Business College Overview

In a spirit of shared learning, Lamar University College of Business prepares

 

Principled Leaders who are Responsive to social and environmental concerns; mentored by faculty in Ethical business standards; enriched by Personal relationships and experiential learning; Adaptable and resilient to be Ready on Day 1; and Engaged in life-long learning impacting Southeast Texas and the world.

Lamar University’s College of Business focuses on the following strategic concepts in the daily execution of its Mission:

• Ethics & Integrity
• Personal Relationships & Experiential Learning
• Principles & Responsiveness
• Resilience & Adaptability
• Diversity & Accessibility
• Community Engagement
• Career-Ready Lifelong Learners

The Bachelor of Business Administration curriculum consists of three distinct phases: business core, major specialization, and electives.

The business core requirements are patterned to develop an understanding of the social, legal, political, economic, ethical, and global frameworks within which business organizations exist and operate. A common body of fundamental business and economic theory and principles is also represented in the business core. These theories and principles are developed along with certain basic quantitative tools of analysis and communication skills as preparation for the specialized major courses. Understanding of the interaction of all areas and functions of business operations is the objective of the core courses.  We cultivate the intellectual capabilities and professional competencies required to successfully and ethically meet the challenges of a rapidly-changing global and technological environment.

The major specialization provides opportunities for study in a particular field of interest. This specialized study should enable a graduate to assume a position of responsibility in business, public service, or education. Finally, the student may choose electives that complement and supplement the specialization area.

The Bachelor of Business Administration degree will be awarded upon completion of the university core curriculum (section 6.4.1) plus:

1. Business core courses (45 semester hours)*:

ACCT 2301 - Introduction to Financial Accounting

ACCT 2302 -  Introduction to Managerial Accounting

BUAL 2305 - Business Statistics**

BULW 1370 - Business Environment and Public Policy**

BULW 3310 - Business Law

MGMT 3300 - Critical Thinking for Business Decision Making

ECON 2301 - Principles of Economics I Macro**

ECON 2302 - Principles of Economics II Micro**

FINC 3310 - Principles of Finance

MGMT 3310 - Principles of Organizational Behavior and Management

MGMT 3320 - Production Management

MGMT 4370 - Strategic Analysis

MISY 1373 - Introduction to Business Technologies

MISY 3310 - Principles of MIS

MKTG 3310 - Principles of Marketing

2. Major Specialization (18-30 semester hours)

3. Approved electives to complete a minimum of 120 semester hours, including the 3 hour International/Cultural Component course

4. A minimum grade point average of 2.00 in all College of Business coursework

5. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00

6. Application for the degree must be made through the office of the chair or director of the department or school of the student's major.

*Slightly different business core requirements exist for accounting majors.

**BUAL 2305 also fulfills the University Core Component Area Option II requirement. Completion of either ECON 2301,  ECON 2302, or BULW 1370 fulfills the University Core Social and Behavioral Sciences requirement.

Accounting Major (24 semester hours): ACCT 3310 Intermediate Accounting I, ACCT 3320 Intermediate Accounting II, ACCT 3330 Governmental Accounting, ACCT 3340 Cost Accounting, ACCT 3370 Systems and Practice, ACCT 3380 Taxation Accounting, ACCT 4300 Introduction to Auditing, ACCT 4375 Accounting Information Systems

Economics Major (21 semester hours): ECON 3310 Economics of Entrepreneurship, FINC 3330 Money & Banking, ECON 3340 Macro, ECON 3390 Managerial Economics, and 9 semester hours of ECON electives

Finance Major (21 semester hours): FINC 4310 Investments, FINC 4320 Financial Markets and Institutions, 12 hours of professional track electives, and 6 hours of upper-level ACCT, FINC, or ECON courses.

Management Information Systems Major (24 semester hours - MISY Core Courses (12 hours) and MISY Concentrations (Choose one from Enterprise Systems (12 hours) and Business Analytics (12 hours)):

MISY Core Courses: MISY 3340 IS Infrastructure, MISY 3370 IS Analysis & Design, MISY 4350 Project Management & Practice, and MISY 4380 IS Development.

