Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration 

For decades the bachelor’s in business administration has been offered on our main campus in Muncie, Indiana, through the Miller College of Business. Now, this same highly respected program comes to you—100 percent online. And, the courses are taught by the same faculty who teach in our widely recognized business school. 

And just in time. The outlook is favorable for career opportunities in business. But to find one of these careers, you’ll need a degree that gives you a broad range of marketable business skills.

The Miller College of Business builds its curriculum around five Assurance of Learning Goals, so that you will graduate with the following key competencies:

• Strong business knowledge over a variety of business disciplines, such as finance, accounting, management, operations, etc.
• Effective oral and written communication skills
• Sound ethical awareness in the business environment
• The ability to be a valuable team member
• Effective integration of your business knowledge and skills so that you can effectively solve business problems

Additionally, Ball State offers many minor programs, such as our Residential Property Management minor (RPM), to take your bachelor’s in business administration to the next level. We are one of only a few universities in the nation to offer this academic program.

Many of our RPM students have found promising career opportunities in the thriving residential and apartment management field and have passed the National Apartment Leasing Professional (NALP) designation exam after completing our program.

• U.S. News & World Report consistently places Ball State on its list of universities with the Best Online Bachelor's Programs and the Best Online Bachelor's in Business program ranking of 24th.
• Our Miller College of Business is among less than 5 percent of the world's business schools accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the most rigorous and globally recognized accreditation available for business schools.
• Ball State is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.  
• Faculty in our Center for Actuarial Science and Risk Management, one of few centers of its kind, has performed groundbreaking research for major insurance companies.
• Since 1999, our entrepreneurial management program has been ranked in the top 15 of America’s Best Colleges for Undergraduate Entrepreneurship by U.S. News & World Report.
• Our professional sales program, offered through the Center for Professional Selling, is one of only 16 such programs in the nation.
• Our tuition is competitive and our credentials are excellent. Shop and compare.

Our bachelor's of business administration degree may be perfect for you if you have already completed some college credit, but never finished a degree—or, if you have earned an associate degree. It even works if your original major was something other than business.

Ball State has been offering online courses and programs since the 1990s. Plus, the Miller College of Business was a pioneer in digital distance education by offering MBA classes by TV and satellite in the 1980s, which evolved into the interactive, online programs offered today. We are about empowering you with quality educational choices no matter where you are or what your work and family obligations are. Learn more about online learning at Ball State.

Good News for U.S. Jobs

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook produced by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in business and financial operations occupations is projected to grow by 8 percent through 2030. Some of these positions will make up for jobs lost during the recession, say officials with the U.S. Bureau of Labor. Plus, increased financial regulations and a need to control costs will drive other jobs. 

Our bachelor’s degree completion program in business administration offers a broad range of business skills. That’s good news because, according to the Occupational Handbook, business graduates who can manage a wide range of responsibilities will fare better than those who specialize.

Get the Skill Set You Need

The bachelor’s completion program in business administration will provide you with a core business skill set that you can take into virtually any industry. The skills you cultivate as a manager, leader, critical thinker, decision-maker, and problem solver will work in a range of work settings—from a small entrepreneurial operation to a multinational corporation.

What you learn about business knowledge, ethics, communication skills, teamwork, and the integration of business principles in all facets of our program will support your career advancement. 

Grad School or Job Market?

Of course, you may see the degree entry to a master’s degree in business administration (MBA). Whether you head to grad school or further up your career ladder, the accreditation of Miller College of Business by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), which is the gold standard in business school accreditation, will be immediately recognizable to prospective graduate schools or prospective employers.

Get Career Help Here

Online students can also take advantage of the many services at Ball State’s Career Center.

Whether you need assistance exploring career options, doing a job search, or preparing for grad school, the Career Center is a benefit in your Ball State experience.

