Donald W. Scott College of Business

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Dr. Nancy J. Merritt, Dean
Dr. Bruce J. McLaren, Associate Dean
Susan Johnson, Director, Undergraduate Student Services Office
College Office: Scott College of Business, room 1109
Web site: http://www.indstate.edu/business/

Indiana State University’s Donald W. Scott College of Business is dedicated to providing a comprehensive quality education to students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The college’s programs combine classroom instruction by faculty who have experience and professional connections to the business world with opportunities for students to receive actual work experiences in the field of business.

The college’s mission statement reinforces this purpose by formally stating, “The Indiana State University Donald W. Scott College of Business is dedicated to providing a nationally accredited professional education to qualified students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Our primary focus and commitment is to excellence in teaching. In tandem with this commitment, faculty engage in applied and educational research, develop relationships with the business community, and provide service to the region and to their professions. Students are participants in a collaborative learning environment that prepares them to take leadership roles in both public and private organizations.”

Faculty in the college bring both academic training and professional experiences to business study at ISU. The faculty are actively involved in professional organizations. Also, service to local, state, and national business communities is a deep commitment of ISU’s business faculty. The faculty bring dedication and experience to their classroom teaching, providing students with knowledge and skills gained from business contacts.

Scott College of Business programs are enhanced by the presence of the West Central Small Business Development Center, which assists local and state small businesses. The Gongaware Center, established through a gift from Donald and Patricia Gongaware, has a mission to develop leaders for the financial services industry. Networks Financial Institute, the center for study of financial services, was established by a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment.

The number of students enrolled as business majors ranks second at ISU with approximately 1,200 students selecting to major in business each year. Business students have a variety of options from which to choose a major. The college, which is divided into two departments, the Analytical Department and the Organizational Department, offers 11 undergraduate majors and one program of study at the graduate level. Majors at the undergraduate level are available in accounting, business administration, business education, finance, financial services, information design and end-user computing, insurance and risk management, management, management information systems, marketing, and operations management and analysis. Minors are available in accounting, business administration (non-business majors only), finance, forensic accounting, information processing, insurance and risk management, management information systems, marketing, motorsports management, and operations management and analysis. Graduate study is available in a master of business administration degree. In addition, an international business concentration is offered in cooperation with the College of Arts and Sciences. The college also offers two courses, Business Education, Information, and Technology 125 and 336, that can be counted toward completion of the University’s Foundational Studies Program. Many of the college’s courses are excellent preparation for study leading to a law degree. Students planning a career as junior-high/middle school or secondary education teachers of business work closely with both the Scott College of Business and the Bayh College of Education.

All programs in the college are accredited by AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the premier accrediting association of business programs.

All programs in the college focus on providing business students with quality education via academic knowledge, professional experiences, and social and developmental opportunities. During their first two years, students in the college are advised by the Undergraduate Student Services Office, which also provides information on college admission policies, transfer student policies, course repeat process, senior check-out, and graduation. Students are usually transferred to a faculty member for advisement after completion of their second year as a business major. The college sponsors professional organizations, clubs, and honoraries. Students are encouraged to join and participate in professional activities including attendance at conventions, guest speakers, workshops, and social events which bring students, faculty, and professional guests together to share and learn about business.

Providing practical experience is an important goal of the college, and a variety of internships and professional practice opportunities are available to ISU business majors. Students in the past have completed internships with such businesses as Bemis, First Financial Bank, Old National Bank, Eli Lilly and Company, March of Dimes, and State Farm Insurance Companies. The college’s Career Experience Center assists students in career development and internships. The college has a number of scholarships available which can assist students in meeting the financial cost of a college education. In addition to its traditional role in education, the college recognizes the changing character of many students interested in earning a degree in business. To meet this need, the college offers the junior/senior courses in the business administration and insurance majors on-line for completion away from campus. More information is available on the college Web site, www.indstate.edu/business.

It is important to note that all business majors must complete a core of business courses and meet established academic standards to progress through their choice of major. These standards and requirements are listed on the following pages.

Academic Standards for Business Majors

The following standards apply with regard to the admission, retention, and graduation of students from the four-year undergraduate programs of the Scott College of Business. Specific requirements for majors are given in the listing for the major.