Enterprise Systems Concentration (All Four):  MISY 3360 Fundamentals of Software Development, , MISY 3395 E-Commerce Design and Development, MISY 4370 ERP Overview, and MISY 4340 Business Intelligence and Analytics.

Business Analytics Concentration (Any Four): MISY 3321 Spreadsheet for Business Analytics, MISY 3341 Data Visualization, MISY 3350 Programming for Business Analytics, MISY 3390 Data Mining, MISY 4340 Business Intelligence and Analytics, ECON 4370 Economics Analytics, and MKTG 4380 Marketing Analytics. 

Management Major (21 semester hours): ACCT 3340 Cost Accounting, MKTG 4310 Marketing Management, MGMT 3330 Human Resources Management, MGMT 3340 Project Management, MGMT 4320 Advanced Organizational Behavior, MGMT 4340 Quality and Productivity Management, MGMT 4380 Seminar on Entrepreneurship

Marketing Major (21 semester hours): MKTG 4310 Marketing Management, MKTG 4330 International Marketing, MKTG 4360 Marketing Research, MKTG 4370 Advanced Marketing Problems, MKTG 3360 Consumer Behavior, MKTG 3350 E-Marketing, MKTG 4340 Marketing Promotion

Human Resources Management (21 semester hours): BULW 3320 Employment Law, MGMT 3330 Human Resources Management, MGMT 4320 Advanced Organizational Behavior, MGMT 4330 Compensation Management, MGMT 4340 Quality and Productivity Management, MGMT 4350 Issues in Human Resources Management, PSYC 3360 Psychological Tests and Measurements

General Business Major (18-30 semester hours)

Business Concentration (18 semester hours): ACCT 3340 Cost Accounting or ACCT 3380 Taxation Accounting, FINC 3320 Intermediate Financial Management, MGMT 3330 Human Resources Management, MKTG 4310 Marketing Management, MGMT 4380 Seminar on Entrepreneurship, MGMT 4350 Issues in Human Resources Management or MGMT 3340 Project Management or MGMT 4340 Quality and Productivity Management

Advertising Communication Concentration (18 semester hours): ARTS 3351 2D Graphics, ARTS 3352 3D Graphics, MKTG 3360 Consumer Behavior, COMM 3361 Desktop Publishing or COMM 4365 A New Media and Publishing on Web, COMM 4380 Advertising Campaign Strategies, MKTG 4340 Marketing Promotion

Construction Management Concentration (24 Semester Hours): CMGT 1310 Introduction to Construction Management, CMGT 1320 Light Construction Materials and Methods or CMGT 2310 Heavy Construction Materials and Methods, CMGT 2420 Construction Graphics Communication, CMGT 4325 Construction Project Management, CMGT 3350 Electrical Systems or CMGT 4310 Construction Project Control Systems, CMGT 4370 Construction Safety Management, CMGT 4420 Construction Cost Estimating and Analysis, CMGT 4100 Internship/Independent Study

Entrepreneurship Concentration (18 semester hours), ACCT 3340 Cost Accounting, FINC 3320 Intermediate Financial Management, MGMT 3330 Human Resources Management, ECON 3310 Economics of Entrepreneurship, MKTG 4350 Entrepreneurial Market Opportunities, MGMT 4380 Seminar on Entrepreneurship

Industrial Engineering Concentration (18 semester hours): INEN 3300 Industrial Engineering, INEN 3330 Engineering Economy or INEN 3322 Engineering Materials and Processes, INEN 3380 Work Design, INEN 4301 Quality Control Applications, INEN 4316 Industrial and Product Safety or INEN 4369 Engineering Management, INEN 4374 Human Factors Engineering, INEN 4376 Occupational Ergonomics or INEN 4379 Facilities Design

Regardless of the degree program, all students must earn at least 50 percent of the business credit hours required for any College of Business degree at Lamar University.

All newly entering freshmen who meet the university's general entrance requirements will be admitted to the College of Business.

Prerequisite Policy – College of Business students registering for business courses must meet all course prerequisites, including the implicit prerequisite indicated by the course level. The chair of the department offering the course must approve any exceptions.

2000-level courses – Student must have 30 hours*

3000-level courses – Student must have 60 hours*

4000-level courses – Student must have 90 hours*

* These hours include the hours in which a student is currently enrolled.

