2024-2025 Catalog 
    
    Dec 06, 2024  
2024-2025 Catalog

Business Administration, BI™


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The Bachelor of Innovation (BI) is an interdisciplinary undergraduate program. The BI™ is actually a family structure, much like a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts, in which particular majors are defined. The BI is a very structured program with a general education core, a common core in innovation, an in-depth major field of study/emphasis core, and a cross-discipline core to help ensure the breadth needed for innovation.

Bachelor of Innovation Requirements

Credit Hours

The total number of credits needed to graduate in the BI in Business Administration will be 120 credit hours (45 hours must be upper division).  Thirty hours must be completed at UCCS as a College of Business student to meet the residency requirement.

General Education

The BI program follows the Compass Curriculum for General Education as established by UCCS. 

The Innovation Core

This requires 24 credit hours, geared toward innovation and entrepreneurship; a key component is multi-disciplinary team activities over the sophomore, junior and senior years.

The Degree/Major Emphasis

This is the set of courses that a student takes to satisfy the main area of emphasis-the “core” of the bachelor’s degree program. For the BI in Business Administration, 45 minimum credits in business are required.

Cross-Discipline Core

Each cross-discipline core is a coherent collection of 15 credits from one “cross-over” area that each student selects in their degree program. The goal is to provide some basic knowledge, appreciation, and experience about what professionals in that area do and to provide sufficient background to effectively interact in that domain. The cross-discipline core is a targeted list of courses, not just a total number of credits in an area. See below for a list of courses in each cross-discipline core. Up to three credits of approved career development courses may also be used to satisfy the requirements for any cross-discipline core. Please visit the BI website at innovation.uccs.edu for more information.

Model Degree Program for Business, BI™


The Model Degree Program for the Bachelor of Innovation lists all course requirements for the degree. Equivalent courses taken at other institutions prior to admission to this degree program may satisfy some requirements, subject to College of Business and Administration policies regarding the transfer of academic credit. The order in which these courses are taken may vary with course availability; however, normal degree progress requires that students complete the degree in a freshman, sophomore, junior, senior sequence in order to complete prerequisites as required. Course prerequisites and class standing requirements are strictly enforced by the College of Business and Administration.

Course Requirements


ROAR Program


Purpose:

The purpose of the ROAR program is to prepare undergraduate College of Business students for their transition from college to career. The program focuses on career exploration, career planning, professionalism, and networking. The goal of the ROAR program is for students to seamlessly transition from their academic careers as College of Business students to careers as business professionals.

Goals:

  1. Provide students with an in-depth understanding of their interests, skills, and values, and how these match to particular jobs and professions.
  2. Give students hands-on experience on how to write cover letters and resumes, practice effective interviewing techniques, develop effective job-hunting skills, and refine the art of building a professional network.
  3. Immerse students in experiential learning opportunities to gain real-world experience prior to graduation. This may include internships, service-learning and volunteer opportunities, and part-time employment.
  4. Help students converse, interact, and dress in a professional manner.
  5. Provide students with tools to successfully transition from the College of Business to a career as a business professional.

Program Requirements:

The ROAR Program consists of three phases and an experiential learning experience. The experiential learning experience is a graduation requirement and requires a 150-hour work/learning experience commitment. 

Students are required to complete the phases in succession along with additional career development events as a graduation requirement.

The College of Business may be able to accept equivalent coursework to fulfill these phases.

Note: The three (3) ROAR Program Courses: BUAD 3100, BUAD 3200, and BUAD 3300, are built into students’ Cross-Discipline Core. 

Areas of Emphasis


Accounting


Students who earn a degree in accounting are prepared for careers in financial accounting, managerial accounting, accounting systems, taxation, and auditing. The emphasis is designed to prepare students to work in public accounting, business and industry, and not-for-profit and governmental organizations.

Coursework in accounting at UCCS conveys a comprehensive understanding of the theory and concepts that underlie practice. Emphasis is placed on logical reasoning and critical thinking to enable students to solve problems in accounting and to make sound policy decisions in the context of social, legal, and political environments.

