Business Administration

• Certificate (Not Applicable)

   

• Associate Degree (Not Applicable)

   

• Bachelor Degree

  At the end of their study at WSU, students graduating from the department’s degree programs will meet the following outcomes and subsequent objectives:

  • 1. Analytical and critical thinkers
    • Students will be able to identify issues and problems
    • Gather and organize relevant data
    • Draw logical conclusions
  • 2. Ethically Aware
    • Analysis of normative theories
    • Identification of eithical and legal issues
  • 3. Effective communication
    • Writing skills
    • Oral presentation
  • 4. Knowledge of key concepts in major business disciplines
    • Students will demonstrate knowledge of core business disciplines
  • 5. Global viewpoints
    • Recognize and anticipate how sociocultural differances and political/economic forces shape institutions and business decisions

The student who majors in business administration is seeking the most general business degree that is offered at the bachelor's level. This major has been described as an undergraduate MBA because of its emphasis on breadth of education across all of the functional areas of business. This degree might be especially appropriate for students who intend to become entrepreneurs.

Business Administration Website

• 2021-2022

   

• 2019-2020

  1) First year student success is critical to WSU’s retention and graduation efforts. We are interested in finding out how departments support their first-year students. Do you have mechanisms and processes in place to identify, meet with, and support first-year students? Please provide a brief narrative focusing on your program’s support of new students:

  a. Any first-year students taking courses in your program(s)

  There are no programs specifically for first year students in GSBE for any degree. Two years ago the Freshman Sophomore Business Club was developed, however this was not pursued due to a lack of engagement and interest from students.

  b. Students declared in your program(s), whether or not they are taking courses in your program(s)

  GSBE Marketing and Advising staff have just started a new communication plan last year for students once they are admitted and declared. The plan is as follows:

  • 1. Student receives an email welcoming them to GSBE and inviting them to attend orientation as soon as we receive notification that they have been accepted.
  • 2. Student is reminded of orientation the week of orientation
  • 3. Student attends virtual orientation and receives a follow up email with the orientation packet that was discussed
  • 3. Student receives postcard reminding them to register if they haven't or didn't attend orientation
  • 4. Student receives follow up email for registration if they haven't.

   

  2)A key component of sound assessment practice is the process of ‘closing the loop’ – that is, following up on changes implemented as a response to your assessment findings, to determine the impact of those changes/innovations. It is also an aspect of assessment on which we need to improve, as suggested in our NWCCU mid-cycle report. Please describe the processes your program has in place to ‘close the loop’.  

  This occurs as a whole school activity details of which can be found in the GSBE BAM Assessment of Learning Form

  The full report is available for viewing.
   

• 2017

  1) Reflecting on this year’s assessment(s), how does the evidence of student learning impact your faculty’s confidence in the program being reviewed; how does that analysis change when compared with previous assessment evidence?

  • This year’s progress has continued with the review of methods and processes for assurance of learning, both at the college and department levels. Since last year, the faculty have commenced a revamping of its data collection methods to support its emphasis on strengthening the capacity of students to work in teams and lead them more effectively. Regarding to specific areas of our curriculum, we have commenced revisions to the quantitative foundations via introduction of a data analytics course, which came out of our review from the 2013-14 cycle year. We have also made changes to bolster communication learning by working in partnership with the English department to provide the option of a technical writing course and a humanities-based course on business in literature. Finally, a review of our process for data collection have led to the conclusion that we need an improved tool to measure learning of core concept, which has been in development is currently being piloted. The faculty in the department embrace the values continuous improvement of its academic programs and constantly thinking of ways to improve the effectiveness of our instructional delivery—not only through learning assessment outcomes, but the very substantive review of curriculum and culture needed to imbue students with an education-first and degree-second mind set. We attempt to live in the middle of a perpetual cycle of data-driven change and improvement, guided by core values that make education and learning the preeminent goal.

   

  1) With whom did you share the results of the year’s assessment efforts?

  • Assessment results have been shared with faculty and administration in the Goddard School of Business andEconomics.

   

  2) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take?

  • The first initiative we will be undertaking is to improve the communication and engagement between the assurance of learning committee and the college's curriculum committee, to help ensure more concerted "closing the loop" activities take place in the future. We are also taking our new core concepts exam and plan to look for a possible pre- and post-test data collection design. Finally, we are looking to introduce a Business Analytics course into the Goddard School's foundations curriculum.

               

  The full report is available for viewing.

• 2016

  1) Reflecting on this year’s assessment(s), how does the evidence of student learning impact your faculty’s confidence in the program being reviewed; how does that analysis change when compared with previous assessment evidence?

