The School of Business and Technology

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAMS

The Department of Business, Management and Accounting offers three major programs: a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, and a Bachelor's Degree in Business Education.

The programs offered in the Department of Business, Management and Accounting are grounded in the liberal arts. More than 50 percent of the curricula is comprised of general education and other liberal arts courses necessary for the development of each student's cognitive skills. The American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business's (AACSB) Standards provide overall guidelines for curricula and course design for the Accounting and Business Administration programs. These two programs prepare students for professional careers in accounting and managerial positions. Students are encouraged to meet the 150 hour-credit and residency requirements to sit for the Uniform Certified Public Accountants' Examination in their respective states.*

The Business Education program is approved by the State of Maryland's Department of Education. It is designed to develop competencies among students to teach office administration, bookkeeping, computer concepts and applications, and other secondary school level business subjects.

*The Department holds membership in the AACSB and has attained Candidacy Status in the AACSB's Voluntary Peer Review Accreditation Process.

The Department plans to offer a Masters of Accountancy Degree Program to meet the legislated 150-credit-hour requirement to sit for the Uniform Certified Public Accountants Examination in Maryland.

ADMISSION STANDARDS

The Department of Business, Management and Accounting focuses on devoting its limited resources to achieving and maintaining high quality management education programs for students who are likely to benefit from pursuing such programs of study. The focus is also on insuring that each student acquires the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to establish viable careers in a broad range of organizations. The faculty in the Department have adopted admission standards with the expectation that more time, energy, and effort can be devoted to students who are willing and able to participate fully in the learning process. 

Overall Objectives

The overall objectives of the standards are to promote high quality management education while maintaining high retention and graduation rates for students admitted to the business/management programs offered in the Department of Business, Management and Accounting. The objectives are to be attained in the context of providing better service to a greater number of students who are committed to taking full advantage of all available educational resources at UMES.

Criteria

1. New admits to the University who choose to major in business will be admitted unconditionally to the Department of Business, Management, and Accounting if they have a combined SAT score of 850 or higher. 

  2. Students with SAT scores between 700 and 849 will be admitted provisionally to the Department. Provisional status will be removed at the end of the first school year if: 

1. the student has earned 28 semester credit hours with a GPA of 2.5 or higher;
2. the student has earned grades of "C" or higher in Math 109, Engl 101, and Engl 102; and 
3. the student has passed the English Proficiency Examination.

Transfer Students  

1. To major in the Department of Business, Management, and Accounting, students transferring to UMES must have a GPA of at least 2.5 and be in good standing at their former institution(s). Transfer students with a GPA less than 2.5 will be considered for admission into the Department of Business, Management, and Accounting after they earn a minimum 2.5 GPA during the first year of study at UMES. If not previously completed , grades of "C" or better must be earned in Math 109, Engl 101, and Engl 102. In addition, they must pass the English Proficiency Examination prior to admission to the Department. 

2. UMES Students wishing to change their Majors to Business.

To be considered for a major change to business, students must have:

earned at least 28 credit hours at UMES with a GPA of 2.5 of higher; 

earned grades of "C" or higher in Math 109, Engl 101, and

passed the English Proficiency Examination.

GENERAL RESTRICTIONS

1. Junior and senior level course requirements for a degree in Business Administration, Accounting, and Business Education cannot be satisfied through credit by examination, independent study, or other nontraditional methods. 
2. At least 50 percent of the business credit hours required for the business administration and accounting degrees must be earned at UMES.
3. There is no business concentration in the General Studies Program. 
4. Repeat courses should be taken at UMES.
5. Credit hours in business courses taken by majors outside of the Department of Business, Management, and Accounting can not exceed 25 percent of the program requirements (such as a 120 hour program can not consist of more than 30 credit hours in business courses).

GENERAL INFORMATION

Professional Development

Professional development is an integral part of preparing to establish viable management/accounting careers in business, government, and nonprofit organizations. During their sophomore and junior years students majoring in the Department must enroll in the 0.5 credit professional development course. In addition, participation in departmentally sponsored activities and student organizations is required. Appropriate business attire is required for various functions. During the first semester of the freshman year all students must acquire appropriate business attire. Details will be provided.

Student Organizations

Departmentally sponsored Student Organizations are: UMES Student Chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA); Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE); National Student Business League (NSBL); Student Advisory Board (SAB); and the Sports Marketing and Entrepreneurship Club (SMEC).

Communication Skills

Written and oral communication skills are extremely important. Standard English is required for all formal settings and submissions such as classroom interactions, presentations, written assignments, etc. All students must pass a business communications proficiency test as a requirement in BUED 333 (Business Communications). Should students not pass the proficiency test, an incomplete will be received for the course, providing that all other requirements for the course have been met. Students failing the proficiency test will have up to one year to pass the test, thereby removing the incomplete. If the incomplete is not removed within one year, the course must be repeated.

Practical Experience

All students majoring in business administration and accounting are encouraged to acquire meaningful, practical experience in a business, government, or non-profit organization. This requirement can be met in a variety of ways, such as approved work experience, voluntary services, on-campus externship, and/or faculty directed consulting/research projects. No credit is earned for this experience. However, students desiring credit for an approved internship must submit for approval, a job description and subsequently a performance appraisal letter from their supervisor. Following approval by the department chairperson and enrollment in BUAD 480, the student will write a reflective paper approximately 25 pages in length. The reflective paper should integrate classroom knowledge with practical experiences acquired during the internship. Keeping a daily log of internship activities/tasks is recommended.

Pre-Teaching Internship Requirements

Students requesting permission to transfer accounting and computer application courses into the Business Education program must first demonstrate their proficiency in these two areas prior to receiving transfer credits for the courses. In addition, all Business Education majors must demonstrate their ability to teach designated computer applications and elementary bookkeeping/accounting in the methods course, EDCI 427B (Curriculum and Instruction in Business Education).

Center for Management Assistance and Research (C-MAR)

Through the Center for Management Assistance and Research (C-MAR), the departmental faculty and students provide technical assistance to small and micro enterprises. Particular attention is given to the needs of minority/disadvantaged small and micro business owners as well as business development in developing regions of the world such as Southern Africa. Self-reliance is stressed by encouraging and supporting the entrepreneurial spirit. In addition emphasis is placed on applied management research relative to business, government, and non-profit organizations. The C-MAR also facilitates the Business, Management and Accounting Department's goal of integrating real-world experiences into the curricula via internships, consulting projects, and research projects. 

Honor Society

Sigma Beta Delta, a national scholastic honor society in business/management is open to students majoring in the Department who rank in the upper 5 percent of their junior class with a minimum GPA of 3.3 or the upper 10 percent of their senior class. Students are eligible for induction the semester after they have earned 75 credits at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. At least 50 percent of all course work must be taken on a full-time basis. The degree program must be completed within 6 years of the starting date.

Department of Business, Management, and Accounting

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