General Information
Mission
The undergraduate program of the Red McCombs School of Business seeks to transform the lives of its students through a well-rounded professional education. The challenging curriculum is designed to provide a balanced perspective of business disciplines and a foundation for the lifelong development of an appreciation of the social, technological, and global economic forces shaping the future; the ability to recognize and promote ethical behavior; interpersonal and leadership skills; and the quantitative and analytical skills necessary for professional progress and advanced study.
History
The School of Business Administration was created in 1922, the outgrowth of the work in business administration first offered in the College of Arts and Sciences in the fall of 1912. In 1945, the school was reorganized as a college; in 2000, the college was renamed in honor of University alumnus and benefactor Red McCombs. The degree of Bachelor of Business Administration was first offered in 1916–1917. The Bureau of Business Research, organized in 1926 as one of the Extramural Divisions of the University, became the research division of the school in September, 1945. In addition to the Bureau of Business Research, the school includes the Departments of Accounting; Business, Government, and Society; Finance; Information, Risk, and Operations Management; Management; Marketing; and the Technology Commercialization program. Coursework in business may lead to the degree of Bachelor of Business Administration and to several advanced degrees, described in the Graduate Catalog.
Facilities
The McCombs School is housed in the George Kozmetsky Center for Business Education. This three-building complex includes modern classrooms and offices, lecture rooms with sophisticated multimedia equipment, and conference and study rooms, as well as lounges for informal student and teacher interaction. Computer and computer-access facilities are also available to students, faculty members, and staff members.
Financial Assistance Available through the School
Students who are enrolled in the McCombs School of Business are eligible for scholarships and awards funded by industry, foundations, and individuals. Some of these awards are available school-wide, while others are restricted to students in one department. Since funds are limited, students selected to receive an award must demonstrate outstanding academic aptitude and a firm commitment to a business education.
Most scholarships for continuing students are reserved for students who have declared a business major. Generally, one hundred to two hundred school scholarships are awarded annually, in amounts of $500 to $2,500; some are renewable. Criteria for awarding scholarships vary to meet the wishes of the donors but often include financial need, academic performance, major area of study, and hometown. Descriptions of school scholarships and applications for them are available on the Undergraduate Program Office Web site in February of each year. The deadline for submission is the end of February for scholarships for the following academic year. Recipients are selected by the Undergraduate Program Office of the school and are usually notified during the summer.
Departmental scholarships are generally reserved for juniors and seniors majoring in a program of the department. Because departmental scholarships are normally funded by annual contributions, the number of scholarships and the amounts awarded vary among departments and over time. Criteria for departmental awards are specified by the donors and include the same kinds of characteristics as those established for school-wide awards; deadlines and other elements of the selection process also vary among departments. Interested students should contact the major department for further information.
Student Services
The Undergraduate Program Office provides administrative support and student services for the school. Student services include maintenance of student academic records, academic counseling by appointment, development of official degree audits for students, and graduation certification.
Academic Advising
Upon admission to the McCombs School every undergraduate student is assigned to a professional academic adviser. Academic advisers in the Undergraduate Program Office provide individualized, comprehensive advising and serve as a referral resource to students to ensure timely progress toward degree completion. Faculty advisers are also available in each academic department to help students explore their educational and career goals.
All students are encouraged to meet regularly with their assigned advisers. However, those who have been enrolled in the school for at least one semester are permitted to self-advise and register without consulting an academic adviser. To be eligible to self-advise, the student must have a University grade point average of at least 2.00. Like all undergraduate students, those who self-advise are responsible for knowing the requirements of the degree program they have chosen, for enrolling in courses appropriate to that degree program, for meeting the prerequisites of the courses selected, and for taking courses in the proper sequence to ensure timely progress toward the degree. See Student Responsibility in The University section for more information.
Career Services
BBA Career Services offers job search assistance to business students. The purpose of the office is to help students determine their career goals, develop a plan for achieving these goals, and select and obtain employment commensurate with their goals, interests, and training. To help students prepare for their career search, the office presents workshops on résumé writing, interviewing, conducting a job search, evaluating offers, and other career interest areas.
