Pamplin College of Business

www.cob.vt.edu/

Richard E. Sorensen, Dean
Associate Dean for Administration and Research: T. W. Bonham
Associate Dean for Graduate and International Programs: Tarun K. Sen
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs: Norrine Bailey Spencer
Pamplin Hall

Overview

  • Virginia's largest undergraduate business school, Pamplin College of Business is committed to outstanding teaching by full-time faculty who are nationally recognized in theoretical and applied research. The Pamplin College is further committed to being known for its graduate programs throughout the Commonwealth, and to serving business and society through the expertise of its faculty, alumni, and students. Dean Richard E. Sorensen has said, "The Pamplin College, as a center for excellence, is an academic generator of high quality applied and theoretical research that translates into teaching superiority and practitioner applications for all its audiences."
  • Our emphasis is on: Enhancing the high quality of our undergraduate programs; providing a high quality MBA program at locations throughout the Commonwealth; raising the research and scholarship reputation of the faculty; integrating the computer and technology into the academic curriculum; developing the leadership skills and ethical values of our students; preparing students for global business challenges, including providing opportunities for global experience before graduation; enhancing our commitment to diversity; heightening our level of service to the business community through the research and expertise of faculty, students, and graduates; and enhancing the quality of the Ph.D. program.
  • The college regards diversity as a source of strength and pride. Building upon this commitment, the college affirms the following principles:
  • All students, regardless of their background (race, color, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran status, national origin, religion, or political affiliation), deserve and are promised equal opportunity to an education in the Pamplin College of Business.
  • We support an environment for students, faculty, and staff that is free from hostility and intolerance.
  • We pursue a supportive and diverse community that respects each individual, and allows ideas and opinions to be openly discussed.
  • The Pamplin College is committed to the goal of developing its students, faculty, and staff in a manner that inspires them to successful participation and effective leadership in a pluralistic society, and considers these values essential to that goal.
  • The curriculum includes a broad liberal arts foundation of two years, followed by a college core in the fundamentals of business theory and, finally, concentration in the major.
  • The college offers majors in:
    • Accounting and Information Systems
    • Business Information Technology
    • Finance, Insurance, and Business Law
    • Hospitality and Tourism Management
    • Management
    • Marketing
  • Academic advising in the college parallels the two layers of the curriculum. Through the sophomore year, all students are advised in the Business Advising Center, 1046 Pamplin Hall. Following students' clearance for upper-division course work and their declarations of their majors, students are assigned faculty advisors from their majors.
  • Undergraduates are strongly encouraged to participate in the out-of-class activities of the college, particularly the annual career fair in September; the placement seminars, and registration meetings held each semester; the ethics and leadership seminars; college international programs and study abroad; and the various events of the 23 different student clubs in the college. These programs provide critical insights into the careers for which students are preparing and valuable opportunities for leadership.
  • Undergraduates are required to purchase a personal computer. The PC is used extensively in the curriculum. Purchase information and required configuration will be available each spring.
  • Administrative and faculty offices for the college are located in Pamplin and Wallace Halls. Our facilities also include study rooms, computer labs, conference rooms, a behavioral laboratory, an atrium, and a student organization office center.
  • The college is a member of The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, AACSB International. All programs are accredited by the AACSB except the B.S. in Hospitality and Tourism Management which is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration.

General Requirements for Graduation

  • A minimum of 125 semester hours is required for graduation in each curriculum.
  • The student must have an overall average GPA of 2.0 ("C") on all work attempted and in the courses in the major.
  • To ensure credit, a student desiring to take courses at another institution must secure approval of the associate dean for undergraduate programs of the Pamplin College before registering for the course at the other institution. If a student fails a business course at this university and wishes to repeat it at another institution, it must be taken at an AACSB-accredited school.
  • Acceptance of work completed at junior or community colleges is limited to those courses offered at the freshman-sophomore level at Tech. General university limitations on acceptability of transfer credit are shown elsewhere in this catalog.

