Department of Economics and International Business

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College of Business Administration >
Department of
Economics and International Business

BBA in Economics | BBA in International Business | Minor in Economics |
Minor in International Business | Course Descriptions

Acting Chair: Edward Blackburne

Faculty: Ulyses Balderas, Doug Berg, Aditi Bhattacharyya, Edward Blackburne, Donald Bumpass, Mark Frank, Donald Freeman, Fidel Gonzalez, Darren Grant, William Green, Natalie Hegwoo, Lirong Liu, Mitchell Muehsam, Valerie Muehsam, Hiranya Nath, Troy Quast, Isabel Ruiz, George Samuels, Mark Tuttle, Carlos Vargas-Silva

Vision

To develop outstanding Economics, International Business, and Business Analysis programs with faculty that is recognized for excellence in instruction, research, and service.

Mission

To provide curricula that promote critical thinking skills and enhance decision making abilities, which help students become productive and informed citizens. Faculty will engage in research to create and disseminate new knowledge, develop quality-teaching skills, maintain high professional standards, and actively serve the University Community.

The Economics program is intended for students seeking a logical, ordered way of looking at business problems. The principles, approaches, and conclusions derived from the study of economics form the basis for developing sound policies in business, government, and personal life decisions.

The International Business program is designed for students preparing for positions with business, government, or international agencies dealing with international trade and foreign investments. As a result of the growing importance of international trade in the world economy, domestic and multinational corporations face a growing need for employees with specialized training in matters relating to international trade.

Career Opportunities

The study of economics is an effective way to prepare for several types of careers, including:

Management training programs in corporations and financial institutions
Federal, state, and local government employment in administrative and staff positions dealing with analysis, planning, and control functions
Analyst positions on corporate staffs
Graduate education in law, business, public administration, urban studies, and economics.

The study of international business is an effective way to prepare for several types of careers, including:

Management training programs in domestic and multinational corporations
Federal, state, and international agency employment in administrative and staff positions dealing with analysis, planning, and control functions
Graduate education in law, business, public administration, and economics.

Suggested Minors

A Foreign Language
Finance
Economics (for International Business majors
Banking
Accounting
Management
Marketing
Political Science
Math

Student Organizations

Omicron Delta Epsilon
International Business Society

Internships

A student may earn a maximum of six hours in approved, supervised educational work experience in internships. Internship applications are available in the Departmental office. It is the responsibility of the student to identify the internship opportunity. In order to receive academic credit, a student must meet the eligibility conditions, obtain prior approval from the Department Chair, and meet the guidelines established by the College of Business Administration for monitoring the quality of the learning experience.

Scholarships

Scholarships are available on a competitive basis for economics and international business majors. Students are encouraged to apply for scholarships using the ScholarX program on the Financial Aid website. The ScholarX program is a single application that will allow the student to apply for most scholarships available on campus whether at the departmental, college, or university-level. The deadline for applying for Department of Economics and International Business scholarships is February 15. Department of Economics and International Business scholarship recipients are announced in April for the following academic year. The specific scholarships that are available through the department vary from year to year and may include:

Armstrong Foundation Endowed Scholarship in Economics
Armstrong Foundation Endowed Scholarship in International Business
Faculty Scholarship in Economics
Faculty Scholarship in International Business
Assam Scholarship in Monetary Economics
William B. Green Scholarship in International Business

University-Specific Requirements

All students are required to complete the University general education requirements (common core) as described in Degree Requirements and Academic Guidelines section in this catalog. Additionally, all students are required to complete Component Area 1 – Communications (ENG 164 and 165), Component Area 2 – Mathematics (MTH 199 for business majors), and four hours from Component Area 3 (Natural Science) before being allowed to register for upper-division (300- and 400-level) courses.

College-Specific Requirements

General Requirements

General requirements for all majors pursuing the Bachelor of Business Administration degree are as follows:

English 164, 165 <ENGL 1301, 1302>	6 hours
Mathematics 199 <MATH 1324>	3 hours
Laboratory Science	8 hours
Visual and Performing Arts Elective	3 hours
3 hours from ENG 265, 266, PHL 261, 263 <ENGL 2331, 2342>, <PHIL 2361, 2306>	3 hours
Cultural Studies Elective	3 hours
History 163, 164 <HIST 1301, 1302>	6 hours
Political Science 261 and 200-level Political Science course <POLS 2301 and 2000-level Political Science>	6 hours
ECO 233 <ECON 2302>	3 hours
GBA 180 or CTE 133 <BUAD 1305> or <CSTE 1330>	3 hours
Kinesiology 215 <KINE 2115>	1 hour

COM 282 <COMS 2382> or GBA 261 <BUAD 2321> are required for all business majors except for Banking & Financial Institutions and Finance.

Foundation Knowledge for Business

Each program of study pursuant to the Bachelor of Business Administration degree includes the following Core Courses for the Foundation Knowledge for Business. Additional course requirements are outlined by specific departments.

