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The Online Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Curriculum

California State University, Chico’s academic calendar offers two convenient start dates each year, so you can enroll when the time is right for you and complete the Online Bachelor of Science in Business Administration curriculum in as few as 16 months. You’ll have access to all of your classes through our engaging online learning platform, which makes it easy for you to track your assignments, connect with faculty and peers, submit coursework, and view lectures. All you need is an internet-connected computer or a mobile device.

Our broad-based Bachelor of Science in Business Administration curriculum places balanced emphasis on all aspects of business. You’ll graduate as a versatile, multitalented professional who’s ready to meet any challenge and embrace every opportunity. At Chico State, you’ll build the expertise that propels your success.

Lower-Division Core Courses

Students must have completed each of the following seven lower-division core courses, or the transfer equivalent, with a C or higher. All the lower-division pre-requisites must be completed prior to taking upper-division courses, with the exception of BCOM 300W and MINS 301. Students are advised to take MATH 107, but MATH 109 or MATH 120 will be accepted as substitutes. All lower division General Education and Business pre-requisites can be taken at any California community college.

For review of your transcripts and to discuss options and next steps, please contact Michael Rehg, Online BSBA Program Director at mrehg@csuchico.edu.

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Courses

Required Business Core

BCOM 300W: Communication in Business (3 units)

Emphasis is on solving business problems through the strategic design of verbal, print, and electronic messages. Models for effective business documents, presentations, meetings, and interpersonal as well as electronic project interaction are applied to business communication problems. Related technology use, etiquette, cultural differences, and ethical considerations are highlighted. This is an approved Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement course; a grade of C- or higher certifies writing proficiency for majors. This is an approved Writing Course.

Prerequisites: GE Written Communication (A2) requirement, sophomore standing

MINS 301: Corporate Technology Integration (3 units)

This course introduces students to the concept of information systems as the application of technical resources to support organizational processes. Given this foundation, students build an integrative, process-oriented understanding of information systems and their deployment, management, and use within distributed and global organizations. Projects focus on introductory enterprise systems, fundamentals of database systems, and basic web programming. This course is designed for BADM majors.

Prerequisite: Junior standing

MGMT 303: Survey of Management (3 units)

Using a combination of theory and application, this course focuses on the human side of organizations, including issues of making good decisions, enhancing performance, steering through a turbulent global environment, combining and unifying multiple business functions, and enabling change. Students gain an understanding of management and how and why organizations are structured. The themes of quality, technology, ethics, and adaptation are emphasized.

MGMT 304: Survey of Human Resource Management (3 units)

This course surveys human resource management practices needed for effective performance by every manager and employee. The focus of the course is on processes used to effectively recruit, select, develop, evaluate, reward, and ensure the safety of employees in order to attract and retain the best possible workforce in any organization. This course provides students with an understanding of workforce diversity, investigates ethical issues, and explores the international context of HRM.

MKTG 305: Survey of Marketing (3 units)

Nature and functions of marketing systems and marketing in the individual firm. Study of the marketing mix, marketing institutions, and the environments in which marketing decisions are made.

OSCM 306: Survey of Operations and Supply Chain Management (3 units)

An overview of the operations function in organizations; topics include operations strategy, manufacturing philosophies, process selection, supply chain management, inventory management, forecasting, production planning and control, capacity planning, material requirements planning, quality management, and project management.

Prerequisites: Business Administration or Business Information Systems status required for business majors. Completion of GE Pathway Foundation Quantitative Reasoning required for all majors.

FINA 307: Survey of Finance (3 units)

An introduction to financial management, providing a background in the areas of financial institutions, the time value of money, analysis of financial statements, working capital management, financial structure of the firm, capital budgeting, and related tools of financial analysis.

Prerequisites: ACCT 201, ECON 103

BSIS 308: Decision Analysis for Business (3 units)

This course introduces students to qualitative and quantitative decision analysis techniques and practical tools for critical thinking and problem solving in business. A primary emphasis is on the problem-solving process including problem identification, data collection and evaluation, analysis, consideration of alternatives, and the presentation of logical and persuasive conclusions.

BADM 495: Applied Strategic Decision Making (3 units)

This capstone course for Business Administration (BADM) majors integrates core business knowledge across all functional areas using a system dynamics approach. This approach emphasizes the Resource-Based View of the firm and the importance of managing the resource stocks and flows of an organization to arrive at policies designed to improve performance over time. Thus, strategy formulation and analysis are based on an awareness of system structure, feedback dynamics, and stakeholder mental models. Students perform an internal financial analysis of a firm, understand its performance structure and the economic value of the firm. The seminar combines lecture, discussion, data analysis and simulation as principal methods for learning how to manage an enterprise effectively in dynamic, competitive environments. This course requires the use of a laptop computer and appropriate software.

