Business Administration

Program Scope

The College of Business is made up of ten departments supervised by chairpersons. The departments are:

  • Accounting
  • Decision Sciences
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Hospitality and Tourism Management
  • Information Systems
  • International Business
  • Labor and Employment Studies
  • Management
  • Marketing

The primary objectives of the College of Business at San Francisco State University are to:

  • Provide students majoring in business administration with a foundation in the basic concepts and practices of the business community, and with a particular expertise in one or more of the specialties of practice, to prepare them to think creatively and to exercise critical judgment in the making of business decisions;
  • Provide other students with a general understanding of the foundations and philosophies of the business community;
  • Encourage a continuous liaison with the business community to respond to the educational needs of that community;
  • Encourage faculty professional development activities designed to provide service to all segments of business and education for business through academic research and publication, applied research and publication, community education and services (seminars and consulting involving non-publishable, proprietary research, for example), and self-education or study designed to improve business knowledge and expertise.

The College of Business Student Services Center, located in the Business Building, Room 112, provides on-site academic program counseling for students enrolled or interested in business.

Major

B.S. in Business Administration

Concentrations in:

Minor

Minor in Business Administration

Explanation of Course Descriptions, Symbols, and Terms

BUS 300GW Business Communication for Professionals - GWAR (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to upper division Business majors; ENG 214 or equivalent with a grade of C- or better.

Written and oral fundamentals of business communication; hands-on experience creating common formats of written and oral communication at the standard expected of business professionals; ethical and legal implications of business communication. (ABC/NC grading only)

Course Attributes:

  • Graduation Writing Assessment

BUS 320 Legal Aspects of Business Transactions (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Restricted to accounting majors; ENG 214 recommended.

Rights and obligations arising out of common business transactions such as contracts, agency, employment, business organizations, and negotiable instruments. Consideration of the law related to investors, including securities law and the professional and legal responsibilities of accountants.

BUS 360 Business Communication (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Restricted to upper division Business majors; COMM 150, ENG 214, or equivalent with grades of C- or better.

Written and oral communication including theory, business writing, oral reports, problem-solving, data analysis, use of visual aids in communication, and ethical/legal issues.

BUS 440 Ethics at Work: Business Impacts (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Upper division standing or consent of instructor.

Analysis of applied ethical theory, decision-making and practice to workplace issues in business and related organizations using interactive learning case studies, class exercises, and student presentations.

Course Attributes:

  • UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities

BUS 450 Greening of Business (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: ENG 214, COMM 150.

Impact of business firms on the natural environment; forces driving businesses to become environmentally sustainable and types of approaches businesses are taking to respond to environmental issues.

BUS 499 Culminating Experience Continuous Enrollment (Unit: 0)

BUS 682 Seminar on Business and Society (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Restricted to senior Business majors; BUS 300GW or BUS 360 or DS 660GW, MGMT 405, each with a grade of C- or better.

Dialogues and case study analyses of business and its interaction with the ethical, legal, public policy, social, technological, and environmental effects on individual stakeholders in managing the business enterprise in domestic and global societies. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 690 Seminar in Business Policy and Strategic Management (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Upper division standing; BUS 360 or BUS 300GW or DS 660GW, FIN 350, DS 412, MKTG 431, MGMT 405, ISYS 363 or ACCT 307, all with grades of C- or better.

Capstone seminar in business policy and strategic management. Case studies provide background for organizational and functional problems. Emphasizes international environment. Solutions (oral and written) include implementation and methods of quantifiable evaluations. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 699 Independent Study (Units: 1-3)

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor, adviser, and department chair.

Intensive problem analysis under the direction of a business faculty member. Open only to upper division students who have demonstrated ability to do independent work. [CSL may be available]

BUS 714 Elements of Graduate Business Writing (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate business students, graduate students in other majors with the consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs. For students who do not meet minimum written English proficiency.

Integrated basic writing skills with principles of business writing and organizational communication. May not be used to meet master's degree ATC requirements. (CR/NC grading only)

BUS 776 Data Analysis for Managers (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate business students, graduate students in other majors may enroll with the consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs.

Spreadsheet-based statistical tools to support decision making in operations, finance, marketing; graphical and descriptive tools for data analysis, correlation, regression, estimation, probability distributions, hypothesis testing. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 780 Financial Accounting (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate business students, graduate students in other majors with the consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs.

Survey of financial accounting including relevant standards and concepts. Preparation and use of financial statements; measurement and reporting of financial information to external parties. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 782 Information Systems for Management (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate business students, graduate students in other majors with the consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs.

Information systems and their use in business management. Information technology for managers, the role of different types of information systems in businesses, common information systems, problem-solving, and application development. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 783 Economics for Managers (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate Business students, graduate students in other majors with the consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs.

Macroeconomic and microeconomic environments within which businesses operate. Applications of intermediate level economic theory to business operations and management decisions on a local, national, and multinational basis. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 784 The Political, Social, and Legal Environment of Business (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate Business students, graduate students in other majors with the consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs.

Contemporary social, political, and legal issues that demonstrate the mutual impacts of economic and non-economic institutions both here and abroad. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 785 Financial Management (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate Business students; graduate students in other majors with the consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs; BUS 780, BUS 776.

