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The School of Business and Management is one of only seven schools in the greater Philadelphia area with curricula at both the undergraduate and graduate levels accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
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The School of Business and Management is the primary provider of affordable business education in the Delaware Valley. Following the vision of Russell Conwell, Temple's founder, we have a special role-providing educational opportunities to working students (both full- and part-time) from a diverse background who have ability and ambition.
Through our undergraduate degree program, we seek to improve business practice in the greater Delaware Valley by graduating students who have the skills to lead and manage profit and not-for-profit organizations into the twenty-first century. We actively involve alumni, the local business community, non-profit organizations, government officials, students, and faculty in a continual review of the programs' curricula to ensure that students' needs receive primary consideration in program delivery.
Our students receive a results-oriented education linking current management theory with practice. SBM graduates will have a firm understanding of the core areas of business and have the ability to respond to organizational problems and opportunities from a total enterprise perspective.
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Special Facilities and Programs
Cooperative Education (Co-op)
The School of Business and Management has a strong Co-op Program that is part of the School's overall student professional development program. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in a co-op experience which integrates an undergraduate academic experience in their field of interest with practical on-the-job experience. Students are released for one semester to participate in a full-time co-op experience while enrolling in an optional 3 s.h. co-op course for academic credit. Students also have the option of participating in a part-time co-op experience while attending school on a full-time basis or participating on a full-time or part-time basis during the summer.
Co-op positions involve working in a responsible capacity in a company or organization that will provide students with an exposure to their major field of study. Faculty coordinators work closely with the University's Co-op Office to ensure an effective match between positions and students. Students who participate in the Co-op Program often receive job offers from their co-op employers after they graduate. Participation in the co-op program also is useful to demonstrate job experience in your field of study in the job search process.
To participate in the Co-op program, students must:
Challenge Exams
Although the school does not give credit for life experience, it does permit students who have gained the knowledge of academic course content through non-traditional means to receive credit by a challenge exam for specific SBM courses, with permission of the department chair, and documentation as to how the knowledge was gained.
If the SBM department chair deems that the student has sufficient background, students may, for a $30 fee, take a challenge exam. If the exam is passed, an additional $30 fee will be charged to post the credits to the student's transcript. Call SBM Under-graduate Student Services at (215) 204-7672 for more information on which courses are available for challenge exam.
The School of Business and Management offers a stimulating Honors Program for students with demonstrated ability. Admission to Honors is based on past academic performance and SAT scores. Students in the top 10% of their high school class or students who have a 3.5 GPA in their college work should call the Honors Program to discuss their eligibility.
The School of Business and Management offers students three different options with regard to receiving Honors distinction at the undergraduate level. They are Lower-Division Honors, Upper-Division Honors, and Full Honors.
There are 10 courses offered in the Lower-Division Honors curriculum. Once a student is admitted into the Lower-Division Honors program, a minimum of four courses plus 50% of the remaining courses must be completed to receive certification for Lower-Division Honors. A first semester freshman will usually take seven lower-division Honors courses. Any student with demonstrated academic achievement is eligible for Lower-Division Honors providing they have at least four remaining lower-division courses that can be taken in the Honor's curriculum.
A student who completes four SBM Honors courses at or above the 100-level will receive Upper-Division Honors. Students must take BA391 and may not take more than two courses in any one department. The requirements for Upper-Division Honors apply to all students in the SBM Honors Program regardless of how many credits they had when they entered the Program.
Students who complete both Lower and Upper-Division Honors will receive additional recognition for fulfilling the requirements for Full-Honors.
NOTE: Students in University Honors must complete eight University Honors courses. These must include Comp. 90 and IH 91 and 92. Many SBM Honors courses also satisfy University Honors (e.g., Economics 91 and 92 and Law 91). In addition, one upper division SBM Honors course among eight University Honors courses may be counted.
For more information about the SBM Honors Program please contact Dr. Michael Leeds, Director, SBM Honors Program, 624 Ritter Hall Annex, (215) 204-8030.
