Degrees and Programs

The McCombs School allows the student to minor in any field in which the University offers a major. However, prerequisites and other enrollment restrictions may prevent the student from minoring in some fields.

Applicability of Certain Courses

Physical Activity Courses

Physical activity (PED) courses are offered by the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education. They may not be counted toward the Bachelor of Business Administration degree. However, they are counted among courses for which the student is enrolled, and the grades are included in the grade point average.

ROTC Courses

No more than twelve semester hours of air force science, military science, or naval science coursework may be counted toward the Bachelor of Business Administration degree. ROTC courses may be used only as nonbusiness electives and may be counted toward the degree only by students who complete the third and fourth years of the ROTC program and accept a commission in the service.

Courses Taken on the Pass/Fail Basis*

A business student may count toward the degree up to four one-semester courses in elective subjects outside the major taken on the pass/fail basis; only electives, nonbusiness electives, and upper-division nonbusiness electives may be taken on the pass/fail basis. Business courses taken on the pass/fail basis cannot be counted toward the major, unless they are offered only on the pass/fail basis. Credit earned by examination is not counted toward the total number of courses that the student may take pass/fail.

Concurrent Enrollment*

To ensure degree applicability, students are urged to consult with their academic adviser before registering concurrently at another institution, either for resident coursework or for a distance education course, and before enrolling in University Extension self-paced or semester-based coursework. A student may not be enrolled concurrently during his or her last semester in any course to be counted toward the degree without jeopardizing graduation eligibility.

Certificate Programs

Certificate programs in the McCombs School are designed to allow undergraduate students to develop an area of expertise in addition to their major program. The required number of hours to earn any certificate may vary but may not be fewer than eighteen and may not exceed twenty-four. Undergraduates who complete transcript-recognized certificate requirements in conjunction with their degree requirements or within one year after earning the degree, receive recognition on the University transcript. At least half of the required certificate coursework must be completed in residence at the University. A maximum of nine hours of certificate coursework may be taken after the student has earned the undergraduate degree.

A student may not earn any transcript-recognized certificate in the same field as his or her major, and at least one certificate course must be outside the requirements of the major. However, certificate courses outside the major may be counted toward other degree requirements.

The Business Foundations Program*

The Business Foundations Program (BFP) is designed to provide a foundation in business concepts and practice for students in other majors. Any nonbusiness student with a University grade point average of at least 2.00 may take any BFP course for which he or she meets the prerequisite. Students who intend to complete the BFP certificate program should apply online for admission by March 1 for fall or summer, and by October 1 for spring.

Real Estate Certificate*

The Undergraduate Real Estate Certificate program (Texas URE) offers degree-seeking undergraduate students from any major the opportunity to explore the commercial real estate industry, and supplement their primary degree with an officially recognized certificate in real estate.

The Real Estate Certificate program requires eighteen semester hours of coursework as described below; students must also complete the following prerequisite courses: for nonbusiness students, Accounting 310F (may fulfill the quantitative reasoning flag) and Finance 320F; for business students, Finance 357. In addition, nonbusiness students are strongly urged to complete Economics 301, or 304K and 304L. Upon obtaining credit or registration for the designated prerequisite course(s), a student with upper-division standing may formally apply to the certificate program. Admission to the program is based on students’ overall academic record and their performance in the required prerequisite course(s). The courses necessary to complete the Texas URE may have additional prerequisites, and admission to the program and instructor approval is required as a condition of enrollment in some courses. At least half the required certificate coursework must be completed in residence at The University of Texas at Austin.

The certificate requirements are:

1. Real Estate 358 and 378K.
2. Real Estate 376G or Legal Environment of Business 363.
3. Three of the following:
   1. Accounting 378 (approved topics in real estate accounting); or 326 for finance majors only,
   2. Architectural Engineering 323K, 358, 366 (may fulfill the ethics and leadership flag), or 377K (Building Information Modeling for Project Management topic),
   3. Architecture 308 (may fulfill the global cultures flag), 318K (may fulfill the global cultures and writing flags), 318L (may fulfill the global cultures and writing flags), 350R (may be repeated where topics vary. Credit for topics is subject to approval), or 368R (History and Theory of Landscape Architecture I and History and Theory of Landscape Architecture II topics),
   4. Community and Regional Planning 369K (may fulfill the writing flag),
   5. Economics 330T, 334K, or 334L,
   6. Finance 377 (Topic 3: Security Analysis) (for finance majors in the REIT Fund Program or the Financial Analysis Program only),
   7. Geography 310C, 337, 356T [Topic 1: The Culture of Cities (may fulfill the cultural diversity in the United States flag)], or 360G (may fulfill the quantitative reasoning flag),
   8. Legal Environment of Business 363 (for non-finance majors only),
   9. Real Estate 376G (for non-finance majors only)
   10. Urban Studies 301 (for urban studies majors only) (may fulfill the cultural diversity in the United States flag), or 305 (Experiencing the City topic).