Program for First Two Years

  • All students in business generally take the same required courses for the first two years. A major within the college may be selected at any time during the first two years, but must be selected by the end of the semester in which the student attempts 72 semester hours. Because Economics is not a restricted major, students in ECON who wish to change majors within the Pamplin College of Business must apply for ACIS, BIT, FIN, MGT, and MKTG. Similarly, because the restrictions on HTM are different, HTM majors must apply for ACIS, BIT, FIN, MGT, and MKTG.
  • Students must have a GPA of 2.0 or better in the combined series in accounting and information systems, business information technology, economics, and mathematics with no grade less than C- in the nine designated prerequisite courses in these departments; have an overall GPA of 2.0 or better for all course work; and have earned at least 60 semester hours before enrolling in junior business courses.
First Year
First Semester H
(C)
Engl 1105: Freshman English
or COMM 1015: Communication Skills		 3 (3)
MATH 1525: Calculus with Matrices 3 (3)
Scientific Reasoning and Discovery 1 6 (4)
PSYC 2004 Introductory Psychology
or SOC 1004: Introductory Sociology		 3 (3)
ACIS 1504: Introduction to Business Information Systems 3 (3)
Credits
 (16)
Second Semester
ENGL 1106: Freshman English
or COMM 1016: Communication Skills		 3 (3)
MATH 1526: Calculus with Matrices 3 (3)
Scientific Reasoning and Discovery 1 6 (4)
Social Science 2 6 (6)
Credits
 (16)
Second Year
First Semester
ACIS 2115: Principles of Accounting 3 (3)
BIT 2405: Quantitative Methods 3 (3)
ECON 2005: Principles of Economics3 3 (3)
Ideas, Cultural Traditions, and Values4 3 (3)
Comm 2004: Public Speaking 5 3 (3)
Free Elective 6 3 (3)
Credits (18)
Second Semester
ACIS 2116: Principles of Accounting 3 (3)
BIT 2406: Quantitative Methods 3 (3)
ECON 2006: Principles of Economics3 3 (3)
Ideas, Cultural Traditions, and Values4 3 (3)
Computer Course (if required by major)
or Free elective		 3 (3)
Credits (15)

1 Any two semesters from Area 4 in the University Core. Students in Economics must take the lab (total 4 credits/semester) but students in other majors take just the course (total 3 credits/semester) and may use the lab hours as free electives.
2 Six additional hours of social science to be selected from any courses in Economics (beyond 2005, 2006), Geography, History (except HIST 1024, 1026, or 2054), International Studies, Political Science (except 3015, 3016), Psychology, and Sociology or any course approved for Area 3 of the University Core Curriculum. Students wishing to take foreign language courses may do so the freshman year, in the space designated for social sciences, and then take the required social sciences in the junior or senior year. Students who need to complete the U.S. History requirement may use three hours of the social sciences for this requirement.
3 These two required courses will complete Area 3 of the University Core.
4 Any six semester hours in Area 2 of the University Core Curriculum.
5 Or, if COMM 1015-1016 completed, free elective.
6 Free electives must include at least a one-hour course from Area 6 of the University Core Curriculum. The Area 7 requirement may be used to meet another requirement or a free elective. Students in HTM take HNFE 2224, 2234, and HTM 2454 instead of free electives.

College Requirements for Second Two Years

  • Regardless of major selected, the following core courses are required of all business students:
BIT 3414: Production and Operations Management (3)
FIN 3055: Legal Environment of Business (3)
FIN 3104: Intoduction to Finance (3)
MGT 3304: Management Theory and Leadership Practice (3)
MKTG 3104: Marketing Management (3)
MGT 4394: Business Policy and Strategy (3)
  • At least 50 percent of the hours completed for the degree must be taken outside the college, except in the majors of accounting and accounting information systems.

Center for Leadership Studies and Leadership Minors

  • The Center for Leadership Studies coordinates leadership programs across campus including the Corps of Cadets Center for Leader Development, the Department of Management's Business Leadership Center, and other leadership activities organized by the Pamplin College of Business, Student Affairs, and Interdisciplinary Studies. Currently, the college administers two minors: the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets minor in leadership studies and the Department of Management Business Leadership minor.
  • For more information on the 18-credit Corps of Cadets minor in leadership, see the material in the ROTC section of the catalog or contact the Center for Leader Development, 540/231-7136.
  • The 18-credit Business Leadership minor is open to students in all majors who have at least a 2.5000 overall GPA at Virginia Tech. It includes required courses in management theory and leadership practice, ethical leadership and corporate social responsibility, and advanced skills in leadership; elective courses from business, communication, humanities, and sociology; and a required leadership experiential activity. For additional information, contact Dr. James R. Lang, Director, Business Leadership Center, 540/231-2604.

