Frequently Asked Questions
Provided by the Business Advisement Center.
I need to see an advisor. What should I do?
What should I do if I am unable to keep a scheduled advisement appointment?
When do I declare my major?
How do I declare my major?
What is the difference between "declaring" a major, and being admitted to a degree program?
What is the difference between a "pending" degree program and a "finalized" degree program, and when can I file?
Why do I have a degree program encumbrance, and what can I do about it?
What is a degree audit and how do I get one?
What is AACSB and why is it important to me?
Many of my transfer courses were accepted at Missouri State as electives. What should I do?
What is the highest math class I need to take for business?
What steps do I take to get credit for Cooperative Education or an internship?
Where do I get information about graduate school?
Can I take some graduate classes my senior year?
Can I put a class on Pass/Not Pass?
What are the assessment exams I have to take to graduate?
What is the no-penalty drop deadline and what does it mean?
How do I apply for a business scholarship?
How can I check to make sure I am meeting all of my graduation requirements?
How does the repeat policy at Missouri State work?
I need to see an advisor. What should I do?
Call or stop by the Business Advisement Center, Glass 106, 836-5386.
What should I do if I am unable to keep a scheduled advisement appointment?
Please call the Business Advisement Center, 836-5386 as soon as you know you are going to be unable to keep an appointment. Most advisors are scheduled with back-to-back appointments each day, and there are always other students needing appointments. We would appreciate your cooperation by freeing up schedule times by canceling your appointments when you cannot not meet with your advisor.
Your major should be declared as soon as you have made the decision to become a business major. Even if you are not completely decided about the exact major you want, if you are sure you want to go into some area of business, you should declare a business major as quickly as possible. Declaring a major places you in the computer database as a business student, placing you on our mailing lists to receive important information about the degree requirements you must meet for graduation and any special notices of interest to Business majors. Declaring a major will also make you eligible to apply for scholarships offered by the College of Business Administration. Additionally, you will be eligible to receive the many services available in the Business Advisement Center such as centralized academic advisement and registration.
To declare your academic major, stop by the Business Advisement Center in Glass 106, or the University College Advisement Center in UNVH 109.
What is the difference between "declaring" a major, and being admitted to a degree program?
Declaring a major is simply your declaration that you plan to seek a particular major and degree. When you declare a major, a code representing that degree area is entered on the official computer database. Admission to a degree program occurs when you have completed all requirements for admission to the College of Business Administration, and you complete (with your academic advisor) the official "Application to a Degree Program" form. The COBA admission requirements include GPA requirements, minimum credit hour requirements, plus completion of a group of preparatory courses. Once you are admitted to a degree program, you will be eligible to enroll in upper-division courses (300+) in the College of Business Administration, and your degree requirements for your major and the business core are "locked" to the catalog in force for that semester.
The pending or tentative degree program is an optional step a Business major may take to "lock" the degree requirements for the major and business core requirements to the catalog in force at the time of the completion of the pending degree. To be eligible to file a pending degree program, students must complete the University basic skills courses required for graduation. Since the basic skills courses are expected to be completed in the first 30 credit hours, the pending degree program is normally filed during the second year of enrollment.
The finalized degree program may be completed during the semester in which the student is enrolled in the final COBA admission course or courses. If a pending degree program is not filed prior to the filing of the finalized degree program, the finalized degree program establishes the catalog semester and year for the major and core requirements. The finalized degree program must be filed once the student has completed all of the COBA admission requirements in order to be eligible to register for subsequent semester.
Why do I have a degree program encumbrance, and what can I do about it?
The University requires students to file the finalized degree program before completion of 60 credit hours. If the degree program is not complete, however, an encumbrance code is entered on the student's computer record. This encumbrance prevents the student from registering for subsequent semesters without special permission. This encumbrance process is used to encourage students to gain official admission to their degree programs by the junior year in order to facilitate timely completion of the degree requirements.
Because business majors have rigorous admission requirements, some students may not be able to complete the admission requirements and complete the finalized degree program process before they complete 60 credit hours. These students may continue to register as long as they continue to take the COBA preparatory courses as quickly as possible, and obtain permission of their advisor in the Business Advisement Center. To gain clearance to register, the student must make an appointment of their advisor, who will give them a "Temporary Clearance" to register each semester until the degree program is finalized. Once the degree program is finalized, the encumbrance code is lifted by the Degree Check Office in Records.