Students must request transcript certification by emailing the program adviser at the time of application for graduation or upon completion of the program requirements, whichever is later. Students have up to one year after graduation to complete the certificate program for transcript purposes. A maximum of nine hours of certificate coursework may be taken after the student has earned the undergraduate degree.

Supply Logistics Optimization Certificate*

The Supply Logistics Optimization Certificate (SLO) offers both business and nonbusiness students an opportunity to study supply logistics using the best resources of both the McCombs School of Business and the Cockrell School of Engineering. The certificate is designed to develop supply chain and logistics business managers who have the technical expertise to interface with industrial and manufacturing engineers. For engineering students, the certificate provides supply chain and logistics management expertise, particularly for those involved in product development, process innovation, and manufacturing systems engineering. Science and engineering technology enterprises have a great demand for managers and engineers who understand business as well as the underlying science, technology, and engineering principles on which their operations are based.  Employers have indicated their desire to hire students who approach the industry from a more well-rounded, interdisciplinary perspective.

The following four courses for business and nonbusiness students are prerequisites for application to the Supply Logistics Optimization Certificate Program: 

1. Mathematics 408C (may fulfill the quantitative reasoning flag) and 408D or the equivalent (for business and nonbusiness students).

2a. Mechanical Engineering 318M and 335, or the equivalent (for nonbusiness students).

2b. Statistics 309 (may fulfill the quantitative reasoning flag) and Management Information Systems 301 or the equivalent (for business students).

Upon completion of these courses, a student with upper-division standing and a University grade point average of at least 3.00 may formally apply to the certificate program. Admission to the program is based on students’ overall academic record and their performance in the four prerequisite courses. To gain admission the following semester students must apply by March 1 for fall and by October 1 for spring.  At least half of the required certificate coursework must be completed in residence at The University of Texas at Austin.

The certificate requirements are twenty-one semester hours of coursework as described below:

1. Operations Management 335, 337 (Topic 3: Procurement and Supplier Management) (may fulfill the writing flag), and 368.
2. Nine semester hours chosen from Mechanical Engineering 366L, 367S, 373K, 375K.
3. Three semester hours chosen from Operations Management 337 (Topic 1: Total Quality Management); (Topic 2: Supply Chain Modeling and Optimization) (may fulfill the quantitative reasoning flag); (Topic 4: Supply Chain Design, Planning, and Control); (Topic 5: Project Management), 366P, or 367.

Students must apply online to request the SLO certificate the semester they will complete the program; by November 1 for fall, April 1 for spring, or by August 1 for summer.  Students have up to one year after graduation to complete the certificate program for transcript purposes. A maximum of nine hours of certificate coursework may be taken after the student has earned the undergraduate degree. A maximum of nine hours of certificate coursework may be taken after the student has earned the undergraduate degree.

Core Curriculum

All students must complete the University’s Core Curriculum  and the following specific requirements for the BBA, including the requirements of a major. In some cases, a course that is required for the BBA or for a major may also be counted toward the Core Curriculum; these courses are identified below.

Flags*

Each student must complete the University’s Core Curriculum . In the process of completing Core Curriculum and BBA degree requirements, students must earn credit for seven flags as listed below; most of the required flags are attached to the business core and major courses students must complete to earn a BBA degree. Courses may simultaneously satisfy flag and other degree requirements. As applicable, students are advised to fulfill the cultural diversity and the global cultures flag requirements through courses that meet other requirements of the Core Curriculum such as the first-year signature course, American history, government, or visual and performing arts requirements, or BBA degree requirements such as the human behavior requirement or electives. Please note, students may not earn the cultural diversity and global cultures flag from the same course.

Two writing flags: one flag requirement is typically satisfied by Business Administration 324 or 324H, a second by the capstone class in the major when taken in residence.

One quantitative reasoning flag: flag requirement typically satisfied by Accounting 311 or 311H, Accounting 312 or 312H, Statistics 309 or 309H, or 371G when taken in residence.

One global cultures flag: BBA students should find a course that satisfies one of the University Core requirements, human behavior requirement, or an elective, which carries the global cultures flag.

One cultural diversity in the United States flag: BBA students should find a course that satisfies one of the University Core requirements, human behavior requirement, or an elective, which carries the cultural diversity in the United States flag.