Electronic Business Minor

  • Sophomores, juniors, and seniors in The Pamplin College of Business, except BIT-EBT, who are in good standing, are eligible for the Electronic Business Minor of 18 semester hours. The four required courses are: ACIS 3554, Foundations od Electronic Commerce Technologies; BIT/ACIS 4594, E-Commerce Systems; FIN 4014, Internet, Electronic, and Online Law; and MKTG 4504, Internet Marketing. The two restricted electives may be chosen from a list of 11 specified courses. Applications for this minor are available in the Undergraduate Programs Office, 1046 Pamplin Hall.

Global Business Minor

  • Sophomores, juniors, and seniors in the Pamplin College who have at least a 2.0 overall GPA are eligible for the Global Business minor of 18 semester hours of course work and an international experience. The required course work includes: three courses from BIT 4474, Global Operations and Information Technology; ECON 4135, 4136; International Economics: Finance; FIN 4144, International Financial Management; MGT 4314, International Management; and MKTG 4704, International Marketing; as well as nine additional semester hours from a list of international courses in five colleges, one of which must be in foreign languages if at least three years of a foreign language were not passed in high school. The required international experience may be met with study abroad, international internships, co-op assignments at multinational corporations, and living abroad. To facilitate the international experience requirement, Pamplin offers summer study abroad trips which generally involve six semester hours of credit toward the degree and minor, as well as semester-long study abroad programs. Applications for this minor are available in 1046 Pamplin Hall.

Minor in Business

  • Students with majors outside Pamplin may apply for a minor in business if they have competitive grades in required courses, a minimum 2.0 overall GPA on at least 24 semester hours at Virginia Tech, if they have completed Math 1525-1526 or its equivalent, and if they have at least a C- in any ACIS, BIT, ECON, FIN, MGT, or MKTG, course which they have taken. Admission to the minor is competitive. The minor consists of 27 semester hours of lower division course work which must be successfully completed before taking the 15 semester hours of upper division courses. Applications are available in 1046 Pamplin.
  • The lower division requirements are ACIS 1504, Introduction to Business Information Systems; ACIS 2115-16, Principles of Accounting; BIT 2405-06, Quantitative Methods; ECON 2005-2006, Principles of Economics; and MATH 1525-26, Calculus with Matrices, and the upper division courses are: BIT 3414, Production and Operations Management, or BIT 4414, Service Operations Management; FIN 3055, Legal Environment of Business; FIN 3104, Introduction to Finance; MGT 3304, Management Theory and Leadership Practice; and MKTG 3104, Marketing Management. In order to complete the minor in business, students must have a 2.0 GPA in the 15 semester hours of upper division courses.

Real Estate Minor

  • Sophomores, juniors, and seniors in any major with at least a 2.0 overall GPA and with a 2.0 average in any real estate minor courses already taken may apply for a real estate minor. Coordinated in Pamplin, this minor of 19 semester hours includes courses from five different colleges and is administered by a steering committee of faculty from those colleges. The 13 semester hours of required courses include: AAEC 4754 and 4764, Real Estate Law and Real Estate Appraisal; FIN 4154, Real Estate Finance or MKTG 4734, Real Estate Marketing; and UAP 4744, Principles of Real Estate (4 sem. hours). The additional two courses may be taken from a list of nine designated electives in AAEC, AHRM, BC, FIN, MKTG, and UAP. Pamplin College of Business students in the minor must take both FIN 4154 and MKTG 4734, and select one additional course. Applications are available in 1046 Pamplin Hall.

Cooperative Education Programs in Business

  • The college participates in the Cooperative Education Program in which qualified students may alternate semesters of study in the major with semesters of professional employment. Additional information pertaining to the program is included in the "Academics" section of this catalog.

Graduate Programs in Business

  • Graduate instruction and opportunities for research are offered to students who have bachelor's degrees from accredited colleges. The college offers the Master's of Business Administration, and master's and Ph.D. degrees in all departments. All graduate students are required to attain a satisfactory score on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).

Preparation for Law

  • The four-year course leading to the B.S. degree in any major in the college provides a sound preparation for law school, and pre-law advisors from the Pamplin faculty are provided.

Economics

  • Economics is offered as a major through both the Pamplin College of Business and the College of Science. Both an honors degree and a minor in economics are also offered in the College of Science. Students in either college take the same economics courses, but the college core requirements differ.
  • For economics faculty and course descriptions, visit Economics in the College of Science.

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