C. T. Bauer College of Business

Academic Guidelines

Students are advised to read the Regulations and Requirements section of the catalog for general guidelines regarding academic policies and graduation requirements. Of additional note for business majors are the following:

Transfer of Credit

Students transferring into the Bauer College's Undergraduate Program who receive elective rather than specific course-designated credit from the University of Houston Office of Transfer Admissions for courses taken at other schools may submit petitions, along with appropriate documentation, to the Office of Undergraduate Business Programs for departmental evaluation.

Once a student has been admitted to the University of Houston Bauer College of Business, all subsequent business courses must be completed in the University of Houston Bauer College of Business. Students requesting exceptions from this policy must obtain written permission in advance from the Office of Undergraduate Business Programs. No such approval will be given for students who are within 30 hours of graduation as stated in university policy.

Degree Progress and Filing a Degree Plan

Pre-business majors are expected to complete university core and pre-business courses during their freshman and sophomore years. Junior standing, or at least 45 hours for students in a mixed program, and completion of all specific course prerequisites and corequisites are required before students may take 3000-level business courses. A mixed program is a one-semester transition in which students who are not yet juniors but have completed at least 45 hours may take upper level business courses to have a full course load, as long as they meet specific course prerequisites/corequisites and qualify to file a degree plan at the end of that semester. Enrollment by pre-business majors in 3000-level business courses is limited to a maximum of 15 semester credit hours, including all courses attempted (with W's, I's, F's, and passing grades) and courses transferred. Pre-business majors may not take 4000-level business courses prior to declaring a specific area of concentration in business and filing a degree plan, unless approved by the Office of Undergraduate Business Programs.

In order to declare a specific area of concentration and file a degree plan, students must:

1. be a pre-business major with a 2.5 cumulative grade point average on 15 or more hours at the University of Houston,
2. complete all Pre-Business courses (MATH 1313 and 1314, ECON 2304 and 2305, ACCT 2331 and 2332, and DISC 2373) with a minimum grade of C in each of these courses taken at the University of Houston, and
3. have completed 6 hours of Communication, the U.S. History and American Government requirements, 6 hours of Natural Sciences, 6 hours of natural sciences, and PSYC 1300 or SOC 1300 at the time of filing for a major degree plan.

Courses for the Humanities, the Visual/Performing Arts, the Social/Behavioral Sciences-Writing Intensive, and the PHIL 1305, 1321, or 2310 requirements may be completed after students file a degree plan. Students are expected to file a degree plan through the Office of Undergraduate Business Programs, 249 Melcher Hall, as soon as the student has completed 60 credit hours.

Special Problems (Independent Study) Courses

Special problems (independent study) courses are available to juniors and seniors with the approval of the department chair and the Office of Undergraduate Business Programs. To take a special problems course, the student must first obtain a general petition from the Office of Undergraduate Business Programs, 249 Melcher Hall, complete the form, and have it signed by the faculty member who will be supervising the course and the department chair. The petition must include a description of the course and indicate whether the course will be for one, two, or three semester hours of credit. The signed petition form must be returned to the Office of Undergraduate Business Programs at least two weeks prior to the registration or add/drop period of the semester in which the course will be taken in order to assign a section number, which is required for registration. Students who do not officially register for special problems courses will not receive credit for them.

No more than six semester hours of special problems courses may count toward the business administration degree plan; only three of these hours may be in the student's area of concentration. The other three semester hours of special problems course work may count as elective credit. It is the student's responsibility to seek a faculty member to help design the special problems course and supervise it.

Prerequisites and Corequisites

Prerequisites and corequisites as specified under the business course listings are strictly enforced by the Bauer College of Business. A current listing of prerequisites and corequisites is available in the Office of Undergraduate Business Programs, 249 Melcher Hall. International students, postbaccalaureate students, and returning students should check with the Office of Undergraduate Business Programs before classes begin to insure that completed prerequisites have been automated. Students who have taken prerequisites at other schools should make sure those courses are transferred and evaluated by the Office of Transfer Admissions, and if necessary, evaluated by petition by Departments, before classes begin.

In addition to specific course prerequisites and corequisites, completion of TASP, junior standing (or a minimum of 45 hours), and a minimum 2.00 grade point average at the University of Houston are required to take upper-level business courses. Students who drop a corequisite course are subject to be dropped from the courses that require that course as a corequisite.

Repeated Enrollment

Students may not repeat an upper-level business course more than three times, including W, F, and I grades, without permission from the Office of Undergraduate Business Programs.

Residency Requirements

The last 30 semester hours of a bachelor's degree must be completed in residence. A residency requirement of 12 semester hours of advanced accounting course work is required for the accounting area of concentration. Twelve semester hours of advanced MIS course work in residence are required for the MIS area of concentration. In the remaining areas of concentration, six semester hours of advanced course work in residence are required.

Probation or Suspension

Business majors in their junior or senior year who are suspended from the University of Houston are permanently suspended from the Bauer College of Business.

Double Concentrations within Business

Students with a double concentration can count hours taken in the second area of concentration as satisfying the advanced business electives required for the first area of concentration and for the junior level advanced business electives.

GPA Requirements for Graduation

In addition to University requirements and specified degree requirements, students must have a 2.00 cumulative grade point average and a 2.00 grade point average in the studentıs area(s) of concentration. Calculations for each area of concentration are based on upper level courses used toward the degree in the area of concentration (except for non-area electives) and business core courses with the same designator as the area of concentration (with the exception of MANA 3350, which is not considered part of the Management area of concentration, and MARK 3337, which is not considered part of the Marketing area of concentration if it is used to meet the COMM 3356 requirement).