What is a degree audit and how do I get one?
The University maintains a computerized degree auditing system to assist advisors and students in determining the requirements a student must meet for graduation, and tracking the progress toward completion of the degree. The degree audit also allows for "degree shopping," whereby you may compare your progress toward various degree options (e.g. you could compare your remaining requirements as a Marketing major compared to your remaining requirements as a Psychology major.). Students may view their current degree audit online at www.missouristate.edu. Select "current students" and then click on the "My Information" icon. his service.
Prerequisites are not checked at the time you register for your classes. Thus, the computer will normally let you register for courses whether you meet the prerequisites or not. However, at a later time, a computer generated report identifies students who have registered for classes for which they have not met prerequisites. At that time, the Business Advisement Center sends an email to your Bear Mail account. At that time, you have about a week to take care of any problems. You should immediately drop the course or courses in question, or notify the Business Advisement Center if you feel you have met the prerequisites. Department heads may make prerequisite exceptions in special circumstances. Contact the head of the department that offers the course to determine if you might be eligible for an exception.
Note that there are two types of prerequisite problems you might encounter. The first type deals with meeting specific course or requirement prerequisites (e.g. you must complete PSY 121 and 54 credits to be eligible to take MGT 340.) However, if you are a business major, you must also meet the COBA admission requirements in order to be eligible to take upper-division courses in the College of Business Administration (courses numbered 300 and above). If you are concurrently taking one or two remaining admission courses, you may file a contract with the Business Advisement Center in order to gain permission to stay in your upper-division courses in this circumstance. Note, however, that the upper-division contract does not waive specific course prerequisites (e.g. if the final admission course you need is ACC 211, you cannot have a contract to take ACC 211 concurrently with FGB 380 since ACC 211 is a specific course prerequisite for FGB 380).
If you are taking a course at another institution and planning to transfer it to Missouri State to meet a specific course prerequisite, please notify the Business Advisement Center so that you will not receive a prerequisite letter and you will not be dropped from your registered classes. You will, however, need to provide evidence to the Business Advisement Center of successful completion of the prerequisite course before classes begin for the next semester. And, to have the course officially transferred and recorded on your Missouri State records, you will need to have an official transcript sent directly from the transfer school to the Admissions Office at Missouri State.
What is AACSB and why is it important to me?
AACSB International is the The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. All of COBA's undergraduate programs in the Business Unit, the MBA program, and the Master of Accountancy program are accredited by AACSB. This combination of accreditations places COBA in the top 10 percent of the nation's business programs. AACSB accreditation ensures that students receive a quality education in terms of curriculum, faculty expertise, facilities, technology, etc., and ensures that students have the knowledge and skills necessary to be competitive in the job market. AACSB accreditation is recognized as a mark of quality by both employers and graduate schools.
Many of my transfer courses were accepted at Missouri State as electives. What should I do?
If you feel the course you completed is similar to an Missouri State course, and you need the course to fulfill a specific degree requirement, you may visit with the head of the department that offers the course to see if it may be re-evaluated. You should call the department for an appointment, and bring with you as much information as possible about the class you took. At a minimum, you should bring with you a copy of your transfer evaluation and a catalog description of the class you completed. It would also be helpful if you could bring a copy of your course syllabus, and a copy of the book you used.
What is the highest math class I need to take for business?
College algebra, MTH 135, is the highest level math class required for majors within the Business Unit. However, students who place in a higher math class, may wish to take MTH 285, Business Calculus. (Note that MTH 145-Contemporary mathematics, will not fulfill the math requirement or prerequisite requirements for business majors.) Any other course numbered above MTH 135 will fulfill the math requirement for COBA. Industrial Management majors are required to complete MTH 138 or a combination of MTH 135 and MTH 181.
What steps do I take to get credit for Cooperative Education or an internship?
Visit with the departmental office of your major. For Cooperative Education, you need to sign up with the Coop office in CARR 303 or Glass 103. Visit their web site for more information.
Where do I get information about graduate school?
Go to Glass Hall 400 for information about the MBA program at Missouri State. For information on the Master of Accountancy go to the School of Accountancy Office in Glass 439. For information on the Master of Computer Information Systems go to the Computer Information Systems office in Glass 359. For information on the Master of Health Administration go the Management Department in Glass 414. If you want information on non-Missouri State graduate schools, you may want to check the bulletin board on the 4th floor, north side, of Glass Hall. You may also obtain information from the department of your major.