1. Each entering freshman selecting the Scott College of Business will be placed in the category of “prebusiness.”

2. Students will remain in the prebusiness category until they:

a. Complete the following cornerstone and foundation courses with an average of 2.25 or higher:

BUS 100—Introduction to Contemporary Business
BUS 180—Business Information Tools
BUS 201—Accounting Principles I
BUS 202—Accounting Principles II
*BUS 205—Business Statistics I
ECON 200—Principles of Macroeconomics
ECON 201—Principles of Microeconomics

*Prerequisite: Business 180, Mathematics 111, 115, or a calculus course

b. Complete the General Education freshman English composition requirement, the communication requirement (Communication 101 or 215), and the Scott College of Business mathematics requirement of Mathematics 111, 115, or a calculus course.

c. Have a cumulative grade point average of 2.25 or higher.

3. International students must also have a minimum TOEFL score of 550 or equivalent.

4. Upon satisfactorily meeting the prebusiness requirements, students formally declare a major within the Scott College of Business and may enroll in the functional sequence of courses (Business 311, 321, 351, 361, and 371). Business 305 is a corequisite for Business 311, or 321, or 351, or 361, or 371. Business 401, Senior Business Experience, may be taken only after completion of the functional courses and Business 263.

5. In order to graduate, students majoring in business disciplines must meet the following minimum requirements:

a. Have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.25.

b. Complete the following functional and Capstone courses with a grade point average of 2.25 or higher. 

BUS 305—Business Statistics II
BUS 311—Business Finance
BUS 321—Introduction to Management Information Systems
BUS 351—Introduction to Operations Management
BUS 361—Principles of Marketing
BUS 371—Management and Organizational Behavior
*BUS 401—Senior Business Experience

*BUS 401 is a Capstone course and should be taken in the student’s final semester after the functional courses have been completed.

c. Complete Business Education, Information, and Technology 336 as the junior-level writing requirement.

d. Complete Business 263, Legal Environment of Business.

e. Complete a component of courses that are general in nature that comprises at least 50 percent of the student’s four-year program. Some foundation courses and all Foundational Studies courses will count in this category.

f. Complete the course work required to satisfy the requirements of the major field, meet any additional requirements that may be stipulated by the individual programs, and have a 2.25 grade point average or higher in the major courses.

g. Complete all other requirements prescribed by the University.

6. Students who change majors, or who had a break in their attendance and have been re-admitted, could be asked to meet the degree requirements in force at the time a major is declared or at the time they were re-admitted.

7. All students majoring in the Scott College of Business are expected to be aware of course and graduation requirements for their major. For further information, consult the program listing, the chairperson of the department offering the major, or the Undergraduate Student Services Office. 

ACADEMIC STANDARDS FOR BUSINESS MINORS

1. Students graduating with any of the minors offered by the Scott College of Business must:

a. Meet the course work and other requirements of the minor (see program listing for details).

b. Achieve a minimum grade point average of 2.0 in course work presented for satisfaction of the minor.

2. All students with a minor in the Scott College of Business are expected to be aware of the course and graduation requirements of their minor. For further information, consult the program listing, the chairperson of the department offering the minor, the coordinator of the program offering the minor, or the Undergraduate Student Services Office.

TRANSFER POLICIES

1. For transfer at the prebusiness level, the student transferring from another institution must be in good academic standing. Admission to the Scott College of Business is conditional until the transfer student has completed 15 hours of approved course work at Indiana State University.

2. For transfer into one of the business majors, the transfer student must have completed the prebusiness courses with a minimum grade point average of 2.25, have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.25, and have completed the freshman English composition requirement, the communication requirement, and the mathematics requirement. Admission to the Scott College of Business is conditional until completion of 15 hours of approved course work at Indiana State University with a cumulative grade point average of 2.25 or higher.

3. A student transferring from another academic unit in the University must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 and a minimum grade point average of 2.0 in any courses that will be applied to meeting the requirements of the business major.

4. An international student must also have a minimum TOEFL score of 550.

5. At least 50 percent of the business credit hours required for any business degree should be taken at Indiana State University.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Degrees Offered

Both a major and minor are offered in business administration. The business administration minor is not available to Scott College of Business majors. Business administration majors are encouraged to complete a minor in one of the business areas. The major is also available through a degree completion program via distance education. Students with an approved associate’s degree can complete the final two years of the major to earn the baccalaureate degree. Other business major descriptions appear within the Analytical Department and the Organizational Department.

Program Opportunities

As students in the Scott College of Business, business administration majors may be invited to join the business honorary Beta Gamma Sigma, or the professional business fraternities Delta Sigma Pi and Alpha Kappa Psi. These organizations provide professional learning, networking opportunities, and social opportunities to meet other business administration and business students and faculty.

Students in business administration have opportunities to gain practical business experience while attending ISU’s Scott College of Business. Among other opportunities, business administration students have completed internships at Farm Bureau and Forrest Sherer.

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