Business Administration Major, B.S.B.A.
Program Overview
Business Administration Major, B.S.B.A.
The business administration program is considered a general management degree, and the UNC Kenan–Flagler Business School encourages breadth in both the business curriculum and in the continuation of study in fine arts, humanities, and natural and social sciences.
Admission to the Program
Admission to the program is required. Students are subject to the requirements in place when they are admitted to the UNC Kenan–Flagler Business School; consequently, the requirements described in this catalog particularly apply to students admitted to the school during the 2025–2026 academic year.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the business administration program, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate a deep understanding of business fundamentals and apply core business concepts to address business challenges.
- Demonstrate effective communication and oral skills across various business contexts using multiple communication modes.
- Exhibit leadership through building strong relationships, a willingness to experiment, and the ability to inspire and engage others.
- Exhibit cultural and inclusive competence by navigating and respecting differences, fostering inclusivity, and engaging effectively in global contexts.
- Apply analytical and critical thinking skills to solve complex, unstructured problems.
- Understand how business impacts individual, social, and environmental well-being, and develop strategies for how business leaders can ethically serve the common good.
- Apply technological and analytic tools for business decision making.
Requirements
In addition to the program requirements, students must:
- Earn a minimum final cumulative GPA of 2.000
- Complete a minimum of 45 academic credit hours earned from UNC–Chapel Hill courses
- Take at least half of their major core requirements (courses and credit hours) at UNC–Chapel Hill
- Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the major core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for major or specific courses.
Core Business Courses
The following core business courses are required: | Course List Code | Title | Hours | | --- | --- | --- | | BUSI 401 | Management and Corporate Communication 1 | 3 | | BUSI 402 | Applied Microeconomics for Business 2 | 1.5 | | or ECON 410 | Intermediate Microeconomics | | | BUSI 403 | Operations Management | 3 | | BUSI 404 | Business Ethics | 1.5 | | BUSI 405 | Leading and Managing: An Introduction to Organizational Behavior | 3 | | BUSI 406 | Marketing (prerequisite for marketing electives) 1 | 3 | | BUSI 407 | Financial Accounting 1 | 3 | | BUSI 408 | Corporate Finance (prerequisite for finance electives) 1 | 3 | | BUSI 410 | Business Analytics | 3 | | BUSI 411 | Strategy I: Competitive Strategy 3 | 1.5 | | BUSI 412 | Strategy II: Global Corporate Strategy 3 | 1.5 |
Business Electives
19.5 credit hours of business electives are required.
Courses Outside the Kenan-Flagler Business School
At least five courses outside the Kenan–Flagler Business School and any additional business or nonbusiness courses needed to complete a minimum of 120 credit hours, including transfer credit, to graduate.
Total Hours
Total hours required for the program: 61.5
Areas of Emphasis
Although not required, you may choose to complete up to two areas of emphasis (AOE) as part of your major electives. AOEs give you the opportunity to customize your major based on your interests and desired career trajectory. All AOEs are 9 credits.
Business of Health
- Required course: BUSI 510 - The Challenge of Healthcare: A System Overview (1.5 hours)
- Highly encouraged course: HPM 300 - The U.S. Health System 1 (3 hours)
- Other approved elective courses:
- BUSI 532 - Healthcare and Service Operations Management H
- BUSI 625 - Global Healthcare Management
- BUSI 626 - Introduction to Healthcare Management
- BUSI 627 - Healthcare Brand Plan
- CHIP 400 - Digital Health Innovation 1
- ECON 550 - Advanced Health Econometrics 1
- ECON 552 - The Economics of Health Care Markets and Policy 1
- MEJO 469 - Health Communication and Marketing 1
- MEJO 569 - Behavioral Science in Health Communication 1
- PHIL 165 - Bioethics 1, H
- BMME 590 - Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering 1, 2
- NURS 625 - Global and Interprofessional Approaches to Solve Complex Cases 1
Consulting
- Required course: BUSI 554 - Consulting Skills and Frameworks H (3 hours)
- Required: Applied Learning Experience (select one):
- BUSI 505 - Entrepreneurial Consulting
- BUSI 514 - STAR - Experiential Learning Project H
- BUSI 393 - Business Internship Project I 2
- Remaining credits from the list below:
- Finance:
- BUSI 502 - Entrepreneurial Finance
- BUSI 582 - Mergers and Acquisitions H
- BUSI 618 - Global Financial Markets
- Marketing:
- BUSI 488 - Data Science in the Business World
- BUSI 562 - Consumer Behavior
- BUSI 563 - Retail & E-tail Marketing
- BUSI 564 - Design Thinking and Product Development
- BUSI 566 - Marketing Strategy: Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Dynamic Environments
