Mitchell College of Business

MITCHELL COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Dean: Carl C. Moore (251) 460-6419
Associate Dean: Deborah F. Spake (251) 460-7907
Director of Graduate Studies: John E. Gamble (251) 460-6418
Mitchell College of Business Student Services (251) 460-7167

Mitchell College of Business web site
http://www.southalabama.edu/mcob

DEPARTMENTS OF INSTRUCTION

	Department of Accounting
	Department of Economics and Finance
	Department of Management
	Department of Marketing

The Mitchell College of Business offers the degrees of Bachelor of Science, Master of Accounting and Master of Business Administration.

The foundation of the College is quality instruction in all undergraduate and graduate programs. Our instructional mission is to prepare our graduate and undergraduate students for professional careers in the fields of accounting, economics, finance, management, and marketing through a curriculum designed for both broad exposure to each field and in-depth coverage within a specific field of choice.

MISSION, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

To provide an internationally accredited business education program to qualified undergraduate and graduate students, to support the economic development of the region and contribute to the continuing success of the University. We accomplish this mission through quality instruction, faculty scholarship, and external services.

PRIORITIES

I. Instruction

The highest responsibility of the College is the instruction of its students and primary emphasis is placed on excellent teaching. In so doing, the College affirms its commitment to the University focus on excellence, lifelong learning and the education of the whole person. The College fulfills its instructional mission through the B.S. degree program for undergraduates and the M.B.A. and Master of Accounting programs at the graduate level.

II. Intellectual Contributions

The College encourages and supports faculty basic and applied scholarship as well as instructional development for the purposes of expanding knowledge, enhancing classroom instruction, and contributing to regional economic development. Scholarship is broadly defined to include investigative efforts that lead to the origination, the integration, or the application of knowledge pertinent to the various fields of business. A program of continuing scholarship is the responsibility of each faculty member. The College is responsible for using its resources, including faculty recruiting, to encourage, support, and reward faculty scholarship.

III. Service

The College’s service mission is to engage in activities which support and contribute to the development of the University, community and region, and to provide a vehicle for the continuing development of faculty and staff through interaction with the College’s numerous constituents. This mission is accomplished through participation in the College’s external programs, and through the efforts of individual faculty and staff.

CENTER FOR BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH

The Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) publishes a monthly newsletter showing trends in local business and visitor activities; maintains a community database; publishes faculty working papers; and undertakes applied business and economic research in cooperation with the state and local agencies.

THE CENTER FOR REAL ESTATE STUDIES

The Center for Real Estate Studies offers students the opportunity to increase their knowledge of real estate research and the local real estate market. The Center also offers educational services to the business community and is committed to academic excellence, strong partnerships with the real estate industry, rigorous research policy on related topics, and research support for community based real estate initiatives.

THE MELTON CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION

The Melton Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation engages in education, research, and outreach that is focused on the areas of family business issues, social entrepreneurship, technology transfer to successful business operations, and small business sustainability. The activities of the Center directly support the service mission of the Mitchell College of Business to contribute to the economic development of the region.

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER

The University of South Alabama Small Business Development Center is one of eleven Small Business Development Centers located in universities around the State. Funded jointly by the Small Business Administration and the University, the Center offers business services to business people in a six-county area of southwest Alabama. The SBDC provides free one-on-one counseling, and conducts workshops that address the problems of the business community.

CAREER SERVICES CENTER

The University Career Services Center acts as a liaison between employers and students. Business and professional firms of national significance visit the campus regularly to interview prospective graduates.

SCHOLARSHIPS

The Mitchell College of Business offers prestigious scholarships to entering freshmen students from Alabama who are majoring in the Mitchell College of Business. Contact the Office of Enrollment Services, (251) 460-6494, for application procedures, deadline dates and more information about the Abraham Mitchell Business Scholarships. In addition, scholarships for eligible students in the Mitchell College of Business are made available by local and regional firms in Accounting, Management, Marketing, Real Estate, and Finance. (Refer to the Financial Aid section of this Bulletin for details.)

COOPERATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM

The Cooperative Education Program is available to students in the Mitchell College of Business. This program offers qualifying students opportunities to work part-time while attending school as a full-time student or alternate full-time employment with course work on a rotating semester basis. For details contact the Director, Career Services Center, 2100 Meisler Hall, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama 36688-0002, (251) 460-6188.

ADMISSION TO THE MITCHELL COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Students may transfer from other colleges in the University to the Mitchell College of Business. Degree requirements are defined by the University Bulletin in effect for the semester of entry into the College.

A student’s counseling file must be available for evaluation of courses required for a degree in Business.

