Business & Economics Courses
ACT 161. Financial Accounting. Basic concepts of accounting including accounting for business transactions, preparation and use of financial statements, and measurement of owners’ equity. 3 credits.
ACT 162. Managerial Accounting. Cost-volume-profit relationships, cost analysis, business segment contribution, profit planning and budgeting as a basis for managerial decision making. Prerequisite: ACT 161 with a minimum grade of “C–” or better. 3 credits.
ACT 251. Intermediate Accounting I. Study of the theory and development of generally accepted accounting principles as they relate to financial reporting; the application of these principles to the preparation of financial statements; special emphasis on revenue recognition as well as valuation, classification and disclosure of current assets. Prerequisite: ACT 162. 3 credits.
ACT 252. Intermediate Accounting II. Study of the application of accounting principles for noncurrent assets, long-term liabilities and stockholder’s equity, including analysis of financial statements. Prerequisite: ACT 251 with a minimum grade of “C-” or better. 3 credits.
ACT 253. Intermediate Accounting III. This course is a continuation of ACT 252 with the study of the measurement and reporting of income taxes, pensions, leases, accounting changes, disclosure issues, the cash flow statement, and the effects of errors. The course also addresses international accounting standards as they compare to U.S. GAAP and international reporting issues for U.S. companies. Case study component. Strongly recommended for students planning to take the CPA exam. Prerequisite: ACT 252. 3 credits.
ACT 280. Financial Fraud: Prevention and Detection. This course explores the pervasiveness, causes, and types of financial crimes currently being encountered. Using text, discussion, problems, and case studies, the course identifies methods of fraud detection, investigation, and prevention. Prerequisites: ACT 162 or permission of the instructor. 3 credits.
ACT 351. Advanced Accounting. The emphasis of this course is on business combinations and consolidated financial statements. The course also addresses accounting principles applicable to partnerships, SEC reporting, insolvency, and fiduciaries. Prerequisite: ACT 252. 3 credits.
ACT 352. Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting. Basic concepts of fund and budgetary accounting used for financial activities of governmental units and not-for-profit organizations. Prerequisite: ACT 162. 3 credits.
ACT 353. Cost Accounting. Analysis and use of techniques for cost management and control; the accumulation and recording of the costs including job-order, process and standard cost systems, joint and by-product costing; contemporary topics such as activity based costing and just-in-time manufacturing. Prerequisite: ACT 162. 3 credits.
ACT 400. Internship. Practical and professional work experience related to the student’s career interests, involving both on-site and faculty supervision. Generally limited to juniors and seniors. All internships are graded pass/fail. Prerequisites: 2.75 GPA, permission of the chairperson, completion of department’s application form. 1-12 credits. Internship credit does not fulfill required electives in the major.
ACT 451. Individual Income Tax. Analysis of the federal income tax laws as applied to individuals; case problems, preparation of returns. Prerequisite: ACT 162. 3 credits.
ACT 452. Corporate Taxation. Analysis of the federal income tax laws as applied to corporations, partnerships and fiduciaries; case preparation of returns. Prerequisite: ACT 451. 3 credits.
ACT 455. Auditing. A study of the process of evaluation of internal controls and interpretation of financial information to permit an auditor to express a professional opinion on financial reports. Prerequisite: ACT 252. 3 credits.
BUS 130. Modern Business Organizations. The course focuses on understanding the composition of modern business organizations with respect to the value chain they are a part of, relationships with other organizations in the value chain, and the functions and processes organizations use to create and deliver value to customers, stakeholders, and society. The course includes an introduction to key business communication software. Prerequisites: freshman or sophomore standing only or by permission. 3 credits.
BUS 160. Computer Applications. An extensive introduction to spreadsheet, database, and Internet applications software as used in business. Through hands-on classroom instruction, computer-aided learning, and course project assignments, students learn the use of the major analytical software packages that are commonly used in business. The class teaches the basic principles of using this software to solve problems and to enhance critical thinking skills. 3 credits.
