Business Administration Major, B.S.B.A. < University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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 2022–2023 academic year.

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.

To request review and validation of eligible courses, students should submit a Transfer Credit Request Form through Connect Carolina. A copy of the course syllabus must be included for all courses being evaluated. The syllabus must include the title and edition of textbook(s) as well as list explicitly the course content. If the syllabus lists only chapters covered, without a description of the chapter content, a copy of the textbook’s table of contents must be included.

For business majors who earn admission to UNC Kenan–Flagler Business School, no more than three upper-level courses taken at another institution may be applied to the undergraduate business major curriculum unless earned as part of a preapproved Kenan–Flagler overseas study program.

For students who wish to transfer to UNC–Chapel Hill, pre-approval of such courses is recommended. Requests for validation of course credits earned at another institution must be made no later than the end of the first semester of enrollment at UNC–Chapel Hill following completion of the course. The business school does not award transfer credits in excess of three upper-level courses.

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.

Business majors are provided with the opportunity to add an optional area of emphasis to their general management degree. Areas of emphasis generally consist of a minimum of nine credit hours of elective courses. All course information for the areas of interest can be found in the KF intranet. AOEs do not show on your diploma, they show on transcript and can be notations on your resume.

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).

In the first semester (BUSI 691H), students become familiar with the mechanics, methodologies, and recent literature on topics of major interest. Each student formulates an honors thesis proposal and initiates work on the project. During the second semester (BUSI 692H), the thesis work is conducted under the supervision of a faculty advisor with expertise in the general topic’s area of research.

Students who successfully complete the second-semester course (BUSI 692H) will submit to an oral examination on the thesis. Upon successful completion of the program, the student receives the bachelor of science degree with honors or highest honors, as determined by the student’s committee.

Career Services

The Undergraduate Business program provides career development resources and services tailored to business students, such as specialized training and professional development activities, targeted networking opportunities, function- and industry-specific career clubs and student organizations, and focused career coaching and programming. Undergraduate business students are expected to maintain an up-to-date profile on Handshake through University Career Services, which is the primary resource for all UNC–Chapel Hill students for job/internship postings, résumé referral, on-campus interviewing, and career fairs.

As the job market remains highly competitive, the Undergraduate Business program strongly encourages business students to undertake internships and other experiential learning opportunities when possible. These hands-on experiences can be a valuable part of a student’s career development. Also, demonstrated leadership experience along with community service and a global learning experience are additional desirable factors that many employers seek in candidates. The Undergraduate Business Career Services team assists students with connecting the dots of their college experience to launch careers with positive impact.

Leadership Development

The Kenan–Flagler Leadership Initiative encourages undergraduate business students to develop the personal and professional skills needed to become exceptional leaders. This is accomplished by integrating leadership programming throughout the entire curriculum and in extracurricular situations. By incorporating leadership principles and practice, coupled with feedback and reflection, Kenan–Flagler aims to develop students into business professionals who can lead in their organization and positively influence their community. Examples of undergraduate business leadership development programming include self-assessment workshops, managerial simulations, executive coaching, student consulting projects, and student leader development.

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. STAR teams begin the project by developing a scope of work with the client and signing a confidentiality agreement. Over the life of the project, teams typically analyze the market, assess the competitive situation, develop a strategy, and define an action plan that covers financials, risk assessment, and implementation. STAR teams are guided throughout the course by a course professor, a team-specific faculty advisor, and client executives. Opportunities in STAR–Domestic and Global Business Projects exist.

Student Involvement

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 (Accounting Club, Undergraduate Consulting Club, UNC Finance Society, Real Estate Club, Marketing Club, Operations Clubs, and others), affinity clubs (including Carolina Women in Business, Pride@KFBS, and Minority Business Student Alliance), and interest groups (including Sustainability Club, Undergraduate Healthcare Club, and Family Business Club). All these organizations give students valuable professional networking opportunities with recruiters and alumni, community service activities, and a chance to connect socially with peers. The program has a full-time wellness coach who works to ensure students take care of their well-being throughout their time in the program. The coach is available for 1-1 appointments and organizes a number of wellness-focused initiatives and programming to support all students. There are a number of program- and student-led initiatives to encourage community and equity among the student body to increase a feeling of belonging. Visit the undergraduate business program website for the most up-to-date information.

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 portfolio of over 40 different programs in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania that offer students the opportunity to earn business core and/or elective credit. Business students can develop their global perspective through participation in business semester abroad, faculty led global immersion electives (GIEs), summer study abroad, or international internships.

GLOBE® (Global Learning Opportunities in Business Education) is UNC Kenan–Flagler’s flagship global program. This study abroad program is a partnership with Chinese University of Hong Kong, Copenhagen Business School, and the University of North Carolina. Every year, approximately 18 students from each school form a cohort and study together for a semester at each school. The GLOBE® program customizes the curriculum based on unique strengths of each region. Students take courses in subjects such as global leadership and organizational behavior, business and politics in the U.S., marketing in China, finance and financial institutions, and a capstone consulting project in the final semester of the program. These courses are GLOBE specific courses taken as a cohort. GLOBE students take other business courses during the semester to round out a full course load.

Over half a million dollars is available in scholarship funds for global programs for Kenan–Flagler students. Additionally, the Phillips Ambassador program offers $5,000 scholarships exclusively for Kenan–Flagler.

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. The chosen students are recognized by their peers during the school’s commencement ceremony. Beta Gamma Sigma, the national business honorary society, offers top-performing students the chance to be inducted into that organization each spring.

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. The Undergraduate Business Symposium provides students with the opportunity to learn about a variety of industries and organizations, the chance to network and interact with business representatives and UNC Kenan–Flagler faculty, obtain insights into the dynamic business landscape, and the opportunity to showcase their analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.