Honorary Societies, Awards, and Student Associations
Beta Gamma Sigma
The Gamma Chapter of Pennsylvania of Beta Gamma Sigma, the national honorary business fraternity, was installed in the School of Business and Management in March, 1935. Membership is limited to seniors who are in the upper 10 percent of their class and juniors in the upper seven percent of their class. The members of Beta Gamma Sigma are elected on the basis of high scholarship. Eligible students will be notified by mail and invited to attend a special induction ceremony.
Beta Alpha Psi
The Alpha Phi Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, national honorary professional accounting fraternity, was installed in the School of Business and Management in April, 1956. The purpose of the organization is to promote an interest in accounting as a profession, to encourage good scholarship and high standards of professional ethics, to acquaint members with recent trends in the accounting field, and to develop qualities of leadership. Temple's chapter has been recognized as a "superior chapter" by its national fraternity.
Invitations to join are issued to selected, advanced accounting majors whose grades are above average.
Gamma Iota Sigma
Gamma Iota Sigma is a national honorary risk management and insurance fraternity. The chapter recently won the most outstanding chapter award from its national fraternity. Please contact Dr. Robert Drennan in the Risk Management and Insurance Department at 204-8894 for more information.
Omicron Delta Epsilon
ODE is a national honor society for students interested in economics, whose GPA is at least 3.0. Membership includes a certificate and a one-year subscription to the American Economist.
The society provides several services: free tutoring for economics courses, economics course advising, and literature on graduate school. In addition, ODE presents seminars on current financial and economic issues with outstanding economists, business men and women, and Temple University faculty.
The society allows people who are non-majors or majors in economics to initiate and coordinate projects while forming a closer relationship with the School of Business and Management. In addition, there are faculty/student social gatherings and an annual spring picnic. For information, contact the Economics Department at 204-8880.
Student Organizations
As part of the student's overall professional development, all SBM students are strongly encouraged to participate in student organizations, professional associations and fraternities. Most major areas of concentration in the undergraduate curriculum have an associated organization. Freshmen and sophomores can utilize the organization to find out more about the major fields of studies available to them. They are encouraged to become involved in several organizations if they have not yet selected a major. Juniors and seniors usually become involved in one or two organizations in their major areas of interest.
The student organizations provide an opportunity for students to meet each other outside the classroom as well as to meet practicing professionals from industry and government. Many organizations have an array of social activities that range from fundraising and community service projects to evening gatherings. Involvement in student organizations is a very important part of the student's professional development. Please contact Debbie Avery in the Dean's Office for more information about student organizations at (215) 204-3919.
School of Business and Management College Council (SBMCC)
The College Council is comprised of the presidents from each of the recognized SBM student organizations, associations, and fraternities. Faculty sponsors of these organizations may also attend some of the College Council meetings. The Council's role is to assist the individual student organizations in recruiting members, obtaining funding, sponsoring activities, identifying outside speakers, and communicating with students. The College Council sponsors food drives, student organization fairs, Spring Fling activities, and social events for all SBM students. The Council also works closely with the Dean's Office and identifies issues which are of concern to students and the student organizations.
Office of Undergraduate Student Services
The Office of Undergraduate Student Services provides services at three campuses: Main, Ambler, and TUCC. The Main Campus and Ambler offices are open every weekday as well as during selected evenings. The Center City office is open on selected days and evenings. Please call the appropriate number below for more information.
The advisers in the Office of Undergraduate Student Services can provide information on majors, placement exams and results, course sequence, course load, scheduling, career planning, and academic resources. Advisers can also counsel and, if appropriate, refer students having personal problems affecting their academic performance to other University support services.
The Office of Undergraduate Student Services handles academic advising for all SBM students during registration periods. All students currently enrolled are required to register during continuing student registration. Main Campus students must attend a registration workshop once a year, at which time students will meet with an adviser and receive individualized information about requirements, course selection, and sequencing for the upcoming semesters. In addition, information will be communicated in a group context about academic support services, new rules and regulations, and deadlines and procedures relevant that particular year. Ambler and Center City students will be contacted about the procedures to be followed for registration at their respective campuses.
