College of Business

Dean: Mark Suazo

Executive Assistant to the Dean: Kelly DeSimas (562) 985-5307

Associate Dean for Administration: Sabine Reddy (562) 985-7967

Associate Dean for Accreditation: Jasmine Yur-Austin (562) 985-7166

College Office: College of Business - 200

Telephone: (562) 985-5306, FAX: (562) 985-5742
Website: College of Business

Graduate Programs and Executive Education: Rod Smith, Director (562) 985- 5421

Departments

Accountancy:
Sudha Krishnan, Chair (562) 985-5757

Finance:
Pia Gupta, Chair (562) 985-8615

Information Systems:
Ying Liu, Chair (562) 985-4554

International Business Program:
Ming Chen, Director (562) 985-4751

Legal Studies in Business:
Terrence Giannone, Director (562) 985-7770

Management and Human Resource Management:
Mark Washburn, Chair (562) 985-4757

Marketing:
Yu Wang, Chair (562) 985-4776

Accreditation

Undergraduate and graduate programs are internationally accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), 777 South Harbour Island Blvd., Suite 750, Tampa, FL 33602-5730, phone: (813) 769-6500.

Academic Advising and Learning Support

The College of Business advising office for undergraduate students is the COB Center for Student Success (CSS).CSS is committed to encouraging personal and academic success for enrolled Pre-Business and Business majors. Our goals are to assist undergraduate students with making a successful transition to and establishing their place in the University and COB; to take responsibility for learning how to set academic, career, and personal goals and learning the strategies to achieve those goals; and to graduate in a timely manner by successfully meeting all major requirements. We provide services for current COB majors and minors. Each student is an important member of the COB community, and we want your experience here to be a successful one. Students can meet with their COB Advisor by scheduling through BeachConnect or during drop-In hours posted on our website. CSS also provides learning support by way of free tutoring through our COB Study Annex, which provides both in-person and virtual services during the weekday and some weekends via appointments. Students can connect with CSS by visiting our main office located in COB 100 or by emailing COB-CSS@csulb.edu. For a complete list of services and information, please visit the CSS website.

The Graduate Business Programs Office provides academic advising and career counseling for graduate business students. Advisors are available to assist students with admission, registration, and degree requirement information. For a complete list of services and information, please visit the Graduate Business Programs Office website.

COB 363

(562) 985-5565

cob-gradprograms@csulb.edu

Student Center for Professional Development and Internships

The College of Business (COB) Student Center of Professional Development (SCPD) works with its advisory board and corporate partners to offer effective career support for our students. The SCPD offers students four programs to assist in student personal and professional development. These programs include the Business Professional Certificate (BPC), Community Scholars (CS), Junior Mentoring Program (JMP), and Corporate Mentoring Program (CMP). All SCPD programs deliver a flexible range of opportunities, beyond academics, proven to give students a competitive advantage as they prepare for today’s demanding workforce.

The BPC program offers approximately 20 professional development workshops presented by business professionals each semester (fall and spring). These workshops are a window into the “real professional world,” and provide students opportunities to network with presenters.

The CS program helps inner-city high school students understand the long-term benefits of a college degree and what it takes to achieve it. In this program COB students provide group mentoring to high school sophomores (principally inner-city) identified by their counselors as having college potential but unlikely to go to college without an intervention such as CS. Participating high schools vary depending on individual school scheduling and administration.

The JMP pairs early-career professionals with junior students in a one-on-one mentoring relationship for one semester (fall or spring) to help students prepare for their college careers. The early career professional mentors offer guidance based on their own experiences and focus is given to resume-building and professional development activities to better prepare students for the job market and complement their academic learning experience.

