School of Management (MGMT)

• Accounting and Financial Management
• Global Management
• Managing for Sustainability
• Markets, Innovation and Design
• Bachelor of Management for Engineers

Studying management teaches students to understand organizations and their management in relation to society’s needs, the forces of history, the bounds of responsible practice, and the nature of the human condition. The habits of thought associated with liberal education – free inquiry, moral reasoning, engagement with traditions of knowledge and culture, and critical thinking – are precisely the qualities most required of truly professional managers and are developed in management coursework. Management education not only prepares students to become managers but also, more importantly, fits them to be citizens in a society circumscribed, in no small part, by the actions of complex organizations.

As organizations wrestle with the turbulence of the 21st century, they must confront four equally important challenges. They must be financially viable, despite the increasing complexity of financial markets. They must be innovative, as only those products and services that satisfy consumer and client needs in a distinctive way can compete in the marketplace. They must be capable of operating on a global scale, as resources, capital, labor, and (above all) competition can come from anywhere in the world. Finally, they must be environmentally and socially sustainable. The knowledge and skills involved in addressing these challenges are not the province of one domain of thought. Instead, they require complex reasoning, imagination, and interdisciplinary study. The BSBA core curriculum cultivates these habits of thought and teaches students to address each of these challenges competently, while the four specialized programs of study allow students to concentrate in great depth on one of these four challenges.

The School of Management provides curricula leading to the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) degree, with majors in Accounting and Financial Management (ACFM), Global Management (GLBM), Managing for Sustainability (MSUS), and Markets, Innovation and Design (MIDE). In addition, the School of Management offers a Bachelor of Management for Engineers (BME) degree and elective courses to students across the University to fill a pressing need for otherwise well-educated college graduates to understand the basic structures, operating mechanisms, and management principles governing businesses and other organizations.

The School of Management’s graduates are actively recruited by leading organizations. The ACFM program maintains strong ties with many of the foremost CPA and financial services firms. Its curriculum provides a solid foundation for students who wish to qualify as Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), Certified Management Accountants (CMAs) or Chartered Financial Analysts (CFAs). The School also frequently places graduates in well-known consumer products, pharmaceutical, and fashion companies. Other BSBA graduates undertake a diverse range of positions in businesses, government and not-for-profit organizations. Some start their own firms or become teachers, lawyers, museum curators, non-profit executives and more. All of them are prepared to make significant contributions to their organizations and their communities, of whatever scale. Many BSBA graduates, after working several years, complete MBA programs at major universities such as Chicago, Columbia, Harvard, Northwestern, Stanford, or Virginia or go on to pursue Ph.D.s, law degrees, and other advanced programs of study.

Applying to the BSBA Degree Program

Students who wish to seek the BSBA degree and who were not directly admitted to that degree program when admitted to the University must apply for internal transfer into the School of Management. Typically, the internal transfer process is highly competitive. The number of students admitted to the BSBA degree program is limited by an enrollment cap determined by the School and the Dean of Arts and Sciences. An Information Session is held in early April each year for first-year students to learn more about the application process. Immediately following the information session an on-line application portal becomes available for first-year students to submit a completed internal transfer application to the School prior to the last day of classes in the spring semester of their first year of study at Bucknell. The specific application deadline is widely publicized each year via the Message Center. Students are informed of the decision in June and are able to adjust their fall schedules accordingly.

Criteria for acceptance include academic achievement and supplemental materials submitted as part of the application process. Students planning to apply to the School should actively consider their contingency plans, in the event that they are not accepted into the program. Students not in the School of Management can take up to seven courses in the School of Management. Questions regarding the application process should be addressed to the Assistant Director of the School of Management.

All BSBA candidates ordinarily will have completed at least three of the four BSBA foundational literacy core courses by the end of the first year. While admission to the BSBA degree program is possible without having completed these courses, students seeking internal transfer admissions are strongly encouraged to complete some core course(s) by the end of the first year wherever possible. Where this is not possible, students should plan to complete all four foundational literacy and at least two managerial literacy core courses by the end of their sophomore year. Prospective applicants are encouraged to meet with School of Management faculty during their first year of study to discuss important advising issues.

Requirements

All candidates for the BSBA degree must fulfill all University degree requirements including the College Core Curriculum, the BSBA Core Curriculum and all major program requirements.