In addition to the career-related workshops, the BBA Career Advising team also teaches the required courses Business Administration 101S and 101T to freshmen and transfer students. The purpose of these courses is to assist business students with planning, implementing, and evaluating their careers. These courses are designed to provide students with the foundations for executing a successful job search and focus on career management as a lifelong process. After completing these courses, students can implement job search strategies and interviewing techniques in pursuing internship and full-time employment opportunities.
Most students obtain their internship, which is a required part of the undergraduate business curriculum, at the end of their junior year. However, BBA Career Services encourages freshmen and sophomores to attend its recruiting activities and events, which can help them obtain various internships prior to the required internship. These experiences can help students develop their résumés and job search skills.
The office maintains a career resource library of company literature, employment information, and general business publications for students’ use. About fourteen thousand individual interviews for internships and full-time opportunities are arranged annually with employers in business, industry, government, and not-for-profit organizations. Several hundred firms conduct on-campus interviews at the McCombs School each year.
To assist employers, the office provides résumé searches among graduating seniors seeking full-time positions and among juniors seeking internships; these are sent to organizations nationwide that request them. The office also coordinates about three hundred receptions and information sessions each year.
Another resource for employers, students, and alumni is the online McCombs Job Board. The Job Board helps recruiters reach business alumni and current students. It complements the on-campus recruiting program by allowing companies to recruit candidates for a wide variety of roles in their organizations throughout the calendar year.
More information about BBA Career Services is provided by the McCombs School at http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/career/.
As a complement to the assistance available from the school, the Sanger Learning Center provides comprehensive career services to all University students. The center offers professional assistance to students in choosing or changing their majors or careers, seeking an internship, and planning for the job search or for graduate study.
The University makes no promise to secure employment for each graduate, but rather provides the tools and resources to ensure that students have access to employment opportunities.
Student Organizations
Student organizations play a vital role in the educational experience offered by the University. Students who become involved in organizations gain experience in leadership, teamwork, networking, time management, and other practical areas. This experience, when combined with the theoretical knowledge gained in the classroom, helps students develop a well-rounded set of skills for use academically, professionally, and personally.
The Undergraduate Business Council (UBC) is the governing student body in the school. It is made up of representatives from each McCombs affiliated student organization, an executive board, representatives elected by the student body, and members appointed by the executive board. The UBC acts as a representative of all undergraduate business students and sponsors programs such as Family Day, the VIP Lecture Series, and the Faculty Honor Roll.
Business student organizations sponsor professional activities such as guest lectures, field trips, and faculty chats; many offer social activities as well. The McCombs affiliated student organizations are American Marketing Association, Asian Business Students Association, International Association of Students in Economics and Commerce (AIESEC), Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting, Alpha Kappa Psi, BBA Energy Finance, Beta Alpha Psi, Black Business Student Association, Business Healthcare Association, Business International Student Association, Business Transfer Student Association, Delta Sigma Pi, Diversity and Inclusion Student Council, Engineering Route to Business Leadership Council, Freshmen Business Association, Global Business Brigades, Global Investment Group, Honors Business Association, Hispanic Business Students Association, Jewish Organization at the Business School, Management Information Systems Association, National Association of Black Accountants, Net Impact, Phi Beta Chi, Phi Chi Theta, Student Consulting Initiative, Return on Investment, Texas Analyst Association, Supply Chain Management Student Organization, Tech Connects, Undergraduate Real Estate Society, University Accounting Association, University Finance Association, and Women in Business Association.
Study Abroad
The BBA International Programs office offers McCombs School of Business students the opportunity to study abroad on exchange programs at twenty-nine partner schools in twenty-four countries around the globe. The exchange programs enable students to make progress toward their University degree requirements while gaining valuable intercultural experiences. More information is available at http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/bba/ip/.
Leadership Development Program
The Leadership Program (LP) gives students access to unique leadership development programs and activities. All business majors who are not in the Business Honors Program and are freshmen, sophomores, or transfer students may apply. The LP requires a four-year commitment from freshmen and a three-year commitment from sophomores and transfer students. The primary goal of the Leadership Program is to enhance student learning and development as it relates to self-knowledge and leadership competence, and to expand the student’s leadership portfolio during his or her time at the McCombs School of Business.
Admission to the Leadership Program is limited to a small number of students who are chosen on a competitive basis each year. More information and an online application form are available at http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/BBA/OSL/Leadership-Development/Leadership-Program.aspx.