More Information

Application Procedure

Students must apply to the Certificate program in person, by meeting with one of the Certificate program directors for an interview.

The Certificate program is housed in the Finance Department, Room 311 RBA, College of Business.

Approval requires the signature of one of the Certificate program directors.

The Certificate credential is not intended as a diploma or a degree.

Admission Requirements

The Certificate program is offered only to undergraduates currently pursuing one of the majors in the College of Business. An applicant may not be registered as a special student.

In addition, a student must have a GPA of 3.2 or above to be admitted to the Certificate program.

Program of Studies

All candidates for the Certificate program must take and pass the following two courses offered in the College of Business:

• BUL 3310 - The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business (3 credit hrs)

• GEB 4455 - Perspectives On Free Enterprise (3 credit hrs) [capstone course]

Plus, all candidates for the Certificate program must take and pass any two (2) additional three (3) credit hour courses of their choosing from a prescribed list of electives offered outside the College of Business.

The following represent courses available as of fall 2010, but may not be offered or available every semester:

• ECO 3004. Debating Economic Issues (3). Prerequisites: ECO 2013, 2023. Economic analysis applied to current economic policy issues. Topics may include financial markets, Social Security, debt finance, health care, immigration, global climate change and environmental policy, regulation, welfare reform, labor market discrimination, drug policy, and topics selected by students.

• ECO 3303. History of Economic Ideas (3). Prerequisite: any 2000-level ECO course. The evolution of economic ideas from ancient Greece to the modern period emphasizing the relationship between developments in economic analysis and cultural/technological changes. Critique of modern economic theory in terms of its sources and logical content.

• ECO 3622. Growth of the American Economy (3). Prerequisites: ECO 2013 and ECO 2023. Factors in the development of economic forces, resources, institutions, and ideas relating to American economic growth analyzed through growth theories and issue debates on economic history.

• ECS 3003. Comparative Economic Systems (3). Prerequisites: ECO 2013, 2023. Theoretical and practical aspects of the principal forms of economic organization. Emphasis on the varieties of market-based systems, and economies in transition from centrally-planned toward market economies.

• PHI 2100. Reasoning and Critical Thinking (3). An introductory logic course intended to provide students with an understanding of and practice in using reasoning to support conclusions and decisions. The course emphasizes acquisition of the skills necessary to draft clear, persuasive arguments and is particularly useful for those planning further studies in fields such as Law or Business.

• PHI 2630. Ethical Issues and Life Choices (3). A course that will draw on ethical theories to explore the major ethical issues that one faces as one makes decisions about the kinds of activities to engage in and the kind of life to lead. Issues such as those involving life and death (e.g., abortion, euthanasia, animal rights) and social justice (e.g., discrimination, responsibility to future generations) will be examined.

• PHI 3641. Business Ethics (3). An identification and a discussion of defensible solutions for moral and ethical problems as they arise in the conduct of business and economic transactions. International business settings and the ethical problems arising from the need to design products and services that appeal to diverse national and world populations are considered.

• POT 3502. Politics and Ethics (3). This course examines governing as the process of collective decision-making as a society's search for public ethics.

• REL 3170. Religious Ethics and Moral Problems (3). A discussion of contemporary moral problems such as deception, sexual activities and relations, and capital punishment from the standpoints of major religious traditions.

• REL 3180r. Topics in Ethics (3). Consideration of themes and problems in modern ethics. May be repeated to a maximum of nine (9) semester hours.

To be admitted to the College of Business, a student will have already taken and passed ECO 2013 and ECO 2023, identified as prerequisites to several of the ECO and ECS electives.

BUL 3310 - The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business (3 credit hrs) is a General Business Core Requirement for all Business majors. Students must earn a "C-" or better.

GEB 4455 - Perspectives On Free Enterprise (3 credit hrs) qualifies as one of the two required electives for completion of the Finance major undergraduate program of study. Students must earn a "C-" or better.

None of the other courses in the Certificate program satisfies the requirements for any Business major.

Certificate completion, in and of itself, does not satisfy partial requirements for any major in the College of Business, nor for any major in any other school or college.

Certificate Requirements

The required number of credits for the Certificate is 12 hours. There is no time limit, other than that the Certificate program curriculum must be completed between the time of a student’s admission to the College of Business and graduation from the College of Business. Transfer credits are not accepted.

All Certificate program course credits can be counted toward a student’s 120 hour degree requirement. But none, other than BUL 3310 which is a General Business Core Requirement for all Business majors and GEB 4455 which qualifies as an elective for completion of the Finance major undergraduate program of study, fulfills specific requirements for any major offered in the College of Business.

Successful completion of the Certificate program requires that a student must:

• earn a C- or better in all four (4) courses the student is applying toward the Certificate program.

• earn an overall average of C or better for the set of 12 hours the student is applying toward the Certificate program.

• successfully complete a BS in one of the College of Business majors.

Contacts

For further information, or to speak with one of the directors, contact the administrative secretary, Finance Department, Room 311 RBA, College of Business.