Degree Requirements

The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree is awarded to students by recommendation of the faculty. Standards established by the faculty for recommendation are as follows:

  1. Satisfactory completion of requirements regarding required and elective courses, accumulation of a minimum of 120 units of course work, and satisfactory fulfillment of other requirements established in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Olin Business School.
  2. Completion of the last 30 units in residence at Washington University for entering first-year students. Transfer students must complete a minimum of 60 units in residence at Washington University.
  3. Students must earn a minimum 2.0 overall grade-point average and a 2.0 GPA in all professional course work taken at Olin Business School.
  4. Students must be recommended by Olin Business School faculty for degree confirmation by the Board of Trustees.

Regulations

  1. Students must complete a minimum of 120 units, including 48 units outside of Olin Business School and 60 units from within the Olin Business School. Students who substitute a non-business course for a business requirement will still be required to enroll in another business course, as a minimum of 60 credits must be earned in Olin Business School.
  2. BSBA students may earn a maximum of two majors to include two professional majors or one professional major and one major outside of Olin Business School. 
  3. BSBA students may earn one or two minors, depending on the number of majors they pursue. The options are two majors and one minor or one major and two minors. 
  4. BSBA students may enroll in one physical education course per semester.
  5. BSBA students may transfer up to 6 credits per summer toward their BSBA degree requirements. Olin Business School does not accept any online course work for transfer credit (exceptions were granted for Summer 2020 and 2021). 
  6. BSBA students must complete 54 of the 60 professional units in residence. Course work taken as part of an approved Washington University international program will satisfy this residency policy.
  7. BSBA students must complete all professional courses for each business major in residence. Course work taken as part of an approved Washington University international program will satisfy this residency policy.
  8. BSBA students may double count only one course in a business major. For example, if a BSBA student is majoring in both marketing and entrepreneurship, they could not count MKT 378 and MKT 482 toward both majors.
  9. ROTC units numbered 300 or above will count toward the student's 120 units required for graduation. These credits may count toward the advanced non-business requirements if the course is taken for a grade.
  10. Students are obligated to complete the requirements and adhere to the policies in place at the time of matriculation into the BSBA program. However, faculty has and reserves the right to make changes to degree requirements, policies and procedures — including modifying or adding new requirements, policies and procedures — at any time. 
  11. For more policies, visit the Academic Regulations page of this Bulletin.

General Requirements (a minimum of 48 units)

Each student must complete a minimum of 48 units outside of Olin Business School to include the following specific requirements:

  1. College Writing (3 units): Students must demonstrate proficiency in the reading and writing of the English language by satisfactorily completing one College Writing Program themed writing course with a grade of C- or better.
  2. Calculus (3-6 units): Students must complete Math 131–Math 132 or other calculus courses approved by the Olin Business School.
  3. Distribution Requirements (18 units): Students must complete 3 units of physical and life sciences, 3 units of humanities, 6 units of international studies, 3 units of behavioral analysis, and 3 units of ethics and values. Approved course selections are available in the university's course listings.
  4. Advanced Electives (12 units): Students must complete at least 12 graded units of advanced course work. Advanced electives are defined as any course numbered 300 or higher that is offered as any day division course (excluding Olin courses). Advanced electives may also satisfy a distribution requirement.

Professional Requirements (a minimum of 60 units)

Core Requirements (42 units)

ACCT 2610Principles of Financial Accounting3
ACCT 2620Principles of Managerial Accounting3
DAT 120Managerial Statistics I3
DAT 121Managerial Statistics II3
DAT 220Analytics and Modeling for Business Decisions3
FIN 340Capital Markets and Financial Management3
MEC 290Microeconomics3
MEC 292Global Economy3
or Econ 1021 Introduction to Macroeconomics
MGT 100Individual in a Managerial Environment *3
MGT 150AFoundations of Business **2
MGT 201Management Communication4
MKT 370Principles of Marketing3
OB 360Organization Behavior Within the Firm3
SCOT 356Operations and Manufacturing Management (formerly OSCM 356)3
Total Units42
*

Transfer students entering Olin Business School must take MGT 100 or MGT 380 to satisfy this requirement.

**

Transfer students entering Olin Business School after their first year are not required to take MGT 150A. However, a minimum of 60 credits must be earned in Olin Business School.

Professional Electives (a minimum of 18 units)

Professional electives are non-required business courses offered by Olin Business School that may or may not lead toward a specific business major. Additional information about the specific requirements for each business major is available on the Olin Business School Majors page. 

Global Mindset Component (1.5-3 units)

The Global Mindset component for the undergraduate BSBA degree is designed to support the Olin Pillars of providing world-changing business education, research, and impact. Through a Global Mindset experience, students will have the opportunity to expand their intellectual curiosity, gain confidence in their ability to make decisions under pressure, and enhance their leadership advantage in a rapidly changing global society. Students will be able to satisfy the Global Mindset component of their degree through a variety of experiences that expose them to new academic and professional ideas, peoples, cultures, and philosophies. This could be done through an Olin-approved study abroad program or with a carefully curated set of experiences completed on campus and in the St. Louis community, including INTL 350E GLocal Learning: Engaging with the World Locally, a 1.5-credit course.

Electives (units will vary)

Students must take enough electives to earn the minimum of 120 units.

Typical Four-Year Curriculum for a BSBA Student

Typically, students must earn 30 units per year to stay on target with a four-year graduation plan and to earn the 120 minimum credits required.

First Year

Fall Units Spring Units
MGT 100 3 MEC 290 3
MGT 150A 2 Electives 6
Math 131 or higher* 3 DAT 120 3
English Composition** 3 Math 132 or elective 3
Electives 3-6

Sophomore Year

Fall Units Spring Units
ACCT 2610 3 Core requirement(s) 3-6
DAT 121 3 DAT 220 3
MGT 201 4 Electives 6-9
Core requirement(s) 0-3
Electives 3-6

Junior Year

Fall Units Spring Units
Core/Professional requirements 6-12 Core/Professional requirements 6-12
Electives 3-9 Electives 3-9

Senior Year

Fall Units Spring Units
Professional electives 6 Professional electives 6
Electives 9 Electives 9
*

Students may enroll in a higher level of calculus if their academic preparation suggests a different level of calculus would be appropriate.

**

BSBA students are assigned to enroll in their College Writing Program course in either the fall or spring semester of their first year. Some students may start at a different level of English preparation and may take their writing course as late as sophomore year.

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