TRANSFER STUDENTS

The Office of Student Services of the Mitchell College of Business evaluates for credit all courses transferred from other colleges and universities. Degree credit will be given only for those courses which meet the requirements for the degree program of the College.

Students transferring from a junior college may have a maximum of 64 semester hours accepted toward the degree program. No junior- or senior-level courses listed in the curriculum of the Mitchell College of Business will be accepted from a junior college for degree credit.

TRANSIENT COURSE CREDIT

Students enrolled in the Mitchell College of Business must receive prior approval from the MCOB Dean’s Office before enrolling in any courses at another institution. Approval will not be granted for dual enrollment for any semester in which the requested course is taught at USA.

If the course is a major requirement, prior approval of the Department Chair is also required.

Transient course approval may be granted on one of the following conditions:

1.	Students who are not residents of the area and who leave USA to return home for one or more semesters.

2.	Students who move to another area prior to completing all degree requirements but who have met the residency requirements for the Mitchell College of Business.

3.	Students who are scheduled to graduate and the course will not be offered at USA during the final term.

FAILURE TO OBTAIN PRIOR APPROVAL MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF TRANSFER CREDIT FOR THE COURSE WORK. The Transient Approval form may be downloaded from the MCOB web site and forwarded to the Office of Student Services for consideration.

STUDENT CLASSIFICATIONS, RESPONSIBILITY AND ADVISING

Student classifications in MCOB are Pre-Business, Business Administration, and Declaration of a Major. Freshmen admitted as exceptions to the University of South Alabama admissions criteria and freshmen that are required to complete one or more developmental studies courses will be admitted in the Pre-Business Classification. Students in the Pre-Business Classification will be restricted to enrollment in General Education classes, which can include CIS 150 and BUS 150.

In order to advance to the Business Administration classification, students admitted in the Pre-Business classification must successfully complete any developmental studies requirements and 24 or more of the 44 credit hours of approved General Education courses with a GPA of 2.0 or higher.

All students, other than those in the Pre-Business classification, enrolling in the College will list Business Administration as their major area until they have completed the Basic Business Techniques Core listed below with a "C" grade (2.0) in each course.

Each student enrolled in the Mitchell College of Business must complete the following Basic Business Techniques Core before enrolling in any course of the MCOB 300 or 400 series:

ACC 211, ACC 212
BUS 245, BUS 255
BUS 265
CIS 250
ECO 215, ECO 216
EH 101, EH 102
MA 120

BUS 305
FIN 315
MGT 300
MGT 305
MGT 325
MKT 320

After completion of this Business Core, each student must declare a major selected from the fields of Accounting, Economics and Finance, Management, Marketing, or General Business. In Economics and Finance, Management, and Marketing, a concentration must also be declared. Those planning to declare Accounting as a major must also complete ACC 371 and ACC 331 with a C or better before declaring Accounting. Those planning to declare Management as a major must also complete MGT 340 and MGT 351 with a C or better before declaring Management. After declaring a major, students will be advised by a faculty advisor from that area.

Students attending other colleges, including junior colleges, who are planning to enter the Mitchell College of Business must take at least fifty percent of the required business credit hours and at least six (6) out of nine (9) major courses at the University of South Alabama.

Each student is responsible for meeting all requirements of the degree program. Before registering for any course, students must complete any prerequisites listed in course descriptions in this Bulletin. The Office of Student Services is available to all students for the evaluation of their degree-program record. When an exception is made in a student's program, written approval of the exception by the Associate Dean must be placed in the student's file. Failure to properly document exceptions may delay graduation.

REQUIREMENTS FOR SECOND MAJOR IN BUSINESS

Undergraduate students enrolled in the Mitchell College of Business who plan to add a second major to their curriculum must meet all requirements for the second major. Courses included in the business core requirements and the first major cannot be counted toward the second major requirements. A minimum of 15 semester hours in the second major must be taken in addition to degree requirements.

DUAL MAJOR ACROSS COLLEGES

Students not enrolled in the Mitchell College of Business and interested in a dual major in business must meet with an adviser in the Office of Student Services for information.

MINORS IN THE MITCHELL COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Students in other colleges may elect, with the approval of their department chair, a minor in the Mitchell College of Business. A 2.0 GPA is required for the courses applied toward the minor. Students must complete at least 50% of the courses counted towards the minor at the University of South Alabama.

ECONOMICS MINOR

A minimum of 21 semester hours in Economics including:

ECO 215	ECO 216
ECO 315	ECO 316

Plus nine semester hours of other upper-level courses numbered 301 or above.

