Albers School of Business and Economics

Web: http://www.seattleu.edu/albers/undergraduate/

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: Bridget Hiedemann, PhD
Finance: Ruben Trevino, PhD
Management: Madhu Rao, PhD
Marketing: Carl Obermiller, PhD

Professorships and Endowed Chairs

Robert D. O’Brien Chair in Business: Geneva Lasprogata, JD, LLM
The Boeing Frank Schrontz Endowed Chair of Professional Ethics: Jeffrey Smith, PhD
Dr. Khalil Dibee Endowed Chair in Finance: Peter Brous, PhD
Lawrence K. Johnson Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship: Lisa Zhao, PhD
George Albers Professorship: Jot Yau, PhD, CFA
Genevieve Albers Professorship: Marc Cohen, PhD
Eva Albers Professorship: Quan Le, PhD
Dave Tinius Professorship in Accounting: Valentina Zamora, PhD
Howard J. Bosanko Endowed Professorship in International Economics and Finance: Bonnie Buchanan, PhD

Centers

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center: Sue Oliver, Executive Director
Albers Center For Global Business: Quan Le PhD, Director
Center for Business Ethics: Jeffrey Smith, Director
Internal Audit Center of Excellence: Sarah Bee, 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 nine 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 Professional Accounting
Master of Science in Business Analytics
Master of Science in Finance
Joint Degrees within Business
Joint Degrees in Law and Business
Certificate of Executive Leadership
Certificate in Accounting
Certificate in Business Administration
Certificate in Business Analytics
Certificate in Business Valuation
Certificate in Finance
Certificate in Global Business
Certificate in Healthcare Management
Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Certificate in Internal Auditing
Certificate in Leadership Formation
Certificate in Marketing
Certificate in Quantitative Economic Analysis
Certificate in Sustainability

See School of Law Website 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 nine major fields is required. No course in the major may be taken through independent study or internship. Business courses appear under the prefixes ACCT, BCOM, BETH, BLAW, BUAD, BUAN, ECON, FINC, INBU, IS, 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.

1. 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.
2. 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. Students are offered direct entry for qualified applicants to Albers majors programs at the time of admission. There is an additional application form for admission to the BABA, major in Business and Law.

Transfer Students 

Transfer students are accepted according to the Albers School transfer admission policy.  The average Admit-GPA for entering transfer students of Fall 2013 was 3.48

Transfer applicants who have extenuating circumstances that may have negatively affected their academic performance in the past should provide an explanation in the essay part of their applications.

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 (3000-4000) 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 prior to graduation because such a skill is necessary in business and economics.

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 progress to advanced standing in a bachelor of arts in business administration (BABA) major, students must have earned at least 75 credits and be in good academic standing. Also, BABA students must have completed MATH 1130 or the equivalent, ECON 2100, and at least four of these other required lower-division courses: ACCT 2300, ACCT 2310, BCOM 2800, and ECON 2130 and ECON 2110. The grade point average in these courses must be at least 2.25. To progress to advanced standing in the bachelor of arts in economics program, students must have earned at least 75 credits and be in good academic standing. Also BAE students must have completed MATH 1130 or the equivalent, and ECON 2130, ECON 2110, and ECON 2100. 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 3000 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 1130 and ECON 2130.
• 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.