Through your journey with us, you will work toward earning a Bachelor of Science in business administration.

At the College of Business, we encourage you to engage in critical thinking while exploring modern theories, relevant business practices and current industry trends. Along the way, you’ll discover your interests and begin to focus your studies on one of our 10 concentrations that let you merge your academic passions with your career goals. We offer our undergraduate business program as both a traditional 4-year program and as an accelerated degree option that can be completed in 3 or 3 ½ years. We are the only business college in the state of Colorado to offer both a traditional and an accelerated degree.

10

Concentrations to choose from

120

Credits needed to graduate

3.26

Average undergraduate business student GPA

Degree and Course Requirements

The first two years of study include completion of the All-University Core Curriculum (AUCC) and the lower-division business core courses. Students must have junior or senior status and be admitted into the College of Business to take specialized course work in business concentrations.

Core curriculum sets the minimum course requirements for all business majors. With recommendations from your advisor, you will select supplementary courses to meet the total minimum of 120 credits required for the Bachelor of Science degree. 

All required freshman and sophomore courses must be completed prior to or concurrent with first enrollment in required junior and senior courses. By the beginning of your junior year, you must select a concentration.

Additional requirements that all business majors must complete are:

  1. One of the approved concentrations
  2. All-University Core Curriculum (AUCC) requirements
  3. Not using the satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) grading option in any business concentration course and/or business core course (BUS and non-BUS subject codes) except when a course allows S/U grading 
  4. A minimum grade point average of 2.0 in business courses as a graduation requirement. A student who has less than this average at the end of any term is subject to referral by the department head or college dean to the Faculty Council Committee on Scholastic Standards of CSU for consideration of academic dismissal from the College of Business


Please see our College of Business BSBA Degree Requirements (PDF) for more details.

Think the bachelor's in business administration is right for you?

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Concentrations

Accounting Icon

Accounting
Computer Information Systems Icon

Computer Information Systems
Finance Icon

Finance
Financial Planning Icon

Financial Planning
Human Resource Management Icon

Human Resource Management
International Business Icon

International Business
Marketing Icon

Marketing
Organization and Innovation Management Icon

Organization and Innovation Management
Real Estate Icon

Real Estate
Supply Chain Management Icon

Supply Chain Management

Curious About These Fields? Learn What You Can Do

Our entering students are self-starters, inquisitive, eager to learn, and ready to make a difference. They also have one of the highest average high school GPAs on campus.

Criteria for acceptance into the College of Business go beyond those for basic admission to the university. Your student type – new freshman, internal transfer, external transfer, or second bachelor/post-bachelor – will determine the process you'll follow to apply.

New Freshmen

You are considered a freshman if you’ve never attended college or if your college credits were earned prior to high school graduation.

Admission Criteria

Business Administration is considered a competitive major so there are additional requirements students need to meet to be directly admitted into the College of Business. Students need to have a minimum 3.2 GPA with no Ds/Fs in 10th – 12th grade.

If you do not meet these requirements, don’t lose hope, you can be admitted to CSU as Exploratory Studies with a Business Interest. You will then need to meet the requirements listed under Internal Transfers as a current student at CSU and then you will be able to change your major to Business Administration. We know that students who enter the College of Business before they complete 45 college credits can still graduate within four years. 

CSU is officially test optional, which means that CSU does not require ACT or SAT test scores. All applicants have the same access to admission and scholarship review whether or not they submit scores. 

How to Apply

You will apply to Colorado State University and the College of Business simultaneously using the application provided by CSU Undergraduate Admissions. For more information about when to apply, how to apply, and what to expect, visit the CSU Undergraduate Admissions website. 

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Internal Transfers

You are considered an internal transfer student if you already are a student at CSU and would like to transfer to the College of Business, or if you are an Undeclared-Business Interest student. (If you apply to the College of Business and are not admitted directly, you'll be offered admission as an Undeclared-Business Interest.)

