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Business Administration

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The Department of Business Administration offers students the opportunity to receive a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) degree that follows the curriculum guidelines of The International Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). UH Hilo’s business program is a candidate for accreditation by the AACSB. The program is divided into three components: General Education, the Pre-Business program, and the Professional Business program. Each of these is described in detail below. Some General Education requirements may be satisfied with courses from the Pre-Business program, but at least 61 of the degree’s total of 121 credit hours must be taken in courses that are not offered by the Business Administration Department. The University also places several graduation requirements on all baccalaureate degree programs, and these must be satisfied by candidates for the B.B.A. (Please see the chapter beginning on page ___ of this Catalog.)

All B.B.A. students are required to complete the Pre-Business program, which is composed of courses in accounting, economics, business communications, business law, mathematics, and quantitative business analysis. Following satisfactory completion of this program, students are admitted to the upper-division Business program where they complete advanced courses in selected fields of study such as accounting, finance, marketing, management, management information systems, and quantitative methods.

Students wishing to make timely progress toward graduation are urged to pay careful attention to all degree requirements. In addition, when planning a schedule of courses, it is imperative to be aware of course prerequisites and the frequency with which courses are offered, information that is available for each course in the listing at the back of this Catalog. To ensure progress toward graduation, students are strongly encouraged to meet with an advisor each semester before registering.

Degree Requirements

See degree requirements for a detailed listing of the Business Administration B.B.A. requirements.

Business Administration Web Site

Visit the Business Administration web site at http://www.uhh.hawaii.edu/~business/.

Goals for Student Learning in the Major

Upon graduating, our students should possess a common core of knowledge that enables them to understand and apply:

  • Basic concepts and principles of business operations and leadership, particularly a sense of how to prioritize, delegate and coordinate organizational tasks to fit the organizational mission, business environment, and community context
  • Individual and group decision-making processes for assuring efficient, effective, and ethical outcomes
  • Integrative knowledge of how the decision process relates to the various contexts within which business operates (technological, economic, social, cultural, legal, ethical, and international)
  • Specialized business knowledge that they can apply in their subsequent careers
  • An understanding of the entrepreneurial process
  • An understanding of the critical role of sound, ethical business and personal judgment in creating and maintaining successful business relationships

Upon graduating, our students should have the following attitudes:

  • Conviction that they have received a quality education, appropriate to their personal and career goals
  • Appreciation of the goal-orientation and self-motivation needed to be a successful business leader
  • Confidence that they are prepared to take on the challenges of the global marketplace
  • Recognition that an on-going commitment to learning is critical to continued success and satisfaction in their career
  • Confidence that they can respond to the diverse values and needs of their co-workers, clients, and other stakeholders, while working with those of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds
  • Recognition that community service will be an important component of their future professional responsibilities
  • Confidence that they can make effective and ethical decisions, even under conditions of uncertainty, ambiguity, value conflict, and incomplete information

Upon graduating, our students should have the following skills:

  • Individual and team-based analytical/critical thinking and integrative problem-solving skills
  • Effective, confident written and oral communication skills in one-on-one and group settings, demonstrating professional demeanor
  • Facility in computer-related applications and current methods of business analysis and presentation.
  • Job search and interview skills

Career Prospects for Students

Students earning the B.B.A. are prepared to become entry-level managers in a wide variety of private and public sector organizations. The B.B.A. program is also a good choice for students interested in starting their own business upon graduation, since a primary focus is on smaller organizations and entrepreneurship in many of the courses at UH Hilo. Students may focus their elective coursework in specific areas such as accounting, finance, marketing, or information technology if they intend to specialize or seek certification in one of those fields upon graduation. The B.B.A. is also an excellent preparation for advanced study in business.

Special Aspects of the Program

Internships with local businesses and organizations are available to qualified students.

The College of Business and Economics sponsors the Lambda Psi chapter of the International Fraternity of Delta Sigma Pi, which is a professional fraternity organized to foster the study of business in universities; to encourage scholarship, social activity, and the association of students for their mutual advancement by research and practice; to promote closer affiliation between the commercial world and students of commerce; and to further a higher standard of commercial ethics and culture and the civic and commercial welfare of the community .

The College also sponsors an active chapter of Sigma Beta Delta, an international honorary society for students of business, which inducts outstanding students from each year's graduating class.

Business Administration Faculty and Staff