College of Business

Scott Beaulier, Dean
Phone: (307)766-4194 FAX: (307)766-4028
Peter M. and Paula Green Johnson Student Success Center (307) 766-8249

The College of Business prepares students for careers by providing quality education in business disciplines, creating, and disseminating knowledge, and assisting in Wyoming’s economic development. The College of Business expects the highest level of integrity from our administration, faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

The College of Business grew from its roots established in 1899 when the UW School of Commerce was founded. While the programs offered have changed over the years, the college remains passionately committed to academic excellence and positive student experiences.

The college has three academic departments: accounting and finance; economics; and management and marketing. The college also houses the College of Business Peter M. and Paula Green Johnson Student Success Center (GJSSC) which is instrumental in maintaining the college’s link with the business world.

These units are committed to preparing all College of Business students to enter our rapidly changing world. Successful graduates are fully prepared to compete in their chosen professions or in graduate school. More importantly, they are well-educated individuals prepared to live fulfilling lives, and to meet the challenges presented by the complex ethical, moral, and cultural contexts of our times.

College of Business Learning Outcomes

The College of Business expects that its graduates:

Will be competent in their field of study
Will be effective problem solvers
Will be ethical
Will be professional
Will be effective communicators

AACSB Accreditation

The business degree programs offered by the College of Business are accredited by AACSB-International. AACSB standards ensure that College of Business students are provided with comprehensive, high-quality, well-rounded degree programs. The “Common Body of Knowledge” as described on the following pages has been developed to meet the AACSB accreditation standards.

A minimum of 50% of COB courses required for the major must be taken from the degree-awarding institution.

Programs of Study

Undergraduate Degrees

BSB - Bachelors of Science in Business
BSE - Bachelors of Science in Economics

The Majors are as follows:

Accounting, B.S.B. (BSB-ACCT)
Business Economics, B.S.B. (BSB - CBEC)
Economics, B.S.E (BSE - ECON)
Entrepreneurship, B.S.B (BSB - ENTR) ·
Finance, B.S.B (BSB - FIN)
Management, B.S.B. (BSB - MGT)
Marketing, B.S.B. (BSB - MKT)
Professional Sales, B.S.B. (BSB - SELL

The Minors are as follows:

Banking and Financial Services Minor
Blockchain Minor
Data Analytics Minor
Economics Minor
Entrepreneurship Minor (for nonbusiness students only)
Hospitality Business Management Minor
Leadership Minor
Professional and Technical Selling Minor
Real Estate Minor

Graduate Degrees

Master of Science
Accounting, M.S.
Economics, M.S.

Business Administration, M.B.A.

Business Administration, Online, M.B.A.

Doctor of Philosophy
Economics, Ph.D.
Marketing and Management, Ph.D.

Certificate Programs
Certified Financial Planning Certificate (Graduate)
Energy Business Certificate (Graduate)

Student Services

Academic Advising

All College of Business undergraduate students are advised by professional academic advisors in the College of Business Peter M. and Paula Green Johnson Student Success Center. Advising can be reached by e-mail (success@uwyo.edu) or by phone (307) 766-2063.

Career Services

The Career Services unit connects students and employers in ways that lead to meaningful experiences and job opportunities. Students also can apply for local, national, and international internships starting their first year and may receive credit for their work. Networking with employers is highly encouraged and offered through a series of fairs, events, and in-class projects. One-on-one assistance and workshops are also available to students for things such as: internship or job searching; resume creation, review, or targeting; and career coaching or counseling. Individual appointments may be scheduled by email (success@uwyo.edu) or by phone, (307) 766-4159.

Student Responsibilities

College of Business students are responsible for knowing and meeting requirements for graduation. Students have a variety of tools at their disposal, including their degree evaluation and the catalog to check these requirements, and can utilize their academic advisor throughout the year for questions and clarifications.

All students must have already completed any prerequisites listed, including having the appropriate class standing. Students not meeting the prerequisites are identified and administratively dropped from those courses each semester.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree

I. University Studies Requirements:

All students seeking a bachelor’s degree must satisfy the University Studies Program (USP) requirements. The specific courses required can be found under the USP section in the catalog.

