College of Business and Economics

Introduction

Dr. Brian K. Burton, Dean
Dr. Craig Dunn, Associate Dean
Dr. Craig Tyran, Associate Dean

Mission Statement of the College

The College of Business and Economics provides high-quality programs in business and economics, focusing primarily on undergraduate instruction. The College serves the needs of students from throughout the region by offering programs that provide a global perspective, a knowledge of information technology and the ability to apply economic and business principles. The College also offers graduate programs in business administration and professional accounting and provides instruction to students from other colleges within the University. As a supporting part of this educational mission, the faculty of the College engages in applied, integrative, and pedagogical scholarship and provides services to their profession, the community and the University. The College seeks continuous improvement in the quality of its pedagogy, scholarship and service to its constituents.

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.

Combined Majors

Interdepartmental majors are given in economics/accounting, economics/environmental studies, economics/mathematics, economics/political science, economics/social studies, financial economics and politics/philosophy/economics. 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; DSCI 205; MGMT 271, or their approved equivalent, with a grade of C- or better. All foundation classes 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) a student must meet the following requirements:

• Minimum GPA of 2.75 in the seven foundation courses or
• 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.
• Students must be in good academic standing with the University.

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 are, at the time of application, making satisfactory progress in their course work.

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 cancellation of major restricted courses registration and 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, www.cbe.wwu.edu/College/Applications.asp. 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

World Wide Website

Information concerning admission and application to the College of Business and Economics is available on the World Wide Web at www.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 2.0 will be dismissed from the College.

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 business degree must be taken at Western Washington University
• Electives may be selected as needed to ensure the required 180 quarter hours total credit is met, except that majors in accounting and business administration must complete a minimum of 90 credits in areas other than accounting, business administration and economics beyond the principles
• 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 and complete the upper-division Writing Proficiency (WP - 3 points) requirement, both within CBE, prior to graduation

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 either a variation from the strict application of the rules, regulations or requirements of the College, or a student-designed major from among the departments of the College, may petition the dean.

Special Programs

Center for Economic Vitality (CEV). The CEV provides individual counseling to small business firms, conducts research into general small business problems, and develops and offers educational programs geared to the needs of persons operating small businesses. Any small business firm, community group or individual may request assistance. There is no charge for the management and technical assistance services of counselors.

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 Excellence in Management Education. This center, through faculty, student and industry partner involvement, is committed to enhancing teaching and learning in fields of business, economics, and related disciplines in colleges and universities.

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.

Small Business Development Center. The Small Business Development Center is an appointment based, confidential, business advising service for local business owners. The SBDC director meets with business owners or managers, one-on-one, to work on a variety of business topics such as financing, technology, business plans, marketing & sales, cash flow management, production & operations, human resource concerns, and buying & selling a business.

Departments, Courses and Programs

Courses listed in this General 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 the Extended Education and Summer Programs Bulletin on the Web.

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

Departments and Programs