BUS 215. Health Care Finance. An examination of the financial issues of health and medical care to determine how to provide the best health care to the most people in a cost-effective manner. Examination of the principal elements of health care, including the physician, the hospital, and the pharmaceutical industry, as well as the influence of government and the insurance industry. Prerequisites: ECN 101, 102. 3 credits.
BUS 230. Principles of Management. A study of the management theory, organizational theory, and management skills as applied to the effective and efficient operation of both for-profit and not-for-profit entities. Emphasis is on the organization’s structure, leadership, interpersonal relationships, and managerial functions. Prerequisites: Completion of BUS 130 or, for returning adults, degree completion students, and Health Care Management students, significant work experience. Accounting, business administration, and health care management majors need a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or greater in all foundation courses completed to date. 3 credits.
BUS 285. Organizational Communications. The development of writing, speaking and listening skills for business management. Prerequisites: ENG 111 and 112. Majors in accounting, business administration, and health care management need a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or greater in all foundation courses completed to date. Writing Process. 3 credits.
BUS 340. Principles of Marketing. An overview of marketing from the management perspective. Topics include marketing strategies, marketing research, consumer behavior, selecting target markets, developing, pricing, distributing and promoting products and services and non-profit marketing. Prerequisite: junior standing or permission. 3 credits.
BUS 341. Consumer & Organizational Buying Behavior. This course focuses on the analysis of the factors affecting the purchasing decision in the marketplace and the application of behavioral and social science concepts to the study of individual and group buying behavior. The course emphasizes the use of this understanding in making marketing mix decisions. Prerequisites: BUS 230 and BUS 340 or permission. 3 credits.
BUS 350. Organizational Behavior. A detailed study of theories and models of organizational behavior and development, with emphasis on the practical application of these models in the workplace to improve individual, group and organizational performance. Prerequisite: junior standing and BUS 130, or permission. 3 credits.
BUS 361. Principles of Finance. A study of financial management covering analysis of asset, liability and capital relationships and operations; management of current assets and working capital; capital planning and budgeting; capital structure and dividend policy; short and intermediate term financing; internal and external long term financing; and other financial topics. Prerequisite: ACT 162; ECN 101, 102. 3 credits.
BUS 362. Investments. An analysis of investment and its relation to other economic, legal and social institutions. The course includes discussion of investment principles, machinery, policy, management investment types and the development of portfolios for individuals and institutions. Prerequisite: BUS 361. 3 credits.
BUS 371. Business Law I. Elementary principles of law relating to the field of business. The course covers contracts, government regulation of business, consumer protection, bankruptcy, personal property, real estate, bailments, insurance and estates. 3 credits.
BUS 372. Business Law II. Elementary principles of law relating to business. Includes agency, employment, commercial paper, security devices, insurance, partnerships, corporation, estates and bankruptcy. 3 credits.
BUS 374. Personal Selling and Sales Management. The study of personal selling as a communication process and the management of the personal selling force. Emphasis is placed upon the development, implementation and evaluation of the sales presentation; and upon the role of the sales manager in staffing, compensating, motivating, controlling and evaluating the sales force. Effective oral and written communication is stressed. Prerequisite: BUS 340. 3 credits.
BUS 376. International Business Management. Studies management techniques and procedures in international and multinational organizations. Prerequisite: BUS 130, 340. 3 credits.
BUS 380. Small Business Management. A study of small business, including organization, staffing, production, marketing and profit planning. Cases are used extensively in presenting the course material. Prerequisite: ACT 162, BUS 130. 3 credits.
BUS 383. Management Science. An introduction to the techniques and models used in management science. Topics include forecasting, inventory control models, linear programming, product scheduling, and simulation. Prerequisites: MAS 150 and MAS 170 with a minimum grade of C- or better, BUS 130, ACT 161, 162. 3 credits.
BUS 400. Internship. Practical and professional work experience related to the student’s career interests, involving both on-site and faculty supervision. Generally limited to juniors and seniors. All internships are graded pass/fail. Prerequisites: 2.75 GPA, permission of the chairperson, completion of department’s application form. 1-12 credits.
