General Business, B.A.

The Lewis College of Business, Brad D. Smith Undergraduate School of Business offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Business. This degree is delivered 100% online. This means students can complete the whole degree without coming to campus and without having to meet at designated times to complete lessons. The program is flexible and convenient. All class are Quality Matters approved, meaning they are developed with the utmost quality and care to deliver the best education possible.

The Online B.A. in General Business degree does not require you to choose a major. The “major” comes from 24 hours of any combination of upper level LCOB classes. For example, you can take classes in management, marketing, accounting, economics and finance to create your major. This will provide broad business knowledge that you can use in a variety of careers.

The focus of the Online B.A. in General Business is on degree completion. The LCOB developed this degree because only half of college students complete a degree in six years. This program is geared toward nontraditional students, including adult learners who started a business degree but never finished it, or students who cannot otherwise attend face-to-face classes.

Bison image - General Education Course

Cap graduation image - Milestone course: a key success marker for your major. See your advisor to discuss the importance of this course in your plan of study.

The Core Curriculum is designed to foster critical thinking skills and introduce students to basic domains of thinking that transcend disciplines. The Core applies to all majors. Information on specific classes in the Core can be found at https://www.marshall.edu/gened/.

Course Requirements

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
Core Curriculum
Core 1: Critical Thinking
FYS 100	First Yr Sem Critical Thinking	3
PSY 201	Introductory Psychology (CT)	3
ACC 215	Intro Financial Accounting(CT)	3
Core 2
ENG 101	Beginning Composition	3
ENG 201	Advanced Composition	3
CMM 207	Bus & Prof Communication	3
STA 150	Foundations of Statistics	3
STA 150L	Foundations of Statistics Lab	1
Core II Natural/Physical Science		4
Core II Humanities		3
PSY 201	Introductory Psychology (CT)	3
Core II Fine Arts		3
Additional University Requirements
ENG 204	Writing for the Workplace (Writing Intensive)	3
MGT 460	Strategic Management (Writing Intensive) (capstone)	3
International Business Elective (Multicultural or International)		3
College-Specific
ENG 204	Writing for the Workplace	3
ACC 215	Intro Financial Accounting(CT)	3
ACC 216	Intro Managerial Accounting	3
ECN 250	Principles Microeconomics	3
ECN 253	Principles Macroeconomics	3
FIN 323	Principles of Finance	3
LE 207	Legal Environ of Business	3
MIS 200	Bus Computer Applications	3
MIS 290	Prin Management Info Systems	3
MGT 218	Business Quantitative Methods	3
MGT 320	Principles of Management	3
MGT 460	Strategic Management (Capstone) (Writing Intensive)	3
MKT 340	MKT Concepts and Applications	3
Communications Studies Elective:
Select one of the following:		3
CMM 302	Professional Presentations
CMM 308	Persuasive Communication
CMM 315	Group Communication
CMM 319	Superior-Subordinate Comm
CMM 322	Intercultural Communication
International Business Elective:		3
Select one of the following:
ECN 408	Comparative Econ Systems
ECN 420	International Trade
ECN 421	Global Macroeconomic Analysis
ECN 460	Economic of Dev Countries
FIN 440	International Fin Management
MGT 445	International Management
MKT 371	International Marketing
General Business Electives		24
Free Electives to reach 120 hours		22

The total number of free electives required depends on the number of hours completed in STA (150 or 150B) and ENG (101 or 101P) and the number of hours that can be double-counted toward multiple degree requirements.
General Business Electives can be any 300 or 400 level courses offered in the College of Business (under the following course designators: ACC, ECN, ENT, FIN, LE, MGT, MIS, MKT, STHM). Students must complete courses in at least two separate alpha designators. Internship credit may not count as a General Business Elective. In order to meet the College of Business graduation requirement of 12 hours of 400-level courses completed in the College of Business at Marshall, nine (9) hours of General Business Electives should be 400 level.
MGT 460 is the capstone course for all Management majors. It can only be taken during the senior year after all prerequisites are met.
The Communication Studies Elective can be met by taking one of the following courses: CMM 302, 308, 315, 319, or 322.
The International Business Elective can be met by taking one of the following courses: ECN 408, 420, 421, 460, FIN 440, MGT 445, or MKT 371. The course selected for the International Business Elective CANNOT double-count as a General Business Elective.
Students who have a declared major in a B.B.A. program cannot also declare the General Business B.A.
Please check with advisor about course offerings. Not all classes will be offered every semester.

Bison image - General Education Course

Cap graduation image - Milestone course: a key success marker for your major. See your advisor to discuss the importance of this course in your plan of study.

TE: Students who have a declared major in a B.B.A. program cannot also declare the General Business B.A.

Plan of Study

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
First Semester		Credit Hours
FYS 100	First Yr Sem Critical Thinking	3
ENG 101	Beginning Composition	3
STA 225	Introductory Statistics (CT)	3
PSY 201	Introductory Psychology (CT)	3
CMM 207	Bus & Prof Communication	3
	Credit Hours	15
Second Semester
Critical Thinking ¹		3
ECN 250	Principles Microeconomics	3
MIS 200	Bus Computer Applications	3
LE 207	Legal Environ of Business	3
Core II Fine Arts ¹		3
	Credit Hours	15
Second Year
First Semester
ACC 215	Intro Financial Accounting(CT)	3
ECN 253	Principles Macroeconomics	3
ENG 201	Advanced Composition (grade of "C" or better)	3
Core II Physical or Natural Science ¹		4
CMM Studies Elective ²		3
	Credit Hours	16
Second Semester
ACC 216	Intro Managerial Accounting ¹	3
MGT 218	Business Quantitative Methods	3
ENG 204	Writing for the Workplace	3
Critical Thinking ¹		3
Core II Humanities ¹		3
	Credit Hours	15
Third Year
First Semester
FIN 323	Principles of Finance	3
MGT 320	Principles of Management	3
MKT 340	MKT Concepts and Applications	3
MIS 290	Prin Management Info Systems	3
Free Elective		3
	Credit Hours	15
Second Semester
General Business Elective ³		3
General Business Elective ³		3
General Business Elective ³		3
General Business Elective ³		3
Free Elective		3
	Credit Hours	15
Fourth Year
First Semester
General Business Elective ³		3
General Business Elective (400 Level) ³		3
International Business Elective ⁴		3
Free Elective		3
Free Elective		3
	Credit Hours	15
Second Semester
MGT 460	Strategic Management ⁵	3
General Business Elective (400 Level) ³		3
General Business Elective (400 Level) ³		3
Free Elective		3
Free Elective		2
	Credit Hours	14
	Total Credit Hours	120

¹: For options to satisfy the Core curriculum requirement, please visit https://www.marshall.edu/gened/introducing-the-core-curriculum.
²: The Communication Studies Elective can be met by taking one of the following courses: CMM 302, 308, 315, 319, or 322.
³: General Business electives can be any 300 or 400 level courses offered in the College of Business (under the following course designators: ACC, ECN, ENT, FIN, LE, MGT, MIS, MKT, STHM). Students must complete courses in at least two separate alpha designators. Internship credit may not count as a General Business Elective. In order to meet the College of Business graduation requirement of 12 hours of 400-level courses completed in the College of Business at Marshall, nine (9) hours of General Business Electives should be 400 level.
⁴: The International Business Elective can be met by taking one of the following courses: ECN 408, 420, 421, 460, FIN 440, MGT 445, or MKT 371. The course selected for the International Business Elective CANNOT double-count as a General Business Elective.
⁵: This is the capstone course for all Management majors. It can only be taken during the senior year after all prerequisites are met.