- BUSI 568 - Customer Insights and Analytics
- BUSI 559 - Product Management
- Operations:
- BUSI 487 - Creating Data-Driven Business Insights: Databases and Visualization
- BUSI 532 - Healthcare and Service Operations Management H
- BUSI 533 - Supply Chain Management H
- Organizational Behavior:
- BUSI 547 - Managerial Decision Making
- BUSI 540 - Leadership for Wicked Problems
- BUSI 555 - Groups and Teams in Organizations
- BUSI 550 - People Analytics
- Entrepreneurship:
- BUSI 506 - Venture Capital Fundamentals
- Sustainability:
- BUSI 508 - Sustainable Business and Impact Entrepreneurship
- BUSI 507 - Sustainable Business and Social Enterprise H
- Accounting:
- BUSI 574 - Taxes and Business Strategy
- BUSI 575 - Financial Statement Analysis and Valuation
- Business of Health:
- BUSI 627 - Healthcare Brand Plan
- Management and Communication:
- BUSI 525 - Advanced Business Presentations
- BUSI 530 - Corporate Communication: Social Advocacy and Activism
- BUSI 490 - Business Topics 3, H
- Finance:
Entrepreneurship
- At least three (3) credits from Group One:
- BUSI 500 - Entrepreneurship and Business Planning H
- BUSI 509 - Entrepreneurs Lab: Advanced Entrepreneurial Insight and Leadership H
- BUSI 506 - Venture Capital Fundamentals
- Remaining credits from Group Two:
- BUSI 501 - Professional Selling Strategies and Skills
- BUSI 502 - Entrepreneurial Finance
- BUSI 503 - Family Business I: Introduction to Family Enterprise
- BUSI 504 - Startup UNC
- BUSI 505 - Entrepreneurial Consulting
- BUSI 508 - Sustainable Business and Impact Entrepreneurship
- BUSI 517 - Private Equity and Debt Markets
- BUSI 521 - Design Thinking: The Innovation Process for Complex Problems
- BUSI 564 - Design Thinking and Product Development
- BUSI 574 - Taxes and Business Strategy
- BUSI 608 - Introduction to FinTech - Blockchain Technologies and Cryptocurrencies
Finance
- At least one (1) course from Group One:
- BUSI 409 - Advanced Corporate Finance H
- BUSI 502 - Entrepreneurial Finance
- BUSI 506 - Venture Capital Fundamentals
- BUSI 580 - Investments H
- BUSI 582 - Mergers and Acquisitions H
- At least two (2) courses from Group Two:
- BUSI 191 - Gateway into Capital Markets & Investments
- BUSI 517 - Private Equity and Debt Markets
- BUSI 518H - Applied Private Equity 2
- BUSI 575 - Financial Statement Analysis and Valuation
- BUSI 577 - Projects for Investment Management Experiential-Learning
- BUSI 581 - Financial Modeling for Leveraged Buyout Transactions
- BUSI 583 - Applied Investment Management 2, H
- BUSI 584 - Financial Modeling
- BUSI 587 - Investment Banking H
- BUSI 588 - Introduction to Derivative Securities and Risk Management H
- BUSI 589 - Fixed Income H
- BUSI 590 - Business Seminar (subject to approval) 3, H
- BUSI 600 - Risk Management
- BUSI 606 - Buyout Structures and Deals
- BUSI 688 - Applied Trading Strategies H
- Additional courses from Group Three:
- BUSI 511 - Regional Venture Capital Immersion
- BUSI 574 - Taxes and Business Strategy
- BUSI 597 - Sustainable Finance
- BUSI 607 - Inside the Capital Markets - Institutions, Players and Regulators
- BUSI 608 - Introduction to FinTech - Blockchain Technologies and Cryptocurrencies
- BUSI 618 - Global Financial Markets
- BUSI 556 - Thinking Creatively: Cognitive Tools for Individuals and Teams
Managing People and Organizations
- Nine (9) credits from the list below:
- BUSI 350 - Symposium Core Committee 2
- BUSI 470 - Storytelling to Influence and Inspire
- BUSI 540 - Leadership for Wicked Problems
- BUSI 523 - Diversity and Inclusion at Work
- BUSI 527 - Gender at Work
- BUSI 528 - Leadership Communication
- BUSI 530 - Corporate Communication: Social Advocacy and Activism
- BUSI 545 - Negotiations
- BUSI 547 - Managerial Decision Making
- BUSI 550 - People Analytics
- BUSI 555 - Groups and Teams in Organizations
- BUSI 556 - Thinking Creatively: Cognitive Tools for Individuals and Teams
- BUSI 526 - Leadership in Action
Marketing
- Nine (9) credits from the list below:
- BUSI 488 - Data Science in the Business World
- BUSI 501 - Professional Selling Strategies and Skills
- BUSI 558 - Digital Marketing
- BUSI 559 - Product Management
- BUSI 562 - Consumer Behavior
- BUSI 563 - Retail & E-tail Marketing
- BUSI 564 - Design Thinking and Product Development
- BUSI 565 - Marketing Research Design and Analysis
- BUSI 566 - Marketing Strategy: Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Dynamic Environments
- BUSI 567 - Customer Journeys
- BUSI 568 - Customer Insights and Analytics
- BUSI 627 - Healthcare Brand Plan
Operations Management
- Required Course:
- BUSI 533 - Supply Chain Management H (3 hours)
- Remaining credits from the list below:
- BUSI 487 - Creating Data-Driven Business Insights: Databases and Visualization
- BUSI 520 - Advanced Spreadsheet Modeling for Business
- BUSI 532 - Healthcare and Service Operations Management H
- BUSI 536 - Project Management
- BUSI 537 - Retail Operations
- BUSI 554 - Consulting Skills and Frameworks H
- BUSI 538 - Sustainable Operations
- BUSI 559 - Product Management
- BUSI 490 - Business Topics 3, H
- STOR 305 - Introduction to Decision Analytics 1
Real Estate
- Required courses:
- BUSI 585 - Introduction to Real Estate (3 hours)
- BUSI 601 - Real Estate Finance H (1.5 hours)
- BUSI 603 - Real Estate Development (1.5 hours)
- BUSI 604 - Real Estate and Capital Markets H (1.5 hours)
- Remaining credits from the list below:
- BUSI 293 - Affordable Housing Practicum
- BUSI 520 - Advanced Spreadsheet Modeling for Business
- BUSI 548 - Financing Affordable Housing
- BUSI 580 - Investments H
- BUSI 589 - Fixed Income H
- BUSI 592 - Applied Private Equity: Real Estate 2
- BUSI 605 - Real Estate Capstone
- PLAN 246 - Cities of the Past, Present, and Future: Introduction to Planning 1
- PLAN 420 - Community Design and Green Architecture 1
Sustainability
- Required Course:
- BUSI 507 - Sustainable Business and Social Enterprise 2, H (3 hours)
- Remaining credits from this list:
- BUSI 490 - Business Topics 3, H
- BUSI 540 - Leadership for Wicked Problems
- BUSI 530 - Corporate Communication: Social Advocacy and Activism
- BUSI 538 - Sustainable Operations
- BUSI 597 - Sustainable Finance
- DATA 541 - Natural Hazards and Financial Risk 1
Transfer of Business Course Credits from Other Institutions
Without regard to a student’s prospective academic major or minor at UNC–Chapel Hill, the UNC Kenan–Flagler Business School will consider for transfer credit business administration courses that meet each of the following six criteria. No exceptions are made.
- For upper-level courses (equivalent to those numbered 400–699 in the Kenan–Flagler undergraduate curriculum), the course was completed at:
- an accredited institution, including but not limited to AACSB International, or
- a constituent four-year institution of the University of North Carolina, or
- an international partner institution of Kenan–Flagler’s undergraduate business program.
- The final course grade earned was at least C (not C-) as verified by an official transcript. Courses taken Pass/Fail are ineligible.
- A comparable course is available in the Kenan–Flagler undergraduate curriculum.
- The course is not approved for credit in other UNC–Chapel Hill departments (i.e., no double credits).
- The student completed the course within the past three academic years.
- The substantive coverage of material constitutes no less than 75 percent of coverage in the comparable Kenan–Flagler course, and there is sufficient indication of individual student evaluation (i.e., no fewer than two major examinations, including a final examination).
Special Opportunities in the Kenan–Flagler Business School
Honors in Business
The Kenan–Flagler Business School honors thesis offers motivated undergraduate business students the opportunity to work closely with an individual faculty member on a specialized research topic of the student’s choice during the senior year. Undergraduate business majors with a 3.3 cumulative graduate point average and a 3.5 grade point average in business courses are invited to be considered for the opportunity to participate in this two-course program (BUSI 691H and BUSI 692H).
Career Services
The Undergraduate Business Program provides career development resources and services tailored to business students, such as specialized training and professional development programming, targeted networking and career fair opportunities, function- and industry-specific career clubs, individualized career coaching, and a broad library of online resources.
STAR Program
Kenan–Flagler’s Student Teams Achieving Results (STAR) program fields teams of top M.B.A.s and undergraduate business students to build comprehensive and actionable strategies for eligible corporations and not-for-profits.
Student Community Engagement and Wellness
Students in the Undergraduate Business Program are encouraged to join a variety of student organizations during their time at Kenan–Flagler. These organizations include career-focused clubs, affinity clubs, and business interest groups.
Global Programs
Kenan–Flagler undergraduate global programs are consistently highly ranked by students for the quality and variety of programs available. The Undergraduate Business Program provides a growing portfolio of academic and professional global programs in Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania that offer students the opportunity to earn business core and/or elective credit.
Undergraduate Awards
Each spring, Kenan–Flagler students, staff, and faculty nominate graduating seniors to be considered for academic excellence and core value awards. The core values of integrity, inclusion, impact, and innovation underpin everything the school stands for and the students who are given these awards have embodied these qualities throughout their time in Kenan–Flagler.
Undergraduate Business Symposium
Since its inception in 1983, the Undergraduate Business Symposium continues to be the flagship career event for the Undergraduate Business Program and an annual highlight for the UNC Kenan–Flagler community. It is the largest and longest-running student-organized event of its kind. Each year the event brings together more than 425 undergraduates and 125 company representatives from a diverse set of industries and organizations from across the country.