Like all of the students within the Miller College of Business, you will take the following 45 credits of business core classes:

• ACC 201 Principles of Accounting 1
• ACC 202 Principles of Accounting 2
• BA 205 Foundations of Business Analytics
• BL 260 Principles of Business Law
• ECON 201 Elementary Microeconomics
• ECON 202 Elementary Macroeconomics
• ECON 221 Business Statistics
• FIN 300 Principles of Finance 1
• ISOM 210 Business Information Systems
• ISOM 249 Fundamentals of Business Communications
• ISOM 351 Operations Management
• MATH 132 Brief Calculus
• MCOB 100 Introduction to Miller College and World of Business*
• MCOB 200 Job Search Skills*
• MCOB 300 Transition to the Profession*
• MGT 300 Managing Behavior in Organizations
• MGT 491 Business Policy and Strategic Management
• MKG 300 Principles of Marketing

Your academic advisor will work with you to put together a customized plan of study to make sure you get through your courses at the pace that fits you best and that will ensure you are picking up any prerequisites in the right order.

You will take the following courses for your major in business administration from the following groups:

Business Administration Finance requirements  (6 credits)

• FIN 445 Financial Statements (3 credits)
• RMI 270 Principles of Risk Management and Insurance (3 credits)

Marketing Group: Choose 6 Credits

• MKG 310 Consumer Behavior (3 credits) 
• MKG 325 Professional Selling (3 credits)
• MKG 420 Integrated Marketing Communications (3 credits)

Information Systems & Operations Management Group: Choose 6 Credits

• ISOM 300 Project Management (3 credits)
• LSCM 355 Quality Management and Lean Six Sigma (3 credits)
• LSCM 452 Inventory, Warehousing and Negotiations (3 credits)
• LSCM 453 Manufacturing Planning and Control (3 credits)
• LSCM 460 Global Logistics and Transportation Management (3 credits)

Management & Human Resources Group: Choose 6 Credits

• BUSA 369 Internship in Business Administration (1 to 3 credits)
• ENT 241 The Entrepreneurial Experience (3 credits)
• MGT 361 Management of Human Resources (3 credits)
• RMI 330 Employee Benefits and Retirement Planning (3 credits)

International Group: Choose 3 Credits

• INTBA 265 Introduction to International Business (3 credits)

Ball State offers a wide variety of elective courses online that will help you fulfill your 120 credit requirements for a bachelor’s degree in business administration. You will need at least 18 to graduate.

Your academic advisor can help you choose the best ones to fine-tune your course plan with your career goals and personal interests. You may also already have general electives from a prior college or university that will transfer to Ball State. Your advisor will help you with that, too.

Tier 1 of the Ball State core curriculum includes the largest number of classes. These foundational courses include subjects you will need to be well-versed for the rest of your college courses and in life.

• ENG 103 Rhetoric and Writing (3 credits)
• ENG 104 Composing Research (3 credits)
• COMM 210 Fundamentals of Public Communication (3 credits)
• MATH 125 Mathematics and Its Applications (3 credits)
• HIST 150 The West in the World (3 credits)
  or HIST 151 World Civilization 1 (3 credits) and HIST 152 World Civilization 2 (3 credits)
• FIN 101 Personal Finance for Fiscal Wellness (1 credit)
  or, FIN 110 Personal Finance (3 credits)
• PFW 160 Individualized Fitness and Wellness (2 credits)

Business Administration Majors

Instead of Math 125, you are required to take the following two math courses:

• MATH 111 Pre-Calculus Algebra (3 credits)
• MATH 132 Brief Calculus (3 credits)

Select one course from each category below.

