2026-2027 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog [In Progress]
Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Economics
Website: https://www.gvsu.edu/economics/
Accreditation: All B.B.A. programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
Requirements for the B.B.A.
Core Courses (51-52 credits)
All business core courses acquaint you with various fields in business and help you learn to communicate, interact, and assume responsible positions in your chosen field.
For the B.B.A., you must complete the following courses.
Non-Business Required Courses (6 credits):
- CIS 231 - Problem Solving Using Spreadsheets (3 credits)
- STA 225 - Introductory Business Statistics (3 credits)
Quantitative group - choose one (3-4 credits):
- PHI 103 - Logic (3 credits)
- MTH 122 - College Algebra (3 credits)
- MTH 125 - Survey of Calculus (3 credits)
- MTH 201 - Calculus I (4 credits)
- MGT 361 - Management Science (3 credits)
Required Business Courses (36 credits):
- ACC 212 - Principles of Financial Accounting (3 credits)
- ACC 213 - Principles of Managerial Accounting (3 credits)
- BUS 201 - Legal Environment for Business (3 credits)
- ECO 202 - Introductory Macroeconomics (3 credits)
- ECO 201 - Introductory Microeconomics (3 credits)
- FIN 320 - Managerial Finance (3 credits)
- MGT 268 - Business Processes and Management Information Systems (3 credits)
- MGT 331 - Managing People and Organizations (3 credits)
- MGT 336 - Compensation and Benefits Management (3 credits)
- MGT 495 - Administrative Policy (3 credits)
- MKT 350 - Marketing Management (3 credits)
Upper-Division Economics group - choose one (3 credits):
- ECO 343 - Health Economics (3 credits)
- ECO 349 - Emerging Markets Issues (3 credits)
- ECO 355 - Markets, Strategy, and Government Policy (3 credits)
- ECO 365 - Comparative Economic Systems (3 credits)
- ECO 369 - International Economic Issues (3 credits)
Students are required to select one class from the Ethics group. Only one course can count toward their major or minor from the following list.
Ethics group - choose one (3 credits):
- ACC 333 - Corporate Governance and Accounting Ethics (3 credits)
- ECO 440 - Public Economics and Ethics (3 credits)
- FIN 330 - Ethics in Finance (3 credits)
- MGT 340 - Ethics and Business, Social Justice, and Sustainability (3 credits)
- MGT 438 - Business Ethics (3 credits)
- MKT 375 - Marketing Ethics (3 credits)
Required Business Electives
Three upper-division business courses are not applied to the major or minor (nine credits total). However, these courses can be applied toward a second business major if one is declared. Students may apply up to six hours of internship and independent research credit, in any combination, toward their degree requirements. Business majors may not take any of the major courses on a credit/no-credit basis, except the internship and study abroad courses,
Requirements for a Major in Business Economics
Because economics is a department in the Seidman College of Business, students pursuing a B.B.A. in economics must achieve a 2.5 or higher cumulative GPA, have completed 55 semester hours, and achieved a 2.5 or higher combined GPA in ACC 212, BUS 201, ECO 202, ECO 201, MGT 268, and STA 225 to be admitted to the business economics program. To graduate, upper-division economics majors must achieve a 2.5 minimum cumulative GPA and a 2.5 minimum GPA in all economics courses. A student whose cumulative GPA falls below 2.5 will not be permitted to take additional 300- and 400-level economics or business courses. However, such students may repeat 300- and 400-level economics and business courses for which they received a low grade. Students may repeat up to three different economics and business courses in their undergraduate career, but no single economics or business course can be repeated more than once. Exceptions are made only with the approval of the associate dean of the Seidman College of Business. Business economics majors are eligible to participate in the business internship program.
Students who plan to enter a graduate program in economics or a related field are highly encouraged to take the following courses: MTH 201, MTH 202, MTH 203, and MTH 204. These students should also consider a mathematics or statistics minor and consult with their advisors at an early date to explore alternatives and plan their coursework.
General Business Economics Emphasis
General business economics emphasis students will focus on applications in business and public policy issues. General business economics supports careers in fields such as banking, business analysis, insurance services, and marketing research. This emphasis is also a solid foundation for graduate programs.
Required Courses
The upper-division economics course selected as part of the core requirements cannot count as an economics major course.
