Business Administration prepares you for careers in business and social enterprise and government sector where management, ethics, technology, critical thinking, and communication skills are essential. Our graduates' entrepreneurial and leadership traits, combined with their business skills and knowledge, have enabled them to launch their own businesses or move into high-potential jobs.

Our goal is for you to graduate with not just a solid foundation in business knowledge and skills, but also with the behavioral attributes that give you a competitive advantage in either your chosen career path or graduate school. We promote our students' success in their chosen careers with business knowledge and skills developed through engaged teaching and learning. We provide integrated, hands-on education and responsible engagement with real-world challenges.

To learn more about the major, visit the College of Business website.

Required Courses

special requirements

AS-T certified students can earn a Business B.S. by completing the special requirements found on the Requirements for AS-T certified students in Business page.

All other Business majors, see below.

standard requirements

In order to graduate, you will also need to complete your general education and university requirements.

Complete ONE of the following courses:

Complete ALL of the following courses:

Complete ONE of the following courses:

  • BUS 309: Principles of Operations Management
  • BUS 311: Oprn Mgmnt-Service Orgs
  • BUS 312: Principles of Sustainable Hospitality Management

To complete the requirements of the Business Degree, select a concentration from the list below, or alternatively, take a minimum of 16 units of upper division business electives in addition to the major core courses.

Accounting 

Complete ALL of the following courses:

Students are recommended to take BUS 482: Audit I (Financial Auditing) and/or BUS 582: Auditing & Assurance as further preparation for the CPA exam.

Agribusiness

Complete ALL of the following courses:

  • CHEM 109: Introductory Chemistry **
  • ENVS 201: Intro to Environmental Science **
  • BUS 434: Policy/Regulation in Environmental Agribusiness
  • BUS 435: Supply Chain Management
  • BUS 454: Advanced Agribusiness Credit & Finance

Complete ONE of the following courses:

  • BUS 322: Integrated Marketing Communications
  • BUS 330: Human Resources Management
  • BUS 421: Marketing Research
  • BUS 425: Global Marketing
  • BUS 433: Management of Nonprofit Organization

** Agribusiness students are required to have a foundation in Plant and Soil Science. Substitutions for these courses will only be approved if they relate to Plant and/or Soil Science and if they also meet General Education “B” area requirements.

entrepreneurship

Complete ALL of the following courses:

  • BUS 322: Integrated Marketing Communications
  • BUS 451: Venture Formation/Finance
  • BUS 410: New Venture Design

Complete ONE of the following courses:

  • BUS 421: Marketing Research
  • BUS 433: Management of Nonprofit Organization
  • BUS 460: Emerging Technology & Business Models

hospitality management

This concentration is suspended until further notice. As of Fall 2015, no new students are able to declare this concentration; students who are identified as Hospitality Management students in CMS prior to Fall 2015 will be able to complete the coursework. If you have questions please contact your Business Advisor.

Complete ONE of the following courses:

  • BUS 311: Oprn Mgmnt-Service Orgs**
  • BUS 312: Principles of Sustainable Hospitality Management **

Complete ALL of the following courses:

Complete ONE of the following courses:

* * Hospitality and Hotel/Resort Management students are required to take BUS 311: Oprn Mgmnt-Service Orgs or BUS 312: Principles of Sustainable Hospitality Management to meet the Principles of Operations Management Upper Division Major Requirement. Substitutions for these courses will only be approved if the student took 309 prior to declaring Hospitality or Hotel/Resort Management concentration.

hotel/resort management

This concentration is suspended until further notice. As of Fall 2015, no new students are able to declare this concentration; students who are identified as Hotel/Resort Management students in CMS prior to Fall 2015 will be able to complete the coursework. If you have questions please contact your Business Advisor.

Complete ONE of the following courses:

  • BUS 311: Oprn Mgmnt-Service Orgs
  • BUS 312: Principles of Sustainable Hospitality Management **

Complete ALL of the following courses:

* * Hospitality and Hotel/Resort Management students are required to take BUS 311: Oprn Mgmnt-Service Orgs or BUS 312: Principles of Sustainable Hospitality Management to meet the Principles of Operations Management Upper Division Major Requirement. Substitutions for these courses will only be approved if the student took 309 prior to declaring Hospitality or Hotel/Resort Management concentration.

