SMG Curriculum
The School of Management curriculum is balanced between a core of requirements and a broad variety of electives. Our aim is to develop competence with flexibility. As of September 2011, in addition to completing all specific requirements outlined below, students who begin their studies as freshmen in the School of Management must complete a total of 136.5 credits. Those who transfer to the School of Management must complete a total of 134.5 credits.
Our curriculum was designed to allow flexibility for students who take coursework outside of Management in areas of specific interest to them. There is a strong focus on writing skills, which are developed through required composition courses.
Please Note: The curriculum is subject to change by the faculty of the School of Management.
Curriculum in Depth
Listed below are the requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree. Some requirements are fulfilled by the completion of a single course, while others are categories to be completed by multiple courses. Please bear in mind that students who have external credits (from Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, another college, etc) may be able to use this credit to satisfy some of these requirements, thus decreasing the actual number of courses to be completed over the four years of the program.
I. The School of Management Core
(denoted in red on the Curriculum Synopsis below)
The required core of the curriculum consists of fourteen courses. The freshman year is made up of the introductory management course “Management as a System” (SMG SM121 and SMG SM122). In the second year, courses are taken in both Financial and Managerial Accounting (SMG AC221 and SMG AC222), Business Statistics (SMG SM221 and SMG SM222), Organizational Behavior (SMG OB221)*, Business Law (SMG LA245) and Charting Your Career Path (SMG SM411). The junior-year Cross Functional Core (SMG SM323) consists of four closely linked courses in Finance (SMG FE323), Management Information Systems (SMG IS323), Operations & Technology Management (SMG OM323), and Marketing (SMG MK323). This program of courses, (entitled the “Cross-Functional Core”), is team-taught by faculty members from these four different departments. Finally, in the senior year, students complete the Strategy and Policy course (SMG SI422).
* Students take SM411 in tandem with OB221; SM411, a half-credit course, is generally taken as a fifth course during one of the sophomore semesters.
II. School of Management Electives
(denoted in orange on the Curriculum Synopsis below)
A minimum of four School of Management (SMG) electives must be completed in residence. These are defined as any four-credit courses offered by the School of Management that are not one of the fourteen required courses described above. Only courses listed in the Boston University Undergraduate Programs Bulletin with an SMG prefix (e.g. SMG FE442) will be accepted to fulfill this requirement. The SMG electives are used to fulfill concentration requirements.
III. Liberal Arts Electives
(denoted in blue on the Curriculum Synopsis below)
Students take a minimum of twelve liberal arts electives towards their degree requirements. The liberal arts requirements are comprised of the following categories:
- Writing Requirements: Students must satisfy writing composition through a minimum of two courses: CAS WR100 and CAS WR150. International Students must take a Writing Assessment to determine the appropriate level writing course in which to begin, but native English speakers will begin by taking WR100. Writing courses below the CAS WR100 level will satisfy Level B or Level C electives.
- Math Requirement:
- Students must complete CAS MA121 (Calculus for the Life and Social Sciences I) or CAS MA123 (Calculus I). An on-line math diagnostic exam is available to aid in determining placement. Depending on their placement score and background in mathematics, some students will take CAS MA120 (Applied Mathematics for Social and Management Sciences) before taking MA121 or MA123. These students can use MA120 to fulfill a Level A Natural Sciences/Mathematics and Computer Science Elective (see below).
- Economics: All School of Management students must take both CAS EC101 (Microeconomics) and CAS EC102 (Macroeconomics) in the freshman year.
- Level A Liberal Arts Electives:There are three courses in this category. Students must take one of each of the following:
- Level A Humanities – See the Elective Requirements page for a list of courses that will satisfy the Level A Humanities Elective Requirement
- Level A Social Sciences – See the Elective Requirements page for a list of courses that will satisfy the Level A Social Sciences Elective Requirement
- Level A Natural Sciences/Mathematics and Computer Science – See the Elective Requirements page for a list of courses that will satisfy the Level A Natural Sciences/Mathematics and Computer Science Elective Requirement
- Level B Liberal Arts Electives: These are four courses beyond the Level As that can be taken from any department within the College of Arts and Sciences. Please see the Elective Requirements for further details.
IV. Level C Electives
(denoted in green on the Curriculum Synopsis below)
There are two Level C electives in the curriculum that can be taken at any other school or college within the University other than SMG. These electives are defined as any four-credit academic electives taken in addition to the required eight College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) electives and four SMG electives. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the variety of courses available at any of Boston University’s other Schools and Colleges. Physical Development Program (PDP), Officers Training Program (OTP), and College of Fine Arts (CFA) musical instrument courses do not count toward degree credit. Please see the Elective Requirements for further details.
V. Free Elective
(denoted in purple on the Curriculum Synopsis below)
As of September 2011, in addition to completing all specific requirements outlined above, students who begin their studies as freshmen in the School of Management must complete a total of 136.5 credits. Those who transfer to the School of Management must complete a total of 134.5 credits.
Free electives are courses that students take beyond the requirements specified above in order to reach the required number of credits.
Students should be aware that the same restrictions concerning course repetition and sequencing – along with the exclusion of PDP, ROTC, and certain CFA courses – that apply to Level B and Level C Electives (described above) also apply to the Free Elective.
Curriculum Synopsis
For students entering Boston University in Fall 2011:
| Fall Semester | Spring Semester | |
|---|---|---|
| First Year | SM 121 Management as a System EC 101 Introductory Microeconomics MA 121 or 123 Calculus for the Life and Social Sciences I or Calculus I WR 100 Writing Seminar or Writing as per placement test |
SM 122 Management as a System EC 102 Introductory Macroeconomics CAS Elective CAS Elective WR 150(1) Writing Seminar |
| Second Year | AC 221 Financial Accounting LA 245 Introduction to Law SM 221 Probabilistic and Statistical Decision Making for Management CAS Elective |
AC 222 Managerial Accounting OB 221 The Dynamics of Leading Organizations SM 222 Modeling Business Decisions and Market Outcomes SM 411 Charting Your Career Path CAS Elective |
| Third Year | SM 323 Cross Functional Core: FE 323 Financial Management IS 323 Introduction to Information Systems MK 323 Marketing Management OM 323 Operations & Technology Management |
Four Courses - Students may choose from SMG electives, remaining CAS electives, Level C electives and/or Free elective |
| Fourth Year | Four Courses - Students may choose from SMG electives, remaining CAS electives, Level C electives and/or Free elective |
SI 422 Strategy and Policy Three Courses - Students may choose from SMG electives, remaining CAS electives, Level C electives and/or Free elective |
CAS = College of Arts and Sciences (liberal arts courses)
SMG = School of Management
(1) Students will be required to complete writing composition through the WR 150 level. Non-native English speakers will take a Writing Placement to determine the appropriate course in which to begin.
This is only a sample curriculum of a student entering SMG as a freshman. Your actual path will depend on your concentration, as well as other academic opportunities such as a minor or study abroad. This outline doesn’t include advanced placement (AP, IB, etc.) or other transfer credit. Students who transfer from within BU, or from another institution, will take SM299, Management as a System (Intensive), in place of SM121/122 and typically follow a modified version of the course progression outlined above.
