Department of Business Disciplines

The Bachelor of Science degree programs are designed to prepare graduates to meet the challenges from strong and growing global forces, conflicting values, changing technology, and demographic diversity among employees and customers. Graduates will be prepared to contribute to their organizations and society, grow personally and professionally, and pursue further graduate work. The Undergraduate Certificate in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Business is designed to provide students with specialized LNG-based business knowledge and skills needed in the industry and give them a competitive edge. These programs support the mission of the College of Business, which is to provide quality business education, enriched by scholarship and community engagement, to ensure student success as the future workforce of Southwest Louisiana.

Curricula

The accounting curricula are designed to prepare students for the accounting profession and opportunities in business, industry, government, and public accounting. The profession requires a strong foundation in general education and business courses in addition to thorough training in accounting subjects. While each of the accounting curricula gives students all necessary courses to take the Uniform CPA Examination, the accounting curriculum with the professional accountancy and exam preparation concentration offers interested students a highly organized and specialized curriculum in preparation to become a professional in the field of accountancy. This curriculum directs students to specific courses advantageous in preparation for the CPA exam as well as other accounting-related professional examinations. Our managerial accounting concentration is tailored for students interested in working in industry and preparing to take the CMA Examination. The accounting curriculum with a concentration in taxation offers interested students a strong preparation in many diverse areas of personal and business taxations.

The finance curricula require advanced coursework in finance and provide training in the acquisition and use of funds. These curricula prepare students for positions in banking, investment, insurance, real estate, and financial management. The finance curriculum with the financial analysis concentration exposes interested students to advanced study of financial accounting disclosures combined with higher-level financial analysis. Students who pursue the financial services concentration will be uniquely qualified for ample job opportunities in the financial services industry with required background in the role and structure of financial markets, the role of regulation, and key functional topics.

The business administration curricula offer students a holistic view of each major area of business (accounting, economics, finance, management and marketing) while allowing them to specialize in one of three concentrations. The general business administration concentration is designed for those interested in business but are undecided about a specific area of specialization. The business education Grades 6-12 concentration gives you a clear path for teaching secondary education, while allowing for a solid foundation in business topics. Finally, the construction management concentration equips students with both the engineering and business skills necessary to fully manage a construction process.

The management curricula combine the study of business-specific skills like professional decision making, accounting, statistics, strategic analysis and micro- and macroeconomics with the interpersonal skills necessary to be a successful leader, including effective communication, teamwork, collaboration and problem solving. Students graduate ready to organize, supervise and direct diverse workforces in a variety of career fields. Students may also concentrate in Human Resource Management. As another option, we also offer the management curricula 100% online. Students can take advantage of the seven-week sessions offered twice during fall and spring semesters and six-week sessions held during the summer, all while accessing class information and assignments where and when is most convenient for their schedules.

The marketing curricula blend the analytical skills of business with the creativity of liberal arts to teach students how to promote and sell products and services to a wide range of customers and markets. Students study consumer behavior, retail marketing, digital marketing, liquefied natural gas marketing, market research, professional selling, and international marketing while honing their interpersonal and communication skills in a dynamic business environment.

The LNG business curriculum requires six LNG courses and provides special LNG business knowledge and skills that are needed in the industry. The coursework provides an understanding of fundamentals of LNG, accounting, law and taxation, energy economics and environment, natural gas and LNG finance, and marketing. The Certificate may be completed within 120 hours of any Bachelor of Science degree in the College of Business.

The entrepreneurship minor is an interdisciplinary minor, meaning students from any major can enroll. It is focused on helping those students who are considering starting or owning a business, regardless of their primary educational background. The entrepreneurship minor also focuses on helping students learn the mindset of successful entrepreneurs, a skill set highly sought out by many employers.

Uniform CPA Examination

To be eligible to sit for the Uniform CPA Examination as a Louisiana resident, an applicant must possess, in addition to other requirements, academic credit for not less than 150 hours of post-secondary, graduate, or post-graduate education. The Bachelor of Science in Accounting curricula fulfills the specific course requirements for sitting for this professional examination in Louisiana. Details of the Louisiana CPA requirements and recommendations for meeting the education requirements are available from the College of Business, as well as from the website of the State Board of CPAs of Louisiana: cpaboard.state.la.us.

Graduation Requirements

Students in the College of Business must meet all graduation requirements listed on the College of Business page as well as in the Degree and Graduation Requirements section of the Academic Regulations page. A student concentrating in business education grades 6-12 must also meet all requirements for admission and progression through the teacher education program, teacher residency, and graduation as stated on the Teacher Education Preparation Portals page.

Students completing the Undergraduate Certificate in LNG Business must meet all requirements listed in the Undergraduate Certificate Requirements section of the Academic Regulations page. Upon completion, students shall receive an appropriate diploma, and the awarding of the certificate will be noted on the academic transcript. Students receiving a UC only do not participate in commencement and are not listed in the commencement program.

Graduate Studies

The College of Business offers a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with concentrations in business analytics, general business administration, and international business. Additional information and the curricula are available on the program pages below.

Programs

Bachelor of Science (BS)

Minor

Undergraduate Certificate (UC)

Liquefied Natural Gas Business, UC

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

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