GENERAL BUSINESS MINOR

ACC 211

ACC 212

BUS 245 or ST 210

BUS 265

FIN 315 or FIN 305

ECO 215

MGT 300

MKT 320

GENERAL MANAGEMENT MINOR

ACC 211

BUS 265

ECO 215

MGT 334

BUS 245 or ST 210

MGT 340

MGT 300

MGT 351

MGT 305

MARKETING MINOR

ACC 211

ECO 215

MGT 300

MKT 320

MKT 374

MKT 380

MKT 350

MKT 382

MKT 385

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE

All students enrolled in the Mitchell College of Business are required to take specified Business courses and courses in other Colleges of the University. Additionally, a major field of study must be selected in either Accounting, Economics and Finance, Management, Marketing, or General Business. Students who attend evening classes only may select a major in General Business or Accounting. The General Business major is delivered online. Other majors are not available in the evening.

To graduate, you must have a minimum of 128 semester hours with an overall institution grade-point average of 2.0. In addition, a "C" grade is required in each of the Basic Business Techniques Core courses and a 2.0 grade-point average is required for all courses counted in the Major.

All students enrolling in the Mitchell College of Business must complete at least fifty percent of all business credit hours and at least six of the nine courses counted toward the major at the University of South Alabama.

All students must petition for graduation according to University requirements explained elsewhere in this Bulletin.

Requirements for a degree in the Mitchell College of Business are detailed below. The sequence, as outlined, is intended as an example schedule only. Freshman and sophomore students may take lower division courses in any combination which meets prerequisite requirements. Each student must comply with Course Prerequisite Requirements as listed in the course description sections of the current University Bulletin.

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION CURRICULUM

English Composition Requirements	Semester Hours
EH 101 - English Composition I *	3
EH 102 - English Composition II *	3

General Education Requirements
MA 120 - Calculus and Its Applications *	3
Literature (EH 215-216, 225-226, or 235-236) 2nd Literature course of sequence	3
Fine and performing Arts (ARS 101, DRA 110, MUL 101, ARH 100, or ARH 103)	3
Humanities & Fine Arts (Select 1 from: CA 110, 211, ARS 101, DRA, 110, LG 111, 112, 131, 132, 151, 152, 171, 172, MUL 101, PHL 110, 131, ARH 100,103, or 123)	3 3
History (HY 101, 102, 135, or 136)	3
Behavioral Sciences (PSY 120, SY 109, or AN 100)	3

Science Requirements
Natural Science with lab (Select 2 from BLY 101 or 121, BLY 102 or 122, CH 101, 103, 131, 132 GEO 101, GEO 102, GY 111, 112, PH 101, 104, PH 114 or 201, Ph 115 or 202)	4 4

Freshman Core/Non-Business	9
BUS 150 - Introduction to Business and Management **
2 electives

**BUS 150 is required of all incoming freshman. All transfer students will be exempted from BUS 150 and must select three non-business electives.

Non-Business Electives (9 Hours Required)

Business Core (A minimum grade of "C" is required in each course in this area)

ACC 211 - Accounting Principles I *	3
ACC 212 - Accounting Principles II *	3
BUS 245 - Applied Business Statistics I *	3
BUS 255 - Applied Business Statistics II *	3
BUS 265 - Legal Environment of Business I *	3
CIS 250 - Advanced Computer Applications *	3
ECO 215 - Principles of Microeconomics *	3
ECO 216 - Principles of Macroeconomics *	3
BUS 305 - Information Systems & Technology or ISC 305*	3
FIN 315 - Business Finance*	3
MGT 300 - Management Theory & Practice*	3
MGT 305 - Organizational Communication (W)*	3
MGT 325 - Operations Management*	3
MKT 320 - Principles of Marketing*	3
* Courses which must be completed before student can declare a major.

Major Courses (27 hours - 6 of the 9 must be taken at USA) (2.0 GPA is required in this area)	27

Business Electives (300 - 400 level)	12

Business Policy Requirement
MGT 485 - Business Policy in a Global Economy (W)	3
MGT 486 - Undergraduate Comp Exam (MGT 485 Co-Req.)	0

TOTAL BUSINESS CURRICULUM	128 Semester Hours

ONLINE GENERAL BUSINESS MAJOR

The online general business major is designed for students that have completed, or are in the process of completing, the freshman and sophomore level degree requirements and who desire to complete a business degree through the online delivery of the junior and senior level requirements.

The program assumes the student has completed 68 credit hours of general education and sophomore level business requirements. Students enrolled in the general business online degree program must complete 60 credit hours of junior and senior requirements and all of these courses are available online each year. The online courses curriculum allows the student to complete the program in two years or five semesters. Although the curriculum is set up for a five semester sequence, students are not required to complete the courses in the listed sequence. Additionally, students are not required to enroll in a certain number of courses each semester to participate in the online degree program.

