Admission to Upper Level

150-Hour Accountancy Program Admission
The accountancy admission application will be available February through March. Visit the School of Accountancy web site for additional information about the 150-hour program.

Admission to Upper Level Business
Students are admitted to upper-level degree programs in the College of Business twice per year - at the beginning of the Fall and Winter terms. Admission is competitive based on overall cumulative grade point average and available space in the emphasis area requested.

Competitive Enrollment
Admission into the upper-level Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) degree program is highly competitive, as enrollment is limited. Each of the individual emphasis areas (e.g., Economics, Finance and Banking, Management, or Marketing) has its own capacity limitation.

Process
Students apply for admission to their emphasis area (the Upper Level) at the beginning of the semester. Each semester, a deadline for application is set and advertised. For the fall admissions process, applications are usually due in early to mid-September. For the winter admissions process, applications are usually due in early to mid-February.  Decisions will be made based on the GPA at the time of application.  Students will receive notification via university e-mail about one to two weeks later indicating whether they have been admitted to the upper level, and to what emphasis area.  The admission status will go into effect the following term.  For students wishing to add Economics or Real Estate as a dual emphasis, that process needs to be completed after admission to the upper level (Real Estate is only an option for Finance and Banking students).  See your advisor for more information. 

Requirements to Apply
To apply to the upper-division BSBA degree program, a student must have completed a minimum of 45 semester hours of college-level credit. However, you must apply by the semester after you earn 60 credits. The following courses must be among the credits completed, or in process, at the time of application:

• Accountancy 2036 (or 2136H) Accounting I (3)
• Accountancy 2037 (or 2137H) Accounting II (3)
• Economics 1014 (or 1024) Microeconomics (3)
• Economics 1015 Macroeconomics (3)
• English 1000 Exposition and Argumentation (3)
• Math 1100 College Algebra (3) with a grade of C- or higher
• Math 1300 Finite Mathematics (3) with a grade of C- or higher
• Math 1320 Elements of Calculus (3)
• Statistics 2500 Introduction to Probability and Statistics I (3) with a grade of C- or higher
• Management 1010 Contemporary Business Practices (1)

Students need a 2.600 overall GPA at the time of application to be eligible for the application process. It is important for students to remember that the higher their overall GPA, the more options they have at application time. All grade repeats, course substitions, summer course work, independent study courses, etc. need to be completed and recorded by the time of application. Applications will be processed after the application due date.  If a student was in progress of remaining upper level admission course requirements at the time of application, advisors will check on the successful completion of the courses at the end of the semester.  International students must have a score of 550 (paper based; 213 computer based) on the TOEFL.

What determines if I get in?
Students will be competitively admitted to the upper-division BSBA degree program based on overall cumulative grade point average (including all graded hours attempted at all colleges and universities attended).  Beginning with students admitted in the Fall 2004 Catalog Year, the student's Cumulative Grade of Record, which is the cumulative University of Missouri System GPA will be used. Students request an emphasis area (e.g., Economics, Finance and Banking, etc.) when they apply to the upper-division BSBA degree program. If the requested emphasis area is at capacity, students who qualify for admission to the upper-division BSBA degree program will be placed in their 2nd or 3rd preference of emphasis. Students who have completed 60 or more semester hours without gaining admission to the upper-division BSBA degree program will not be eligible to re-enroll in the College of Business and will have to transfer majors.

Example
You apply in September for admission to the Finance program which will go into effect  the following winter semester. In September, all students who completed the requirements to apply are placed in GPA order. If there are 68 students graduating from Finance in December, then there are 68 seats to fill, which means the students with the top 68 GPAs get admitted to Finance. This is why the bottom cutoffs vary between emphasis areas and from year to year.                                                                                                           

Denial of Admission
In the event that a student is not admitted to the upper level and they have completed 60 or more credit hours, they will be required to transfer out of the College of Business into another major at MU.  Students will be notified of their admission decision at least two weeks before the University-wide Transfer of Division deadline.  An academic hold will be placed on a student's registration until they officially transfer divisions at which time the new division will release the academic hold. 

Special Extension                                                                                                                       Sometimes extenuating circumstances exist that prevent a student from being ready to apply to the upper level even if one has reached the required credit amount.  Some of these extenuating circumstances include, but are not limited to:

• A student in good standing who transferred into the College of Business and needs more time to complete requirements. 
• A student who was not able to get into required courses because they were closed.
• A student who has a special medical condition or learning disability that has prevented the student from completing requirements on time.
• Emergency situation. 

Special extensions will NOT be granted for GPA issues.  If a student feels they have an extenuating circumstance and needs an extension, please see your advisor.  Special extensions are evaluated on an individual basis.  Extensions are granted for one semester only. 

If you are confused about your status and eligibility for admission into the upper level, please make an appointment to see your advisor.  Call 882-7073.