The B.S.B.A. in Business Administration
Business administration gives students the most range of any major in the Phillips School of Business. Graduates work on cross-functional teams and step into new roles as a company’s needs change, and the major is a strong starting point for students who want to run their own business.
The degree totals 128 credits, with 74 in the major. Students choose 12 elective credits from any Phillips School of Business offering, with at least eight at the 3000 level or above, or complete a business minor instead.
Faculty include Brad Venable, chair of the Department of Management, Dave Tofanelli, associate dean and professor of the practice of management, David Kame and Ken Crews, professors of the practice of management, Jason Williams, professor of the practice of supply chain management, and David Bergen, Z. Smith Reynolds Professor of Leadership.
At least half of the credits in any School of Business major are completed at HPU.
Degree Requirements
Alongside the management courses, majors complete the business core:
- ACC 2010 Financial Accounting
- ACC 2020 Managerial Accounting
- BUA 1050 Practical Excel for Business
- BUA 2990 Business Communications and Professional Development
- BUA 3050 Business Law
- ECO 2030 Principles of Macroeconomics
- ECO 2050 Principles of Microeconomics
- MTH 1310 Applied Mathematical Concepts for Business, or MTH 1410
- STS 2610 Business Statistics and Analysis, or STS 2910
Core courses shared with every business major include career-readiness assignments, and one class each semester belongs to the Life Skills and Leadership Series.
Key Business Administration Courses
- MGT 3220: Leadership, major theories of leadership and followership, examined through research, practice and self-assessment.
- MGT 4990: Strategic Management, the capstone on competitive strategy in domestic and international settings, drawing on every business discipline.
- MGT 2220: Principles of Management and Organizational Behavior, how managers plan, organize and lead, and how people behave inside organizations.
- MGT 3280: Operations and Supply Chain Management, how firms design and run the operations and supply chains behind their products and services.
- FIN 3010: Financial Management, financing the corporation, financial statement analysis and cash-flow valuation.
- MKT 2110: Principles of Marketing and Personal Selling, marketing fundamentals paired with professional selling.
The Global Course
Every major takes one global course:
- BUA 3100 Global Business
- BUA 3110 Global Luxury Management
- ECO 3460 International Economics
- ECO 4430 Comparative Economics
- MKT 3750 International Marketing
- MKT 3850 Marketing in Spain
Global Business, Global Luxury Management and Marketing in Spain are study abroad courses.
Business Electives
Twelve credits of School of Business electives let students build depth. A student aiming at new product development might choose operations management, market research and entrepreneurship, while another might complete a minor in sales, finance or supply chain management.
Global Supply Chain in Vietnam
Dr. Venable and Dr. Williams led a dozen students to Vietnam to study Ashley Furniture’s supply chain. Students prepared a case study Ashley developed, toured the Cai Mep deep-water seaport near Ho Chi Minh City and presented recommendations to executives at Ashley’s manufacturing facility in Quang Ngai.
“I’ve studied vertical integration extensively in my supply chain management coursework, but seeing Ashley’s operation firsthand made the concept click in a completely different way,” said Donovan Schall, a business administration and management major.
Working The Masters at Augusta National
HPU is among a select group of schools whose students work The Masters Tournament, one of the PGA’s ultimate externship opportunities. Fifty students helped run the event, building professional skills and meeting business professionals.
Business administration major Patrick Parker was among the business students who worked the tournament.
The Life Skills and Leadership Series
One class each semester carries embedded experiential learning. Business practitioners visit class, students present and work in teams, and real-time case studies take students to company sites to observe and analyze.
Reily Granahan, a business administration major, joined Furnitureland South in Jamestown as a research assistant intern. She said, “He was incredibly helpful by helping me find internship opportunities through his network, and he was always willing to answer questions that helped me enforce my professionalism.”
Minors and the 4+1 MBA
Business administration majors can use their 12 elective credits for a business minor such as sales, marketing, finance or supply chain management, and many add a minor outside business.
Students can continue into the HPU MBA through the 4+1 path.
Students can earn the Truist Leadership Institute Certification, visit supply chain operations on site and work in showrooms during the High Point Market.
How Business Courses Prepared Graduates
Graduates name the classes and professors behind their first roles.
Lily Boutin
Business Administration major, Marketing and Sales minors · Sales and Business Development Intern, Charles Jacquin et Cie
“My most impactful mentor was Lillian Watson, director of the Business Communications Program. In her Business Communications class, the most insightful course I’ve taken at HPU, she went out of her way to personally review and refine my resume, while giving me actionable advice on following up with recruiters. Through her constant encouragement and focus on presentation skills, she truly built up my confidence and gave me practical tools that directly shaped my career success.”
Ryan Harper
Business Administration major · Master of Accounting, UNC Chapel Hill
“My most impactful mentor is David Kame, adjunct instructor of management in the Phillips School of Business. He took me under his wing and continues to provide me with great mentorship insights into business and life. All the great professors at HPU made me realize how far I could go in life and have brought out my best work.”
Patrick Parker
Business Administration major, Sales and Finance minors · Insurance and Financial Services Representative, State Farm
“My most impactful mentor at HPU was Dr. Bridget Holcombe, Professor of the Practice of Marketing, because of the intentional investment she made in my life outside of the classroom. She consistently took time to meet, offer guidance and genuinely care about my growth both academically and personally. Her willingness to go beyond her role as a professor and pour into students made a lasting impact on me. It helped shape the way I approach relationships, leadership and my future career.”
Business Administration in the News
Olivia Zito
Olivia Zito Begins Leadership Career with Wegmans
Olivia has accepted a full-time position with Wegmans at its corporate office in Rochester, New York, where she will complete the Wegmans Team Leader Trainee Program.
Katy Schuster
Katy Schuster Excels in Marketing Internship at Pentair
Katy Schuster, served as a Marketing Intern at Pentair in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Lacy Messick
Lacy Messick Starts Career with TQL
Lacy is beginning her career as a Logistics Account Executive (LAE) with Total Quality Logistics (TQL) in High Point, North Carolina.
Wyatt Warner
TQL Chooses Wyatt Warner as Logistics Account Executive
Wyatt will begin his career as a Logistics Account Executive for Total Quality Logistics (TQL) in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Mitch Labbe
Mitch Labbe Jumpstarts Career As A Consultant
Labbe will be starting his career at UNUM, as a Small Business Consultant in Columbia, Maryland.
Emily Lawler
Emily Lawler Gains Experience In Marketing
Emily interned at Zimmer Biomet as their Marketing Communications Intern in Warsaw, Indiana.
Explore Business Administration at High Point University
See how HPU business administration ranks and where its graduates go next.
Accreditation & Awards Careers & Student Organizations
Questions about the program? Email Dr. Brad Venable, chair of the Department of Management, at [email protected].