Office of the Ombudsperson
The School of Business and Management has an Office of the Ombudsperson which is designed to assist students who may be having problems in the classroom or with fellow students. The Ombudspersons provide confidential counseling and will assist students in resolving problems which might arise from grading procedures, claims of discrimination, or clerical errors. The Ombudsperson can provide information about the informal and formal procedures for filing academic grievances and will act as a mediator between faculty and students when problems arise. The SBM Ombudsperson Office is located in Room 1 in Speakman Hall and can be reached at (215) 204-7672. You may also contact Diana Estrada in the Undergraduate Student Services Office about the Office of the Ombudsperson at (215) 204-4560.
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The University policies and regulations generally apply to all undergraduate students and provide a framework within which schools and colleges may specify further conditions or variations appropriate to students in their courses or programs. Such policies specific to SBM follow.
Anticipation of Graduation
Students must submit their application for graduation along with their receipt showing payment of graduation fees prior to registration for their final semester. A graduation review with their adviser will be scheduled at that time. The specific deadlines will be posted in the Office of Undergraduate Student Services-School of Business and Management, Room 1, Speakman Hall, Main Campus and Library 14, Ambler Campus.
Through either a personal appointment or by mail, students will be notified of remaining requirements for their degrees. If students change their graduation date they must re-apply for graduation and have another graduation review with their adviser. There will be no additional fee.
Course Eligibility
Matriculation is required for all upper level courses in the School of Business and Management. Any exceptions must be approved in the Office of Undergraduate Student Services through a special permission procedure.
To be eligible to enroll in courses numbered 0100 or higher, an SBM student must:
Courses Inapplicable to Graduation Requirements
Semester hours earned in SRAP or ELECT, Mathematics 0015 (formerly Mathematics 0001), and lower division (less than 0100) Military Science courses do not yield academic credit toward the minimum total of 120.
Dean's List (Scholastic Distinction List)
Undergraduate students who achieve a semester GPA of 3.5 or above with a completed semester load of 12 or more credits are selected for the Dean's List, which is posted on official bulletin boards in Speakman Hall. Any NR's or I's must be completed within two weeks after the semester ends.
Dean's List for Part-time Students
Matriculated undergraduate students who have earned at least 12 credit hours across an academic year (fall and spring semesters) are eligible to be considered for Dean's List recognition for that academic year.
Dismissal
Failure to achieve a 2.0 cumulative or semester GPA by the semester following placement on probation, may result in academic dismissal. Dismissal is not necessarily preceded by probation. Upon dismissal, a student may petition for readmission after one semester.
Grade Point Average Requirement for Graduation
SBM students are required to attain a 2.3 (2.0 = C) average in all of their Temple coursework and in their major in order to graduate from the School of Business and Management. Students with 57 or more total credits, whose GPA is between 2.0 and 2.29, will be placed on Collegial Probation. Please call the Office of Undergraduate Student Services, (215) 204-7672 (Main Campus) or (215) 283-1399 (Ambler Campus) for more information.
Life Experience
The School of Business and Management does not offer credits for life experiences. Please refer to Challenge Exams, above, for non-traditional means of receiving credit, or see Non-Traditional Credit under the Academic Policies and Regulations section of this bulletin.
Non-matriculated Student Policy
Students not formally admitted to Temple University may take undergraduate courses in the School of Business and Management numbered between 0001 and 0099. Undergraduate courses numbered above 0100 are open to visiting students who have completed a minimum of 60 credits and have written permission from their home institution. Students who have a baccalaureate degree and the prerequisites for the course desired may also enroll in advanced courses.
Registration information and advisers are available for non-matriculated students through the Office of Continuing Education on the Main Campus or through the School of Business and Management advising staff at the Ambler Campus.
Probation
Students whose cumulative or semester GPA falls below a 2.0 are placed on University probation. SBM students with 57 or more total credits, whose GPA is between 2.0 and 2.29, will be placed on Collegial Probation.