Business:  Non-business students may minor in business. Such students should complete ECON 1301, ACCT 2301, FINC 3310, MGMT 3310, MKTG 3310, and MISY 3310. One of the following courses must also be completed: BULW 3310, 3320, 3330, 3340, ECON 3310, MGMT 3320, 3330, or MISY 3395, 4390.  In keeping with the spirit of a minor, the students must have less than 25 percent of their total curriculum in business subjects. This 25 percent restriction also applies to all students who are not registered for a major in the College of Business, but who wish to have any kind of a business emphasis or concentration.

Management Information Systems:  The minor in Management Information Systems (MIS) is available to any student at Lamar University. To receive a minor in MIS, a student must complete six (6) classes: four (4) required classes, and two (2) elective classes from the following list.

• Four required courses (12 hours) are: MISY 3310 Principles of Management Information Systems, MISY 3340 IS Infrastructure, MISY 3370 IS Analysis and Design, MISY 4370 ERP Overview
• Two of the following elective courses (6 hours) should be taken: MISY 3395 E-Commerce Design and Development (with MKTG 3350 E-Marketing as a course substitution), MISY 4350 Project Management and Practice (with MGMT 3340 Project Management as a course substitution), MISY 4380 IS Development, MISY 4340 Business Intelligence and Analytics, Elective MISY 3350/3360 Programming for Business Analytics/Fundamentals of Software Development

Economics:  Non-business students may minor in Economics.  The minor requires 18 hours: ECON 2301, ECON 2302, ECON 3340, ECON 3390, and six (6) hours of electives approved by the department chair.

Business Law:  Non-business and business students may minor in Business Law.  Such students should complete BULW 1370 Business Environment and Public Policy and BULW 3310 Business Law.  Four of the following courses must also be completed, including at least two additional BULW courses:  BULW 3320 Employment Law, BULW 3330 Environmental Law, BULW 3340 Business Ethics, BULW 4390 Special Topics (Entertainment Law, Estate Planning Fundamentals, International Law, Real Estate Law), POLS 3301 Legislative Process, POLS 3313 Judicial Process, POLS 4390 Administrative Law, COMM 4310 Communications Law, COSC 3325 Computer Laws and Ethics, CRIJ 4313 White Collar Crime, or any other business-related law course pre-approved by the program supervisor.

Lamar University's MBA is fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Students with degrees in non-business fields as well as business undergraduates are encouraged to earn the Master of Business Administration degree through Lamar University's Traditional MBA.

Strategic Role

The strategic role of the Lamar MBA is to deliver a dynamic, integrated management education to a variety of student groups. Our students range from those who are exploring their career goals to students who want to advance their existing business knowledge and to students who have a focused career path. These different student needs are met through either the flexible part-time or the full-time Lamar MBA.

The Lamar MBA places a heavy emphasis on an experiential-based approach to problem-solving, including the knowledge, skill and ability to incorporate ethical considerations, leadership, teamwork, and a global perspective into the decision-making process. Lamar University blends its students' MBA education with passionate teaching, active learning, specialized knowledge, and professional development to enhance their career potential.

Traditional MBA

Students with undergraduate degrees in business and those from non-business disciplines are equally encouraged to apply for a Lamar MBA. The MBA is a highly respected vehicle for enriching undergraduate study in science and engineering, liberal arts, and the social and behavioral sciences as well as for adding depth to the traditional undergraduate business disciplines.

For students without any previous undergraduate study in business, the Lamar MBA consists of 48 semester hours (16 courses). The program consists of four leveling courses, a required core of eight courses, and four elective courses that will allow a student to develop a concentration. 

The four leveling courses may be completed after admission to graduate study or before admission when registering as a post-baccalaureate student. Undergraduate students are limited to nine semester hours of graduate work before completing their undergraduate degrees.

Students entering the Lamar MBA with undergraduate degrees in business from an accredited business school will likely have satisfied the graduate leveling work, and all of the four leveling courses may be waived. The MBA will then consist of 36 semester hours (12 courses), including eight core courses and four elective (concentration) courses.

