Economics and Finance

P.O. Box 70686
Phone: (423) 439-4202
227 Sam Wilson Hall
Web address: www.etsu.edu/cbat/economics/

The mission of the Department of Economics and Finance is to provide students with the high-quality educational experience necessary to succeed in a competitive global environment. To accomplish this mission, we offer both business and non-business degree programs.

Students can earn a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) degree in either economics or finance. The strength of the Economics B.B.A. Program is a concentration in Business Economics . Students who choose this degree path will have an in-depth study of economics to complement the requirements of a traditional business program. A graduate with a Business Economics concentration is well-prepared for employment at all levels of business, government, and the not-for-profit sector. A concentration in General Business is also available for those students who desire a more broad-based education in business.

Students who are interested in Finance can earn a B.B.A. degree with concentrations in Banking , Corporate Finance and Investments , or Real Estate . Each of these concentrations offers the student a program of study that leads to a traditional career path in his or her chosen field. The students in the Finance Program have been especially successful in actively managing a portfolio of funds provided by the Tennessee Valley Authority. This real-life course is available to all well-prepared finance students. All finance students also have the opportunity to work with a team of students and present a case analysis of current challenges in business finance.

For students who prefer not to study in a traditional business program, the department offers a non-business Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Economics . Students who aspire to an international career will particularly benefit from our concentration in International Commerce . This program combines coursework in traditional economics with business, geo-politics, and foreign language to prepare students for a host of career possibilities in government and multinational corporations. As a complement, the department has also established close ties with cooperating universities in Europe and encourages students to participate in the university’s foreign study exchange programs.

Special Admission Requirements for (College of Business and Technology) B.B.A. Majors

Entering business students are classified as business (PBUS) until the Special Admission Requirements, specified below, are met. At the beginning of the junior year (i.e., upon completion of 60 credits), each qualified business student must select a specific business major within the College (e.g., accountancy, marketing) and apply for admission to that business major.

The special admission requirements for business undergraduate majors:

Each student planning to pursue the B.B.A. degree in business must apply for admission to a business major upon completion of 60 credit credits. Students changing into the PBUS category from another major or transferring into ETSU from other institutions have until 75 credits or one calendar year from their major change/admission to complete the PBUS required courses. Application to a business major is a one-time event and occurs as part of the student’s advising session in the Business Advisement Center (room 316 Sam Wilson Hall) during the semester that the student expects to complete the business coursework listed below. The student must meet the following requirements to be accepted into a B.B.A. business major:
1. The student must have attained a minimum overall grade point average of 2.5.
2. The following English composition and mathematics courses of the General Education Requirements must have been successfully completed:

c. A grade of “C” (2.0) or better in each of the following courses (unless the student’s major or concentration specifies a higher minimum grade requirement):

A student can repeat only two of these six courses each a single time in order to achieve a minimum course grade of C (2.0). A student can repeat for a second time only one of these two courses previously repeated in order to achieve a minimum course grade of C (2.0). All PBUS B.B.A. students must have completed these six (6) business classes with a minimum grade of C (2.0) in each and must have declared their business major before enrolling in 4000-level business classes. Students who do not meet these requirements will be unable to declare a business major and/or to continue in the B.B.A. program. This policy holds for courses taken at ETSU or elsewhere once a student is admitted as or declares business (PBUS) as a major at ETSU. Any student who does not meet these admission requirements will be notified of his/her denial of admission to the B.B.A. program by the Business Advisement Office. A student may appeal this denial but is allowed only one appeal of these admission requirements. For the Appeal Form and details on due dates and other appeal requirements, students should consult the appeal process and guidelines for continuation in the business program which are available at the Business Advisement Office (Sam Wilson Hall, room 316) or from the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs (Sam Wilson Hall, room 213).

The applications to become business majors (i.e., the requests to change from PBUS to a business major) will be reviewed during the week after final grades are posted, and students will be notified of their status via email. Those students who are denied acceptance into a business major will be notified of their academic deficiency and be allowed to rectify the deficiency during the subsequent regular academic term. Since the PBUS classification ends after 75 credits, a student who fails to rectify the academic deficiency during the subsequent regular academic term must pursue a major other than the B.B.A. at East Tennessee State University.

Only in special cases will an application be considered past 75 credits of completed coursework; these cases are reviewed by the B.B.A. Admissions Committee. The College encourages and welcomes transfer students from other programs. In all instances, these students will be treated as special cases and an academic schedule will be proposed to each individual student that allows matriculation through the B.B.A. program in an appropriate manner. Progression standards are subject to change. Current standards are available in the Business Advisement Center (room 316 Sam Wilson Hall).

Appeals. Students who have been denied progression into a B.B.A. major may appeal to the Undergraduate Admissions Appeal Committee. Information on the appeal procedures may be obtained in the Undergraduate Programs Office (room 213 Sam Wilson Hall).

These admission standards apply to all entering ETSU students, to ETSU students seeking to change from a nonbusiness to a business major, to students seeking to transfer from other institutions, and to students readmitted to ETSU.

Additional information regarding admissions and retention policies, as well as career opportunities in business, may be obtained in Business Advisement Center (room 316 Sam Wilson Hall).

All business B.B.A. majors are required to complete the curriculum outlined below.

All business graduates must earn a minimum 2.0 overall GPA in all business core requirements and in all major program requirements, including work at ETSU and transfer work. At least 50 percent of the B.B.A. major program requirements for the B.B.A. degree must be earned at East Tennessee State University.

Seniors must successfully complete the Senior Business Exam (SBE) prior to beginning the capstone course MGMT 4910 - Strategic Management . The SBE is administered at the end of the fall and spring semesters. Failure to successfully complete the SBE will result in the student being blocked from enrolling in MGMT 4910 for one semester until the SBE is offered again.