Can I take some graduate classes my senior year?
Yes! Seniors may take courses for graduate credit during the last two semesters of a four-year program with approval of the Graduate college. These courses cannot be applied toward the undergraduate degree. You must have a GPA of at least 3.00 on the last 60 hours of undergraduate course work, and you can take a maximum of 9 hours of graduate credit during a semester, for a total of no more than 15 hours per semester (graduate and undergraduate combined). Students may accumulate no more than 12 graduate credit hours under this program.
Can I put a class on Pass/Not Pass?
Only courses that are electives may be taken on a pass/not-pass basis. Courses toward general education, the major, core, or minor must be taken for a grade. In addition, any course that requires a grade of "C" or better in order to take a subsequent course, must be taken on a graded basis, even though the student may not intend to take the subsequent course. In addition, repeat courses may not be taken on a pass/not-pass basis. No more than one course may be take on a pass/not-pass basis in any one semester, and no more than one course from an academic department may be counted toward graduation. See additional restrictions/cautions in the current catalog.
What are the assessment exams I have to take to graduate?
Business majors must complete two assessment exams before graduation. One exam is for general education. While no minimum score is required in order to "pass" this exam, the exam must be taken before the student can graduate. For more information about this exam, visit the web site of the Center for Assessment and Instructional Support. Business majors will also be required to complete a business assessment exam, as a part of the course requirements for MGT 487.
Pick up a form in the Business Advisement Center (Glass 106) or any departmental office. Before the no-penalty drop deadline (during the first nine weeks of a semester), the form must be signed and stamped by the department offering the course. During the 10th-14th week of the semester, the instructor must sign the form, and then the form must be stamped by the departmental office. If the student is a freshman, sophomore, or graduate student, the form must also be signed by the advisor. The student then presents the form to the Registration Center (Carrington Hall) or the Business Advisement Center to have it processed. See the current catalog for additional information.
What is the no-penalty drop deadline and what does it mean?
Prior to the Beginning of the Semester: Complete a short form and present ID to Glass 106.
After Classes Begin: Same procedure as above. After the change of schedule period (1st five days of classes in Spring and Fall, and the 1st two days of classes in summer), through the end of the 9th week (4th week of 8-week summer session), a notation of "N" is entered on a student's permanent record when they drop a class. From the 10th week (5th week of 8-week summer session) through the next-to-the-last week of classes, the instructor will assign a grade of "N" (if student was doing passing work at the time of the drop) or "F." If an "F" grade is assigned for the course it will be calculated into the GPA. You should check the class schedule for each semester for the exact dates for no-penalty drop. Be sure to follow the drop procedure noted above or in the catalog of class schedule.
How do I apply for a business scholarship?
The College of Business Administration and the COBA departments offer a number of scholarships for their majors. Scholarship applications are normally available and accepted during the last couple of weeks of the fall semester, and the first few weeks of the spring semester, for applications to be awarded the following academic year. Check with the Business Advisement Center (Glass 106) for a list of the scholarships available, and for the exact application dates each year. Applications are submitted online at COBA's web page.
How can I check to make sure I am meeting all of my graduation requirements?
Once you have pre-registered for the final semester(s) of classes, check your degree audit on the web (www.missouristate.edu, select "Current Students" and click on the "My Information" icon). Alternatively, you may drop by the Business Advisement Center in Glass 106 to order a degree audit. When a paper copy audit is ordered, it will be ready within two days, and you can pick it up by presenting your picture identification. If you have registered for everything you need to graduate, and all requirements are being met, the first line of the second column will read, "ALL REQUIREMENTS OK--IN PROGRESS AND REGISTERED COURSES USED." If your audit has this comment and you successfully complete the remaining courses and maintain the required GPA's, you can be assured that you will graduate as planned. If you have questions about the graduation requirements, or your degree audit, consult with an advisor in the Business Advisement Center as soon as possible.
How does the repeat policy at Missouri State work?
A student my repeat a course in which a grade of "D" or "F" were previously received. This is a one-time opportunity to repeat the course, and have the new grade counted in the GPA instead of the "D" or "F". Note, however, that the original grade and the new grade will appear on the permanent transcript. "C" grades cannot be repeated except with special permission of the department head, and then the new grade will NOT replace the "C." The additional hours attempted and grade points will be calculated into the overall GPA. Check the current catalog for additional information.