Using valuation as the theme, the course covers the conceptual, analytical, and institutional aspects of financial decision making. Specific topics include time value of money, valuation models, capital budgeting, risk and return, required rate of return, modern portfolio theory, and capital structure. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 786 Operations Analysis (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate Business student; graduate students in other majors with the consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs; BUS 776.

Production management and control with related computer applications: production and distribution planning, inventory control, and demand forecasting. Quantitative analysis. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 787 Marketing Management (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate Business student, graduate students in other majors with the consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs.

Introduction to basic marketing concepts, principles, theories, and techniques. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 788 Management Principles and Organizational Behavior (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate Business students, graduate students in other majors with the consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs.

Management, organization theory, and behavioral analysis applied to conventional management problems in domestic and international environments. (Plus-minus letter grade only) [CSL may be available]

BUS 857 Business Management, Ecology, and Environmental Leadership (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate Business students, graduate students in other majors with the consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs.

Impact of business organizations on the natural environment. Approaches to effectively respond to environmental issues. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 859 International Business Negotiating (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: 6 units in SF State graduate program. Restricted to graduate business students and students in the Ethics & Compliance Certificate program. Graduate students in other majors may enroll on a space-available basis with the consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs.

Development of intercultural negotiating skills through cases involving protagonists, organizational contexts, and situations. (Plus-minus letter grade only)
(This course is offered as BUS 859 and IBUS 859. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

BUS 867 Graduate Internship in Business (Unit: 1)

Prerequisites: BUS 700 series, consent of instructor, and an internship in business.

Analysis of actual experience in a business field. Organization and operation evaluated with respect to management theories. Individual study and conferences with instructor. May be repeated once for a total of 2 units. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 881 Financial and Managerial Accounting (Units: 4)

Prerequisites: Restricted to EMBA student or consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs.

Preparation and use of corporate financial and managerial accounting information. Measurement and reporting of financial statements. Use of managerial accounting information in planning, control, decision making, and cost management. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 882 Seminar in Advanced Computer Applications and Information Systems for Management (Units: 4)

Prerequisites: Restricted to EMBA students or consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs.

Information systems architectures and internet/intranet sites in information technology (IT) strategy, N-tier IT solutions development tools, and project management methodology for IT solutions. In-depth treatment of IT solution specifications, IT architecture development, IT development tools, and IT infrastructure. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 883 Economics for Managers (Units: 4)

Prerequisite: Restricted to EMBA students or consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs.

Micro- and macroeconomic analysis for business decisions. Numerical, geometric, and essay applications of intermediate-level economic theory to business operations and management decisions on a local, national, and global basis. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 884 Business Ethics, Society, and Sustainability (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate business student; graduate students in other majors with the consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs.

Role and impact of business in society. Contemporary social, political, legal, and ethical issues that demonstrate the mutual impact of economic and non-economic institutions both domestically and abroad. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 885 Corporate Financial Management (Units: 4)

Prerequisites: BUS 881, BUS 886. Restricted to EMBA students or consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs.

Financial management. Corporate finance: financial statement analysis, valuation, capital budgeting, capital structures, dividend policy, and risk management. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 886 Seminar in Statistics and Operations Analysis (Units: 4)

Prerequisites: Restricted to EMBA students or consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs.

Operations planning and control and related computer applications. Elements of probability and statistics, quality management, inventory control, project management, and demand forecasting. Quantitative analysis and computer applications. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 887 Strategic Marketing Management (Units: 4)

Prerequisites: Restricted to EMBA students or consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs.

Strategic marketing management: the development, evaluation, and implementation of marketing plans for product-markets. Strategic decisions, decisions which have a long-term impact on the organization. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 888 Managing Organizational Change (Units: 4)

Prerequisite: Restricted to EMBA students or consent of the Faculty Director of Graduate Programs.

How organizations evolve, how they are structured and designed, and how they function. Provides a basis for the application of practical models to increase organizational effectiveness. Diagnosis of organizational problems, management of change, and influence on organizational structure. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

BUS 890 Culminating Experience in Strategic Management (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor and approval of Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) and Culminating Experience (CE) forms by Graduate Studies.

Case study analysis as a culminating experience option in fulfillment of the requirements for the master's degree. Strategy formulation, implementation, techniques and decision-making in the context of the economic, social, political, and competitive global environment. (ABC/NC grading; RP allowed)

BUS 895 Research Project in Business (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Minimum 12 units of 800 level business course, consent of instructor and Business graduate office; approval of Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) and Culminating Experience (CE) forms by Graduate Studies.

Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) and Proposal for Culminating Experience Requirement forms must be approved by the Graduate Division before registration. (ABC/NC grading; RP allowed)

BUS 898 Master's Thesis (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Minimum 12 units at the 800 level, consent of instructor and Business graduate studies office; approval of Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) and Culminating Experience (CE) forms by Graduate Studies.

Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) and Proposal for Culminating Experience Requirement forms must be approved by the Graduate Division before registration.

BUS 899 Independent Study (Units: 1-3)

Prerequisites: Consent of instructor, adviser, and department chair.

Intensive study of a particular problem under the direction of a business faculty member. Open only to graduate students of demonstrated ability to do independent work. (Plus-minus letter grade only) [CSL may be available]