Prerequisites: Graduating senior standing, completion of all courses in upper-division core

General Business Core

MGMT 440: Global Corporate Social Responsibility (3 units)

This course is designed to address corporate social responsibility in a global context. Its focus is on the purpose of corporations and their responsibilities to internal and external stakeholders residing in the cultural, political, economic, and ecological arenas. Emphasis is placed on ethical decision-making within organizations as a whole.

Prerequisite: MGMT 303

MKTG 371: Consumer Behavior (3 units)

Study of the decision processes of individuals and groups toward consumer products and the implications to marketers. Emphasis on individual, group, and external determinants of consumer attitudes and behavior.

Prerequisite: MKTG 305

BSIS 503: ERP/SAP Knowledge and Applications for Managers (1.5 units)

This course introduces students to the concept, implementation, and use of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to support organizational processes. The course emphasizes how businesses are using ERP platforms to understand their business processes and be more efficient and effective. Students learn about current trends and challenges in ERP and have hands-on experience using an ERP system.

Prerequisite: Open to declared Online students only

MINS 311: Foundation of Database Design (1.5 units)

This course provides students with the core concepts of database design through data modeling, data definition language (DDL), and data manipulation language (DML). Microsoft's SQL Server—a relational database—is our primary interest, as it is one of the most widely used database management systems. The underlying foundation and technologies behind database design will be discussed. After successfully completing this course, students will be able to organize data effectively and efficiently, using the notion of entity-relationship diagram (ERD), and perform data retrieval using SQL DML statements.

Prerequisite: Open to declared Online students only

FINA 351: Investments (3 units)

Investments from the point of view of the individual investor, security and non-security investment, analytical techniques, industry studies, and management of the personal portfolio.

Prerequisite: FINA 307

MKTG 465: Digital Marketing (3 units)

Study of the changes in the marketplace created by the increasing utilization of technological tools to perform traditional marketing functions. The course provides insight into strategies and tactics which can be used to implement and manage electronic marketing initiatives.

Prerequisite: MKTG 371

MGMT 443: Organizational Development and Change (3 units)

Effective organizations make active design decisions that support their goals and generate a competitive advantage. This course takes a systems perspective to analyze the different elements of an organization's design, including the fundamental elements of internal design and decisions regarding its interaction with its external environment. Students explore specific organizational design solutions that respond to recent social trends, technological advances, and changing environmental conditions such as increasing global competition. The course introduces students to difficulties inherent to managing a process of change, as well as processes that facilitate its effective implementation. The course further explores the development of continuously changing, learning organizations.

Prerequisite: MGMT 303

MGMT 447: Leadership and Motivation (3 units)

The purpose of this course is to develop an understanding of leadership and motivation in organizations. This course explores contemporary leadership thought, including approaches to leadership development, leadership models, leadership in specific contexts, and the relationships between leadership and organizational power, authority, and management. We also investigate the connection between leadership and motivation, motivation theories, and motivational programs for complex organizations.

Prerequisite: MGMT 303

OSCM 440: Supply Chain Management (3 units)

This course provides an overview of the supply chain management function in modern business. The objective of the course is to provide students with an integrative view of how supply chain decisions affect other functional areas of the firm and impact financial performance. The course focuses on three primary areas of supply chain management: strategy and design, planning, and operations. Business cases studies and enterprise information systems (EIS) are a central feature of the course with EIS providing a foundation for understanding the integrative nature of the business organization.

Prerequisite: OSCM 306

BADM 389: Internship in Business Admin (1-3 units) (optional)

This course is an internship offered for 1-3 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member.

General Education

PHIL 341W: Justice and Global Issues (3 units)

Inquiry into different theories of justice, and their implications for contemporary political issues. Topics include inequality, crime policy, taxes, immigration, globalization, war, and sustainability. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course.

PSYC 391: Psychology of Prejudice, Hate, and Violence (3 units)

Examination of the nature of prejudice and hate and their contribution to societal violence. How prejudice and hatred affect personal, family, and group behavior is considered in a context of understanding factors that contribute to its development. Strategies for reducing the prevalence of prejudice, hatred, and violence in our contemporary culture are evaluated. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved U.S. Diversity course.

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Admissions Deadlines for the Online BSBA

Aug
1
Application Opens
Spring 2025 term
Oct
1
Priority Deadline
Spring 2025 term
Nov
15
Application Deadline
Spring 2025 term
Jan
21
Next Start
Spring 2025 term