SMG CURRICULUM
Curriculum Explanation
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. It is important to understand that, in the School of Management, we do not solely count credits towards the degree; instead, we count courses. Students must complete 33 courses. Summer coursework or outside credits may alter the number of courses students need to take or the length of time necessary to complete requirements. Enrolled students should seek advising regarding these issues.
This 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
The program requires students to complete thirty-three courses, usually over four years. 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. Listed below are the categories of courses students are required to take and some specific information regarding them. Please bear in mind that students who have external credits (from Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, another college, etc) may be able 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 as "A" on Curriculum Synopsis)
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), introduction to 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 MG422).
II. School of Management Electives (denoted as "B" on Curriculum Synopsis)
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. 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. Level C Electives (denoted as "C" on Curriculum Synopsis)
There are three Level C electives in the curriculum that can be taken at any other school or college within the University. 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. Effective September '04, one of the three Level C electives may be taken at the School of Management. Physical Development Program (PDP), Officers Training Program (OTP), and College of Fine Arts (CFA) musical instrument courses do not count toward degree credit.
IV. Liberal Arts Electives (denoted as "D" on Curriculum Synopsis)
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 the CAS WR150 level. Students must take the Boston University Writing Assessment (BUWA) to determine the appropriate level writing course in which to begin. Any course that is needed in writing, which is below the CAS WR150 level, will satisfy other liberal arts and/or Level C elective credits.
- Math Requirement: Students must take a calculus-based math course at the CAS MA120 level or higher. An on-line math diagnostic exam is available to aid in determining placement. Most students place above the MA120 level.
- 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 four courses in this category. Students must take one of each of the following:
- a philosophy course approved by the School of Management,
- a College of Arts and Sciences Divisional Studies Social Science,
- a College of Arts and Sciences Divisional Studies Natural Science,
- an additional English Language skills course (this class can be satisfied by a writing course that precedes the WR150 requirement, or if a student begins at the CAS WR150 level, then a literature or advanced creative writing course will satisfy this requirement).
- Level B Liberal Arts Electives: These are four courses that can be taken from any department within the College of Arts and Sciences.
Curriculum Synopsis
| |
Fall Semester |
Spring Semester |
| First Year |
SM 121
Management as a System (A)
EC 101
Introductory Microeconomics (D)
WR 100
Writing Seminar or WR 150(1) Writing and Research Seminar (D)
MA 120
Applied Math for Social & Management Science (D)
|
SM 122
Management as a System (A)
EC 102
Introductory Macroeconomics (D)
WR 150(1)
Writing Seminar or WR 150(1) Writing and Research Seminar (D)
PH xxx
Philosophy course or CAS Elective (D)
|
| Second Year |
AC 221
Financial Accounting (A)
SM 221
Probabilistic and Statistical Decision Making for Management (A)
LA 245
Introduction to Law (A)
CAS Elective (D) |
AC 222
Managerial Accounting (A)
SM 222
Modeling Business Decisions and Market Outcomes (A)
OB 221
The Dynamics of Leading Organizations (A)
SM 411
Charting Your Career Path (A)
CAS Elective (D)
|
| Third Year |
SM 323 Cross Functional Core (A):
FE 323 Financial Management
MK 323 Marketing Management
IS 323 Introduction to Information Systems
OM 323 Operations & Technology Management |
Four Courses - Students may choose from SMG electives (B), remaining CAS electives (D), and/or level C electives (C)
|
| Fourth Year |
Four Courses - Students may choose from SMG electives (B), remaining CAS electives (D), and/or level C electives (C)
|
MG 422 Strategy and Policy (A)
Three Courses - Students may choose from SMG electives (B), remaining CAS electives (D), and/or level C electives (C) |
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. All students will take the Boston University Writing Assessment (BUWA) to determine the appropriate course level. Students who need to start below the WR 150 level will satisfy their English Language Skills requirement and then move onto the WR 150 course as appropriate.
This is only a sample curriculum of a typical student in SMG. One's actual schedule may vary, including a pathway allowing for study abroad during one of the semesters of the junior year. This outline assumes no advanced placement (AP, IB, etc.) or other transferred credit. Pre-entry credits and/or summer courses may allow you to pursue a minor or dual degree program.
