B.A. Business Administration Curriculum
NOTE: Admission to the major will be available for freshmen in
fall 2008 and for transfer students in fall 2010.
The undergraduate Business Administration program at The Paul Merage School
of Business educates students to understand and apply the theories and concepts
of effective business and management and prepares students for a wide variety
of careers and life experiences. Business Administration majors can pursue careers
in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors or can proceed on to graduate school
in several disciplines including business, economics, and law. The program provides
a broad learning experience in a multidisciplinary and global context and focuses
on the development of essential managerial skills, especially critical thinking,
quantitative and qualitative analysis, and effective communication skills.
The Business Administration major at The Paul Merage School of Business offers
a traditional business curriculum similar to those at top business schools in
the country. The major is broad, drawing on the social sciences more generally
to study organizations, interpersonal communication skills, individual and group
behavior, leadership, strategy, financial and accounting issues, ethics, information
technology, marketing, and a variety of other topics in the content of a rapidly
changing global environment.
The faculty strongly encourages majors to create an educational program composed
of courses within and outside the Merage School that provide substance and focus
to their careers and enable them to pursue their own personal interests. While
preparing students for careers in management, the Merage School, through academic
advising, will help students fashion an undergraduate program that they can
tailor to their own unique career objectives. Examples of programs of study
that allow Business Administration majors to blend management education with
specific industry areas include (but are not limited to) bioscience business,
government service, international commerce, arts management, entrepreneurship
in computer gaming, and other combinations. Through appropriate choice of courses,
students can prepare to pursue a law degree, a master's degree in a variety
of areas, or a doctoral program in business or related disciplines.
Students are required to complete 10 business courses that provide a foundation
in essential core business competencies, followed by a minimum of 10 business
electives selected from specializations. Students select a minimum of one of
three specializations in Accounting, General Management, or Marketing. This
program of study enables students to develop areas of focus as they pursue the
Business Administration major. Because much business is conducted on a global
scale, students are required to either participate in the University's Education
Abroad Program or to take one of a number of designated courses that stresses
the international dimension of a business area. Students interested in learning
more about the full array of requirements for professional licensing in Accounting
are encouraged to visit http://www.dca.ca.gov/cba
and http://www.cpa-exam.org/.
While academic course content is crucial to an undergraduate business major,
auxiliary noncurricular programs also are important to students' academic experience.
The Merage School incorporates a cocurricular element into the classroom experience.
Drawing from Merage School and University resources, students are exposed to
opportunities to enhance communication and presentations skills, attend formal
speaker events, and engage in informal mentoring. The Merage faculty is committed
to ensuring that undergraduate majors have ample opportunity to enhance their
writing and presentation skills through class assignments and a business communication
elective. In addition, students can participate in a business writing program,
where they can work with a writing consultant to further improve their writing
skills.
Students are strongly encouraged to become involved with the clubs that comprise
the new Alliance of Business Students. The Alliance consists of several student
organizations. These high-profile student groups promote interaction between
students and the surrounding business community through their Corporate Speaker
Series, social activities, and student/employer receptions. Students with an
entrepreneurial interest are invited to participate in the annual business plan
competition.
Work experience is an important way to learn about business and management.
UCI's Internship Program, sponsored by the Career Center, can assist students
in finding opportunities to work in either voluntary or paid positions in business,
nonprofit, or industrial settings. Students who plan to enter business or apply
to a graduate school of business or management in the future will find it necessary
to supplement their academic work with a variety of practical experiences.
Another opportunity is UCI's Undergraduate Administrative Intern Program,
which offers selected students the opportunity to assume one-year positions
under the guidance of University administrators. Students can choose from a
range of offices in which they will be asked to undertake special projects specifically
related to the management and administration of UCI and higher education in
general. These internships are supplemented by a two-quarter management seminar
and by field trips to administrative conferences such as meetings of The Regents
of the University of California.
Admission to the Major in Business Administration
NOTE: The Merage School intends to enroll 150 majors per academic year, beginning
in Fall 2008 with freshman enrollees. Applications for transfer students and
change of majors will be accepted for the Fall of 2010, with approximately 8-10%
of the 150 majors entering per year being transfer students or change of majors
(totaling approximately 15 students).
In the event that the number of students who elect Business Administration
as a major exceeds the number of positions available, applicants may be subject
to screening beyond minimum University of California admissions requirements.
Freshmen: Preference will be given to those who rank the highest using the
selection criteria as stated in the Undergraduate Admissions section of the
Catalogue.
Transfer students: Junior-level applicants with the highest grades overall (minimum
cumulative GPA of 3.0) and who satisfactorily complete lower-division courses
in calculus (Mathematics 2A-B), economics (Economics 20A-B), and statistics
and accounting (Management 7, 30A, 30B) will be given preference for admission.
Management 10 may be completed at UCI.
Requirements For The Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration
Please refer to the UC Irvine Catalogue: http://www.editor.uci.edu/catalogue/pmsb/pmsb.1.htm#gen0
Students with questions regarding the Business Administration major
should contact:
The Paul Merage School of Business
Undergraduate Counseling Office
MPAA 226
University of California
Irvine, CA 92697-3130
Telephone: 949-824-1609
E-mail: ugprograms@merage.uci.edu
http://www.merage.uci.edu/
Questions pertaining to UC Irvine admission should be directed to:
Admissions and Relations with Schools
204 Aldrich Hall
University of California
Irvine, CA 92697-1075
Telephone: 949-824-6703
http://www.admissions.uci.edu/
For general campus information:
Telephone: 949-824-5011
http://www.uci.edu/
UCI General Catalogue
UCI Bookstore
Telephone: 949-824-2665
http://www.editor.uci.edu/catalogue/