Core Courses (45 semester hours)

Accounting	ACC 231, 232 <ACCT 2301, 2302>	6 hours
Economics	ECO 233, 234, and one advanced course in ECO <ECON 2302, 2301, and one advanced course in ECON>	9 hours
Business Legal Environment	GBA 281 <BUAD 2301>	3 hours
Business Statistics	BAN 232, 363 <BANA 2372, 3363>	6 hours
Business Finance	FIN 367 <FINC 3320>	3 hours
Marketing	MKT 371 <MKTG 3310>	3 hours
Management	MGT 380, 475, 476 <MGMT 3310, 4370, 4390>	9 hours
Business Communications	GBA 389 <BUAD 3335>	3 hours
Managment Information Systems	MIS 388 <MGIS 3310>	3 hours

Minimum GPA Requirements to Earn a BBA Degree
Students must achieve a 2.0 GPA in the following:

• SHSU GPA

• Cumulative GPA (SHSU and transfer)

• SHSU business courses

• Cumulative business courses (SHSU and transfer)

Some business departments/majors may require higher, more specific grade requirements. Review the department/major sections in this catalog for those requirements.

Fifty Percent Requirement
At least 50 percent of the required business curriculum for the B.B.A. degree must be taken in residence at Sam Houston State University.

Entry to Upper Division Courses
Admission to undergraduate upper division courses, i.e., 300- and 400-level <3000- and 4000-level>, in the College of Business Administration, is limited to students who have completed at least 50 semester hours with a GPA of at least 2.0. Students seeking a BBA must complete ACC 231 <ACCT 2301>, ACC 232 <ACCT 2302>, BAN 232 <BANA 2372>, ECO 233 <ECON 2302>, ECO 234 <ECON 2301>, and MTH 199 <MATH 1324> with a minimum GPA of 2.0 prior to taking 300- or 400-level <3000- or 4000-level> business courses.

Curriculum

Major In Economics¹
Bachelor of Business Administration

First Year	Credit	Second Year	Credit
ENG 164, 165 <ENGL 1301, 1302>	6	ENG 265 or 266 or PHL 261 or 263 <ENGL 2331, 2342; PHIL 2361 or 2306>	3
HIS 163, 164 <HIST 1301, 1302>	6	COM 282 or GBA 261 <COMS 2382 or BUAD 2321>	3
MTH 199 <MATH 1324>	3	ECO 234 <ECON 2301>	3
Laboratory Science²	8	POL 261, 200-level Political Science <POLS 2301, 2000-level Political Science>	6
ECO 233 <ECON 2302>	3	ACC 231, 232 <ACCT 2301, 2302>	6
Visual and Performing Arts Elective³	3	BAN 232, GBA 281 <BANA 2372>, <BUAD 2301>	6
KIN 215 <KINE 2115>	1	GBA 180 or CTE 133 <BUAD 1305> or <CSTE 1330>	3
	30		30

Third Year	Credit	Fourth Year	Credit
MGT 380 <MGMT 3310>	3	MGT 474 or 475, 476 <MGMT 4365 or 4370>, <MGMT 4390>	6
GBA 389, BAN 363 <BUAD 3335>, <BANA 3363>	6	ECO 361, 473, or 490 <ECON 3351, 4353, or XXXX>	3
FIN 367, MKT 371 <FINC 3320>, <MKTG 3310>	6	ECO 335, 374, 468, or 480 <ECON 3341, 3344, or 4340>	3
ECO 362, 367 <ECON 3372, 3357>	6	ECO 363, 364, or 370 <ECON 3373, 3374, or 3370>	3
ACC 331 <ACCT 3304>	3	ECO Elective (300- or 400-level) <ECON Elective 3000- or 4000-level>	3
MIS 388 <MGIS 3310>	3	Cultural Studies Electives⁴	3
ECO 463, 465, or 467 <ECON 4373, 4365, or 4357>	3	Electives	9
	30		30

¹ Transfer students must take at least 50% of the required business curriculum for the B.B.A. degree in residence at Sam Houston State University.

² Two four-hour laboratory science courses from: Biology, Chemistry, Geography/Geology (the only geography courses that satisfy a laboratory science requirement are GEO 131/111 <GEOG 1301/1101> and GEO 146 <GEOG 1436>, or Physics.

³ Select from AGR 299 <AGRI 2399>, ART 160, 161, 163, 260 <ARTS 1301, 1311, 1316, 1303>, DNC 172, 176 <DANC 1372, 1301>, FCS 160 <FACS 1360>, MUS 138, 161, 264, 265 <MUSI 2338, 1301, 1306>, or THR 160, 164, 166, 230, 231 <THEA 1330, 1364, 1366, 2330, 2336>. Satisfies the Visual and Performing Arts requirement of Component Area 4 of the Core Curriculum (see the Core Curriculum section of this catalog).

⁴ Select from BSL 236 <BESL 2301>, Foreign Languages 263, 264, GEO 265, 266 <GEOG 2355, 2356>, HIS 265, 266 <HIST 2311, 2312>, or SOC 168 <SOCI 2319>. Satisfies the Cultural Studies requirement of Component Area 4 of the Core Curriculum (see the Core Curriculum section of this catalog).