Prior transcripts are reviewed during the admission process. Admission letters contain information about the specific leveling courses required

Dual Degrees offered:

1.    Master of Science in Nursing/Master of Business Administration

2.    Master of Science in Accounting/Master of Business Administration


BSIE/MBA Industrial Engineering undergraduates are eligible to participate in a 5-year academic program that leads to two degrees: a BSIE and MBA. Industrial Engineering students will complete all of the normal INEN degree requirements, with one exception: INEN electives are replaced with MBA leveling courses. The program is designed to be completed in 5 years with a general structure as follows:

• Years 1, 2, and 3 are spent in pre-engineering and industrial engineering coursework.
• Years 4 and 5 are spent taking MBA courses.

BSEE/MBA Electrical Engineering undergraduates are eligible to participate in a 5-year academic program that leads to two degrees: a BSEE and MBA. Electrical Engineering students will complete all of the normal ELEN degree requirements, with one exception: ELEN electives are replaced with MBA leveling courses. The program is designed to be completed in 5 years with a general structure as follows:

• Years 1, 2, and 3 are spent in pre-engineering and electrical engineering coursework.
• Years 4 and 5 are spent taking MBA courses.

Students interested in either of these dual degrees should make an advising appointment with the MBA office early in their academic career to ensure proper course enrollment

Traditional Admission:

Undergraduate grade point average and Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) scores must equal 1,000 points based on the formula: 200 times the overall undergraduate GPA for the first baccalaureate degree (4.0 system) plus the GMAT score.

Pre-MBA
Students who have a minimum 2.75 undergraduate GPA are welcome to begin as a Pre-MBA student. The post-baccalaureate designation allows students to take up to 9 hours of graduate-level credit toward the MBA degree plan while preparing to take the GMAT exam. Upon completion of these hours, students must provide a GMAT score that meets the traditional admission criteria to continue.

GMAT Waiver
The GMAT may be waived for applicants who have a Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university with a minimum 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA AND 4 or more years of increasing professional/managerial experience. Students submit all university application materials in addition to a resume and letter of recommendation. Students admitted without a GMAT score are not eligible for university scholarships.

A student whose native language is not English is expected to meet university requirements for the TOEFL or IELTS exams.

Post-baccalaureate students are not permitted to enroll in business courses for graduate credit without the prior consent of the MBA Director.

All applications will be reviewed on the basis of the profile material required and submitted for admission consideration. Each required document contributes to the overall profile of the candidate for admission. Qualified applicants for graduate study must provide evidence of good standing at the college or university from which they earned their undergraduate degrees. No single application element will be either an automatic qualifier or disqualifier for admittance

Students must have a bachelor's degree with a minimum 2.7 GPA to be eligible for the ERP Certificate. Students choose four of five courses, all offered completely online. No GMAT is required. SAP ERP Academy (TERP10) offered. Students must obtain a 3.0 GPA for four courses with a "C" or better in each class.

Courses offered: MISY 5340 ERP Overview, MISY 5350 ERP E-Commerce, MISY 5360 Business Intelligence OR INEN 5382 Enterprise Data Mining, MISY 5370 Predictive Analytics and Data Mining 5370 Supply Chain Management OR INEN 5357 Supply Chain Management.

MBA students who have completed three ERP courses or more are encouraged to take the SAP ERP Academy (TERP10). TERP10 is highly intensive training by certified SAP trainers focusing on the integration of business processes and covering 16 different SAP modules. The Academy is concluded with a certification exam on Day 10. It is the first step toward becoming an SAP Certified Associate.

 

Students must have a bachelor's degree with a minimum 2.7 GPA to be eligible for the Leadership Certificate. No GMAT is required. Students must obtain a "C" or better in each course and maintain an overall GPA of 3.0.
Students will select 15 hours from the following list:

BULW 5320 Persuasion & Negotiation

BULW 5330 Employment Law

MGMT 5312 Personal Leadership

MGMT 5313 Team Leadership

MGMT 5314 Tactical Leadership

MGMT 5315 Strategic Leadership

MGMT 5316 Performance Leadership

MGMT 5360 Human Resources Management


Certification courses will apply to the MBA degree once an applicant has gained admission to the MBA program (GMAT/waiver required). In addition, students entering the MBA program who do not have an undergraduate degree in business administration may be required to take leveling courses before entering the MBA program