Admission Criteria

  • Grade of B- or higher in ECON 202, Principles of Microeconomics or AREC 202, Agricultural and Resource Economics
  • Three credits from the following list with grades of C- or higher in each course completed:  MATH117, MATH118, MATH124, MATH125, MATH126, MATH141 or a higher-level calculus course2 
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a minimum of 15 graded credits at CSU3

How to Change Majors

If you meet the entrance requirements or believe you will at the conclusion of this semester, you are invited to attend Change of Major (COM) Event. COM is the only way you can declare the business major (after census) and is hosted at the end of each academic term (fall/spring/summer). Spring 2023 COM event will be a LIVE virtual event held on Friday, May 19, beginning at 8:30am Mountain Time. The event will begin with a LIVE presentation followed by short individual academic sessions with advising staff. Please contact us starting on Monday, May 15 for a link to access the virtual event. The deadline to contact us to sign up for the event is Thursday, May 18 at 12pm.

To better prepare for Change of Major we recommend you:

  • Register for nonbusiness courses prior to attending Change of Major*.
  • Know your CSU ID number and which concentration you will declare (you must declare a concentration for your major to be changed).
  • Have digital copies of any transcripts from transfer courses you've taken that have not yet been processed by CSU.
  • Have access to your university email account.
  • Log into the LIVE virtual event on-time. Students not logged in to the event by 8:30am Mountain Time will not be able to change their major until after the Change of Major Event.

*NOTE: There are no guarantees you will get into business courses by attending COM; you are highly encouraged to attend this event already registered for a full semester’s course load.

Academic Advising is not conducted during this event. Instead, the event is to officially change your major, find out who your new Academic Advisor will be, see where you are with curriculum completion, and register for open business courses for the approaching semester. You will schedule a full advising appointment with your new Advisor at the beginning of the approaching semester.

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External Transfers 

You are considered an external transfer student if you’ve attended a regionally accredited college after high school graduation.

Admission Criteria

  • Grade of B- or higher in equivalent course ECON 202, Principles of Microeconomics or AREC 202, Agricultural and Resource Economics
  • Three equivalent course credits from the following list with grades of C- or higher in each course completed:  MATH117, MATH118, MATH124, MATH125, MATH126, MATH141 or a higher-level calculus course2​
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a minimum of 15 graded, college-level credits

How to Apply

You will apply to Colorado State University and the College of Business simultaneously using the application provided by CSU Undergraduate Admissions. For more information about when to apply, how to apply, and what to expect, visit the CSU Undergraduate Admissions website.

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Second Bachelor's/Post-Bachelor 

You are considered a second bachelor’s/post-bachelor applicant if you’ve completed an undergraduate degree and wish to complete a second degree or additional undergraduate course work for career enhancement or graduate/professional school preparation.4

Admission criteria

  • Grade of B- or higher in ECON 202, Principles of Microeconomics or AREC 202, Agricultural and Resource Economics
  • Three equivalent course credits from the following list with grades of C- or higher in each course completed:  MATH117, MATH118, MATH124, MATH125, MATH126, MATH141 or a higher-level calculus course2
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a minimum of 15 graded, college-level credits5

How to Apply

You will apply to Colorado State University and the College of Business simultaneously using the application provided by CSU Undergraduate Admissions. For more information about when to apply, how to apply, and what to expect, visit the CSU Undergraduate Admissions website.

1. International freshmen must be in the top 5-10 percent of the applicant pool if your credentials cannot be converted to a 4.0 scale. 

2. Sufficient AP scores, IB scores or equivalent dual enrollment credit may be accepted.

3. If you do not meet admission requirements because of extenuating circumstances, you are eligible to submit an Appeal for Admission. Download and submit the Appeal for Admission (PDF) and all supporting documentation using your university email account (@rams.colostate.edu or @colostate.edu) to undergradinfo@business.colostate.edu. Appeals for admission are due by 12:00 p.m. MT Friday of Finals week for fall, spring, and summer terms (finals of the 12-week summer session).

4. Applicants with an undergraduate degree in business administration (any concentration) are not eligible for a second degree in Business Administration, even if the concentration is different. We encourage applicants with an undergraduate degree in business to contact us to discuss your options, which include pursuing graduate study.

5.  Candidates who earned a bachelor's degree from CSU-Fort Collins and do not have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher still may be admitted to the College of Business using the Re-Start Admission Policy (PDF).

Questions?

Connect with our undergraduate recruitment coordinator and learn more about the College of Business.

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