One ethics and leadership flag: typically satisfied by Management 336 or 336H, or Legal Environment of Business 323 or 323H when taken in residence.

One independent inquiry flag: typically satisfied by classes required for the degree; Finance 370, International Business 350, Management 374, 374H, Management Information Systems 375, and Operations Management 337 (Topic 3: Procurement and Supplier Management), when taken in residence.

Flags may be added to courses periodically; courses with flags are identified in the Course Schedule . More information is available in the section on Skills and Experience Flags . 

BBA Degree Requirements*

1. A grade point average of at least 2.00 is required on all work undertaken at the University for which a grade or symbol other than Q, W, X, or CR is recorded. In addition, a grade point average of at least 2.00 in business courses is required.

   The official grade in a course is the last one made; however, if a student repeats a course and has two or more grades, all grades and all semester hours are used to calculate the University grade point average and to determine the student’s scholastic eligibility to remain in the University and his or her academic standing in the McCombs School of Business.

   A student may not repeat for credit or grade points any course in which he or she has earned a grade of C- or higher (or the symbol CR, if the course was taken on the pass/fail basis).

2. A candidate for the BBA degree must be enrolled in the McCombs School in the semester or summer session in which the degree is awarded.

3. Each student is expected to complete the courses required for his or her major and to meet the curriculum requirements described in items 4 through 7 below in the year specified.

4. During their freshman and sophomore years, students must complete the University’s Core Curriculum requirements.

5. Students must complete the following BBA degree requirements during the freshman year:

   1. Mathematics 408K (may fulfill the quantitative reasoning flag) and 408L ; or 408C (may fulfill the quantitative reasoning flag) and 408D; or 408N (may fulfill the quantitative reasoning flag), and 408S; or the equivalent. This coursework may also be used to fulfill the mathematics requirement of the Core Curriculum.

   2. Economics 304K and 304L. Economics 304K may also be used to fulfill the social and behavioral sciences requirement of the Core Curriculum.

   3. Management Information Systems 301, a business core course.

   4. Three semester hours of coursework in anthropology, psychology, or sociology, chosen from approved courses; courses dealing primarily with statistics or data processing may not be used to fulfill this requirement.

   5. Business Administration 101H, 101S, or 101T. Entering freshmen take Business Administration 101S, entering transfer students take Business Administration 101T, and entering business honors students take Business Administration 101H. Because each course is offered only once a year, failure to take the course in the proper semester will prevent the student from declaring a major and progressing toward the degree.

6. Students must complete the following business core courses during the sophomore year:

   1. Accounting 311 and 312 (both courses may fulfill the quantitative reasoning flag).

   2. Statistics 309 (may fulfill the quantitative reasoning flag).

   3. Business Administration 324 (may fulfill the writing flag).

7. Eighteen semester hours beyond the first two years are specified as follows:

   1. Business core courses:

      1. Legal Environment of Business 323 (may fulfill the ethics and leadership flag).

      2. Finance 357.

      3. Marketing 337.

      4. Operations Management 335 or Management 336 (may fulfill the ethics and leadership flag).

      5. Statistics 371G (may fulfill the quantitative reasoning flag). Finance majors pursuing the quantitative finance track take Statistics 375 to fulfill this requirement.

   2. A professional, business-related internship or practicum course chosen from the following: Accounting 353J, 366P, Business Administration 353, 353H, Finance 353, 366P, Management 353, Management Information Systems 353, 366P, Marketing 353, 366P, Operations Management 353, 366P. Only one internship course may be counted toward the degree.

8. The following requirements apply in addition to those in items 4 through 7 above:

   1. Additional coursework to provide a total of at least sixty semester hours outside the McCombs School. At least six of these hours must be at the upper-division level. Students should consult the requirements of their major department for additional information about coursework to be taken outside the school.

   2. Completion of the requirements of one of the majors listed in the section Program Degree Requirements. In no event is a degree of Bachelor of Business Administration awarded to a student with fewer than forty-eight semester hours in business, at least twenty-four of which have been completed in residence on the letter-grade basis at the University. At least twelve semester hours of upper-division coursework in the major must be completed in residence at the University on the letter-grade basis. For additional residence requirements, see the University's minimum General Requirements for graduation given in The University section. Please also see footnote below.

Proficiency in a foreign language equivalent to one year competency is required. This requirement may be fulfilled either by completion of the two high school units in a single foreign language that are required for admission to the University as a freshman or by the demonstration of proficiency at the second-semester level. Credit earned at the college level to achieve the proficiency may be taken on the pass/fail basis, and the credit may count towards the degree. Due to the variety in the way language classes are taught at the University, students should consult their academic adviser.