Fine Arts: Select one course:

• DANC 100 Intro to Dance History (3 credits)
• THEA 100 Intro to Theatre (3 credits)
• AHS 100 Intro to Art (3 credits)
• MUHI 100 Intro to Music (3 credits)
• MUHI 139 Perspectives of Jazz (3 credits)
• MUST 100 Fundamentals of Music Theory (3 credits)

Humanities: Select one course:

• HIST 201 American History,1492-1876 (3 credits)
• HIST 202 American History, 1877-Pres (3 credits)
• JOUR 101 Media and Society (3 credits)
• PHIL 100 Intro to Philosophy (3 credits)
• RELS 160 Intro to Religion in Culture (3 credits) 
• SP 102 Beginning Spanish 2 (4 credits)

Natural Sciences: Select one course:

• ANTH 105 Introduction to Biological Anthropology (3 credits)
• ASTR 100 Introduction Astronomy: A Study of the Solar System and Beyond (3 credits)
• GEOG 101 Earth, Sea, and Sky: A Geographic View (3 credits)
• GEOL 101 Planet Earth’s Geological Environment (3 credits)
• HSC 160 Fundamentals of Human Health (3 credits)
• NREM 101 Environment and Society (3 credits)
• PHYC 110 General Physics 1 (4 credits)

Social Sciences: Select one course:

• ANTH 101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (3 credits)
• CJC 101 Intro to American Criminal Justice System (3 credits)
• CJC 102 Intro to Criminology (3 credits)
• CT 100 Future Technology Innovations (3 credits)
• CT 115 Social Media Video Algorithms and Video Content Elements (3 credits)
• ECON 116 Survey of Economic Ideas (3 credits)
• ECON 201 Elementary Microeconomics (3 credits)
• GEOG 150 Global Geography (3 credits)
• POLS 130 American National Government (3 credits)
• PSYS 100 General Psychology (3 credits)
• SOC 100 Principles of Sociology (3 credits)
• SOC 224 Family and Society (3 credits)
• SOC 242 Social Problems (3 credits)
• SOC 260 Society and the Individual (3 credits)

One course is required from both categories.

Fine Arts, Design, and Humanities: Select one course:

• COMM 322 Communication and Popular Culture (3 credits)
• GCM 184 Graphics: Computer Applications (3 credits)
• GCM 286 Graphics: Fundamentals of Photography (3 credits)  
• HIST 310 Introduction to the History of Business in the United States (3 credits)
• CT 112 Computer Applications for Design Solutions (3 credits)
• MMP 100 Survey of the Music Industry (3 credits)
• PHIL 202 Ethics (3 credits)—Can also be counted as a writing emphasis course
• THEA 207 Design Awareness for the Non-Major (3 credits)

Natural and Social Sciences: Select one course.

• ANTH 231 Introduction to Native American Studies (3 credits)
• CJC 229 Decision Making and Ethics (3 credits)
• CJC 332 Victimology (3 credits)
• CJC 333 Policing Free Diverse Society (3 credits)
• CJC 350 Criminal Evidence and Procedure (3 credits)
• ECON 202 Elementary Macroeconomics (3 credits)
• ECYF 250 Family Relations (3 credits)
• GEOG 265 Introduction to Geographical Information Systems (3 credits)
• GEOL 206 Oceans and Nations (3 credits)
• HSC 180 Principles of Community Health (3 credits)
• HSC 261  Health, Sexuality and family Life (3 credits)
• SOC 235 Sociology of Gender (3 credits)
• SOC 328 Global and Social World (3 credits)
• SOCW 325 Human Behavior and the Social Environment 2 (3 credits)
• WGS 210 Intro to Women's and Gender Studies (3 credits)
• WGS 220 International Women's Issues (3 credits)

The requirements for this will depend upon your individual course of study and needs.

Consult with your academic advisor when planning your senior year.

All Ball State students are required to take a course that is writing intensive. You may choose from:

• ISOM 249 Foundations of Business Communication (3 credits)
• MUSE 265 Basic Music for Classroom Teachers (3 credits)
• NEWS 105 Journalistic Storytelling: Introduction (3 credits)
• PHIL 202 Ethics (3 credits)—Can also be counted as a Tier 2 course
• SOCW 250 Human Behavior and the Social Environment 1 (3 credits)
• THEA 317 Pre-Modern Theatre History to 1700 (3 credits)