  • This year’s progress has continued with the review of methods and processes for assurance of learning, both at the college and department levels.  More robust, effectively targeted and appropriate data collection methods are being devised with a view to providing more meaningful information, which will then strengthen a continuous improvement cycle. The faculty in the department embrace the values continuous improvement of its academic programs and constantly thinking of ways to improve the effectiveness of our instructional delivery—not only through learning assessment outcomes, but the very substantive review of curriculum and culture needed to imbue students with an education-first and degree-second mind set. We attempt to live in the middle of a perpetual cycle of data-driven change and improvement, guided by core values that make education and learning the preeminent goal.

   

  2) With whom did you share the results of the year’s assessment efforts?

  • Assessment results have been shared with faculty and administration in the Goddard School of Business and Economics.

   

  3) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take?

  • In response to a particular concern to enhance students communication skills, strategic partnerships are being developed with the WSU honors program and the English Department with the goal of creating new, or drawing upon existing, courses that teach higher level communication skills, which can be appropriately transferred to the business environment. In addition, a thorough review is underway of how the campus general education curriculum is supporting the development of students’ critical thinking, analytical reasoning and writing skills. The College Curriculum Committee will make a number of proposals regarding the reconfiguration of foundation and core provision.  Consultation regarding the introduction of either ENGL 3110 or a bespoke course developed by the English Department will also be sought at the same time.

   

  The full report is available for viewing. 

• 2015

  1) Reflecting on this year’s assessment(s), how does the evidence of student learning impact your faculty’s confidence in the program being reviewed; how does that analysis change when compared with previous assessment evidence?

  • This year progress has continued with the review of methods and processes for assurance of learning, both at the college and department levels. More robust, effectively targeted and appropriate data collection methods are being devised with a view to providing more meaningful information, which will then strengthen a continuous improvement cycle.

   

  2) With whom did you share the results of the year’s assessment efforts?

  • Assessment results have been shared with faculty and administration in the Goddard School of Business and Economics.

   

  3) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take?

  • In response to a particular concern to enhance students communication skills, strategic partnerships with the WSU honors program and the English Department are being developed to create or draw upon courses that teach higher level communication skills, which can be appropriately transferred to the business environment. In addition, a thorough review is underway of how the campus general education curriculum is supporting the development of students’ critical thinking, analytical reasoning and writing skills. The College Curriculum Committee will make a number of proposals regarding the reconfiguration of foundation and core provision. Consultation regarding the introduction of either ENGL 3110 or a bespoke course developed by the English Department will also be sought at the same time.

   

  The full report is available for viewing.

• 2014

  1) Reflecting on this year’s assessment(s), how does the evidence of student learning impact your faculty’s confidence in the program being reviewed; how does that analysis change when compared with previous assessment evidence?

  • This year there has seen considerable attention paid to the methods and processes which have been long used for assurance of learning, both at the college and department levels.  This past year, the department has taken a keen focus on improving these processes by developing more appropriate learning goals, as well as the methods and techniques best suited to provide data-informed, rather than data-driven, curricular decision making.  The expectation is that more robust, effectively targeted and appropriate data collection methods will act to provide more meaningful information, which will then strengthen a continuous improvement cycle.

   

  2) With whom did you share the results of the year’s assessment efforts?

  • Assessment results have been shared with faculty and administration in the Goddard School of Business and Economics. Results were also shared with an independent quality assurance consultant and the AACSB accreditation team during the fall of 2013, as well as Weber State’s regional accreditation body. Results were also shared with the department’s external 5-year program review committee. Feedback from all sources was that current assessment of learning activities should emphasize streamlining and refinement.  This process is now underway.

   

  3) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take?

  • In response to a particular concern to enhance students communication skills, we plan to explore possible development a strategic partnership with the WSU honors program to create or draw upon courses that teach higher level communication skills, which can be appropriately transferred to the business environment.  In addition, the department faculty are pursuing a thorough review of how the campus general education curriculum is helping to build the critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills that are prerequisites to good writing. In line with this intention, a possible alliance with the English Department will also be explored to provide business students with more appropriately targeted classes in rhetoric. Action is also being taken to identify how and where teamwork is measured, to ensure that data collected are more useful in terms of providing evidence for evaluation and improvement.

   

  The full report is available for viewing.

• 2013

  
  The Business Administration program conducted a five year program review with full self-study during the spring of 2014. Those results are presented in place of the Annual Assessment Report. Please reference those documents for information that includes data for the 2012/13 academic year.

2018-19

2013-14