Joseph M. Phillips, Jr., PhD, Dean
Susan Weihrich, PhD, Associate Dean for Operations and Undergraduate Programs
Marilyn Gist, PhD, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs
Teresa Ling, PhD, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Programs
Mary Lou Moffat, BA, Director of Albers Placement Center
Barbara Hauke, MBA, Director of Marketing and External Relations
Department Chairs
Accounting: Bruce Koch, PhD
Economics: Gareth Green, PhD
Finance: Fiona Robertson, PhD
Management: Greg Prussia, PhD
Marketing: Carl Obermiller, PhD
Professorships and Endowed Chairs
Robert D. O’Brien Chair in Business: TBD
The Boeing Frank Schrontz Endowed Chair of Professional Ethics: John Dienhart, PhD
Dr. Khalil Dibee Endowed Chair in Finance: Jot Yau, PhD
Lawrence K. Johnson Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship: Leo Simpson, PhD
Centers
The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center: Sue Oliver, Executive Director
Albers Center For Global Business: David Reid, PhD and Peter Raven, PhD, Directors
Center for Business Ethics: John Diehart, Director
Objectives
In the spirit of the Jesuit tradition of academic excellence, student development, and the service of faith through the promotion of justice, the Albers School of Business and Economics provides high-quality educational programs, research and scholarship, and service.
We prepare students for leadership positions in domestic and international business, government, and in nonprofit organizations. Our programs develop responsible leaders who think clearly and critically, judge wisely and humanely, communicate effectively, and act with integrity at all times. They, moreover, foster an ethical and service orientation.
We conduct high-quality research in order to enhance the quality of teaching, foster an intellectual atmosphere, improve management practice, contribute to public policy, and serve society’s needs.
Finally, we encourage and promote high-quality service to the university and community.
Accreditation
The undergraduate and graduate programs are accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business - International.
Organization
The Albers School has two principal divisions, undergraduate and graduate studies. Undergraduate majors are offered in eight business fields, culminating in a bachelor of arts in business administration. In addition, the school offers a bachelor of arts in economics degree program.
Minors are offered in accounting, business administration, economics, entrepreneurship and innovation, and international business. Certificates of post-baccalaureate studies are also available.
Graduate Degrees and Programs Offered
See Graduate Catalog for:
Leadership Executive Master of Business Administration (L-EMBA)
Bridge Master of Business Administration
Professional Master of Business Administration
Master of Science in Finance
Master in Professional Accounting
Joint Degrees in Law and Business
Certificate of Executive Leadership
Certificate of Graduate Studies in Leadership Formation
Certificate in Accounting
Certificate in Business Analytics
Certificate in Business Valuation
Certificate in Finance
Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Certificate in Marketing
Certificate in Sustainability
See School of Law Catalog for:
Juris Doctor
Curriculum
The program of required study for the bachelor of arts in business administration has four principal components: the university core, business foundation requirements, major requirements, and electives. All students fulfill requirements in English, mathematics, philosophy, lab science, social sciences, and theology and religious studies. The business foundation requirements include courses in accounting, economics, finance, legal environment, international, management, marketing, operations, and statistics. Specialization in one of the eight major fields is required. No course in the major may be taken through independent study or internship. Business courses appear under the prefixes ACCT, BETH, BLAW, IS, ECON, FINC, INBU, MGMT, MKTG and OPER.
Pre-Business Option
Students who are qualified academically for the business school but are undecided about a major may elect the pre-business option. This choice allows the students to be housed in the Albers School while they progress through university core and business foundation courses. By the end of the students’ sophomore year, they should have decided on a major area of study and have submitted proper change of major paperwork. The Albers School currently has advisors who work specifically with pre-business students to help them explore the majors available.
Pre-business students must maintain the minimum 2.25 business and cumulative GPA required of students with declared business majors.
Academic Advising
The Albers School of Business and Economics is committed to providing students accessible academic advising services. The intent of academic advising, whether formal or informal, is to assist students in formulating an academic plan consistent with their individual academic and career goals. Academic advisors aid in assessing education goals; provide information about degree requirements, university policy, and university procedure; serve as a referral to other campus resources; and encourage involvement in campus programs and organizations which will benefit the educational experience.
Students are encouraged to make the most of their own education and are ultimately responsible for fulfilling all the requirements of their specified degree. To help students succeed academically, the Albers School provides two levels of advising services: curriculum advising and career advising.
- Curriculum Advising: Curriculum advising is provided by a core group of advisors who can assist students with degree requirements, policy questions, and campus resources. First-quarter registrants, freshmen, and students on academic probation are required to meet with an advisor to register for classes. Continuing students are encouraged to seek academic advising regularly through individual appointments, new student orientations, “express advising” hours or e-mail advising.
- Career Advising: Sophomore, junior and senior students are assigned a faculty member in their major area to discuss career paths and to help with the selection and sequencing of major requirements and electives.
Albers Placement Center
The Albers School Placement Center focuses on preparing undergraduate and graduate students for entering the work force. By providing connections to the business community through such programs as the mentor program, internships, job placement, and educational events, undergraduate and graduate students have the opportunity to interact with professionals in the student’s intended field.
