Carson College of Business

 The Carson College of Business (CCB) prepares students for innovative and impactful careers in business by effectively applying core business competencies, encouraging ethical and professional behavior, employing a global perspective, enhancing abilities to make data-driven decisions, leading teams, and communicating persuasively. The Carson College of Business reaches students across the state of Washington (and beyond) by offering its programs at the Everett, Global, Pullman, Tri-Cities, and Vancouver campuses.

The Carson College of Business is among two percent of business schools worldwide to achieve accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the world’s premier business education accrediting body, at the baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral levels. The Carson College of Business's undergraduate and graduate business programs are consistently ranked  among the top business programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report. For current rankings of Carson College programs, visit our website:

 https://business.wsu.edu/about-carson/rankings-facts/.

Faculty across disciplines produce scholarly and applied research at the main campus in Pullman as well as campuses in Everett, Vancouver, and the Tri-Cities. In addition to these campus and a thriving Global campus, international activities include partnerships and/or programs in Chile, China, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, and Thailand. For more information and news about the college, its students, and programs, visit business.wsu.edu.

Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration

The Carson College of Business offers six of eight majors under this degree at WSU Vancouver: Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Management, Management Information Systems, and Marketing. 

Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Business Management 

The Carson College of Business offers one of two majors under this degree at WSU Vancouver:  Hospitality Business Management. 

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and the Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Business Management, graduates will have the knowledge to be able to:

• Act ethically and professionally.
• Make theory-based and data-driven decisions.
• Identify, assess, and initiate opportunities to create value.
• Gain a global business perspective and be sensitive to and respectful of cultural differences.
• Communicate clearly and persuasively, both orally and in writing.
• Lead a team and act as an effective team member

Admission to the Major and Minor

Given high demand for business courses and strict accreditation requirements, acceptance into the Business Administration (BA) and Hospitality Business Management (HBM) degree majors is competitive and course enrollments are limited. A student must meet the following minimum requirements to be eligible to apply for certification into a CCB major:

1. Complete the following courses with a grade of C or higher:
   1. B A 100 Introduction to Business
   2. HBM 101 Professional Development
   3. B A 102 Exploring Careers in Business
   4. MATH 201 Mathematics for Business & Economics (MATH 202 or ALEKS score of 80% or higher is an acceptable substitute. MATH 106 will be accepted as an alternative to MATH 201 for transfer students.)
   5. ECONS 101 Microeconomics, OR ECONS 102 Macroeconomics
2. Complete the Carson Career Amplifier Program Year 1
3. Have a WSU cumulative GPA of at least 2.50 and not be on academic probation
4. Complete at least 27 credit hours

Students will be placed in rank order based on GPA and other performance criteria. The top students then are admitted to the major based on the number of spots available that semester.

To be eligible for admission to a CCB minor, a student must meet the following minimum requirements:

1. Be admitted to a major
2. Have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.50 and not be on academic probation

Students will be placed in rank order based on cumulative GPA and other performance criteria. The top students then are admitted based on the number of spots available that semester.

Students must apply to be admitted to the major/minor during the term they anticipate completing the above requirements.  On the Pullman campus, early application during the first half of the semester is encouraged to avoid delays in course enrollment.  

https://business.wsu.edu/undergraduate/certify/majors-requirements

In order to remain a major in the Carson College of Business, students must maintain a minimum of 2.50 business GPA. Students who do not meet this requirements are subject to Academic Rule 53.  

Carson College Core Business Requirements

The following Core Business classes are designed to provide business majors with a solid foundation in business, strengthen their professional skills, and meet the learning outcomes listed above.

