College of Business - General Information

Troy A. Adair, Jr., Ph.D. - Dean

Athens State University’s College of Business is nationally accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), 11520 West 119^th Street, Overland Park, KS 66213.

The current listings of Faculty and Staff in the College of Arts and Sciences and Faculty and Staff in the University Library can be found on the Athens State University website.

The mission of the College of Business is to offer programs of study to students that will: prepare them for positions in business, finance, or government; enhance the professional development of those already employed; provide an academic framework for graduate study leading to professional positions; and offer select graduate programs through innovative communication and course delivery. The purpose of the College of Business is to provide quality education for all students, teaching them to think critically, to use technology efficiently, to be effective leaders, decision makers, and communicators; to maintain ethical standards, and to understand the global economy. To carry out its mission and support its purpose, the College of Business has established the following goals:

Provide for continuous improvement of the programs within the College of Business in keeping with the standards set by Athens State University, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and the Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).
Place excellence in teaching as the number one priority for serving students and for evaluating faculty.
Encourage growth and diversity in the faculty and student body.
Seek community and business relationships for advice and support of student and curriculum needs.
Maintain cooperative relationships with other educational institutions to facilitate student transfer, maximize resource utilization and provide quality programs.
Support a quality-based, equivalent learning environment for all students in all settings.
Produce graduates who will be academically and professionally prepared by the quality teaching programs of the College of Business for work in an increasingly diverse, global environment.

Advising and Scheduling Information

Academic Advising

Upon admission to Athens State University, each student is assigned a faculty advisor. Students should confer with their advisor at least once each semester. Although each student assumes final individual responsibility for meeting all degree requirements, the advisor will offer guidance in planning the student’s academic program. Any adjustments to the program of study require the completion of a Curriculum Adjustment form and approval by the appropriate academic administrators.

Scheduling

Due to possible cohort size restrictions, some sequencing of graduate courses may be necessary and not all courses required for a degree program will be available every semester. Graduate Students are strongly encouraged to contact their faculty advisor before withdrawing from any courses, as withdrawal from a course may affect a student’s progress through the curriculum and impact timely program completion.

Admission Requirements for the Master of Accountancy (MAcc) Program in the College of Business

(See also the General University requirements for admission.)

Requirements for Degree-Seeking Student

For unconditional admission, a prospective student must:

Complete an application for graduate admission and submit all official transcripts, AND;
Have earned a bachelor’s degree from an institution accredited by an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, with a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 (4.0 scale).

For conditional admission, a prospective student must:

Complete an application for graduate admission and submit all official transcripts, AND;
Have earned a bachelor’s degree from an institution accredited by an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, with a minimum overall GPA of 2.5 - 2.99 (4.0 scale).

Students who do not meet the above requirements may be admitted conditionally after a review of the following factors by the program’s Graduate Admission Committee:

Bachelor’s degree from an institution accredited by an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education;
Minimum overall GPA of 2.0 - 2.49 (4.0 scale);
Graduate admission test scores (GMAT, GRE, or MAT), OR current resume reflecting a minimum of 3 years’ professional work experience in the accounting field.

A student admitted on conditional status will be admitted on academic probation. Conditional status will be removed only upon successful completion of a minimum of 9 semester hours of graduate coursework at Athens State with a minimum GPA of 3.0.

Please Note: A student who has met the above requirements may be required to complete specific undergraduate prerequisite courses or their equivalents as determined by departmental review.

While not required, a bachelor’s degree in accounting is preferred. In addition, the following courses (or equivalents) are prerequisites for some individual courses in the Master of Accountancy program:

Intermediate Accounting II

Federal Tax Accounting

Auditing

Cost Accounting or Managerial Accounting

Requirements for Non-Degree Seeking Students OR Graduate Certificate-Seeking Students

A student who does not meet the requirements for one of the above admission categories as a degree-seeking graduate student, or who wishes to pursue only individual courses, badges, or a graduate certificate, may be admitted as a non-degree seeking graduate student.

Records are kept of the work completed, and credits are transferable. Non-degree or certificate-seeking graduate students are ineligible for federal aid funding under Title IV.

A student seeking admission as a non-degree-seeking student or graduate certificate-seeking student must:

Submit a completed graduate non-degree seeking or certificate-seeking admissions application and pay any required application fees.
Submit official transcripts from the last institution attended and from at least one institution accredited by an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education documenting conferral of a bachelor’s or higher degree. Official transcripts must indicate that the student is in good standing at the last institution attended.

Students admitted as non-degree seeking students will only be allowed to register for graduate courses in a given term subject to space availability and/or cohort restrictions. Non-degree or certificate-seeking students may complete no more than one-half of the total hours required for the master’s degree program; in order to register for additional courses, students must submit a degree-seeking application and all required materials and be approved for degree-seeking status.

Non-degree seeking students will not be awarded a graduate degree from Athens State University.

Admission Requirements for Master of Science Programs in the College of Business

(See also the General University requirements for admission.)

Requirements for Degree-Seeking Students

For unconditional admission, a prospective student must:

Complete an application for graduate admission and submit all official transcripts, AND;
Have earned a bachelor’s degree from an institution accredited by an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, with a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 (4.0 scale).

For conditional admission, a prospective student must:

Complete an application for graduate admission and submit all official transcripts, AND;
Have earned a bachelor’s degree from an institution accredited by an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, with a minimum overall GPA of 2.5 - 2.99 (4.0 scale).

Students who do not meet the above requirements may be admitted conditionally after a review of the following factors by the program’s Graduate Admission Committee:

Bachelor’s degree from an institution accredited by an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education;
Minimum overall GPA of 2.0 - 2.49 (4.0 scale);
Graduate admission test scores (GMAT, GRE, or MAT), OR current resume reflecting a minimum of 3 years’ professional work experience in in an appropriate field related to the program into which the student is seeking admission, as determined by the review of the Committee.

Please Note: A student who has met the above requirements may be required to complete specific undergraduate prerequisite courses or their equivalents as determined by departmental review.

Requirements for Non-Degree Seeking Students OR Graduate Certificate-Seeking Students

A student who does not meet the requirements for one of the above admission categories as a degree-seeking graduate student, or who wishes to pursue only a graduate certificate, may be admitted as a non-degree or certificate seeking graduate student. Records are kept of the work completed and credits are transferable. Non-degree seeking or certificate-seeking graduate students are ineligible for federal aid funding under Title IV.

Students seeking admission as a non-degree seeking student or graduate certificate-seeking student must:

Submit a completed graduate non-degree seeking or certificate-seeking admissions application and pay any required application fees.
Submit official transcripts from the last institution attended, and from at least one institution accredited by an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education documenting conferral of a bachelor’s or higher degree. Official transcripts must indicate that the student is in good standing at the last institution attended.

Students admitted as non-degree seeking students will only be allowed to register for graduate courses in a given term subject to space availability and/or cohort restrictions. Non-degree or certificate seeking students may complete no more than one-half of the total hours required for the master’s degree program; in order to register for additional courses, students must submit a degree-seeking application and all required materials, and be approved for degree-seeking status.

Non-degree seeking students will not be awarded a graduate degree or certificate from Athens State University.

Certificate-seeking students are eligible only to be awarded a graduate certificate once all requirements are met.