- ECO 300 - Data Analytics for Economics and Business (3 credits)
- ECO 301 - Applied Microeconomics (3 credits)
- ECO 302 - Business Cycles and Growth (3 credits)
- ECO 495 - Senior Economic Project (Capstone) (3 credits)
- ECO elective at the 300- or 400-level (3 credits)
- ECO elective at the 300- or 400-level (3 credits)
Electives
Students may elect nonbusiness or business courses to fulfill their elective course requirements. Students may apply up to six hours of internship and independent research credit, in any combination, toward their degree requirements. Business majors may not take any of the major courses, except the internship and study abroad courses, on a credit/no-credit basis.
Real Estate Emphasis
This emphasis supports careers such as real estate agent, commercial and residential appraiser, mortgage broker, commercial lender, urban planner, title examiner, location specialist, REIT manager, and regional developer. In addition to the required courses listed as follows, it is highly recommended that students take ECO 490 - Economics Internship in real estate work and ECO 385/GPY 385. Students who obtain the economics B.B.A. with a real estate emphasis must take the following courses.
Required Courses
The upper-division economics course selected as part of the core requirements cannot count as an economics major course.
- STA 225 - Introductory Business Statistics (3 credits)
- ECO 300 - Data Analytics for Economics and Business (3 credits)
- ECO 301 - Applied Microeconomics (3 credits)
- ECO 302 - Business Cycles and Growth (3 credits)
- ECO 336 - Urban and Real Estate Economics (3 credits)
- ECO 495 - Senior Economic Project (Capstone) (3 credits)
- FIN 350 - Real Estate Principles (3 credits)
Seidman College of Business
Suggested Order of Coursework for Business Economics
Year 1:
Fall
- Life Science with Lab (GE) (4 credits)
- BUS 101 - Introduction to Business (3 credits) (4 credits)
- Foundation - Writing (GE) or WRT 120 (Fall) and WRT 130 (Winter)
- MTH 108 and MTH 109, or MTH 110, or fulfillment of MTH 110 through Math Placement.
Winter
- Global Perspectives (GE) (3 credits)
- Social & Behavioral Science, Non-ECO (GE) (3 credits)
- Philosophy & Literature (GE) (3 credits)
- Physical Science without Lab (GE) (3 credits)
- ECO 201 - Introductory Microeconomics (3 credits)
Year 2:
Fall
- STA 225 - Introductory Business Statistics (3 credits)
- ACC 212 - Principles of Financial Accounting (3 credits)
- BUS 201 - Legal Environment for Business (3 credits)
- CIS 231 - Problem Solving Using Spreadsheets (3 credits)
- ECO 202 - Introductory Macroeconomics (3 credits)
Winter
- ACC 213 - Principles of Managerial Accounting (3 credits)
- Arts (GE) (3 credits)
- MGT 268 - Business Processes and Management Information Systems (3 credits)
- Historical Analysis (GE) (3 credits)
- Quantitative Group (MTH 122, MTH 125, MTH 201, MGT 361, or PHI 103) (3-4 credits)
Year 3:
Fall
- ECO 301 - Applied Microeconomics (3 credits)
- MKT 350 - Marketing Management (3 credits)
- MGT 331 - Managing People and Organizations (3 credits)
- MGT 366 - Operations Management (3 credits)
- US Diversity (GE) (3 credits)
Winter
- ECO 300 - Data Analytics for Economics and Business (3 credits)
- ECO 301 - Applied Microeconomics (3 credits)
- ECO 440 - Public Economics and Ethics (3 credits)
- FIN 320 - Managerial Finance (3 credits)
- Upper-Division Seidman Elective (3 credits)
Year 4:
Fall
- Issues (GE) (3 credits)
- ECO 495 - Senior Economic Project (Capstone) (3 credits)
- ECO General Emphasis Elective (3 credits)
- Upper-Division Economics Course (3 credits)
- Upper-Division Seidman Elective (3 credits)
Winter
- MGT 495 - Administrative Policy (3 credits)
- Upper-Division Seidman Elective (3 credits)
- Upper-Division Seidman Elective (3 credits)
- ECO General Emphasis Elective (3 credits)
- Issues (GE) (3 credits)