• B A 100 Intro to Business
• HBM 101 Professional Development
• B A 102 Exploring Careers in Business
• B A 201 Ethics, B A 202  Teams, B A 203  Innovation; or B A 211 Ethics, Teams, Innovation
• B A 204  Decision Analysis, B A 205  Spreadsheets, B A 206 Data Visualization; or B A 212 Decision Analysis, Spreadsheets, Data Visualization
• ACCTG 230 Intro to Financial Accounting
• ACCTG 231 Intro to Managerial Accounting
• B LAW 210 Law & the Legal Environment of Business
• MGTOP 215 Business Statistics
• MIS 250 Managing Information Technology
• I BUS 380 International Business
• MGTOP 340 Operations Management; or HBM 494 Service Operations Management (HBM/WBBM majors only)
• FIN 325 Intro to Financial Management
• MKTG 360 Marketing

International Experience Requirement (IER)

Learning Outcomes

Upon completing the IER, students should be able to:

• Appreciate differences in the external environmental factors that affect global business
• Identify the specific elements of the cultural environment that affect global business decisions
• Evaluate the implications of the external environmental factors on global business decisions
• Incorporate global economic, political and cultural factors when making global business recommendations

Students can satisfy the IER requirements by completing one of the following:

1. Study abroad for 6 or more credit hours. Two smaller study abroad programs may be cumulated to meet the entire 6 credit-hour requirement. International students in the Carson College of Business (not including WSU Global students) will meet their study abroad requirement through their study in the United States.
2. Complete a major or minor in a foreign language.
3. Students that demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language (e.g., STAMP test) will be deemed to have met the Carson College of Business International Experience Requirement. [Honors College students that meet their demonstrated proficiency in a foreign language will also be deemed to have met the Carson College of Business IER.]
4. Complete a minimum of one year of international experience in any of the following areas: military service, Peace Corps, Volunteer work with an organization, missionary work, or other.  Documentation must be submitted to the student's academic advisor for approval.
5. Complete two of the following:
   1. The Global Leadership Certificate or other certificate with a major international component (e.g. The East Asia Program) as approved by the administrative head of the International Business Institute or Department of Marketing and International Business.
   2. A brief study abroad program of at least 3 credit hours.
   3. An “international non-business course”. Approved courses include: AMDT 413; ANTH 301, 306, 307, 309, 312, 316, 317, 320, 330, 350, 370, 405, 417, 418, 450, 469; ARCH 428; ASIA 302, 315, 373, 374, 477, 479; BIOLOGY 401; CES 301, 325, 372, 377, 379, 380, 401, 405, 421, 426, 470; COMSOC 321; CRM J 405; CROP SCI 360; ECONS 427, 428, 430, 433, 453; ENGLISH 373, 410, 457; FINE ART 331; FOR LANG 410; H D 350, 403; HISTORY 331, 373, 374, 436, 464, 466, 473, 477, 479, 491, 492, 494, 495; HUMANITY 350; PHIL 314, 315; POL S 314, 424, 427, 435; RUSSIAN 410; SOC 331, 332, 375, 415; SOE 300, 312, 390, 412; SOIL SCI 360; TCH LRN 480, 487; WOMEN ST 316, 332, 340, 406.
   4. An approved 300-400-level “international business or economics course”. Approved courses include: ACCTG 420; ECONS 327; FIN 481; I BUS 415, 416, 435, 453, 470, 482, 496; MIS 441.
   5. At least 3 credits in a foreign language. Approved courses include: CHINESE 101, 102, 203; FRENCH 101, 102, 203; GERMAN 101, 102, 203; ITALIAN 101, 102; JAPANESE 101, 102, 203; LATIN 101, 102; RUSSIAN 101, 102, 203; SPANISH 101, 102, 203. Sign Language is not an approved foreign language to satisfy this requirement.  Students who wish to request alternative foreign language courses to be used to satisfy this requirement must work through their academic advisor to prepare a formal request for approval to the International Business Institute. 
   6. An international internship approved by the Department of Marketing and International Business (maximum of 3 credit hours).
   7. An accepted petition to the Department of Marketing and International Business to allow the use of extensive international travel experiences at the collegiate or corporate level for up to 3 credit hours towards the International Experience Requirement. Although petitions must be approved prior to the international travel, exceptional cases can be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Normally such an experience will be at least three months in duration.
   8. A University course research project with an international business research focus that is a significant part of the course learning component, and that constitutes 40% or more of the class. The petition for allowing a project work to count towards the International Experience Requirement should be signed off by the course instructor, and the final approval will be made by the Department of Marketing and International Business for Pullman based students, and an IBUS Fellow or Area Director for urban campus students. *
   9. Participate as finalists in an international or global case competition (e.g., Global Case Competition conducted by WSU International Programs). The determination of whether a case competition can be counted towards the International Experience Requirement will be made through a petition to the Department of Marketing and International Business. Although only final round participants can be considered, exceptional cases that did not make it to the final round can also be considered on a case-by-case basis by the International Business Institute or Department of Marketing and International Business, which will make the final approval.