The Albers Placement Center provides the following programs and services:
- Individual career counseling
- Undergraduate and graduate mentor programs
- Internships
- Career Notes (weekly)
- Professional skills workshops (e.g. résumé, interviewing techniques)
- Career Expo (campus-wide career fair sponsored by the Career Development Center) and other placement services on campus
- Library resources for the job search
- Company files
- Networking events with Albers alumni
- Redhawk Network-online internship and job listings for Seattle University students and alumni
- On-campus recruiting
Admission Requirements
First-Time Freshman
Students entering Seattle University, as first-time freshman, with no prior college, are accepted according to university undergraduate admission policy.
Transfer Students
Transfer students, including transfers from other schools within Seattle University, must have a 2.75 cumulative grade point average and 2.75 minimum in business and mathematics courses to be admitted into the Albers School of Business and Economics.
Transfer applicants whose records do not meet the grade point average requirement may request special consideration by writing the director of undergraduate programs of the Albers School of Business and Economics specifying reasons for the exception request. A transfer student with 90 or more credits whose academic record is good but who has not completed required lower-division courses may be granted provisional admission for a specific number of terms to complete lower-division requirements.
To be accepted as transfer credit in fulfillment of a program requirement, business, mathematics and economics courses must be graded a minimum of C (2.00 on the decimal system).
General Program Requirements
A minimum of 180 credits is required for a bachelor degree in business or economics, including 80 hours of non-business courses. The pass/fail option may not be applied to courses in the business foundation, university core, or business major. Internship and independent study must be graded CR/F and may not be used to satisfy a required course or major elective.
Students transferring courses from another institution and pursuing a degree in business administration (BABA) must earn at least 50 credits (55 hours for accounting majors) of business courses at Seattle University. Forty of these credits (45 of these credits for accounting majors) must be taken at the upper-division (300-400) level. Twenty credits in the student’s concentration must be taken at Seattle University. However, current students who study abroad are allowed to transfer up to 10 credits in their major or concentration from an approved study abroad program. Students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in economics (BA ECON) must normally earn 30 credits of upper-division economics at Seattle University.
A maximum of 15 credits taken by an undergraduate non-matriculated student may be applied toward a baccalaureate degree in the Albers School of Business and Economics.
All Albers Undergraduate students are required to have obtained Excel Level I certification because such a skill is necessary in business and economics.
- All students who start at Albers with less than 45 completed credits need to obtain the certification by the time they have completed 45 credits.
- All Albers transfer students with at least 45 credits upon entrance will need to obtain the Excel Level I certification by the end of their first quarter at Albers.
Double Major
Students pursuing a BABA degree may only earn a double major in two areas of business by completing a minimum of 190 credits and the degree requirements for both majors. Students must complete at least 25 credits in each major. Courses may not satisfy requirements for both concentration areas. If the same course is required in both majors, students must substitute another elective course from one of the major areas. Individualized major may not be one of the areas for a double major.
Academic Progression and Advance Standing in the Albers School
- To be admitted to advanced standing in a bachelor of arts in business administration (BABA) major, at least 90 credits and a cumulative and business grade point average of 2.25 is required. Also, BABA students must have completed MATH 130 or the equivalent, ECON 260 , and at least four of these other required lower-division courses: ACCT 230 , ACCT 231 , BCOM 280 , and ECON 271 and ECON 272 . The grade point average in these courses must be at least 2.25. To be admitted to advanced standing in the bachelor of arts in economics program, at least 90 credits and a cumulative and business grade point average of 2.25 is required. Also BAE students must have completed MATH 130 or the equivalent, and ECON 271 , ECON 272 , and ECON 260 . The remaining two required lower-division courses must be completed by the end of the second quarter of their junior year.
- No student is permitted to take business courses numbered 300 or above prior to admission to advanced status in a business major. Exceptions may be requested by majors in other departments from the director of undergraduate programs of the Albers School of Business and Economics.
- Both BABA and BAE students must maintain a 2.25 cumulative grade point average and a 2.25 business cumulative grade point average.
- Students in the Albers School of Business and Economics must earn a grade of C- or better in each course required by the major and supporting courses such as MATH 130 and ECON 271 .
- Students applying for readmission after an absence of four consecutive quarters or more will be required to meet program and performance requirements in force at the time of re-enrollment.
- Students changing to business and economics majors from other majors will be required to meet program and academic performance requirements in force at the time the major is changed.
Dismissal
BABA and BAE majors who have 90 credits and who have not met the stated cumulative grade point average and basic course requirements for junior status are subject to dismissal from the Albers School of Business and Economics.
- If the cumulative grade point average or the grade point average in business and economic courses (including mathematics) falls below 2.25 for three or more successive terms (including summer, if registered) the student is subject to dismissal.
- Anyone who has completed more than 120 credits of degree requirements and has been dismissed ordinarily will not be considered for readmission.
- Students are allowed three attempts at a single course (including grades of I, NC, HW, and W). If the course is not successfully completed on the third attempt students are subject to dismissal from the Albers School.
Graduation
To be granted either the BABA degree or the BAE degree, students must achieve a 2.25 cumulative grade point average overall, as well as a 2.25 cumulative grade point average in all Seattle University course work required by the Albers School and complete a minimum of 180 credits.