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Programs and Policies

The School of Business academic programs are accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Vision Statement

Where students are inspired and engaged to become successful business professionals.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to:

• Strengthen a culture focused on student learning, critical thinking, and personal discovery;
• Provide collaborative learning experiences that connect students with faculty, business, alumni, and community partners;
• Pursue business research and service activities for faculty that enhance professional development and student learning.

Business Majors and Minors

The School of Business offers the Bachelor of Science in Business (B.S. in Business) degree with majors in the following areas:

• Accounting
• Business Administration (available only at Parkland College)
• Finance
• Management 
• Management Information Systems
• Marketing

Students wishing to pursue a B.S. in Business are classified as pre-business until admitted to the School of Business.  Admission to the University does not guarantee admission to the School of Business.

The School of Business offers eight minors:

• Minor in Accountancy*
• Minor in Business Administration
• Minor in Entrepreneurship
• Minor in Finance*
• Minor in Management*
• Minor in Management Information Systems
• Minor in Marketing
• Minor in Operations and Supply Chain Management

*The minor in Accountancy, minor in Finance, and minor in Management are available only to students admitted to the School of Business.

Application Criteria

To apply for admission to the School of Business, a student must:

1. Be admitted to EIU;
2. Be in good academic standing;
3. Submit an application to the School of Business prior to the first day of classes for the semester of desired admission;
4. Have earned a cumulative GPA of at least 2.50 (2.75 for students applying to the accounting program) and have all transcripts on file at the time of application;
5. Have completed at least 60 semester hours by the end of the semester in which the student makes application; and 
6. Have completed (with a grade of C or better in each), or be enrolled in, the following four tool courses or acceptable equivalents at a transfer institution:
   • MAT 2120G             Finite Mathematics
   • BUS 1950                Computer Concepts and Applications for Business
   • BUS 2102                Managerial Accounting
   • BUS 2810                Business Statistics I

Transfer Students

New transfer students who meet items 4-6 of the application criteria (above) should indicate on the application for admission to the University that they intend to major in a School of Business program.  No special application to the School of Business is required.  Grades received from all other schools will be used in calculating the GPA for entrance into the School of Business.  Transfer students must submit official transcripts to the University Admissions Office immediately following the end of each grading period.

Admission to the School of Business

Students who meet the application criteria will be admitted to the School of Business conditional upon their successful completion of all the following admission requirements:

1. Completion of 60 semester hours;
2. Completion, with a grade of C or better in each,  of all of the following tool courses:

• MAT 2120G    Finite Mathematics
• BUS 1950      Computer Concepts and Applications For Business
• BUS 2102      Managerial Accounting
• BUS 2810      Business Statistics

Conditionally admitted students who do not complete these admission requirements continue in pre-business status and must submit a new application for reconsideration at a later time.  The School of Business Committee on Admission reviews admissions appeals.  All decisions of the Committee are final.

Further Information and Applications

Please contact the following offices for additional information and application forms:

Currently Enrolled Students                    

Student Center for Academic and Professional Development 
School of Business
Lumpkin Hall, Room 2051
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, IL  61920
217-581-2623                                          

New Transfers

Office of Admissions
Old Main, Room 1229
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, IL  61920
217-581-2223
or
800-581-2348

School Of Business Academic Programs

All business majors complete a curriculum composed of three components: general education course work, the business core curriculum, and the major curriculum.  The requirements of each of these curricula are described below. (These curriculum requirements are modified for students enrolled in the B.S.B. in Business Administration at Parkland College.  See the program description in this catalog.)

General Education Curriculum

EIU requires all undergraduate students to complete the general education curriculum, which is described in Section VI of this catalog.  Students who have not completed the foreign language requirement in high school further are required to complete two foreign language courses.  To develop background knowledge for the study of business, business majors also must complete the following general education courses:

• MAT 2120G      Finite Mathematics
• ECN 2801G      Principles of Macroeconomics
• ECN 2802G      Principles of Microeconomics

Business students are encouraged to complete the general education curriculum as early as possible.