Information systems

Complete ALL of the following courses:

  • BUS 460: Emerging Technology & Business Models
  • BUS 468: Business Intelligence for Managers
  • BUS 469: Database Management

Complete ONE of the following courses:

Management & International Business

Complete ALL of the following courses:

  • BUS 330: Human Resources Management
  • BUS 331: Organizational Behavior
  • BUS 493: International Comparative Management

Complete ONE of the following courses:

  • BUS 322: Integrated Marketing Communications
  • BUS 356: Personal Financial Management & Human Resources Strategy
  • BUS 421: Marketing Research
  • BUS 425: Global Marketing
  • BUS 433: Management of Nonprofit Organization
  • BUS 434: Policy/Regulation in Environmental Agribusiness
  • BUS 435: Supply Chain Management
  • BUS 451: Venture Formation/Finance
  • BUS 460: Emerging Technology & Business Models
  • BUS 468: Business Intelligence for Managers
  • BUS 469: Database Management
  • BUS 498: Internship

marketing

Complete ALL of the following courses:

Complete ONE of the following courses:

  • BUS 323: Service Marketing
  • BUS 435: Supply Chain Management
  • BUS 451: Venture Formation/Finance
  • BUS 460: Emerging Technology & Business Models
  • BUS 468: Business Intelligence for Managers
  • BUS 469: Database Management

Learning outcomes

MLO 1 Leadership and Management

Including ability to ~ contribute to organizational effectiveness ~ manage innovation and change ~ exercise leadership effectively and ethically ~ inspire, motivate and empower others ~ use time and other personal assets productively.

MLO 2 Marketing

Including ability to ~ analyze markets, environments and their associated trends and competition ~ develop and use marketing information systems (customer/consumer research via traditional and Internet methods) ~ produce a marketing plan from a holistic perspective, i.e., a socially responsible view of all the organization's stakeholders.

MLO 3 Finance

Including ability to ~ prepare and analyze financial statements and projections ~ analyze a proposed project or investment ~ identify and evaluate sources of financing ~ understand accounting and financial reporting from an ethical and strategic perspective.

MLO 4 Information technology skills

Including ability to ~ identify and analyze an organization's information needs ~ design and implement database systems to meet needs ~ use information technology to support effective and ethical decision making ~ recognize and use technology trends to start or expand entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial ventures ~ use the Internet to disseminate information.

MLO 5 Operations management skills 

Including ability to ~ improve operational productivity of an enterprise ~ improve strategic decisions ~ consistently deliver quality products and services which satisfy customer needs.

MLO 6 Entrepreneurship/intrapreneurship skills and attitudes 

Including ability to ~ recognize and evaluate opportunities ~ envision and launch new initiatives ~ assess and continuously improve performance ~ understand strategic and stakeholder management.

course pathways

This pathway is one example of how you might complete all the requirements for your degree in an order that makes sense given prerequisites. It is meant to give you a general sense of what your education will look like.

Your own unique situation, and a number of other factors, may mean your actual pathway is different. Perhaps you'll need an extra math or language class, or one of the courses we've listed isn't offered in a particular semester. Don't worry, there is flexibility built into the curriculum. You'll want to work closely with an advisor and use the academic advisement report to take all that into account and develop a pathway that's customized for you.

In the meantime, use this example as a starting point for choosing classes or discussing your plans with an advisor. Your advisor is your best resource when it comes to figuring out how to fit all the courses you need, in the right sequence, into your personal academic plan.

general Freshman pathway

Fall Freshman

Course: FYS 181: Multicultural Health OR FYS 182: Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll OR FYS 183: Eat, Love, Learn *
Units: 4
Requirement: E
Course: MATH 115: Finite Mathematics OR MATH 130: Precalculus
Units: 4
Requirements:
  • B4
  • Major
Course: BUS 201S: Macro Economics & Community
Units: 6
Requirements:
Course: Any Approved Course
Units: 1
Requirement:

* This FYS class is just an example. The FYS class you choose might meet a different GE area, so you would have to adjust your actual pathway accordingly.

spring freshman

Course: Any Approved Course
Units: 4
Requirement: A1
Course: BUS 299: Business Analytics Fundamentals
Units: 2
Requirement: Major
Course: Any Approved Course
Units: 4
Requirement: D2
Course: Any Approved Course
Units: 4
Requirement: C2

Fall sophomore

Course: BUS 203: Financial Accounting
Units: 3
Requirement: Major
Course: Any Approved Course
Units: 4
Requirements:
Course: Language 102
Units: 4
Requirements:
  • C3
  • Language Proficiency
Course: Any Approved Course
Units: 4
Requirements:

spring sophomore

Course: BUS 205: Managerial Accounting
Units: 3
Requirement: Major
Course: Any Approved Course
Units: 4
Requirement: B2
Course: BUS 206: Business Law
Units: 3
Requirement: Major
Course: Any Approved Course
Units: 4
Requirement: C1

fall junior

Course: BUS 300S: Business Ethics in Action
Units: 4
Requirements:
  • D4
  • Major
Course: BUS 304: Business Communication, Ethics, and Critical Thinking
Units: 4
Requirements:
  • A4
  • Major
Course: Language 201 level
Units: 4
Requirement: Language Proficiency
Course: BUS 305: Principles of Management
Units: 4
Requirement: Major

spring junior

Course: BUS 306: Fundamentals of Marketing
Units: 4
Requirement: Major
Course: BUS 307: Finance
Units: 4
Requirement: Major
Course: BUS 308: Computer Information Systems
Units: 4
Requirement: Major
Course: BUS 358: Principles of Microeconomics
Units: 4
Requirements:
  • D1
  • Major

fall senior

Course: BUS 309: Principles of Operations Management OR BUS 311: Oprn Mgmnt-Service Orgs OR BUS 312: Principles of Sustainable Hospitality Management
Units: 4
Requirement: Major
Course: BUS 310: Entrepreneurship
Units: 4
Requirement: Major
Course: Required Upper Division Business Elective
Units: 4
Requirement: Major
Course: Required Upper Division Business Elective
Units: 4
Requirement: Major

spring senior

Course: BUS 499: Strategic Management-Senior Capstone
Units: 6
Requirement: Major
Course: Required Upper Division Business Elective
Units: 4
Requirement: Major
Course: Required Upper Division Business Elective
Units: 4
Requirement: Major

general transfer pathway

fall junior

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have not met the D2: U.S. Histories & Democratic Participation requirement prior to admission to CSUMB, you will need to add it to your Individualized Learning Plan (ILP). Please check with your Business Adviser if you have any questions.

Course: BUS 304: Business Communication, Ethics, and Critical Thinking
Units: 4
Requirements:
  • A4
  • Major
Course: BUS 305: Principles of Management
Units: 4
Requirement: Major
Course: BUS 299: Business Analytics Fundamentals
Units: 2
Requirement: Major
Course: BUS 300S: Business Ethics in Action
Units: 4
Requirements:
  • D4
  • Major

spring junior

Course: Any Approved Upper Division Course
Units: 4
Requirement: D2
Course: BUS 306: Fundamentals of Marketing
Units: 4
Requirement: Major
Course: BUS 307: Finance
Units: 4
Requirement: Major
Course: BUS 308: Computer Information Systems
Units: 4
Requirement: Major

fall senior

Course: BUS 310: Entrepreneurship
Units: 4
Requirement: Major
Course: BUS 309: Principles of Operations Management or BUS 311: Oprn Mgmnt-Service Orgs or BUS 312: Principles of Sustainable Hospitality Management
Units: 4
Requirement: Major
Course: Required Upper Division Business Elective
Units: 4
Requirement: Major
Course: Required Upper Division Business Elective
Units: 4
Requirement: Major

spring senior

Course: BUS 499: Strategic Management-Senior Capstone
Units: 6
Requirement: Major
Course: Required Upper Division Business Elective
Units: 4
Requirement: Major
Course: Required Upper Division Business Elective
Units: 4
Requirement: Major