Introduction
The Business Administration program has been designed to prepare students for leadership roles in business and the community. One program objective is to provide students with the perceptual and analytical skills necessary in making decisions and evaluating policy in business; another is to develop student understanding of the social, economic and regulatory environment of business. The program is designed for students with a variety of career goals, including opportunities with financial institutions, manufacturing and retail firms, service industries and the public sector.
Learning Competency Goals
Upon finishing the program, our students will be able to:
- Learning Competency 1: apply critical analysis to support a recommendation for operations problems.
- Learning Competency 2: communicate operations analyses, decisions, and recommendations effectively to diverse stakeholders using appropriate written, oral, and data-visual formats.
- Learning Competency 3: apply quantitative methodology to support decision making in the context of operations management.
- Learning Competency 4: possess skills that make them professionally ready.
Why Consider an Operations Management (OPS) Concentration in the Business Administration Major?
It is critical for organizations to be effective and efficient with their operations. Operations managers are concerned with each step associated with providing a service or product ranging from acquisition of the raw materials and component parts to delivery to the customer. They determine what equipment, labor, tools, facilities, materials, energy, and information are required, how these can best be obtained, and how they are used to satisfy the requirements of the marketplace.
Student Resources
Department website: Decision Sciences
Contact information: Sherri Nelson, Department Manager, Parks Hall 343, 360-650-3275, OfficeDSCI@wwu.edu
Department advising: Visit the Advising section of the Decision Sciences website.
Degree Works: Current students should also log on to Degree Works to check student-specific program progress.
Career Services Center: Connect major to a career
Sample careers: Production Supervisor, Quality Control Specialist, Inventory Control Specialist, Administrator, Operations Manager, Buyer, Supply Chain Consultant, Logistics Manager
How to Declare (Admission and Declaration Process):
Category of Major : Major with minimum requirements
Open majors can be declared by new and continuing students in good standing without additional requirements. All students are eligible for Direct Admission to Major at the time of admission to the university, subject to space availability.
Students who began their studies at WWU before the 2026-2027 academic year may declare their major by completing the Student Academic Declaration & Change Form and meeting the major’s retention requirements (if applicable).
Retention Standards
To remain in good standing, students must meet the following academic requirements:
- Maintain a minimum WWU cumulative GPA of 2.50.
- Students whose cumulative GPA falls below 2.50 will receive an academic warning and have one quarter to raise their GPA to 2.50 or higher.
- Students whose cumulative GPA remains below 2.50 for two or more consecutive quarters will be dropped from CBE and will not be readmitted until their cumulative WWU GPA is 2.50 or higher.
- Students whose cumulative GPA fall below 2.00 will be dismissed immediately from CBE and will not be readmitted or permitted to register for CBE major restricted courses until their cumulative WWU GPA is 2.50 or higher.
Transfer students admitted without a WWU GPA (i.e., no graded coursework at WWU at the time of admission) are admitted to both WWU and CBE. They must maintain the GPA described in the retention standards above to remain in good standing.
Grade Requirements
A grade of C- or better is required for a student’s major or minor courses, and supporting courses for majors and minors.