Readmission
Students who have not enrolled for two consecutive semesters must submit a Readmission Petition to re-enter the School of Business and Management. The readmission form may be obtained from the Office of Undergraduate Student Services. This form must be filed by November 1 for the spring semester and July 1 for the fall semester. Students who have been dismissed must wait one semester before applying for readmission.
Residence Requirement
A minimum of 30 semester hours, including the majority of the requirements of a major, must be completed in the School of Business and Management at Temple University in order to receive a degree. In addition, a minimum of 50% of the business courses must be completed at Temple University.
Transfer Credits
Courses completed with a grade of C- or higher will be considered for transfer. Business courses taken at colleges or universities which are not members of the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) will be accepted for transfer business credits only if they are equivalent to Economics C051, C052, Accounting 0001, 0002, Computer and Information Sciences 0010, Risk Management and Insurance 0001, Law C001, Statistics C011, C012, C021, 0022. Marketing 0081 (formerly 101) and HRA 0083 (formerly 103) will be accepted for transfer if they were taken during the fall 1994 semester or later.
Some additional upper division business courses may be transferred through validation procedures, which generally include a written examination in the specific subject area of the course to be transferred or, in certain designated courses, by completion of more advanced level coursework with a C- grade or better.
Additional business credits are accepted without validation, from colleges which are members of the AACSB, but 50% of the business courses must be completed at Temple to receive a Temple degree.
It should be understood that it is possible for a student to transfer in a large number of non-business credits which, while accepted by the University, may exceed the maximum number of non-business credits applicable to the degree. If you have questions concerning transfer credits, please call the Office of Undergraduate Student Services at (215) 204-7672.
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Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Business Administration
The degree of Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) may be conferred upon a student by recommendation of the faculty and upon the satisfactory completion of a minimum of 120 semester hours of credit with a cumulative GPA of 2.3 overall and in the major. These credit hours will be earned in three requirement categories:
Curriculum
Business Minor
Many Temple University undergraduates are currently taking selected business courses to better prepare themselves for their careers after graduation. The School of Business and Management offers an eight course (24 credit-hour) business minor to allow students in other schools and colleges of the University a chance to better prepare themselves for work in a profit or non-profit organization. This minor will also facilitate the transition into an MBA program for undergraduate non-business majors. Upon successful completion, the minor will be officially recorded on the student's official University transcript.
Goals of the Business Minor
The business minor is designed to provide the student with a basic foundation in business and management. This curriculum provides for coverage of the foundation areas required by the AACSB (accreditation body) for undergraduate business curricula: accounting, economics, behavioral science and mathematics, and statistics. By taking selected courses from the lower division BBA core, the minor should fit the schedules of students with non-business majors at Temple.
With some planning and care in choosing courses in the University Core, most students with non-business majors should be able to complete a business minor without taking an overload or requesting special relief from their Dean's Office for credits outside the school or college.
Program Structure
The program requires a total of eight courses. The macro- or microeconomics and statistics requirements may be taken as part of the University's Core Curriculum.
Academic Requirements for Business Minor
Students pursuing a business minor must meet the following grade minimums:
Declaration of Business Minor
Students who are interested in pursuing a business minor should speak to their adviser in the school or college in which they are pursuing their degree. A student may be entitled to pursue a minor in another college as long as the requirements of the minor fit into the number of outside credits allowed in its degree program. The business minor was constructed to allow students from most schools and colleges to pursue the minor within their outside credit limitation if they meet their University Core Curriculum Individual and Society requirement with Economics C051 or C052 and if they meet their Mathematics B requirement through Statistics C021. The remaining six courses (18 credit hours) will fit into the allowance for outside credits by most schools and colleges of the University. Students should contact the Dean's Office or advising unit in their school or college to check on the availability of the business minor. For more information, please call Deborah Avery in the SBM Dean's Office at (215) 204-3919.
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Comments and questions concerning this web version of the bulletin or requests for adding reference marks for linking to subsections of a page may be sent to Mary England.