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree with a 2.75 GPA from an accredited university. Students who graduated from Lamar University with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management are not eligible for this certificate. No GMAT is required. CPM Certificate classes are 8-weeks long and are taught 100 percent online. Classes begin in August, October, January, and June. Students who begin taking certificate classes in August will start on track to graduate in as little as one year. Students must obtain an overall 3.0 GPA for all of the required classes, with a “C” or higher in each class

Required Courses:

• CMGT 5310 - Construction Planning & Scheduling
• CMGT 5325 - Construction Project Management
• CMGT 5350 - Legal Practices in Construction
• CMGT 5370 - Construction Safety Management

Plus one of the following to complete the certificate:

• CMGT 5380 - Sustainable Built Environment & Society
• CMGT 5320 - Construction Cost Estimating & Analysis

Leveling Courses (designed primarily for students whose undergraduate degree is not business) ACCT 5315 Financial Accounting Foundations, ECON 5300 Foundations of Economics, FINC 5300 Foundations of Finance. Business Law is required as a self-paced leveling course through McGraw Hill. Students who needed TOEFL or IELTS scores for applications will be required to take BCOM 5300 Administrative Communications.

Core Courses ACCT 5370 Managerial Accounting, BUAL 5380 Managerial Decision Making, ECON 5370 Managerial Economics, FINC 5310 Financial Management, MKTG 5310 Marketing Management, MGMT 5340 International Business, MISY 5340 ERP Overview, MGMT 5380 Strategic Management

Additional four courses within one of the following concentrations:

Construction Project Management (Online)

Knowledgeable managers are crucial to the success of any construction project. By integrating an advanced construction project management curriculum with comprehensive business education, Lamar University's MBA in Construction Project Management prepares business leaders to run projects that meet performance, operational, scope and sustainability goals on a national or international scale.

 

Criminal Justice Management (Online)

The Lamar University MBA with a concentration in Criminal Justice Management offers students an extensive business management background while preparing them to apply management principles in a criminal justice setting. Students gain insight on how business management can be applied to the highest-ranking positions in the field of criminal justice.

 

This is an excellent degree for those who are already employed in the field of law enforcement, correctional administration or security management and would like to reach new levels of management and leadership within their current organizations.

Enterprise Resource Planning (On-Campus or Online)

The Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) concentration in the MBA program is about familiarizing our MBA students with the concept of integrating different business functional areas such as marketing and sales, supply chain management, accounting and finance, and human resources to achieve company goals of improving business processes by using ERP software. An ERP software such as SAP can support the integration of business processes that cut across different functional areas. This concentration will demonstrate how ERP systems can help a company cut costs and improve efficiencies of business processes by providing managers with accurate, consistent, and real-time data across all business functions. The courses offered in this concentration are 1) ERP Overview, 2) ERP – E-Commerce, 3) Business Intelligence, and 4) Supply Chain Management. (Available to all MBA students)

Experiential Business and Entrepreneurship (On Campus)

Having an idea is one thing, commercializing it is another. This concentration contains a curriculum that is designed to take teams of graduate students through the process of idea generation to business concept and from business concept to sustainable value through the completion of a competition-ready business plan. Student teams may generate their own ideas and concepts or "commercialize" a technology created by an Engineering Design Team. Program participants are taught how to perform opportunity analysis and develop a business plan and proposal to help them launch a new venture. Teams that work with the design projects experience how business and engineering work together to achieve the common objective of bringing a product to market. In addition, this concentration prepares students with hands-on application of practical business skills to use in the workforce. (Available to all MBA students)

Financial Management (On Campus)

The Financial Management specialization provides the student with advanced skills in corporate finance and investments. Students study how to select different instruments for investments, financing business activities, and managing financial risk. (Available to all MBA students)

General MBA (Online)

Students who seek a personalized approach to their education often want to choose courses that are applicable to their career aspirations. The General concentration allows students to choose from a variety of Management courses to create the best selection specific to their needs
      
Healthcare Administration (Online)

