 432Public Relations3
MKTG 433Personal Selling3
MKTG 436Retail Management3
MKTG 441Business-to-Business Marketing3
MKTG 469Digital Marketing3
MKTG 644Services Marketing3
MKTG 675Brand Management3
MKTG 680International Marketing Management3
MKTG 688New Product Management Seminar3

Two non-Lam Family College of Business upper-division courses are permitted as substitutes for two of the seven required courses and count towards the different prefix requirement with advisor approval.

General Education Requirements

Requirement Course Level Units Area Designation
Oral Communication LD 3 A1
Written English Communication LD 3 A2
Critical Thinking LD 3 A3
Physical Science LD 3 B1
Life Science LD 3 B2
Lab Science LD 1 B3
Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning LD 3 B4
Arts LD 3 C1
Humanities LD 3 C2
Arts or Humanities LD 3 C1 or C2
Social Sciences LD 3 D1
Social Sciences: US History LD 3 D2
Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (LLD) LD 3 E
Ethnic Studies LD 3 F
Physical and/or Life Science UD 3 UD-B
Arts and/or Humanities UD 3 UD-C
Social Sciences UD 3 UD-D
SF State Studies
Courses certified as meeting the SF State Studies requirements may be upper or lower division in General Education (GE), a major or minor, or an elective.
American Ethnic and Racial Minorities LD or UD 3 AERM
Environmental Sustainability LD or UD 3 ES
Global Perspectives LD or UD 3 GP
Social Justice LD or UD 3 SJ

Note: LD = Lower-Division; UD = Upper-Division.

First-Time Student Roadmap (4 Year)

The roadmaps presented in this Bulletin are intended as suggested plans of study and do not replace meeting with an advisor. For a more personalized roadmap, please use the Degree Planner tool found in your Student Center.

First-Time Student Roadmap

Transfer Student Roadmap (2 Year)

For students with an AS-T in Business Administration (2011)
with 12 units in the major satisfied.
Business Administration ADT Roadmap

For students with an AS-T in Business Administration (2011)
with 21 units in the major satisfied.
Business Administration ADT Roadmap

For students with an AS-T in Business Administration 2.0 (2021)
with 15 units in the major satisfied.
Business Administration ADT Roadmap

For students with an AS-T in Business Administration 2.0 (2021)
with 18 units in the major satisfied.
Business Administration ADT Roadmap

This degree program is an approved pathway (“similar” major) for students earning the ADT in Business Administration

California legislation SB 1440 (2009) mandated the creation of the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) to be awarded by the California Community Colleges. Two types of ADTs are awarded: Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) and Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T). 

Note: no specific degree is required for admission as an upper-division student. However, the ADT includes specific guarantees related to admission and graduation and is designed to clarify the transfer process and strengthen lower-division preparation for the major.

An ADT totals 60 units and in most cases includes completion of all lower-division General Education requirements and at least 18 units in a specific major. (The Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science AS-T degrees defer 3 units in lower-division GE area C and 3 units in lower-division GE area D until after transfer.) Students pursuing an ADT are guaranteed admission to the CSU if minimum eligibility requirements are met, though not necessarily to the CSU campus of primary choice.

Upon verification that the ADT has been awarded prior to matriculation at SF State, students are guaranteed B.A. or B.S. completion in 60 units if pursuing a “similar” major after transfer. Determinations about “similar” majors at SF State are made by faculty in the discipline.

Degree completion in 60 units cannot be guaranteed when a student simultaneously pursues an additional major, a minor, certificate, or credential.

A sample advising roadmap for students who have earned an ADT and continue in a "similar" major at SF State is available on the Roadmaps tab on the degree requirements page for the major. The roadmap displays:

  • How many lower-division units required for the major have been completed upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
  • Which lower-division requirements are considered complete upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
  • How to complete the remaining 60 units for the degree in four semesters.

Students who have earned an ADT should seek advising in the major department during the first semester of attendance.

General Advising Information for Transfer Students

  1. Before transfer, complete as many lower-division requirements or electives for this major as possible.
  2. The following courses are not required for admission but are required for graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete these units before transfer; doing so will provide more flexibility in course selection after transfer.
    • a course in U.S. History
    • a course in U.S. & California Government

For information about satisfying the requirements described in (1) and (2) above at a California Community College (CCC), please visit http://www.assist.org. Check any geographically accessible CCCs; sometimes options include more than one college. Use ASSIST to determine:

  • Which courses at a CCC satisfy any lower-division major requirements for this major;
  • Which courses at a CCC satisfy CSU GE, US History, and US & CA Government requirements.

Remedial courses are not transferable and do not apply to the minimum 60 semester units/90 quarter units required for admission.

Additional units for courses that are repeated do not apply to the minimum 60 units required for upper-division transfer (for example, if a course was not passed on the first attempt or was taken to earn a better grade).

Before leaving the last California Community College of attendance, obtain a summary of completion of lower-division General Education units (IGETC or CSU GE Breadth). This is often referred to as a GE certification worksheet. SF State does not require delivery of this certification to Admissions, but students should retain this document for verifying degree progress after transfer.

Credit for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or College-Level Examination Program courses: AP/IB/CLEP credit is not automatically transferred from the previous institution. Units are transferred only when an official score report is delivered to SF State. Credit is based on the academic year during which exams were taken. Refer to the University Bulletin in effect during the year of AP/IB/CLEP examination(s) for details regarding the award of credit for AP/IB/CLEP.

Students pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines often defer 6-9 units of lower-division General Education in Areas C and D until after transfer to focus on preparation courses for the major. This advice does not apply to students pursuing associate degree completion before transfer.

Transferring From Institutions Other Than CCCs or CSUs

Review SF State's lower-division General Education requirements. Note that, as described below, the four basic skills courses required for admission meet A1, A2, A3, and B4 in the SF State GE pattern. Courses that fulfill the remaining areas of SF State’s lower-division GE pattern are available at most two-year and four-year colleges and universities.

Of the four required basic skills courses, a course in critical thinking (A3) may not be widely offered outside the CCC and CSU systems. Students should attempt to identify and take an appropriate course no later than the term of application to the CSU. To review more information about the A3 requirement, please visit bulletin.sfsu.edu/undergraduate-education/general-education/lower-division/#AAEL.

Waiting until after transfer to take a single course at SF State that meets both US and CA/local government requirements may be an appropriate option, particularly if transferring from outside of California.