The CMP pairs mid to late or retired career professionals in a one-on-one mentoring relationship for an academic year (August-May) to help students prepare for life after graduation. Through unbiased advice that is a product of the mid to late or retired career professional mentor’s own life and career experiences, they help students with career decisions and goals which often result in tangible achievements in addition to soft skills development in areas such as self-awareness, professionalism, and self-confidence. This program also features an intense three-day, two-night leadership retreat in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Internships in the College of Business (COB) are optional but highly encouraged for all students to explore. Internships are designed to immerse students in a professional work environment while utilizing the academic skills learned within the classroom. Internships provide the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experiences by exploring the various positions and companies within one’s chosen field. The COB Internship Coordinator offers services and resources for advising on internship opportunities, receiving academic credit, resume/cover letter review, mock interviews, and more to further enhance and develop the competitive skills desired by employers in the professional workforce.

Students can contact SCPD and COB Internships to discuss its programs, services, and resources by visiting our office (COB-366), via phone at (562) 985-2265 or via email at scpd@csulb.edu and cob-internships@csulb.edu. Further information is available on the SCPD Website and COB Internships Website.

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance is provided to business students through the University Financial Aid Office. That office administers funds made available through the federal and state governments and through certain private sources. Awards are provided to students who demonstrate a need for assistance with educational expenses.

Achievement Awards

Additional information about the following awards and their requirements can be obtained from the COB website.

Applications for Outstanding Undergraduate are usually due in late January to mid-February. Each department may select up to three Outstanding Graduates. From among the chosen Outstanding Undergraduates, the Dean of the College selects the Dean’s Medalist. These awards are reserved for graduating seniors and must have a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or above in their major based on grades through the fall semester along with other considerations for applicants.

Beta Gamma Sigma is the international honor society recognizing the outstanding academic achievements of students enrolled in collegiate business and management programs accredited by AACSB International. Applications to membership are due online in early April at: Beta Gamma Sigma website. All new members will be inducted at an awards ceremony in mid-May.

The Delta Sigma Pi Scholarship Key winner is selected from among those graduating students with the highest GPA (graduates and undergraduates).

In addition, the college offers numerous scholarships. Further information is available on the College of Business website.

Student Organizations

The following organizations are available for business students: American Marketing Association (AMA), Beta Alpha Psi and Accounting Society (BAP/AS), Black Business Students Association (BBSA), Delta Sigma Pi (DSP), Financial Management Association (FMA), Hispanic Students Business Association (HSBA), Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), Human Resource Management Association (HRMA), Association for Information Systems (AIS), International Business Association (IBA), and Society for Advancement of Management (SAM). Student organizations typically host professionals to represent business and industry at weekly meetings.

The Associated Business Students Organization Council (ABSOC) is the coordinating council for all business student organizations. ABSOC co-sponsors the annual “Meet the Industries Expo.” This annual event provides several hundred students with an opportunity to network with corporate recruiters in an environment that is smaller and more intimate than a large, busy career fair. Other programs each semester include a business student organizations’ fair and the student-alumni-faculty-staff mixer. ABSOC also co-sponsors the annual “Ethics at The Beach” seminar with the Ukleja Center for Ethical Leadership (UCEL) and Student Center for Professional Development (SCPD).

Beta Gamma Sigma, founded at the University of Wisconsin in 1907 as a business honor society, is the only honor society recognized by the AACSB - International. Membership is available to business students at California State University, Long Beach only because the College of Business is accredited by AACSB.

Election to membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest scholastic honor that a student in business administration can attain. To be eligible for membership at CSULB, students must rank in the upper ten percent of their junior, senior, or graduate degree program in business.

Computer and Information Technology

Students in the degree program develop basic competencies related to information processing, the application of computers in business and government, management information systems concepts, computer programming, statistics, and financial research with Bloomberg terminals. The computer laboratory consists of most up-to-date instructional software and hardware to facilitate student learning.

General Policies and Regulations

Specific University and College requirements are detailed in various sections of this Catalog. Every student must develop complete familiarity and understanding of the regulations and requirements by which successful completion of a program will be determined. (Also see pertinent section regarding University General Regulations and Procedures).