* Students also need to obtain pre-approval from course instructor prior to start of project work on the petition form that is available with advisors at the respective campus locations.

Carson Career Amplifier Program

The Carson Career Amplifier Program (CCAP) engages students in co-curricular activities and programs that provide students with the opportunity to develop professional skills and experiences that employers are seeking. In addition to required coursework, earning a degree in the Carson College of Business requires students to complete several categories of co-curricular requirements each year. Categories are based on a subset of the National Association of College and Employers (NACE) Career Readiness Competencies and include:

• Communication
• Leadership
• Professionalism
• Career Management

The CCAP program helps students to develop the professional skills needed to become business leaders of tomorrow. With a focus on professionalism, networking, and engagement, students will select from a menu of online and in-person activities that satisfy each requirement.  Each year, CCAP requirements become progressively more involved; from learning about student success strategies in the freshman year, to participating in an internship or study abroad as a junior or senior.  Details about requirements for satisfying annual milestones can be found on the Carson College website.

Students can expect to spend a minimum of 7-10 co-curricular hours each year, depending on how students choose to satisfy each requirement.  However, as students become involved in leadership activities and high impact learning experiences, the amount of co-curricular hours will increase. For example, over the course of one academic year, a student attending weekly club meetings could spend about 26 hours in club meetings, a summer internship could total 300-400 hours, and a 6-week faculty led study abroad program averages about 250 hours.

Examples of activities that could be used to satisfy competencies:

Communication: • Networking events • Professional development seminars on resume/cover letter development and interview preparation • Mock interviews • Jobs or volunteer work that involve public speaking;

Leadership: • Increasing commitment/involvement in clubs and organizations resulting in the opportunity to take on leadership roles. Includes business clubs, student government, current work, Greek & Residence Hall leadership, community organizations, roles such as Resident Assistant (RA) and Research Assistant. • Structured leadership programs/trainings • Increasing leadership responsibilities within current employment;

Professionalism: • Activities that increase student understanding of professional standards expected in higher education (in and outside the classroom) • Activities that increase student understanding of professional standards expected by employers (internships, relevant work experiences, business consulting projects) • Opportunities that allow students to strengthen and demonstrate their professionalism and work ethic;

Career Management:  • Assessing oneself (strengths/weaknesses, interests/dislikes, abilities, values) • Learning about majors, internships, careers/employers, professional development opportunities in order to make informed decisions • Setting major/career goals based on analyzing oneself and career opportunities • Identifying areas within one’s skillset that need to be developed/strengthened • Pursuing activities that strengthen areas needing growth & development.

Options used to satisfy competency will be based on the availability of events/activities at each campus and Global Campus students will have the ability to satisfy requirements through events/activities in their surrounding community and current employment site. If an activity/event is not on the list, students, advisors, and faculty will have the ability to propose additional events/activities that align with the goals for a competency. Each year (based on credit hours) will be tracked as milestones in the myWSU system. Completion of the first year of the CCAP is required for admission into the College. Subsequent years will be tracked annually.  Completion of the CCAP for all 4 years is required for graduation.