For additional information about the online program or for academic advising, please contact the:

Office of Student Services
Mitchell College of Business
MCOB 110
Phone: 251-460-7167
Email: mcobadviser@usouthal.edu

Required General Business Major Courses

MGT 340 - Organizational Behavior

MGT 351 - Human Resource Management

MGT 334 - International Management

MKT 374 - Buyer Behavior

MKT 379 - Retailing

MKT 336 - International Marketing

MKT 345 - Real Estate

MKT 375 - Supply Chain Management

MKT 385 - Services Marketing

REPEAT COURSE POLICY

If a course in the Mitchell College of Business is completed with a grade of "C" or better, the course cannot be repeated for credit. Any grade received will not be counted in the calculation of the Grade Point Average (GPA). Any required course in the BSBA program taken at the University of South Alabama with a grade of "D" or "F" must be retaken at the University of South Alabama.

THE MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DEGREE PROGRAM (MBA)

The Master of Business Administration degree program is designed to enable individuals to study advanced concepts of business, industry, and government operations. This program is intended for both the active manager or technical supervisor as well as the recent graduate who is interested in advanced study in the field of business. The program includes accounting, finance, quantitative methods, marketing, economics, human behavior, and labor-management relations.

The program requires fourteen (14) courses, each carrying three (3) semester hours credit. The normal load is two courses per semester. Students are expected to make appropriate arrangements with their employers to meet classes on time, avoid absences due to out-of-town travel, and provide sufficient time to complete library and other assignments as required.

The graduate program offered in Business Administration is fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

THE MASTER OF ACCOUNTING DEGREE PROGRAM (MAcc)

Students may earn a Master of Accounting degree in the Mitchell College of Business. The admissions requirements, academic regulations, and general degree requirements are the same as those required for the MBA Degree. The Master of Accounting program seeks to provide advanced knowledge in accounting, enhance selected skills, and instill professional attributes. Graduates of the program are prepared for a career in the field of accounting or the pursuit of additional graduate studies.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR MBA AND MAcc

The Mitchell MBA and the MAcc program have a fall only admission policy.

a bachelor’s degree from an institution accredited by the appropriate United States regional accreditation agency or equivalent for international institutions.
a minimal grade-point average of 3.0 on all undergraduate work (A=4.0), and
a minimum GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) of 450 and
a combination of GPA and GMAT score that meets the requirements of the following formula:

A student who has a bachelor’s degree with less than 3.0 but greater than a 2.5 (A=4.0) or a minimum grade-point average of 2.75 on the last 64 semester hours of college work may attain Provisional Admission provided the student meets the minimum GMAT score requirement and meets the requirements of one of the two following formula:

200 x GPA + GMAT = 1050 or

200 x UDGPA (last 64 hours) + GMAT = 1100

In addition all applicants must achieve a GMAT Analytical Writing score of 3.0 or higher.

The GMAT must have been taken in the last five years.

International students must submit documentary evidence showing TOEFL test scores of 525 or above or its equivalent.

The non-degree category is reserved exclusively for students with an MBA Degree. Students in this category must obtain permission of the Director of Graduate Studies before registering for any graduate courses in the Mitchell College of Business.

REQUIREMENTS FOR REGULAR STANDING

A Provisional Admission student will qualify for Regular Standing upon completion of a minimum of nine semester hours taken for graduate credit (500 level) toward degree requirements provided at least a “B” average is maintained in all such work attempted.

ACADEMIC REGULATIONS

The following regulations apply to all graduate students and encompass all work taken as a graduate student including all graduate degree courses (core, elective, concentration, business and accounting).

Any term, in which a graduate student drops below a 3.0 Program GPA, the student is placed on probationary status and has a period of two terms to attain a 3.0 Program GPA or be dismissed.

Courses taken outside the Mitchell College of Business which are not an approved part of the degree program will not be included in the computation of the grade-point average.

TRANSFER CREDIT

A maximum of twelve (12) semester hours of graduate credit earned at another institution may be considered for credit toward degree requirements in the graduate program. Transfer credit is approved only after completion of a minimum of nine (9) semester hours of graduate credit (500 level) toward degree requirements at the University of South Alabama and the student has qualified for Regular Standing. Only grades of “A” or “B” may be accepted as transfer credit. Transfer credits are not used in the calculation for the grade-point average. Students transferring from other University of South Alabama graduate programs must complete a minimum of thirteen courses (39 semester hours) after formal admission into the Mitchell College of Business graduate programs.