Admission Under Impaction

Freshman applicants to the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration will be placed in the pre-major code for Business Administration. Transfer applicants must apply to the University during the initial filing period of October and November for the following fall semester or August for the following spring semester. They must indicate their choice of major on the application.

Continuing students seeking admission to the major in Business Administration must meet major specific requirements. Students who are not coded as pre-majors must submit an online request to the COB Center for Student Success (via the CSS website) to be placed into the upper division major once specific degree requirements have been met. Completion of the major specific requirements is not a guarantee of admissions into the major. There is no specific deadline for filing, however it usually takes a minimum of two weeks to complete the application process. Therefore, students should file their applications no later than two weeks before their next registration access date.

Special Enrollment Status

Enrollment through Open University (College of Professional and Continuing Education [CPaCE]) is allowed only on a space-available basis which is determined by the type of course and teaching method as well as classroom capacities. The student must otherwise be qualified.

COB Policy on Course Transfers/Substitutions

The College of Business has a strict policy on course transfers/substitutions. This is necessary to preserve the academic integrity of programs and to meet accreditation standards. No credit by examination will be allowed for any COB course. COB does not accept courses completed at online learning platforms, such as study.com. COB does not accept fully asynchronous online classes taken at other universities as substitutions in our undergraduate program. The COB Center for Student Success can be consulted for more information on course transfers and substitutions.

Requirements

In order to graduate with an undergraduate business degree from CSULB, a student must complete a minimum of 120 units. A majority of the upper division business courses must be completed at this university. For details, refer to the COB Policy on Course Transfers/Substitutions.

All undergraduate students officially admitted to the College of Business (all options) are required to complete all remaining lower division major requirements in a timely fashion. The lower division major courses must be completed within two academic semesters (excluding summer and winter session) to continue with the major.

Academic Degree Progress Rules for Pre-Business Students

Freshmen admission for business majors is to a ‘pre-major’ status (e.g., Pre-management). Continuation in the pre-business major is subject to meeting specific lower division course and GPA requirements at CSULB that indicate the student’s ability to succeed and complete the major.

Pre-business students must complete the following Major Specific Requirements (MSR) within four semesters of being admitted to the University. Students who do not meet the specified degree progress requirements or who do not earn a grade of ‘C’ or better in two attempts of the MSR course must meet with a COB Academic Advisor to discuss their degree progress and explore resources for student success.

At the end of the second semester, pre-business students must have a grade of ‘C’ or better in general education certified written communication, oral communication, critical thinking, and mathematics/quantitative reasoning courses.

At the end of the third semester, pre-business students must have a grade of ‘C’ or better in ACCT 201 - Elementary Financial Accounting, ECON 100 - Principles of Macroeconomics OR ECON 101 - Principles of Microeconomics, and MATH 115 - Calculus for Business or MATH 116 - Finite Math.

At the end of the fourth semester, pre-business students must have a grade of ‘C’ or better in ACCT 201 , ACCT 202 , BLAW 220 , ECON 100 , ECON 101 , and MATH 115 or MATH 116 as well as a minimum combined GPA of 2.5 in these major specific requirement courses.

Additionally, to be fully admitted to any Business option, pre-business majors must also have a minimum cumulative 2.5 GPA.

Grading Policy

All COB majors must maintain major GPAs 2.0 or higher. A student whose GPA in the major falls below a 2.0 will be advised that they are at risk of being dismissed from the major and granted one semester to raise their major GPA(s) to 2.0. Students who do not successfully raise their major GPA(s) must meet with an advisor to declare another major or submit an appeal to the COB Center for Student Success explaining why they need one additional semester. Students whose major GPAs remain below 2.0 after this additional semester must declare a new major.

Business majors and minors may not exercise a Credit/ No-Credit grading option for courses required by the College of Business in their program. No course taken for Credit/No-Credit grading will be accepted to fulfill a Business requirement, with the exception of students transferring Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate credit. Enrollment in a business course as an auditor is not permitted.

