General Business, BBA

Curriculum

The general business major leads to the Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) and requires a total of 128 credit hours of coursework:

• BELL core requirements: 50 hours
• Business courses: 22 hours
• B.B.A. core technical requirement: 3 hours
• General Business Concentration: 18 hours
• General electives: 22 hours

See All Program Requirements

Courses You'll Take

MGT 4310: Negotiations

This is a course in basic negotiation skills for business. Areas addressed include interests, options, alternatives, legitimacy, communication, relationships and commitment. There is a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical skills around conflict management and resolution in the workplace.

MGT 4220: Business Law II

A second course in law fundamentals related to business transactions. Topics include: the Uniform Commercial Code, bankruptcy, agency, property and forms of business organization.

ETP 3400: Venture Management

Entrepreneurs need to develop basic systems and processes for their businesses as they start-up and begin to grow. This course examines how entrepreneurs effectively develop control processes and human resource systems. There are a variety of legal issues that entrepreneurs face related to the launch and growth of their ventures. Students learn to apply these legal issues to new and growing ventures. Finally, students will explore how the entrepreneur begins the transformation from running the business alone to building a professionalized organization.

MKT 4440: Market Research

A study of modern marketing research techniques and their applications. Topics include research design, questionnaire design, sampling, data collection and analyses and report preparation and presentation. This course normally includes a major project.

ECO 3000: Labor Economics

An extension of economic principles to labor markets. Primary emphasis is placed on household and firm decision-making units within the labor market. Topics to be studied include: labor demand and supply, wage differentials, minimum wage legislation, unemployment, investment in human capital, worker mobility, effects of labor unions, gender, race and ethnicity in the labor market and earnings inequality.

FIN 4410: Advanced Business Finance

This course covers a wide variety of financial topics including capital budgeting, options, cost of capital and free cash flow analysis. Students implement financial topics with a computer spreadsheets.

MGT 3270: Human Resources Management

Personnel policies, procedures, practices and administration from the perspective of the administration of the employee in the business organization and the personnel department. Techniques to research, create and maintain organizational relations are covered.

Accelerated MBA 4 +1

The MBA-Accelerated (A.M.B.A.) program is a full-time M.B.A. designed for individuals with little or no full-time business work experience. Individuals admitted to the A.M.B.A. program begin course work in the fall term and complete their studies in the following summer - a total program length of 12 months from start to finish. Through active learning and scholarly exploration, the A.M.B.A. degree is designed to prepare students for entry-level administrative and managerial positions in both the private and public sector.  Students will be equipped with comprehensive business skills, analytical tools, and moral clarity to effectively manage diverse teams and lead organizations in today’s rapidly changing and dynamic, global business environment.

The A.M.B.A. is a non-thesis degree consisting of 36 hours, of which 30 hours are required core courses and 6 hours are elective courses that are chosen by the student.  M.B.A. elective courses may be related to a specific area (e.g. FIN, ETP, BSA, etc.) or may be independent of each other providing students with a broader point of view.

Whether you want to launch your own startup, consult with Fortune 500 companies or explore investment banking, you'll get an early start on building your career. As an Accelerated MBA student, you’ll enjoy small class sizes and outstanding faculty who bring industry experience to every class they teach. Classes meet four evenings a week on a full-time basis, giving you flexibility during workday hours to complete internships, graduate assistantships or part-time jobs. And you can complete the program in less than a year.

Learn more about Belmont's AMBA

Integrated Degree, M.ACC./B.B.A.

Belmont University’s integrated M.ACC. and B.B.A. degree program is designed to meet today’s needs of those wishing to make accounting a career choice. Today’s accountants must possess much more than just technical accounting knowledge; they must also have a broad understanding of various business activities and possess strong communication, intellectual, and interpersonal skills. In recognition of those additional skills most states, including Tennessee, have passed laws or issued regulations requiring at least 150 hours of higher education to sit for the uniform CPA examination. Also the AICPA requires new members to possess 150 hours of higher education. 

Increasingly, businesses are hiring new professionals who have master’s degrees. These include public accounting firms, manufacturing companies, and service providers in healthcare, finance, and insurance, as well as governmental organizations. Belmont’s integrated accountancy degree is a program which meets employer needs and provides graduates with exceptional career opportunities.

The integrated program is only for accounting concentration students in the Undergraduate School of Business Administration at Belmont University and is designed to be completed in a five-year time period.

