Nelson Rusche College of Business

TIMOTHY O. BISPING
Dean

McGee Business Building, Room 137
Phone: (936) 468-3101
Fax: (936) 468-1560
P.O. Box 13004, SFA Station
Nacogdoches, TX 75962
Email: cob@sfasu.edu
Web: sfasu.edu/cob

Overview

The Nelson Rusche College of Business includes the Schlief School of Accountancy and the Departments of Business Communication and Legal Studies; Economics and Finance; and Management, Marketing and International Business. For a list of the programs of study, see the appropriate department/school section in this bulletin.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Nelson Rusche College of Business is to create a challenging learning environment that will enable our students to launch their careers with the foundation for effective leadership.

Vision Statement

Our vision is to show continuous improvement in three interrelated areas: creating student success, enhancing our reputation for excellence, and attracting critical resources - i.e. students, faculty, staff and funding.

Core Values

We believe that applied learning within a personalized and collaborative setting is fundamental for creating a superior learning experience. We value high-quality research and teaching, innovation, respect for colleagues and students, and hard work and integrity in everything we do.

Strategic Focus

Learn - We are creating a personalized and applied learning environment supported by high-quality faculty, staff and administrators.

Launch - We are creating experiences that will challenge and equip our students to find their place in a highly competitive and global environment.

Lead - We are creating engaging experiences that will challenge and equip students to make a difference in the world around them.

Accreditation

Undergraduate and graduate business programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International. This premier accreditation signifies that the college meets exacting standards in areas such as faculty resources and qualifications, intellectual climate, student services, degree requirements, library and computer facilities, physical plant, and financial resources.

Advising and Student Services

All students in the College of Business must be advised each semester in order to register for classes. Advising of business students who have not declared a specific major and those on probation and suspension takes place in the College of Business’ Office of Student Services. Students in good academic standing and who have declared a specific business major are advised by faculty members in the academic unit that serves their major.

Scholarships and Fellowships

Scholarships for College of Business majors are administered through the SFA Alumni Association and Office of Student Financial Assistance. A limited number of scholarships are awarded through the academic departments and the college. Applications for scholarships are due early each spring semester. Study-abroad scholarships are available to select students enrolled in international study courses and programs.

Student Organizations

Students interested in clubs and organizations for business majors or minors should visit with an advisor in their major department or with staff in the College of Business’ Office of Student Services. Student organizations include Accounting Club, American Marketing Association, Finance Club, National Association of Black Accountants, Phi Beta Lambda, Society for Advancement of Management and the College Student Advisory Council. Honoraries include Beta Alpha Psi, Beta Gamma Sigma, Epsilon Chi Omicron, Mu Kappa Tau, Omicron Delta Epsilon and Sigma Iota Epsilon.

National Honorary Society

Beta Gamma Sigma is the international honor society serving business programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International. Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest recognition a business student anywhere in the world can receive in a business program accredited by AACSB International.

Students, based on high academic achievement, and tenured business school faculty members are the only ones eligible for membership in the society. Membership is limited to outstanding students who show promise of success in the field of business and who rank in the upper 10 percent of the junior or senior class or the top 20 percent of the graduating master’s class.

Beta Gamma Sigma membership provides recognition for a lifetime. With a host of opportunities related to member recognition and networking, those recognized for their academic achievements at SFA can continue an active relationship with Beta Gamma Sigma long after graduation.

Program Information

See individual programs for a complete listing of course requirements. Refer to individual departments’ sections for suggested course sequences.
Students are required to file a degree plan when they have selected a major and completed a minimum of 45 credit hours.
Enrollment in business courses numbered 300 or higher is limited to students who will have completed at least 60 hours of coursework by the end of the current term of enrollment. Specified prerequisites for the course(s) in question must be completed before enrollment in the respective course. If a student has fewer than 60 hours of coursework at the time of registration, she/he may register for business courses numbered 300 or higher only with permission of the chair of the department(s) offering the course(s).
No more than three hours of Special Problems (475) and no more than three hours of internship (ACC 485 , ECO 485 , FIN 485 , GBU 485 , MGT 476 , MKT 486 ) may count toward a bachelor’s degree in the College of Business. Internship courses may count only as electives and may not count toward completion of major or minor requirements in accounting.
MGT 463 - Business Policy and Strategy, the capstone course required of all B.B.A. students, must be completed in residence at Stephen F. Austin State University.
In order to be cleared for graduation, each student pursuing a B.B.A. is required to take the Major Field Test in business. Students are eligible to take the MFT during the semester of enrollment in MGT 463 . Students who do not take the test with the MGT 463 groups at the published times each semester are referred to SFA’s Testing Services to take the test, where an additional fee is charged. Distance education students may arrange to take the test at a Prometric Testing Center.
A student on academic suspension may be allowed to continue in the College of Business by one of the following procedures:
1. Attend summer school at SFA and
  1. raise her/his SFA GPA to 2.0
  2. or pass with a C average or higher at least nine semester credit hours as specified by the dean’s office or the College of Business’ Student Services Center. This will take two summer sessions.
2. Be reinstated on continued suspension automatically after meeting the required semester(s) absence from the university.
No student with a non-business major may have more than 25 percent of her or his undergraduate program in business courses.