II. Common Body of Knowledge: (excludes B.S.E. in Economics)

College of Business majors are required to take a common set of courses that expose them to the basic concepts, processes, and technical skills necessary to complete a well-rounded high-quality business education. The common body of knowledge includes ACCT 2010, ACCT 2020, DSCI 2100, ECON 1010, ECON 1020, FIN 2100, IMGT 2400, MGT 2010, MGT 2100, MKT 2100, and MGT 4800. Grades of C (not C-) or above required.

III. Major Requirements

Major requirements can be found under each major’s page within the catalog.

IV. Free Electives

Students must achieve a total of 120 credit hours to complete their bachelor’s degree. Of those 120 credit hours, students must have 48 hours of upper-division credit.

Minimum requirements:

Candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree in the College of Business must:

Achieve a cumulative College of Business and UW institution grade point average of at least 2.500.
Complete 50% of the business credit hours from UW.
Earn grades of C or above in common body of knowledge and major specific core courses.
Earn a passing score on the Senior Exit Exam required for all College of Business majors.
Economics majors also must hold a minimum 2.500 grade point average for all economics courses.

Students may not take courses for S/U (satisfactory/unsatisfactory) credit to satisfy university studies or college requirements, course requirements in the major, or courses outside the college required by the major department curriculum.

Acceptance of Transfer Credit

The College of Business complies with UW policies regarding transfer credit discussed in the front section of this bulletin. The college has special course transfer arrangements with Wyoming community colleges that allow some courses taken at community colleges at the lower-division (freshman-sophomore) level to transfer for upper-division (junior) credit. Wyoming community college transfer students should contact the College of Business Peter M. and Paula Green Johnson Student Success Center (GJSSC) for details.

Students transferring from other AACSB accredited colleges and universities will have their courses reviewed for transfer on a course-by-course basis.

The College of Business does not accept transfer credits for COB courses with equivalents at UW when the grade earned was less than a C.

Where appropriate, College of Business course equivalency will be granted for transfer courses at the 3000 and 4000 level if such coursework was completed at an AACSB or EQUIS institution only. Any coursework completed at an institution that does not meet that qualification will not be considered for upper-division equivalency.

The UW College of Business is AACSB accredited and therefore follows AACSB’s current guidelines* to maintain accreditation.

The primary goal of this transfer policy is to ensure coursework accepted from other institutions is comparable to coursework required by our college’s degree programs and ensure that the majority of learning is completed at the institution awarding the degree while simultaneously allowing measured flexibility in acceptance of transfer credits as allowed by AACSB accreditation in support of student progress and degree completion.** For example, at the time of this policy’s creation, the number of business credit hours for the College of Business’s undergraduate majors is fifty-four (54) credit hours (this includes the business common body of knowledge courses). Therefore, to align with AACSB standards, a minimum of twenty-seven (27) credit hours of business coursework in the major must be earned in residence at the University of Wyoming.

In addition to the transfer policies defined in the University of Wyoming catalog, the College of Business has established the following policies in support of AACSB Standards governing the transfer of credit for equivalent business courses. Courses will be considered for transfer according to the additional criteria below. Students may transfer up to a total of twenty-seven (27) hours of business credits, either solely lower division courses or a mix of lower division and upper division courses, as follows:

Students may transfer up to twenty-seven (27) lower division (1000/2000 level) business credits to the Common Body of Knowledge.
- Lower division courses from regionally accredited institutions will be evaluated for equivalency and approved by the UW Office of the Registrar annually.
Students may transfer up to nine (9) upper division (3000/4000 level) business credits according to the following guidelines:
- Transferring upper-division business credits to be included in the twenty-seven (27) credits reduces the number of lower-division credits a student can transfer.
- Courses from AACSB/EQUIS accredited institutions will be evaluated for equivalency and approved by the College of Business.
- Courses from regionally accredited, non-AACSB/EQUIS institutions will be accepted as upper division elective credit in accordance with the transfer policies defined in the University of Wyoming catalog.
- The College of Business has collaborative provisions (detailed in separate articulation agreements) that allow students from Wyoming’s community colleges to transfer up to nine (9) credit hours of 2000 level coursework to satisfy up to nine (9) credit hours of 3000 level coursework that has been evaluated by the College of Business. These courses will be evaluated annually for equivalency***.