BUS 420. Human Resource Management. This course examines the problems in effectively recruiting, selecting, training, developing, compensating and disciplining human resources. It includes discussions on both equal employment opportunity and labor-management relations. Prerequisite: BUS 130. 3 credits.
BUS 450. Business Ethics and Social Responsibility. This course examines the major ethical issues, social responsibilities, and ethical dilemmas facing business and business managers in today’s global environment. Students develop an understanding of the difference between what is legal and what is ethical and clarify their approach to ethical issues. Prerequisites: BUS 130, BUS 230 or permission. 3 credits.
BUS 460. Management Information Systems. Examines data sources and the role of information in management planning, operations and control in various types of business environments. Treats information as a key organization resource parallel to people, money, materials and technology. Prerequisite: ACT 162, BUS 130 or permission. 3 credits.
BUS 461. Corporate Finance. The course is designed to meet the Society of Actuaries (SOA) standards for Validation through Educational Experience (VEE) in the area of corporate finance. The course covers topics including defining the core concepts of corporate finance including: financial instruments, sources of capital and their costs, dividend policy, capital structure, capital budgeting, financial performance assessment, exchange rate risk, hedging, and arbitrage. Prerequisite: BUS 361 or ASC 385. 3 credits.
BUS 485. Strategic Management. A capstone course to study administrative processes under conditions of uncertainty, integrating prior studies in management, accounting and economics. Uses case method and computer simulation. Prerequisites: BUS 130, 340, 361 and senior standing or permission. Writing process. Prerequisite: Designed for last semester seniors. Underclassmen admitted with permission of instructor and Chair. 3 credits.
BUS 487. Health Care Management. A capstone course to study the administrative processes of America’s health care industry including institutional infrastructure, governance systems, financial systems, personnel systems, quality controls, nursing and clinical services, and marketing. The course integrates prior study in health care, management, accounting, and economics. Students will develop problem solving skills and an appropriate management style. Prerequisite: senior standing or permission. 3 credits.
ECN 101. Principles of Microeconomics. The course examines how individuals and firms make choices within the institution of free-market capitalism. Individuals decide how much of their time to spend working and what to buy with the earnings of their labor. Firms decide how much to produce and in some cases what price to charge for their goods. Together these choices determine what is produced, how it is produced, and for whom it is produced in our economic system. 3 credits.
ECN 102. Principles of Macroeconomics. This course extends the study of consumer and producer choices to discover how they affect the nation’s economy. Macroeconomics deals with the economy as a whole as measured by the key variables of inflation, unemployment, and economic growth. Emphasis is on both Keynesian and classical theories and how they predict what monetary and fiscal policies can be used to affect these variables and reach national economic goals. 3 credits.
ECN 105. Essentials of Economics. This course examines economics from both the microeconomic and macroeconomic perspectives. The course covers the basic principles of economics including the problem of scarcity, economic systems and models, supply, demand, and market equilibrium, competition and monopoly, the banking system, monetary policy and inflation, fiscal policy, deficits, economic growth, and international trade. 3 credits.
ECN 201. Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis. This course covers the major theories of mainstream neoclassical economics. There is intensive study of the models of consumer and firm behavior that permit understanding of how the prices and quantities of goods and services are determined in a free market capitalistic system. The implications for social welfare, and equity and efficiency issues that are inherent in the free-market system are emphasized. Prerequisites: ECN 101 and 102. 3 credits. Economics majors need a cumulative GPA of 2.00 in all foundation courses completed to date.
ECN 202. Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis. In this course, students develop a model of the macroeconomy which permits them to analyze the nature of the business cycle. The assumptions built into the model can be altered, rendering it capable of examining the macroeconomy from various theoretical viewpoints. In addition to unemployment, inflation and economic growth, the course covers real business cycles, the macroeconomic implications of free trade, and emphasizes the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomics. Prerequisites: ECN 101 and 102. 3 credits. Economics majors need a cumulative GPA of 2.00 in all foundation courses completed to date.
