Gies College of Business
undergrads@business.illinois.edu
The purpose of the Gies College of Business is to provide an educational experience that will help students develop their potential for leadership and service in business, government, teaching, and research. The undergraduate curricula provide a study of the basic aspects of business and preparation for careers in fields such as accounting, business management, banking, insurance, and marketing.
The curricula, leading to the Bachelor of Science degrees in the various degree programs in business, are based on 124 hours of college work. Students are required to elect courses in other colleges of the University, including mathematics, rhetoric, humanities and the arts, speech, and natural and behavioral sciences, and to secure as liberal an education as possible to avoid the narrowing effects of overspecialization.
The Gies College of Business offers graduate and professional programs in business areas. Detailed information on graduate programs may be obtained from the Graduate College or visit our website.
Requirements
Admission
Applicants must meet general University requirements as well as those specified by the Gies College of Business.
Students transferring from other institutions must have met the requirements specified by the college. See our website and the Illinois Office of Undergraduate Admissions for further information.
Mathematics Placement Test
The ALEKS Math Placement Exam is used to place the students in the appropriate math course. The results of the test are used to place students in or to exempt them from algebra and allow them to enroll in a mathematics course required for graduation (see below).
Graduation
Students in the Gies College of Business who meet the University's requirements with reference to registration, residence, and fees and who maintain satisfactory scholastic records in the college are awarded degrees appropriate to their curricula.
Each candidate for a degree must have a 2.0 (A = 4.0) grade point average or above for all courses counted toward graduation, a 2.0 grade point average or above for all courses taken at this University, a 2.0 grade point average or above for all courses taken in the major or field of concentration, and a 2.0 grade point average or above for courses taken in the major or field of concentration at this University.
Students are responsible for meeting the requirements for graduation. Therefore, students should familiarize themselves with the requirements listed in this catalog and other information in the Office of Undergraduate Affairs, 1055 Business Instructional Facility, and should refer to them each time they plan their programs. The Gies College of Business requires that undergraduate degrees be completed in nine semesters or less. If you need assistance with course planning, consult the Office of Undergraduate Affairs.
Mathematics Requirement
Any one of the MATH courses described below meets the Gies College of Business requirement. The most appropriate mathematics course depends on the student's background, interest, motivation, and objectives. Background can be evaluated in terms of mathematics courses already completed and the student's score on the ALEKS Math Placement Exam. Interest, motivation, and objectives must be determined by the student. Courses include MATH 115, MATH 220, MATH 221, MATH 231, MATH 234 (recommended for all students with an ALEKS score of 65 or higher), and STAT 100.
Language Other Than English
Completion of the third semester or equivalent of a language other than English is required. Completion of three years of a single language in high school satisfies this requirement.
Residency
Students must earn no fewer than 60 semester hours of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign coursework applicable to their degree, including at least 21 credit hours of advanced coursework.
Special Programs
Honors at Graduation
Honors, designated on diplomas, are awarded to superior students as follows: for graduation with honors, a minimum grade point average of 3.5 (A = 4.0) in all courses accepted toward the student's degree; for graduation with high honors, a minimum grade point average of 3.75 in all courses accepted toward the degree; and for graduation with highest honors, a minimum grade point average of 3.90 in all courses accepted toward the degree. To qualify for graduation honors, transfer students' University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and total cumulative grade point averages both must qualify.
Curricula
Core Curriculum
Normally, students must register for no fewer than 12 hours or more than 18 hours in each semester. Students should take mathematics, economics, and accountancy courses in the semesters indicated in the sample schedule of courses. The computer science course should be taken during the first year. The computer science requirement no longer allows ACE 161 as an equivalent course.
Up to 4 hours of Kinesiology activity courses, numbered 100-110 may be counted toward the 124 hours for the degree. The same section of a course may not be repeated for credit. Credit is limited to a maximum of 12 credit hours for 199 courses. Students may receive foreign language credit for courses only 2 levels below highest level taken in high school. For example: 4 years of high school French, no credit is awarded below FR 102.
Once the math requirement is completed, lower level math courses cannot be taken for credit.
Any course used to fill a specific degree requirement may not be taken on the credit-no credit grade option. Only free electives may be taken on the credit-no credit option. All finance and accountancy courses must be taken for a grade. It is recommended that all courses taken in the business administration area be taken for a grade.
Departments
Undergraduate instruction in the Gies College of Business is organized under the Departments of Accountancy, Business Administration, and Finance. Each of these departments offers courses that provide one or more curricula that a student may elect. These curricula lead to Bachelor of Science degrees in the various fields of study in the college and are designed to encourage each student to fully realize his or her intellectual promise. There can be changes to curricular requirements and new course offerings.
For the most current information, visit our advisors in 1055 Business Instructional Facility, our website and department pages:
Majors
- Accountancy
- Accountancy + Data Science, BS
- Business + Data Science, BS
- Business Undeclared
- Finance
- Finance + Data Science, BS
- Information Systems
- Management
- Marketing
- Operations Management
- Strategic Business Development and Entrepreneurship, BS
- Strategy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, BS
- Supply Chain Management
Minors
Graduate Degree Programs in Accountancy
- Majors
- Accountancy, MAS
- Accountancy, MS (on campus & online)
- Accountancy, PhD
- Minors
- Certificates
- Accounting Data Analytics, CERT (online)
- Accounting Foundations, CERT (online)
- CPA Pathways, CERT (online)
- Taxation, CERT (online)
Graduate Degree Programs in Business Administration
- Majors
- Business Administration, MBA (Full-Time)
- Business Administration, MBA (online-iMBA)
- Business Administration, MS
- optional concentrations
- Management, MS
- Technology Management, MS
- optional concentrations
- Business Administration, PhD
- Minors:
- Concentrations:
- Certificates
- Digital Marketing, CERT (online)
- Entrepreneurship & Strategic Innovation, CERT (online)
- Financial Management, CERT (online)
- Global Challenges in Business, CERT (online)
- Managerial Economics & Business Analysis, CERT (online)
- Mergers & Acquisitions CERT (online)
- Strategic Leadership Management, CERT (online)
- Value Chain Management, CERT (online)
Graduate Degree Programs in Finance
- Majors
- Financial Engineering, MS (administered by Finance and Industrial & Enterprise Systems Engineering)
- Finance, MS
- optional concentrations
- Finance, PhD
- Minors
- Concentrations