Graduation Requirements

In addition to fulfilling the University requirements for graduation listed in the Summary of Academic Policies section of the WSU Catalog, to graduate with a CCB degree, students must also meet the Carson College of Business requirements listed below, and the major requirements (described in the departmental section of this catalog). 

Carson College of Business Requirements:

• Completion of admission to the major requirements listed above.
• Completion of requirements listed in the Schedule of Studies.
• Completion of the International Experience Requirement (listed above).
• Completion of the Carson Career Amplifier Program (requirements for each of the 4 years) (see above).
• Completion of at least two ‘Writing in the Major’ [M] courses for each major.
• A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50 in all CCB courses (counting only WSU business courses taught by CCB including HBM courses). Economic Sciences courses or other courses outside the college are not included (with the exception of ECONS 327 which is cross-listed with a CCB course).
• At least nine 300-400-level business courses must be WSU courses*.

* A WSU course is a course that does not require evaluation for transfer credit.

Additional Information and Requirements

Enrollment in most 300-400-level business courses is restricted to students who have met these requirements and have been admitted to the BA or HBM degree major. Students admitted to non-business majors may enroll in restricted 300-400-level business courses with permission of the department chair as space is available. 

The chair of the department and/or the senior associate dean of the college must approve in writing any business courses to be satisfied by transfer, correspondence, independent study, or other credit. Additional transfer, correspondence, and independent study credit (within University limits on these credits) may count toward the 120 hours required for the degree and/or satisfy requirements other than major courses.

Only general elective courses that are not University Common Requirements (UCORE), not core/major requirements, and not offered by the CCB may be taken pass, fail.

An honors senior project is required for Honors students.

Double Majors in Business

Students may pursue two business majors (double major) by completing at least 15 additional credits (18 credits for accounting) from courses specifically required by the second major and distinct from those used to satisfy the first major, including two Writing in the Major [M] courses per major.  Courses used to fulfill the primary major cannot be used to fulfill the requirements of the second major.  A double major with Hospitality Business Management and Wine Business Management is not permitted.

Second Bachelor’s Degree

Students who are pursuing a bachelor's degree outside of the College of Business may obtain a second degree of Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration or Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Business Management by completing the following additional requirements:

• Complete the admission to the major requirements listed above and apply to be admitted.
• Complete all college and major requirements, including two Writing in the Major [M] courses per major, and the International Experience Requirements listed above.
• Complete a minimum of 150 credit hours.

Students seeking a second degree with a business major must apply to be admitted to the Carson College  before they can enroll in 300-400-level business courses (see Admission to the Major and Minor requirements above). Students should consult the Carson Center for Student Success for specific degree requirements.

Transfer Students

Students planning to transfer to Washington State University should follow, as closely as possible, the University and College requirements listed above. It should also be noted that courses taken at community colleges are not accepted as transferable equivalents to 300-400-level courses at WSU. Transfer students are strongly advised to use the WSU Transfer Clearinghouse website to see how credits will transfer to WSU and to refer to the Carson Center for Student Success website for additional transfer information specific to Business.

Certificate Programs

Professional Sales.  The objective of the Professional Sales certificate program at WSU Vancouver is to prepare students for marketing careers in professional sales and customer account management.

These careers are available across a myriad of industries and provide graduates with high-paying jobs with diverse duties and excellent long-term career prospects. Starting compensation and benefits are among some of the highest available to any undergraduate degree holders (often in the $40-50K range or higher), with graduates of Professional Sales Programs often in a position to earn $100K+ as few as five years after graduation.

Importantly, long-term career prospects and advancement for those with sales experience are excellent. For example, more than 80% of Fortune 500 CEOs spent a significant portion of their career in frontline sales and customer management.

To be admitted into the program, a student must be admitted to a major or be a non-degree student with at least a cumulative GPA of 2.0 and 60 semester credits. In order to complete the program, students must complete the certificate with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.