Accounting students should work closely with accounting faculty and advisors in planning a degree program that is congruent with their career goals. Information about specific state requirements for CPA licensure is available at the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy website: www.nasba.org.

The undergraduate area of emphasis in accounting consists of a minimum of 21 semester hours in upper-division accounting courses. All accounting majors are required to complete the following six courses:

Required Courses


Cybersecurity Management


The Cybersecurity Management emphasis is designed to meet the increasing employer demand for cybersecurity professionals to protect corporate IT assets. It will prepare students for a career in cybersecurity across diverse industry sectors including finance, healthcare, government and defense. The course sequence in Cybersecurity Management emphasis will train students for entry level and mid-level cybersecurity roles of cybersecurity analyst, risk analyst, cybersecurity consultant, and IT Auditor. Students will develop necessary skills and competencies to handle day-to-day cybersecurity operations and programs in organizations.

Finance


Finance encompasses both the science and the art of managing money and investments. The finance curriculum is divided into three primary areas: financial management, financial markets and institutions, and investments. The study of finance provides students with an understanding of numerous financial theories such as the relation between risk and return, the factors that determine asset values, and strategies for minimizing the risk exposure of both corporations and investors. An understanding of these theories helps students develop the ability to make sound and practical business and personal investment decisions. The importance of finance in the economy and the functions and purposes of monetary systems, credit, prices, money markets, and financial institutions are stressed throughout the area of emphasis. Students are trained to think logically regarding financial problems and to formulate sound financial decisions, policies, and practices.

The finance emphasis prepares students for jobs in a corporate industrial setting or in the financial services industry. Students who study corporate finance prepare for careers in managing corporate assets. Specific jobs in the corporate setting can include cash and receivables management, capital budgeting decision-making, short- and long-term financial planning and analysis, risk analysis and management, and financing decisions. Financial services careers include positions in investment counseling, insurance, personal asset management, and other financial planning careers.

The finance emphasis is also part of the CFA Institute University Affiliation Program, indicating that the curriculum is closely tied to professional practice and is well-suited to preparing students to sit for the CFA examinations.

To meet the 21 credit hours of upper-division coursework in the finance emphasis, students must complete the following required courses and three of the elective courses listed below.

Required Courses


Choose three courses from the following:


Human Resources Management


The goal of the human resources management function in organizations is to develop and maintain effective relationships between employers and employees. Human resource (HR) managers achieve this in a number of ways-matching people’s skills to job requirements, developing fair compensation practices, appraising employees’ performance levels, developing employees’ skills and abilities through training and career planning, implementing productivity improvement programs, and many other activities. HR managers perform these roles ethically and legally in an ever-changing environment. These changes include new employment laws, the changing skills and demographics of the workforce, people expecting more and different things from their employers, and companies becoming increasingly globalized in their operations. The HR manager’s job is challenging, and they are in high demand.

The human resources management emphasis prepares students for careers in HR by covering such topics as recruiting, staffing, training and development, performance appraisal, evaluation, compensation, career planning, safety and health, equal employment opportunity and affirmative action, and labor relations.

Information Systems


The use of information technology is pervasive in the business world today. No matter what career is chosen, virtually all students will have to work with and understand the basics of information technology to be successful. The information systems area of emphasis helps prepare students for this technology-centric world.

The information systems curriculum includes an introduction to basic computer hardware and software, programming, databases, networking, system security, along with the fundamentals of system integration and documentation. The continuous advances in the use of enterprise systems and mobile systems make the field one from which to build a productive career in business.

International Business


Economies are intertwined as never before, and in most industrial sectors competition is increasingly global. Simultaneously, there are several new and dynamic events and processes that influence the world’s economic, cultural, and political arenas. It is essential that managers understand the implications of these changes. They affect managers in at least three ways. First, firms that see themselves as primarily domestic companies are facing increased competition from foreign firms in their domestic market. Secondly, foreign markets and resources are becoming increasingly important in terms of incremental revenue, profitability, sources of technology, and capital. And third, U.S. worldwide economic influence has diminished in a relative sense, and it has become more important than ever for executives to be aware of international influences.