Minor in Economics

A minor in Economics (18 hours) is available to all bachelor degree programs that permit a minor. The minor in Economics requires ECO 233, 234, 362 or 367 <ECON 2302, 2301, 3372 or 3357>, and 9 advanced hours in ECO <ECON> with a minimum grade point average of 2.0 in these courses. Degree candidates for a minor in economics must achieve a minimum 2.0 grade point average for all hours attempted in business courses, including residence and transfer hours whether required for the economics minor or not.

Major in International Business¹
Bachelor of Business Administration

Students majoring in International Business will automatically have a minor in Economics. There are enough electives in the International Business program to earn a minor in most business disciplines without adding additional hours to the program. Check with your advisor.

First Year	Credit	Second Year	Credit
ENG 164, 165 <ENGL 1301, 1302>	6	ENG 265 or 266 or PHL 261 or 263 <ENGL 2331, 2342; PHIL 2361, 2306>	3
HIS 163, 164 <HIST 1301, 1302>	6	COM 282 or GBA 261 <COMS 2382 or BUAD 2321>	3
MTH 199 <MATH 1324>	3	ECO 234 <ECON 2301>	3
Laboratory Science²	8	POL 261, 200-level Political Science <POLS 2301, 2000-level Political Science>	6
ECO 233 <ECON 2302>	3	ACC 231, 232 <ACCT 2301, 2302>	6
Visual and Performing Arts Elective³	3	BAN 232, GBA 281 <BANA 2372, BUAD 2301>	6
KIN 215 <KINE 2115>	1	GBA 180 or CTE 133 <BUAD 1305> or <CSTE 1330>	3
	30		30

Third Year	Credit	Fourth Year	Credit
MGT 380 <MGMT 3310>	3	ECO 463⁵, 480⁵ <ECON 4373, 4340>	6
GBA 389, BAN 363 <BUAD 3335, BANA 3363>	6	FIN 471⁵ <FINC 4340>	3
FIN 367, MKT 371 <FINC 3320, MKTG 3310>	6	MGT 474 or 475, 476 <MGMT 4365 or 4370>, <MGMT 4390>	6
ACC 331 <ACCT 3304>	3	MGT 471^,6 or MKT 471^5,6 <MGMT 4340> or <MKTG 4340>	3
ECO 335⁵, 374⁵, 468⁵, GBA 465⁵ <ECON 3341, 3344, 4348, BUAD 4340>	6	Cultural Studies Electives⁴	3
MIS 388 <MGIS 3310>	3	Electives⁷	9
ECO 362 or 367 <ECON 3372 or 3357>	3		30
	30

¹Transfer students must take at least 50% of the required business curriculum for the B.B.A. degree in residence at Sam Houston State University.

²Two four-hour laboratory science courses from: Biology, Chemistry, Geography/Geology (the only geography courses that satisfy a laboratory science requirement are GEO 131/111 <GEOG 1301/1101> and GEO 146 <GEOG 1436>, or Physics.

⁵ECO 463 <ECON 4373>, FIN 471 <FINC 4340>, and GBA 465 <BUAD 4340> are typically offered ONLY in the fall semester. ECO 480 <ECON 4340> and MKT 471 <MKTG 4340> (previously MKT 470) are typically offered ONLY in the spring semester. ECO 335, 374, or 468 <ECON 3341, 3344, or 4348> are typically offered every third semester on a rotating basis (one each semester) each fall or spring semester. See an advisor for a schedule of course offerings.

⁶ MKT 471 <MKTG 4340> (previously MKT 470) and MGT 471 <MGMT 4340> (International Management and Marketing) are dual listed courses. A student cannot receive academic credit for both MKT 471 <MKTG 4340> and MGT 471 <MGMT 4340>.

⁷ A minor in a supporting business field or a foreign language is strongly recommended. A minor in most supporting business fields can be accomplished by using the available elective hours. Employment opportunities in International Business are likely to be enhanced with foreign language skills. Students who have high school credits in a foreign language or who have otherwise developed a foreign language proficiency are encouraged to participate in the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Acceptable scores on the CLEP examinations will allow students to earn up to 14 hours of foreign language credits in French, German, or Spanish.

Minor in International Business

A minor in International Business (30 or 33 hours) is available to all bachelor degree programs that permit a minor. The minor in International Business requires ACC 231, 232 <ACCT 2301, 2302>; ECO 230 <ECON 2300> (or 233 and 234 <ECON 2302 and 2301>), 480 <ECON 4340>; FIN 367 <FINC 3320>; MGT 380 <MGMT 3310>; MKT 371 <MKTG 3310>; 6 hours from FIN 471 <FINC 4340>, GBA 465 <BUAD 4348>, MGT 471 <MGMT 4340> or MKT 471 <MKTG 4340>, and 3 hours from ECO 335, 374, 463, or 468 <ECON 3341, 3344, 4373, or 4348> with a minimum grade point average of 2.0 in these courses. Furthermore, degree candidates for a minor in international business must achieve a minimum 2.0 grade point average for all hours attempted in business courses, including residence and transfer hours whether required for the international business minor or not.