Graduate Programs

The College of Business offers graduate study leading to the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Science in Accountancy, MS Financial Analytics, MS Information Systems, and MS Marketing Analytics. The degrees offered by the College of Business are accredited by the AACSB - International.

Graduate business degrees are designed to serve the community by providing graduate business education to persons who show promise of leadership and success in business or related fields. For this reason, the faculty of the College of Business has established rigorous standards of admission and completion for the programs.

Administration of COB Graduate Programs

All College of Business Graduate Programs are administered by the COB Graduate Programs Office, COB 363. The Graduate Programs Director heads that office.

Admission to Graduate Study

In addition to admission by the University Office of Admissions and Records, an applicant for graduate study in business must apply to and be admitted by the College of Business Administration (COB) Graduate Programs Office.

Admission Procedures

Students interested in applying to an MS Program or an MBA program at CSULB should file a CSULB Graduate Program application using the California State University’s online application program called the Cal State Apply website.
One complete set of official transcripts of all college work attempted is required and must be submitted to University Admissions per their instructions.
International applicants should contact the Center for International Education on campus for all application requirements.

In addition to the steps above, all international applicants are required to complete all the usual steps of all applicants to the MS and MBA programs.

Criteria

Admission will be granted to students showing high promise of success in post-baccalaureate business study. Each applicant’s potential for graduate management education is evaluated on the basis of four major criteria:

Past Academic Record, as reflected in undergraduate GPA or other Graduate programs.
Verbal Communication - As demonstrated in the Applicant’s Video “Statement of Purpose”.
Written Communication - As demonstrated in the Applicant’s written short answer essay.
Two Letters of Recommendation.

Admission to Graduate Courses

Only students who have been admitted to the MS or MBA program may take graduate courses in Business Administration. The only exception is that students who have been admitted to other Master’s programs at CSULB may take select graduate courses in the College of Business to meet the requirements for their programs, with the permission of their major advisor and the Director of the Graduate Programs and pending seat availability.

Continuous Enrollment

Once a student is accepted and enrolled in any of the COB Graduate Programs, they are expected to attend classes during all required semesters and sessions for thier program within the academic year. Registration and completion of at least one course each semester satisfies the Continuous Enrollment requirement.

If a student is unable to satisfy the Continuous Enrollment requirement, they must aplly and be approved for an Educational Leave of Absence as detailed below. Continuous Enrollment status will only be preserved if the student’s absence from a regular semester has been processed and approved through the Educational Leave of Absence procedures.

Students failing to maintain Continuous Enrollment status will be administratively removed from the COB Graduate Programs. Registration privileges will be revoked. Students planning to continue in the COB Graduate Programs who have been administratively removed due to the violation of the Continuous Enrollment condition will be required to re-apply to the COB Graduate Programs and to the University.

Educational Leave of Absence

Any COB graduate student in good academic standing may request an Educational Leave - consistent with University Regulations Governing the Master’s Degree and Academic Information and Regulations as listed separately in this catalog.

Scholastic Standards/Academic Warning/Disqualification

A graduate business student who fails to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in all work completed as a graduate student at this University or in all transferred work applied to the program will be placed on academic warning. The semester in which the student’s GPA falls below 3.0 is the First Academic Warning Semester.

A student on academic warning, who at the end of the Third Academic Warning Semester fails to obtain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on all units attempted in post-baccalaureate work at CSULB, will be disqualified and removed from the graduate program. The student should note that the cumulative GPA is calculated by the University Admissions and Records Office and includes all upper division and graduate courses taken while enrolled in the graduate program.

For MBA students, a grade of “C” or better is required in any course taken to satisfy first or second year Core requirements. A grade of “B” or better is required in GBA 699. If either of these requirements is not met, a student must take the course a second time or withdraw from the program. A second failure to achieve the required grade will result in involuntary separation from the program. This requirement operates independently of the requirement for a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.

Programs

Graduate and Professional Degrees

Undergraduate Degrees

Business Analytics Certificate

Courses

Business Law

College of Business Administration

Graduate Business Administration