College of Business and Economics

Introduction

Dr. Scott T. Young, Dean
Vacant, Associate Dean

Mission Statement of the College

We are a student-focused school of business and economics engaged in scholarly and professional activities that contribute to the well-being of society.

Objective of the College

The College of Business and Economics prepares men and women for positions of leadership and stewardship in the management and administration of complex organizations - from small companies to large multinational enterprises. Students develop managerial skills, analytic economic skills and interpersonal sensitivities, as well as quantitative and accounting skills. All students earning a degree in one of the programs of the college will develop significant understanding of management information systems and computing.

The curriculum is primarily upper-division based upon a broad liberal arts education. Individual skills are developed sufficiently to achieve entry-level employment in many fields, but the College seeks to motivate and orient the student toward a lifelong learning experience. The College seeks to instill sensitivity to environmental aspects of business enterprise, promotes a commitment to ethical behavior, and provide a strong emphasis on forward-looking, goal setting behavior in the business world while encouraging an active role in community leadership.

The College of Business and Economics is accredited by the AACSB International-The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Academic Programs Leading to Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees

Requirements for the master’s degrees offered in CBE are listed in the Graduate School section of the catalog.

Major/Minors

Minor

In addition to the majors provided by the five departments, a minor makes an excellent addition to a specialized program in other areas of the University. This gives relevant, realistic and applicable qualities to those valuable skills developed in other more abstract and theoretic departments. The combination of a minor with a major in speech, English, journalism, foreign languages or with other liberal arts majors provides an additional strength and resource to the individual’s skills and educational development. See departments for details on minors.

Minor Declaration Process

The application process originates with the College office when the student submits an online application from via the College of Business and Economics website, cbe.wwu.edu/apply-cbe. Applications will be reviewed against admission criteria by College staff with every effort being made to inform the student of their status in a timely manner.

Combined Majors

Interdepartmental majors are given in economics/accounting, economics/environmental studies, economics/mathematics, economics/political science, economics/social studies, financial economics, politics/philosophy/economics and business administration/sustainability. See departments for details.

College Admission and Advisement

Admissions and Major Declaration

Admission to programs in the College of Business and Economics is selective and based upon prior academic performance. All students intending to earn a degree in accounting or any area of business (except economics) must complete the foundation courses comprised of ACCT 240, 245; ECON 206, 207; MATH 157; MIS 220; DSCI 205; MGMT 271, or their approved equivalent, with a grade of C- or better. All foundation classes except MIS 220 must be taken as graded credit and cannot be taken Pass/ No Pass. Students must successfully complete the foundation courses and meet the admission criteria below before they are admitted to the College and declared a business or accounting major. Students interested in majoring in economics must consult the economics section of this catalog.

For admission to the College of Business and Economics as a full major (except majors in economics and manufacturing and supply chain management) a student must meet the following requirements:

• Minimum of 2.50 cumulative GPA after having completed all foundation courses. The cumulative GPA is calculated on all college-level course work completed by the student, including any transfer work.
• Minimum of 2.30 cumulative GPA in all courses taken within the College of Business and Economics.
• Students must be in good academic standing with the University.

Students who meet the requirements will be assured of admission if space is available in the department program of choice. For economics and manufacturing and supply chain management admissions requirements, see the appropriate sections of this catalog.

Students who have not completed their foundation course work may apply to the College and be given pre-major status. Pre-major status is granted to students who are at least sophomore level, or who have been identified as top quintile students, and who, at the time of application, meet the following requirements:

• Minimum of a 2.50 cumulative college-level GPA including all previous institutions.
• Minimum of 2.30 cumulative GPA in all courses taken within the College of Business and Economics.
• Students must have a WWU cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher to be considered in good academic standing with the University.

Students with pre-major status may only enroll for foundation or core courses listed. Their progress will be monitored by the College and they will attain full major status upon successfully completing the foundation courses and meeting the admission criteria above. If after completing the foundation courses they do not meet the criteria for full major admission, they will be dropped from the College. They may reapply should they repair the deficiency.

Provisional full major admit status in the College is provided to students completing their last foundation course(s) and would be eligible to enroll for major restricted courses as a full major in the following quarter upon successful completion of their current course work. Students may be in provisional status only one quarter. Failure to advance to full major status will result in removal from major status.

For students to be considered for pre-major, full major or provisional status the College office needs to have an application on file. See Admissions Process below.

Following admission to the College, a student is assigned an advisor and is required to consult with that advisor.