* A requirement of the accreditation process (as reflected in Standard 6 of the 2020 Business Standards) is for accredited colleges to have clear policies regarding transfer coursework.

** As noted by AACSB: “transfer credit related to business disciplines is normally limited to no more than half of the program requirements” (2020 AACSB Standards, p. 13).

*** Per college-specific articulation agreements, students may be able to transfer coursework satisfying completion of the following courses: ACCT 3070, ACCT 3230, ACCT 3240, or ACCT 3430.

Accounting, Management, and Marketing Online Programs

The College of Business offers the opportunity to pursue online degree programs in accounting, management, and marketing, accredited by AACSB and delivered through distance education. These online delivery programs are designed to help students maximize their flexibility in the business world.

Students will be required to apply to UW and meet UW admissions criteria prior to enrolling in any College of Business program. Students must also attain a 2.500 GPA for graduation for both College of Business and UW courses, complete and submit an anticipated graduation date form, and must pass the Senior Exit Exam (BUSN 4990) to graduate.

To ensure the availability of required courses in this program, enrollment into courses is managed and approved by the College of Business Peter M. and Paula Green Johnson Student Success Center (GJSSC).

College of Business Minors

Minors are available to on-campus students through the College of Business in the areas of banking and financial services, blockchain, data analytics, economics, entrepreneurship (not available to College of Business majors), hospitality business management, leadership, professional and technical selling, and real estate. Minor requirements may often be met by simply focusing on the elective credits available in a student’s major.

A minimum grade of C must be earned in each course. Certification of a successful minor program completion occurs as part of the DegreeWorks progress report, and the Office of the Registrar notes the completion of the minor on student transcripts. Minors must be approved by the Peter M. and Paula Green Johnson Student Success Center (GJSSC).

Students must have a minimum of 2.500 cumulative UW GPA. Students must maintain a cumulative 2.500 GPA in the required College of Business courses for the minor to be awarded. A minimum of 50% of COB courses must be taken from the degree-awarding institution.

Cooperative Undergraduate Programs

The Concentration in Environment and Natural Resources

College of Business majors may earn a concurrent-major in Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) in cooperation with the UW School of Environment and Natural Resources. The appropriate use of natural resources and awareness of the environmental consequences of decisions have become key issues for businesses. Exposure to ideas, skills, and sensibilities in these areas is critical to future businesspeople. For more information call the ENR office at (307) 766-5089.

Graduate Study

The College of Business is comprised of three academic departments: accounting and finance, economics, and management and marketing. The faculty of these departments cooperate in the presentation of graduate work leading to the following degrees:

Master of Business Administration

Master of Science in Accounting

Master of Science in Economics

Doctor of Philosophy in Economics

Doctor of Philosophy in Marketing and Management

The College of Business faculty is passionately committed to the excellence of its graduate programs. The graduate programs in the College of Business are accredited by AACSB International. The three academic departments coordinate course offerings to support all the graduate degree programs; the M.B.A. program is a college-wide effort.

Cooperative Graduate Programs

The Concentration in Environment and Natural Resources

College of Business graduate students may earn an interdisciplinary minor in environment and natural resources (ENR) in cooperation with the UW School of Environment and Natural Resources. The appropriate use of natural resources and awareness of the environmental consequences of decisions have become key issues for all areas of business and economics. The School of Environment and Natural Resources is designed to move beyond the strictly disciplinary design and management of their long-term solutions. The school seeks to attract outstanding graduate students from a variety of disciplines, who are eager to pursue careers that engage other professionals, policymakers, and the public in finding innovative ways to resolve complex environmental and natural resource issues. To pursue a minor in ENR, students must first be admitted to another master’s or doctoral degree program offered at the University of Wyoming. For more information call the ENR office at (307) 766-5080.