HONORS PROGRAM CURRICULUM

Curriculum Explanation

The School of Management curriculum is balanced between a core of requirements and a broad variety of electives.  The 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, two Freshman Colloquia (except for students entering the Program as first-semester sophomores), and three Honors Program seminars before graduating. The optional International Field Seminar is an extension of the Freshman Colloquium and is an option only for Honors Program freshmen, beginning with the class of 2011.  There is also a Community Service requirement that began with the Class of 2010, where students must complete four community service events prior to graduation.  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 academic advising regarding issues such as these.

Students who begin the Honors Program as freshmen can accomplish their requirements by taking four courses for four semesters and taking five courses for four semesters.  During three of these five-course semesters, the fifth course will be an Honors Program seminar, for two credits, whereas the normal course is worth four credits. In the other five-course semester, Honors Program students (like all other SMG 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.

The curriculum is designed to allow flexibility for students to take coursework outside of Management in areas of specific interest to them.  The Honors Program has a strong focus on writing skills, which are developed through required composition courses and in the specialized Honors Program seminars.  Honors Program students also will have the opportunity to explore a variety of liberal arts fields.  Three of the liberal arts Level-B selections must be at the 300-level or above.  This arrangement is conducive, but not limited to, the incorporation of one of the many liberal arts minors available at the University through the College of Arts & Sciences.

Listed on the following page are the categories of courses students are required to take and some specific information regarding them. 

Please Note: The curriculum is subject to change by the faculty of the School of Management.

Honors Program Curriculum Synopsis

	FALL SEMESTER	SPRING SEMESTER
First Year	SM 121 Management as a System (A) EC 101 Introductory Microeconomics (H) WR100 Writing Seminar or WR1501 Writing and Research Seminar (H) MA120 Applied Math for Social & Management Science (H) SM 123 Honors Program Freshman Colloquium (C) Community Service Activity (I)3	SM 122 Management as a System (A) EC 102 Introductory Macroeconomics (H) WR1501 Writing and Research Seminar or CAS Elective (H) PHxxx Philosophy course or CAS Elective (H) SM 124 Honors Program Freshman Colloquium (C) Optional Honors Program International Field Seminar (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 (H) Community Service Activity (I)	AC 222 Managerial Accounting (A) SM 224 Modeling Business Decisions and Market Outcomes – Honors Section (A/F) OB 221 The Dynamics of Leading Organizations (A) SM 411 Charting Your Career Path (A) CAS Elective (H) Honors Program Seminar2 (E)
Third Year	SM 323 Cross Functional Core (A): FE 323 Financial Management MK323 Marketing Management IS 323 Introduction to Information Systems OM323 Operations & Technology Management Community Service Activity (I)	Four Courses – may choose from SMG electives (B), remaining CAS electives (H), and/or Level C electives (G) Honors Program Seminar2 (E)
Fourth Year	Four Courses – may choose from remaining SMG electives (B), CAS electives (H), and/or Level C electives (G) Honors Program Seminar2 (E)	MG422 Strategy and Policy (A) Three Courses – may choose from remaining SMG electives (B), CAS electives (H), and/or Level C electives (G) Community Service Activity (I)

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.
2. The placement above is just a guideline, however students may alter this based on seminar offerings, scheduling conflicts, a semester abroad, or other reasons.  The three seminars must be completed by the end of the senior year to graduate from the Honors Program.  These courses cannot be replaced with a four credit School of Management elective.
3. Community Service activities can be done at any point during the four years.  The placement above is just a guideline.  All activities must be completed and written documentation for participation in each activity must be submitted by the end of the senior year.

This is only a sample curriculum of a typical Honors Program student.  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.

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 SM224), 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. School of Management Honors Program Freshman Colloquium (denoted as "C" on Curriculum Synopsis)

This required component features topics primarily connected to SM 121/122: Management as a System, and is designed to challenge students to think about business from new perspectives.There will be several meetings each semester on Mondays from 4:00 – 5:00 PM in room 222. Each colloquium meeting will feature a guest faculty member or executive businessperson, or a company visit. The colloquium will begraded on a pass/fail basis. Topics and assigned readings will be announced in advance of each session.

IV. School of Management Honors Program Freshman International Field Seminar (denoted as "D" on Curriculum Synopsis).

Boston University School of Management (SMG) is offering Honors Program freshmen a unique chance to gain a global business perspective early on in their academic careers. This optional week-long seminar is a continuation of the Honors Program Freshmen Colloquium (SM123/SM124). Held in Dublin, Ireland for the first time in Spring 2008, the field seminar will provide Honors Program freshmen the opportunity to develop a better understanding of international business by comparing business environments and operations in the United States, Ireland, and Northern Ireland.  The students, accompanied by the Honors Program Faculty Director and three additional chaperones, will visit Irish companies in high tech, finance, and manufacturing and contrast them to US companies visited or studied during the Freshman Honors Colloquium.  Students will learn about the role of international trade and offshoring, and how culture and history affect businesses.  Students will also visit government officials in Dublin and Belfast and explore the link between business, politics, and economic growth.

V. School of Management Honors Program Seminars (denoted as "E" on Curriculum Synopsis)

Honors students are required to take three courses from a menu of two-credit honors program seminars whose topics reflect the important issues facing future business leaders. Some examples of recent seminar topics include: "Corporate Responsibility," "Intellectual Property," “Franchising,” “Competitive Environmental Strategy,” and "Globalization." The goal of this requirement is to provide an extra set of opportunities to help students think more broadly and deeply about the process of leading others and the special functions leaders perform in helping work teams be more effective. This is a requirement only for students enrolled in the SMG Honors Program and students cannot begin taking seminars until the sophomore year.

VI. School of Management Honors Section of SMG SM222 (denoted as "F" on Curriculum Synopsis)

Honors students are required to take the honors section of the sophomore requirement, SM 222 - Modeling Business Decisions and Market Outcomes (Spring), which is numbered SM 224. This section offers the honors students more in-depth exposure to course topics as well as to topics not covered in noon-honors sections.

VII. Level C Electives (denoted as "G" 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. 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.

VIII. Liberal Arts Electives (denoted as "H" 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: Honors Program students will need to 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: Honors Program 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 Divisional Studies: 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).
• College of Arts and Sciences Electives: These are four courses that can be taken from any department within the College of Arts and Sciences. Students in the SMG Honors Program must complete three of these four courses at the 300-level or above.

IX. Community Service Requirement (denoted as “I” on Curriculum Synopsis)

There are four community service activities required of each student, effective with the Class of 2010.  The activities should be completed throughout the four years of the Program.  Although four are required, students are encouraged to get involved in more than four community service activities. For each activity, a written statement including the date and length of service, signed by the coordinating supervisor, must be submitted to Megan Penyack, Assistant Director. The intent of the Community Service requirement is for students to participate in Honors Program-sponsored events in order for student to get to know one another better through their community service work. However, if a student participates in a community service event outside of the program, this may count as one event (please see Megan Penyack, Assistant Director, for approval).