Admission Process

Students must confirm admission to Western Washington University before submitting an application to the College of Business and Economics. The application process originates with the College office when the student submits an on-line application form via the College of Business and Economics website, cbe.wwu.edu/apply-cbe. Applications will be reviewed against admission criteria by College staff with every effort being made to inform the student of their status in a timely manner.

Students interested in either an economics major from the Department of Economics, or a BS degree in manufacturing management from the Department of Decision Sciences will submit an on-line application.  Once an application is submitted, the student will be contacted by the department to schedule an interview.

Inquiries should be directed to College of Business and Economics, Western Washington University, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225-9072, or phone 360-650-3896.

Department Chairs

Directors

Other College Information

Information concerning admission and application to the College of Business and Economics is available online at cbe.wwu.edu.

Retention

All majors in the College of Business and Economics (CBE) must maintain good academic standing with the University. A student with a Western Washington University cumulative GPA average below 2.0 will be dismissed from the College and not permitted to take additional courses in the College of Business and Economics until the deficiency is repaired. Students with two successive quarters of a CBE GPA cumulative average below a 2.3 will be dismissed from the College of Business and Economics.

Requirements for Bachelor’s Degree

Besides the general requirement for graduation from the University, explained elsewhere in this catalog, CBE has the following specific requirements:

• At least 50 percent of the business credit hours required for the CBE majors and minors must be taken at Western Washington University
• Electives may be selected as needed to ensure the required 180 quarter hours total credit is met, however majors in accounting and business administration must complete a minimum of 90 credits in areas other than accounting and business administration. All CBE courses are considered in the areas of accounting and business administration except DSCI 205, MATH 157, and all economics courses.
• Communication. All students must consult their advisor regarding writing proficiency and communications requirements; all CBE majors are required to take one Communication Focus (CF) course. Students seeking a BA in Economics must complete a CF or CF-E designated course. Communication Focus courses are designated with a CF in the timetable; Communication Focus-Economics are designated with a CF-E in the timetable. Communication Focus (CF) designated courses include a professional quality presentation supported by appropriate technology component. Presentations may be made individually or in teams. In the latter case, each student must deliver a portion of the team presentation such that individual assessment is possible. Communication Focus-Economics (CF-E) designated courses are only offered by the Economics Department and include an oral presentation component.

Students are reminded that up to 32 hours of upper-division credit are elective. This provides significant opportunity to include courses in the arts, sciences and humanities. Early discussion with a CBE faculty advisor is strongly encouraged. Students desiring to take two concentrations, two majors, or two degrees must talk with an advisor in CBE for information related to the requirements and restrictions.

Petitioning Procedure. Any student who seeks a variation from the strict application of the rules, regulations or requirements of the College, should consult the advisor listed below based on their major status for guidance on the CBE process for petitioning the Dean:

• Pre-majors should consult the CBE Pre-Major Advisor
• Majors should consult their major department

Special Programs

Center for Economic and Financial Education. The Center for Economic and Financial Education, coordinated by the economics department, is involved in providing economic knowledge, data and teaching aids to the grade schools and high schools throughout the state. Affiliated with the Washington State Council on Economic Education, this center assists in raising the standards of economic literacy of the state.

Center for Economic and Business Research. This center undertakes research activities related to developing a better understanding of the economic and business climate of the Pacific Northwest. The center is developing and maintaining an economic database for the area, has developed a regional model that will assist in forecasting certain economic variables for the region, and responds to specific research requests from local public and private entities.

Center for Innovation in Education. This center, through faculty, student and industry partner involvement, is committed to enhancing and serving as an incubator for new methods of teaching and learning in fields of business, economics, and related disciplines in the College of Business and Economics.

Center for International Business. The Center for International Business provides opportunities for faculty and students to deepen their understanding of international business management techniques and issues through a variety of activities including lectures and seminars, research projects, course curricula development and field studies.

Center for Operations Research and Management Science. The Center provides a platform for research-oriented outreach activities including the following: publishing a working paper series, conducting international symposiums and seminar series, creating new research opportunities for senior undergraduate and graduate students to get involved in faculty-guided applied research projects.

Departments, Courses and Programs

Courses listed in this catalog constitute a record of the total academic program of the University. For an exact scheduling of courses at Western, students should consult the annual online Timetable of Classes, and Extended Education bulletins.

The College of Business and Economics also offers the Business Administration Minor  administered by the departments of Decision Sciences, Finance & Marketing, and Management.

Programs

• Business Administration Minor