School of Business Administration

Christopher Shook, Dean

Terri L. Herron, Associate Dean

Homepage:http://www.business.umt.edu/

The School of Business Administration, founded in 1918, is the largest professional school at the University. All programs are accredited by AACSB International–The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, and accounting programs also hold separate AACSB accreditation.

Mission

The University of Montana’s School of Business Administration enhances lives and benefits society by providing a world-class business education in a supportive, collegial environment.   We accomplish this mission by acting on our shared core values of creating significant experiences, building relationships, teaching and researching relevant topics, behaving ethically, and inspiring individuals to thrive.

The goal of the School of Business Administration's programs is to provide a broad foundation in business practice and theory, supplemented by deep expertise within one or more specific business disciplines through majors and certificates. The complexity of contemporary society has increased the need for responsible, ethical leadership in organizations with local and global reach. A professional business education combined with solid grounding in the liberal arts and sciences prepares men and women to meet difficult challenges and to contribute to society in meaningful ways. School of Business Administration graduates work in business, nonprofit, and government sectors all over the world.

Students may pursue programs of study leading to the B.S. in Business Administration with a major in any of the following areas: accounting, finance, international business, management, management information systems, and marketing. Students pursuing other undergraduate degrees can complete a minor in Business Administration. The School of Business Administration also offers various certificates to both business majors and non-business major.

High School Preparation:

High school students who are planning to major or minor in business administration at the University of Montana-Missoula should take their school's college preparatory curriculum. Additional courses to improve quantitative, writing, verbal communication, analytical, and computer skills will be beneficial. Students should take as much mathematics as possible, including two years of algebra.

Credit/No Credit Option:

Most business administration courses are offered for traditional letter grade only.

All courses required for the major, the minor, certificates, and all general education courses must be taken for a traditional letter grade.  Business courses taken as electives may be taken on a credit/no credit basis only if not identified as traditional letter grade only in the registration system and if approved by the instructor and the department chair.  For additional information see the Academic Policies and Procedures section of the catalog.

Graduate Programs

Opportunity for further study at the graduate level is offered through programs leading to the degrees of Master of Accountancy (M-Acct.), Master of Science in Business Analytics (M.S.-B.A), Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), joint J.D./M.B.A., joint M.B.A./D.P.T. and joint M.B.A./Pharm.D. The graduate programs are suited to all students regardless of undergraduate training. Further details may be obtained from the Graduate School or by specific inquiries directed to: Director of M.B.A. Program, School of Business Administration, Director of M.S.-B.A. Program, School of Business Administration,or Director of M-Acct. Program, School of Business Administration.

Foundation Program for M.B.A and M-Acct Programs

The M.B.A. and M-Acct. programs are open to graduates of non-business undergraduate programs (prerequisites strictly enforced). Students in the arts and sciences or other professional schools are encouraged to consider the M.B.A. and M-Acct programs. Completion of all of the foundation courses listed below (or equivalents) prior to starting the program will reduce the time required for the M.B.A. or M-Acct. at the University of Montana-Missoula by one year; however, many of the courses listed below have prerequisites that are strictly enforced (including, without limitation, a general prerequisite that all upper-division business courses require the completion of each lower-core business course with a grade of C or better).

  • ACTG 201 Principles of Financial Accounting
  • ACTG 202 Principles of Managerial Accounting
  • BGEN 361 Principles of Business Law
  • BFIN 322 Business Finance
  • BMIS 270 MIS Foundations for Business
  • BMGT 322 Operations Management
  • BMGT 340 Management and Organizational Behavior
  • BMKT 325 Principles of Marketing
  • ECNS 201S Principles of Microeconomics
  • STAT 216 Introduction to Statistics

Nine of the 10 courses in the Foundation Program are included in the undergraduate Minor in Business Administration, which is open to any undergraduate student. The School of Business Administration also offers a series of five graduate-level courses that can substitute for the above undergraduate courses. These courses are only open to students who have already earned an undergraduate degree. For more information, please visit the University of Montana School of Business Administration M.B.A website (http://www.business.umt.edu/programs/graduate/mba-program/default.php) or M-Acct website (http://www.business.umt.edu/programs/graduate/macct-program/default.php).

Foundation Program for M.S.-B.A. Program

The M.S.-B.A. program is open to graduates of non-business undergraduate programs.  The program can be completed in one year for students who have completed the following foundation courses, or the equivalent:

  • BMIS 326 Introduction to Data Analytics
  • BMKT 560 Marketing & Stats (or STAT 216 Introduction to Statistics and BMKT 325 Marketing Principles)
  • STAT 451 Statistical Methods I
  • Business analytics internship or work experience

For more information, please visit the University of Montana School of Business Administration M.S.-B.A. website (http://www.business.umt.edu/programs/graduate/msba-program/default.php)