Critical Thinking and Quantitative Reasoning

To develop critical thinking and quantitative reasoning skills for business, business majors must complete one of the following with a grade of “C” or better:

• CMN 2040         Argumentation and Critical Thinking
• ECN 3450         Game Theory
• GEG 3810         Geographic Information Systems I
• MAT 2110G      Brief Calculus with Applications
• MIS 3505          Advanced Microcomputer Applications and Development
• OSC 3800         Spreadsheet Modeling and Analysis for Management Decision Making
• OSC 4820         Business Analytics and Data Mining
• PHI 1900G        Logical and Critical Reasoning
• PHI 1990G        Logical and Critical Reasoning (Honors)

Business Core Curriculum

The business core curriculum is designed to help students develop the foundation knowledge and skills common to all areas of business.  Completion of the following courses is required to fulfill the business core curriculum:

• BUS 1000        Introductory Business Seminar
• BUS 1950        Computer Concepts and Applications for Business *
• BUS 2101        Financial Accounting*
• BUS 2102        Managerial Accounting *
• BUS 2750        Legal and Social Environment of Business
• BUS 2810        Business Statistics *
• BUS 3010        Management and Organizational Behavior
• BUS 3200        International Business
• BUS 3470        Principles of Marketing
• BUS 3500        Management Information Systems
• BUS 3710        Business Financial Management
• BUS 3950        Operations Management
• BUS 4360        Strategy and Policy

*Courses marked with an asterisk must be completed prior to admission to the School of Business.

Major Curricula

Each of the business majors includes additional upper division course work that provides the opportunity for more in-depth study of a specific business discipline and for further development of students’ business skills.  Students generally begin their major course work during the junior year.  See the individual business major for a description of the courses required for that major.

School of Business General Policies 

1. Students pursuing a degree other than the B.S. in Business cannot count more than 30 semester hours of business subjects toward fulfillment of their bachelor’s degree requirements.
2. To qualify for the B.S. in Business degree from EIU, students must take at least 50% of their business credit hours at EIU.
3. Students may receive a grade in an upper division business course a maximum of two times.  After a grade has been received in an upper division class at EIU, the School of Business will not accept subsequent transfer of an equivalent course from another school unless the School of Business has given prior written approval to enroll in the specific course at the specific university, which must be AACSB-International accredited.
4. Business students who are academically dismissed from EIU are reclassified as pre-business.  Once readmitted to the university, the student must reapply to the School of Business and meet all application and admission criteria to be readmitted to the School of Business.
5. Students desiring double majors in the School of Business must complete the major course requirements for both majors with a combined minimum of 42 semester hours exclusive of courses in the business core.

Department Faculty

John Willems, Chairperson
Melody Wollan, Associate Chairperson and Coordinator of Graduate Business Studies
Christine Ward, Director of Administration
Kathy Schmitz, Director, Student Center for Academic and Professional Development
Lisa Canivez, Academic Advisor
Renee Stroud-Witt, Admissions Officer, Academic Advisor, and Internship Coordinator

Akalin, G.; Bayer, M; Benner, S.; Boggs, D.; Brown, P.; Chahyadi, C.; Chiou, I.; Coker, K.; Costello, A.; Costello, T.; Dobbs, M.; Fleming, D.; Flight, R.; Grünhagen, M.; Illia, A.; Karim, W.; Kight, J.; King, R.; Kling, S.; Lach, P.; Lee, S.; Lin, C.; McGrady, D.; Minnis, W.; Moncada, T.; Newstrom, N.; Oetting, J.; Riedemann, D.; Sallehu, S.; Shinde, J.; Smith, D.; Snell, J.; Stevens, S.; Sysko, J.; Topaloglu, O.; Wang, N.; Wang, R.; Wen, C.; Whitaker, R.; White, L., Willems, J.; Wollan, M.; ZuHone, D.

Department Telephone: 217-581-2627

Return to: Majors and Minors