Learn more about Belmont's MAcc program

You’ll learn far beyond the classroom at Belmont. Here are just a few of the opportunities in store for you:

• Engage in monthly professional development events
• Attend lectures featuring top business professionals
• Travel to Budapest, Buenos Aires, Dubai, Prague or another international destination as part of our Global Practicum
• Complete a professional field experience
• Get customized career guidance from the Jack C. Massey College of Business Career Development Center

Belmont University’s MBA programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the premier agency for bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs in business administration and accounting.

Fewer than 5 percent of business schools worldwide achieve AACSB accreditation, and Belmont is the only private college or university in Tennessee that is accredited by AACSB International for BBA, MBA and accounting programs.

A marketing specialist is a business professional specializing in one or more marketing fields, such as SEO, branding, influencer marketing, event and field marketing, content, email, digital marketing and more.

Aside from having an educational background in marketing, marketing specialists can combine skills like advertising, communication and sales to create and boost public interest in a company’s services or products. They sometimes have to design creative marketing strategies and campaigns with catchy advertising messages.

An account specialist is a business professional with an educational background in accounting, business administration or finance. They possess analytical skills and relish working with numbers. A BBA in accounting prepares you to craft and maintain accurate accounting records for proper finance management. Accounting specialists are versatile enough to thrive in many industries and roles, including management, public finance and taxes.

Project managers are professionals who consciously organize, design and execute projects within organizational settings. A project manager might be tasked with successfully launching new projects, products or marketing campaigns within tight scheduling and budgetary constraints. As a project manager, you can gain employment in sectors like engineering, manufacturing, insurance, information technology, construction, healthcare, finance, energy and more.

A recruiter is a professional tasked by an organization with finding the right person for the job. They rely on the organization's vision and mission to conduct interviews, recruit employees and create a culture of excellence where skills match responsibility. Besides identifying top talents, recruiters represent their firms or clients as brand ambassadors and even customer service reps. As a recruiter, you can find employment in banks, auditing and tax firms, tech startups, law firms, insurance companies, healthcare organizations and sports franchises, among others.

An HR administrator is a qualified and certified problem solver who hires staff, manages employee benefits and designs in-house human relations policies. When you pursue a human resources administrator degree, you will learn the basics of workplace safety, talent management, compliance, compensation, benefits, development and training. If you have a knack for helping others organize and complete tasks or achieve defined goals, this might the right career path for you. Job opportunities for HR administrators are available in any industry you can think of.

A purchasing manager procures goods and services for a company to use or resell. Their job is to define the purchasing policy of their organization and find the best quality at the lowest price possible. Earning a BBA prepares you for the future by mastering financial management, market research, marketing, communication and negotiation skills. A purchasing manager role offers you the chance to consistently use your excellent negotiation skills at a professional level. Any big business that constantly sells or buys goods requires a purchasing department and a competent purchasing manager.

A financial analyst evaluates financial data and market trends to provide insights and recommendations for businesses and individuals. Numerical proficiency, analytical skills and attention to detail are important skills for individuals in this field. Financial analysts often specialize in areas like investment banking, corporate finance, or portfolio management. They use various tools and software to analyze complex financial information and help guide strategic decision-making.

General business majors can “make their own major” by picking and choosing the classes they take outside of the 35 hours of business tool and business core courses required to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, no matter their major. 

Of the 128 credits required for a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, 50 are BELL Core requirement and 35 are business tool and business core requirement. 

Since all business students are required to take 35 hours of business tool and business core courses, it is easy to change your major within the college of business without extending your graduation date. 

Changing your major after the second semester of your junior year might add time to your expected graduation date. 

Keep in mind: Business tool and business core courses are only required for business students. If you change your major from a business program to a program in a different college that might push back your graduation date. 

Yes, you can double major as a business student. It’s easy to do! 

After you take the business tool and business core courses, you will complete 18 hours of upper-level courses within a specific concentration, such as accounting or entrepreneurship. Additionally, you must complete 23-25 hours of general elective courses to finish your degree.

Many general business majors declare a major in a specific concentration and even double majoring or adding a minor from a different subject matter. 

As a student, you will have two advisors no matter your major: a full-time staff advisor from the Massey Advising Center and a faculty advisor from your major. 

Your staff advisor will help you pick out your classes as a freshman and sophomore, and help you understand what dual credits or AP credits you can use toward your degree.

You'll be assigned a faculty advisor from your major that you're required to meet with every semester during your junior and senior years.

If you feel like you have no idea what to do or you are interested in a profession but don’t know what subject area to study, your faculty advisor will help you discover which classes to take that make the most sense for what you want to do.