The Lamar University MBA Healthcare Concentration Program is uniquely suited to graduate students planning a career in health care administration, management, or entrepreneurial investment. The program augments general MBA graduate courses in strategic planning, finance, management, information technology, and economics by concentrating the student's business acumen to the specific entities and conditions of the healthcare market structure. Currently, the program consists of structured, lecture-oriented courses in healthcare economics, strategy, entrepreneurship, and medical information technology. Each student, during participation in these courses, will have hands-on, real-time experiential problems to solve and present to the instructors, classmates, and practicing healthcare professional and/ or their organizations. These healthcare professionals are active in Southeast Texas as physician business executives, physician group managers, and healthcare financial investors, as well as hospital and other healthcare institution administrators and, will present the students with unique problems for solution from their organizations. The Lamar University College of Business has developed a working relationship with the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) so that qualified graduate students may apply for internships at healthcare systems and institutions throughout Texas and the United States. Healthcare MBA Concentration students are urged to join the ACHE as members and to actively participate in the organization's planned education meeting events and programs presented throughout the region. Students' and ACHE members' interaction promotes professional contacts that may lead to mentoring and career path acquisitions. Some Healthcare MBA Concentration Program Courses may require business course prerequisites. (Available to all MBA students)

Leadership (On Campus)

The MBA leadership concentration focuses on personal and organizational development. Students learn how to unleash the contributions of their teams towards their organization's critical priorities and create a work environment where individuals want to devote their best efforts. Students completing the leadership track will better manage decisions, attention, and energy so that they can create extraordinary value for themselves and their organizations.

Marketing 

Learn about marketing functions that add value to organizations. The marketing concentration gives you an understanding of how to use various marketing tools including CRM (Constituent Relationship Management) systems, data analytics, and various modes of digital marketing to enhance and improve the company in which you lead.

Management (Online)

The landscape of business has shifted from leaders who exercised formal authority and faced low conflict to leaders who are required to achieve results through influence in the face of greater conflict. According to BIZ ED magazine, a leading publication on programs in higher education, "Most MBA programs give scant attention to soft skill development, generally confining it to electives on writing and presentations. MBAs need enhanced interpersonal skills. These include the ability to serve a wider range of audiences - such as customers, employees, and stockholders - while tolerating intense scrutiny and relinquishing command and control leadership approaches. Most MBA programs do not understand or know how to teach the relationship-building skills required for contemporary business leadership."

The focus of the Lamar University MBA Organizational Management concentration is personal and organizational development. This concentration emphasizes the values, integrity and emotional intelligence necessary for students to become successful organizational leaders. It features proven world-class organizational leadership training delivered by passionate instructors that realize that emotional and social intelligence is as important to a student's leadership role as their knowledge of finance and marketing. Graduates of our program understand what it takes to motivate people and lead an organization.

 
Port Management

This concentration offers an industry-relevant curriculum taught by Business and Engineering College faculty augmented by experts in the field, which can help accelerate your career path in the dynamic port and marine terminal operating industry. Courses in this program give you a deeper understanding of core business disciplines along with the skills necessary to lead and manage in this sector. Subjects covered include international trade and economics, logistics, legal issues, strategic and capital planning, operations, safety, and security, as well as management, competitive positioning, leadership and team building.

Service Management and Marketing (On Campus)

This concentration prepares Lamar University MBA students for careers in which they will establish customer relationships, build loyalty, and increase profits through effective service delivery. This will include the unique challenges involved in marketing and managing services. Students will consider the sources of competitive advantage in service businesses such as managing supply and demand, relationship management, customer satisfaction and loyalty, and the overlap in marketing/operations/human resource systems. (Available to all MBA students)

Thematic (On Campus)

For students who seek a tailored approach to their degree, the MBA program at Lamar University offers a thematic concentration. The thematic concentration allows students to choose their elective courses from a list of elective courses offered in the MBA program. To develop a thematic concentration, students develop a plan of study, including courses to be taken, and then submit them to the director of the MBA program for approval.

International Business Support Concentration (in addition to the core and main concentration)

In the increasingly global economy, many of our graduates will be seeking employment in the field of international business with hopes of traveling and working abroad in a variety of countries and cultures. Students who are interested may add the International Business Support concentration in addition to their chosen concentration. If interested, please discuss this option with your advisor.