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Description of the Major | Degrees Offered | Concentrations | Minors |
Declaring the Major | Progressing in the Major

Description of the Major

The major is a part of the Program of International Business, a program within the College of Business.

The International Business major is part of the nationally recognized JMU College of Business. Most business, government, and not-for-profit enterprises operate today in a global environment. Success is more certain for those who are aware of events and cultures outside of their own. The program's goal is to equip students with the ability to work comfortably in multiple areas of the global marketplace through interdisciplinary study. International Business majors take specialized courses in all the business disciplines (e.g. International Accounting, International Marketing) as well as courses in a foreign language.

To ensure success, competency in a second language and thorough exposure to a chosen second culture are graduation requirements. In addition, study abroad or a one semester international internship is required and must be integrated into the student's schedule. The requirements of the major are designed to allow students to choose an optional concentration in Finance or Marketing, and some International Business majors also declare a second major such as Foreign Language or another business area.

Degrees Offered

B.B.A.

Concentrations

General International Business

Finance

Marketing

Minors

None

Declaring the Major

New Freshmen and Transfer Students
Students should declare the International Business major when they register for orientation. Any student admitted to JMU can declare any major offered by the College of Business. However students are not formally admitted into the College of Business until certain requirements are met as listed in the section below "Progressing in the Major."

Currently Enrolled Major Changers
If students wish to change their major to International Business they must be in good academic standing (have a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher) on the date they submit a "Change or Declaration of Major" form, which is available in the Academic Services Center located in Zane Showker Hall, room 205. Declaring a College of Business major does not guarantee full admission to the major. Students will not be fully admitted to the major until requirements are met as listed below.

Progressing in the Major

Full Admission to the College of Business
Declaring a business major does not guarantee full admission to the College of Business. Students must formally apply for full admission to the College of Business by submitting an application for admission during the semester in which they are completing the lower-level B.B.A. core courses.

Students are formally admitted into the College of Business as a B.B.A. degree seeking major and permitted to register for COB 300, Integrated Functional Systems, when the following requirements are met:

1. A completed application for admission into the College of Business is submitted to the College of Business Academic Services Center located in 205 Zane Showker Hall, according to the following schedule:


• October 1 for the upcoming spring semester


• March 1 for upcoming the summer session and fall semesters


2. All 10 lower-level Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) core courses are successfully completed as follows:


• First Year (It is recommended that students complete the following five B.B.A. core courses by the end of the freshman year):


• COB 191. Business Statistics or MATH 220. Elementary Statistics


• COB 204. Computer Information Systems


• GECON 200. General Education Macroeconomics


• ECON 201. Microeconomics


• MATH 205. Introductory Calculus or MATH 235. Calculus I


• Second Year (It is recommended that students complete the following five B.B.A. core courses by the end of their sophomore year):


• COB 202. Interpersonal Skills


• COB 218. Legal Environment of Business


• COB 241. Financial Accounting


• COB 242. Managerial Accounting


• COB 291. Introduction to Management Science


3. Earn a cumulative GPA of 2.7 or higher in the B.B.A. lower-level core courses (excluding MATH 205 or MATH 235)
   
   
   The B.B.A. core GPA is calculated using grades earned in the B.B.A. lower-level core courses excluding calculus (MATH 205 or MATH 235). Only grades earned at JMU will be used. The university policy for calculating repeat-credit and repeat-forgiveness will be followed.
   
   
   Students with a 2.7 B.B.A. core GPA are assured admission into the College of Business and COB 300. Students who meet all of the requirements above but fail to achieve a 2.7 B.B.A. core GPA will be admitted to the College of Business and COB 300 based on B.B.A. core GPA ranking, and pending resources and space availability.


4. Admission is granted within one calendar year of the applicant's first application. Two applications, in consecutive semesters of enrollment, are permitted.