ECN 250. Public Choice Economics. This course concerns itself with how individuals and groups make decisions in the context of the family, interest groups, bureaucracies and the government. It goes beyond individual choice and private markets to group interests and activities. It emphasizes the ethical and political nature of all economic choices. Prerequisites: ECN 101 and 102. 3 credits.
ECN 312. Money and Banking. The study of the nature and functions of money and credit, including the development and role of commercial and central banking, structures of the Federal Reserve System, and monetary and banking theory, policy and practice. The course considers the political nature of money and the tension between fiscal and monetary policy making. Prerequisites: ECN 101 and 102. 3 credits.
ECN 316. Environmental Economics. Environmental economics stresses the co-evolution of human preferences, understanding, technology and cultural organization. This approach differs from that of conventional economics and conventional ecology in the importance it attaches to environment-economy interactions. The role that our economic system plays in decisions affecting the sustainability of our ecosystems is emphasized. Prerequisites: ECN 101 and 102. 3 credits.
ECN 317. Natural Resource Economics. Natural resource economics refers to the application of economic principles to the management of natural resources. It involves the study of resource use and conservation, utilization rates of renewable and non-renewable resources, the issue of economy size and the limits to growth, the natural resource economic issues of development versus preservation, and the issue of natural resource accounting. Prerequisite: ECN 101 and ECN 102. 3 credits.
ECN 321. Public Finance. This course extends the study of public economics to its application in the principles of taxation and public expenditures. Topics include the structure of the Federal Budget, the national debt and fiscal deficits, but also state and local financing and the division of responsibilities between the federal and local governments. Prerequisites: ECN 101 and 102. Writing process. 3 credits.
ECN 331. International Finance. This course extends the Keynesian Macroeconomic model to incorporate international financial flows; the determinants of the balance of payments; foreign exchange markets; exchange rate regimes; history of international economic institutions; and macroeconomic policy options. The course contains lectures, student presentations, theoretical problem solving, economic analysis of real-world events, reading, analyzing, and writing on academic and current event articles. Prerequisite: ECN 101 and ECN 102. 3 credits.
ECN 332. International Trade. This course introduces the theory and practice of international economic relations. It includes, not only the history and purpose of trade and the traditional theory of the gains from trade, but also the more modern theory of trade with imperfect competition. The history and nature of the institutional structures of trade (World Trade Organization) are covered. Prerequisites: ECN 101 and 102. Writing process. 3 credits.
ECN 333. Game Theory: Economic Applications. Game theory studies how “rational” players should act and interact in strategic situations. In economics, players include people, firms, or countries. Game theory also helps predict and explain players’ actions. Cooperative and non-cooperative games are used to measure behavior and identify ideal strategies in situations as diverse as industrial negotiations, marriage bargaining, and international environmental agreements. Prerequisites: ECN 201 or permission. 3 credits.
ECN 400. Internship. Practical and professional work experience related to the student’s career interests, involving both on-site and faculty supervision. Generally limited to juniors and seniors. All internships are graded pass/fail. Prerequisites: 2.75 GPA, permission of the chairperson, completion of department’s application form. 1-12 credits. Internship credit does not fulfill required electives in the major.
ECN 405. Applied Econometrics. In this course students apply statistical techniques to study the quantitative measurement and analysis of actual economic phenomena, describing economic relationships, and test hypothesis about economic theory and forecasting future economic events. Applications include examining violations of the classical assumptions and testing for specification errors. Prerequisite: MAS 170, 270 or 372; ECN 201 and ECN 202, or ASC 385; or permission of the instructor. 3 credits.
ECN 410. Senior Seminar. This small seminar course is a reading course in support of the research interests of the professor, the student, or both. The content and structure of the course will depend on the research interests of the professor, but will always require from each student a major paper related to this area. Reading and critiquing articles from refereed economic journals and the popular press are also included. Prerequisites: ECN 201 and ECN 202 and junior standing. Writing process. 3 credits.