This area of emphasis addresses these issues and introduces students to the challenges and basic skills required for effective international business management.

Foreign Language Recommendation


Students majoring in international business are strongly encouraged to use their lower-division electives for learning another language and/or taking a language immersion program.

Management


Today’s highly competitive, constantly changing global environment places a premium on skilled managers who know how to lead and motivate people, build high performance teams, develop world class organizations, and understand the dynamics of organization behavior. Organizations of all sizes and types need skilled managers.

The management curriculum provides a foundation for careers in management, human resource management, small business management and entrepreneurship, and public agency management. This area of emphasis addresses contemporary issues in management and the changing roles of managers and leaders at all levels of the organization. 

Marketing


Global and national economies are directly influenced by marketing, a dynamic and challenging activity relevant to profit and nonprofit organizations alike. Marketing is the guiding force in conceiving and designing products and services, pricing them according to perceived value in the marketplace, promoting them through advertising and personal selling to potential buyers, and providing acceptable distribution arrangements for customers. Customer-oriented planning and implementation provide the cornerstone of modern marketing techniques and strategies.

Marketing is a vital ingredient in an organization’s formula for success in effecting mutually beneficial exchanges between buyers and sellers. Because marketing is a synthesis of a wide variety of disciplines including: management, economics, psychology, statistics, and sociology; marketing courses tend to attract students that excel in creative areas, problem-solving capabilities, and strategic thinking.

Our graduates typically find career opportunities in sales, advertising, marketing research, product development, retailing, wholesaling, e-commerce and related endeavors, both domestically and internationally. 

Digital Strategy and New Media Marketing Track


The Digital Strategy and New Media Marketing Track is designed to give students a competitive edge in workplace readiness. This track produces students who are ready to begin work in both innovative startups that need to gain traction quickly and build a consumer base, as well as established companies that have or are developing a digital presence in the pursuit of growth. Among the qualifications students will gain in this track are, a well-developed understanding of brand management and promotion in the digital landscape, a solid foundation for digital business models, new forms of digital-based revenue and blockchain technology, how to develop and execute email, pay-per-click, and social media campaigns, and industry relevant certifications-all of which can be added to the student’s resume upon completion.

Service Management


In the U.S., approximately 82% of the labor force and 80% of the GDP are accounted for by services. Virtually every organization has a significant service component. The Service Management area of emphasis is an integrated collection of courses designed to provide the unique skills and knowledge required to succeed in the service economy. This emphasis is especially valuable for those who plan to work in a management or professional capacity in the service sector, including professional service organizations (e.g. law, accounting), customer service departments, call centers, help desks, insurance etc.

Supply Chain Management and Analytics


In the rapidly evolving global market, the expectation for timely delivery of goods and services necessitates sophisticated supply chain strategies. The Supply Chain Management and Analytics program introduces fundamental supply chain concepts and emphasizes the critical nature of global sourcing and the optimization of intricate logistics networks. By integrating robust analytic skills, the curriculum empowers students to improve supply chain efficiency and master the management of complex projects, preparing them for the challenges of modern logistics networks and service operations.

Managing supply chains efficiently is critical to our economy and society. This program is designed for individuals keen on developing their analytical and modeling capabilities, intrigued by the opportunity for global collaboration, or passionate about humanitarian logistics.  Those with military experience or a background in logistics and related fields will find this program to be exceptionally beneficial, adding significant value to their professional capabilities.

Upon graduation, students are well-prepared for careers in managing warehouses, distribution centers, transportation systems, operations, and services.  For those drawn to international challenges, paths in global sourcing and humanitarian relief offer promising avenues for impactful work. The program also paves the way for engaging careers in analytics that serve a wide range of industry sectors for growth and innovation.

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