Program Overview

Business Administration Program

The Business Administration program at Cal Poly has specific requirements for transfer students. Along with the general selection criteria, every major has required and recommended coursework that must be completed to be considered competitive during the selection process.

Required Courses

Before applying to the major, transfer students should successfully complete or be in the process of completing the required courses to maximize their chance of selection. These units must be completed by the spring of the term before the intended fall enrollment to receive consideration during the selection process.

• English Language Communication and Critical Thinking
  • Oral Communication
  • Written Communication/English Composition
  • Critical Thinking
• Mathematics
  • MATH 221/Calculus for Business and Economics
  • or MATH 141/Calculus I
• Statistics
  • STAT 251/Statistical Inference for Management
• Economics
  • ECON 221/Microeconomics
  • ECON 222/Macroeconomics
  • or ECON 201/Survey of Economics
• Major Related
  • BUS 214/Financial Accounting
  • BUS 215/Managerial Accounting
  • BUS 207/Legal Responsibilities of Business

Desired Courses

Because Cal Poly is highly impacted and selection to all majors is very competitive, desired courses should also be successfully completed or in progress when applying for admission.

Evaluating Courses

All listed courses are Cal Poly courses. Transfer students can use the course equivalency tool to identify the course equivalencies between Cal Poly and the California Community Colleges. For out-of-state or four-year institution transfer students, course equivalencies can be determined by comparing catalog course descriptions with Cal Poly's catalog.

Semester Conversion

Cal Poly will transition from a quarter to a semester system beginning fall 2026. Information specific to 2026 will be available soon.

Course Listings

The required courses for the Business Administration program are listed below for Fall 2025 and Fall 2026.

Fall 2025

• English Language Communication and Critical Thinking
  • Oral Communication
  • Written Communication/English Composition
  • Critical Thinking
• Mathematics
  • MATH 221/Calculus for Business and Economics
  • or MATH 141/Calculus I
• Statistics
  • STAT 251/Statistical Inference for Management
• Economics
  • ECON 221/Microeconomics
  • ECON 222/Macroeconomics
  • or ECON 201/Survey of Economics
• Major Related
  • BUS 214/Financial Accounting
  • BUS 215/Managerial Accounting
  • BUS 207/Legal Responsibilities of Business

Fall 2026

• English Language Communication and Critical Thinking
  • Oral Communication
  • Written Communication/English Composition
  • Critical Thinking
• Mathematics
  • MATH 221/Calculus for Business and Economics
  • or MATH 141/Calculus I
• Statistics
  • STAT 251/Statistical Inference for Management
• Economics
  • ECON 221/Microeconomics
  • ECON 222/Macroeconomics
  • or ECON 201/Survey of Economics
• Major Related
  • BUS 214/Financial Accounting
  • BUS 215/Managerial Accounting
  • BUS 207/Legal Responsibilities of Business

All information is subject to change without prior notice.