BSBA Core Curriculum Requirements

The BSBA Core Curriculum comprises those courses that all candidates for the BSBA degree must complete, regardless of which major program they select; it is designed to cultivate three forms of literacy relevant to managerial thought: foundational, managerial, and integrative. All BSBA graduates must acquire these literacies, as they are the fundamental knowledge and skills necessary for managers, regardless of organization, industry, function, or sector.

Foundational Literacy Requirement

Four courses are required of all BSBA majors.

MGMT 100	Management Past, Present and Future	.5
MGMT 101	Introduction to Organization and Management	1
MGMT 102	Quantitative Reasoning for Managers	1
ECON 103	Economic Principles and Problems	1

Managerial Literacy Requirement

Unlike foundational and integrative literacy requirements, the managerial literacy requirements vary by major. The list below indicates each major’s required managerial literacy courses.

MGMT 200	Foundations Accounting and Financial Management I (required for ACFM, GLBM, MSUS, and MIDE majors)	1
MGMT 201	Marketing (required for ACFM, GLBM, MSUS, and MIDE majors)	1
MGMT 202	Operations (required for MSUS majors)	1
MGMT 203	Managerial Finance (required for GLBM and MIDE majors) 1	1

1	ACFM majors must take two accounting and financial management courses - ACFM 261 Foundations of Accounting and Financial Management II and ACFM 370 Corporate Finance - in lieu of MGMT 203 Managerial Finance.

Integrative Literacy Requirement

Three courses are required of all BSBA majors.

MGMT 302	The Stakeholder Organization	1
MGMT 303	The Technological Organization	1
MGMT 304	The Strategic Organization 2	1

2	ACFM majors pursuing the CPA/CMA track may choose to take ACFM 359 Advanced Seminar in Accounting rather than MGMT 304 The Strategic Organization.

All BSBA majors must satisfy the Culminating Experience component of the College Core Curriculum. This requirement is typically fulfilled by enrollment in MGMT 304 The Strategic Organization; however, ACFM majors who pursue the CPA/CMA track may satisfy this requirement through either MGMT 304 The Strategic Organization or ACFM 359 Advanced Seminar in Accounting. In addition, all majors will receive instruction in writing, speaking, and information literacy as part of their BSBA core curriculum coursework.

In the spring of their sophomore year, all BSBA students will, in consultation with their advisers, select a major from among the four specialized programs and will complete the specific major requirements in addition to the BSBA core curriculum requirements. Transferring between programs is possible as long as the student will be able to meet all degree requirements of the new program and still graduate on schedule. Students cannot double major in two different BSBA programs.

Other Information About the BSBA Major

BSBA majors are encouraged to pursue off-campus study, either abroad or in approved domestic programs. Many off-campus programs also include internship opportunities. BSBA students may take a maximum of two required BSBA core or major courses in non-Bucknell programs.

The School may assist students in arranging special programs to include study abroad, independent work, field projects and internships, and acceleration in the fulfillment of BSBA requirements. Well-qualified juniors and seniors are invited by the faculty to participate in the school honors programs, consisting of participation in advanced seminars and the preparation of honors theses.

Interdepartmental Minors

Although no general or program-specific minors are currently available in the School of Management, the school contributes courses to four University interdepartmental minors: Arts Entrepreneurship, Legal Studies, Public Policy, and Social Justice. In addition, non-majors may discuss sequences of courses appropriate to their academic goals with any member of the school.

Faculty

Professors: Mark S. Bettner, William R. Gruver, Tammy B. Hiller, Elton G. McGoun

Associate Professors: Douglas E. Allen, Matthew D. Bailey, Neil Boyd, Jamie R. Hendry, David E. Jensen, Michael E. Johnson-Cramer (Director), Robert A. Needham (adjunct), Eric L. Santanen, Janice M. Traflet, Stephen D. Willits

Assistant Professors: Mihai Banciu, Jonathan Bean, Jimmy Chen, Jordi Comas, Cynthia Guthrie, Richard Kedzior, Eric C. Martin, Stacy Mastrolia, Curtis Nicholls, Seth Orsborn, Kristy Schenck, Alia C. Stanciu

Visiting Professor: Timothy Sweeney (emeritus)

Visiting Assistant Professor: Wesley Wang

Lecturers: Paul W. Brann, Mary F. Leshinskie, Dianne McDonald