TRANSIENT APPROVAL

Students enrolled in the Master of Business Administration Program and the Master of Accounting program are expected to complete all requirements at the University of South Alabama. Students transferring from other accredited graduate programs may transfer a maximum of nine credit hours (three courses) to be counted toward USA graduate requirements. Once enrolled at USA, students are expected to complete the degree requirements at USA.

Transient student requests will be approved only under the following conditions:

The student is graduating and the specific course requirement is not offered at USA during that term.
The student is moving from the Mobile area and can complete the degree requirements at another accredited institution (a maximum of nine hours if the student has not transferred other graduate credit to USA).

Transient approval will not be granted for students to enroll in graduate classes at other local (non-AACSB accredited) institutions.

FAILURE OF A COURSE

Should a student fail more than one course, he or she will be dismissed. In no case will a student be permitted to repeat a course more than one time.

TIME LIMITATION

All requirements for a master's degree must be completed within seven calendar years from admission as a graduate student at the University of South Alabama.

GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS

Graduate Assistantships are awarded on an annual basis and are granted for the academic year. The stipend for the two semesters is $8,000 and waiver of up to nine hours of tuition. Out-of-state fees, if applicable, are also waived. Fees are paid by the student.

Application forms can be obtained from the Director of Graduate Studies, Mitchell College of Business.

REQUIREMENT FOR DEGREES

MBA students must satisfactorily complete fourteen (14) three semester-hour graduate courses. Students seeking the Master of Accounting degree must complete ten (10) accounting courses.

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION CURRICULUM

To earn a Master of Business Administration degree from this University, a student must satisfactorily complete the following fourteen (14) graduate courses.

ACC 501- Survey of Financial Accounting

ACC 502 - Managerial Accounting

ECO 506 - Economic Theory

ECO 507 - Topics in Managerial Economics

FIN 508 - Introduction to Corporate Finance

FIN 509 - Intermediate Corporate Finance

ISC 545 - Management Information Systems

MGT 521 - Data Analysis for Business Decisions

MGT 522 - Operations Management and Analytical Decision-Making

MGT 530 - Managing People and Organizations

MGT 532 - Legal and Ethical Environment of Business

MGT 580 - Strategic Management

MKT 541 - Strategic Marketing

MKT 544 - Global Environment of Business

MGT 599* - MBA Comprehensive Exam (corequisite with MGT 580. No credit hrs.)

THE MASTER OF ACCOUNTING DEGREE PROGRAM

Students seeking the Master of Accounting degree are required to complete any of the following foundation courses as designated by the Director of Graduate Studies. In addition, students must complete six (6) graduate accounting courses and four (4) elective courses.

Undergraduate Foundation Courses
All courses must be taken as an undergraduate student or transferred into the university before admission will be granted to the MAcc program. Courses must have been passed with a minimum grade of "C" to complete a prerequisite requirement.
			Prerequisites
	ACC ACC CIS ACC ACC ACC ACC ACC ACC	211 212 250 331 341 371 372 381 451	ACC 212 ACC 212, CIS 250 ACC 212 ACC 371 ACC 212 ACC 372

MAcc CORE (18 Hours Required)
			Prerequisites
	ACC ACC ACC ACC ACC ACC	511 521 531 534 541 571	ACC 511, ACC 531, ACC 541

Elective Courses (12 Hours)
	ACC ACC ACC ACC ECO FIN MGT MGT	416/516* 432/532* 452/552* 461/561* 507 509 530 532
* This course is dual-listed with a 400-level course. Students may not repeat dual-listed courses completed at the 400-level.

CPA Eligibility

Persons seeking qualification to sit for the uniform CPA examination in the state of Alabama must have completed a minimum of 150 semester hours or 225 quarter hours of postsecondary education, including (1) a baccalaureate degree from an accredited university, and (2) evidence that he or she has satisfied either one of the following:

At least 33 semester hours or equivalent quarter hours (excluding principles of accounting courses) at the upper division undergraduate and/or graduate level, including minimum requirements in each of the following areas: financial accounting - 9 hours; auditing - 6 hours; taxation - 6 hours; management accounting - 3 hours; governmental and not-for-profit accounting - 3 hours; additional accounting - 6 hours and at least 30 semester hours or equivalent quarter hours in business courses (other than accounting courses) at the undergraduate and/or graduate level, including at least 3 semester hours in business law, concentrating primarily on the Uniform Commercial Code.

Awarded a graduate degree in accounting or business and completed a course of instruction that includes all of the requirements specified in (a) above.

If you need any further information, see the Chair of the Department of Accounting.

DESCRIPTIONS OF ALL BUSINESS (BUS) COURSES