Learning Outcomes 

1. Students will achieve an acceptable pass rate on questions related to the following core microeconomic concepts: (a) Consumer utility maximization (b) Producer profit maximization (c) Equilibrium and welfare analysis under different market structures (d) Importance of externalities
2. Students will achieve an acceptable pass rate on questions related to the following core macroeconomic concepts: (a) Determination of full-employment output and growth (b) Money creation and inflation (c) Employment and output fluctuations over the business cycle (d) Fundamentals of macroeconomic policy
3. Students will achieve be able to: (a) Solve basic equations to find equilibrium outcomes (b) Use graphs to understand and interpret economic relationships
4. Students will be able to successfully prepare a research paper and present the results of their research their peers in a classroom environment.

Admissions

Entrance Requirements

In addition to the academic admission requirements of the Moore School of Business stated below, a limit on admission to the program may be imposed. An enrollment limit would become necessary if enrollment levels exceed school staffing capabilities and resources. The Undergraduate Admissions Committee, in consultation with the dean of the school, shall be responsible for adjusting undergraduate enrollment levels to ensure the quality of the undergraduate program. A student who meets admissions criteria will be favorably considered, but because of space limitations admission cannot be guaranteed. Once minimum criteria are met, all qualified applicants are placed into an admissions group and are ranked by academic credentials. Based on the number of available seats, students are admitted in ranked order until capacity is reached. The Moore School only considers new applicants for Fall Term admission. 

Freshmen entering the USC Columbia Pre-Business division of the Moore School of Business must meet the campus requirements for admission. Freshmen applicants will only be considered for Fall Term admission.

Students from other USC campuses who have no work from colleges outside of USC must have a minimum cumulative Institution GPA of 3.25, must have taken at least 15 USC credit hours, and have completed calculus with a minimum grade of C. Additionally, those students who have fewer than 30 semester hours from colleges outside USC must also meet Columbia campus freshman admission requirements. Change of campus applicants will only be considered for Fall Term admission.

Students enrolled in other colleges on the Columbia campus must have a minimum cumulative Institution GPA of 3.25, must have at least 15 USC credit hour,and have completed calculus with a minimum grade of C. Internal transfers will only be considered for admission in the fall term.

Transfer students from other institutions must present a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 on all college work taken and have completed calculus with a minimum grade of C. Students who have taken fewer than 30 semester hours of college work must also meet Columbia campus freshman admission requirements. External transfers will only be considered for Fall Term admission. 

Degree Requirements (122 hours)

See Darla Moore School of Business for progression requirements and other regulations.

Program of Study

Founding Documents Requirement

All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade in the subject areas of History, Political Science, or African American Studies that covers the founding documents including the United State Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation and one or more documents that are foundational to the African American Freedom struggle, and a minimum of five essays from the Federalist papers.  This course may count as a requirement in any part of the program of study including the Carolina Core, the major, minor or cognate, or as a general elective.  Courses that meet this requirement are listed here.

Requirements (122 hours)

¹

Must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

²

Carolina Core Stand Alone or Overlay Eligible Requirements — Overlay-approved courses offer students the option of meeting two Carolina Core components in a single course. A maximum of two overlays is allowed. The total Carolina Core credit hours must add up to a minimum of 31 hours. Some programs may have a higher number of minimum Carolina Core hours due to specified requirements.

³

ECON 421, ECON 476, ECON 499 and ECON 524 cannot be used to fulfill the 6 hours of ECON courses 400 or above.

⁴

Students with a single major in Business Economics must complete additional upper level (300-level or above) business/economics course work (in ACCT, BADM, ECON, FINA, IBUS, MGMT, MGSC, or MKTG) for a total of 21 hours of Upper-Level Business courses, which include major hours. Students must meet prerequisites to take the business elective of their choosing. Students may choose to pursue an additional major or a business analytics concentration in place of Upper-Level Business Electives.

⁵

Courses applied in the major may not also fulfill concentration requirements.

Major Map

A major map is a layout of required courses in a given program of study, including critical courses and suggested course sequences to ensure a clear path to graduation.

Major maps are only a suggested or recommended sequence of courses required in a program of study. Please contact your academic advisor for assistance in the application of specific coursework to a program of study and course selection and planning for upcoming semesters.

Business Economics, B.S.B.A.

¹

Regardless of individual course grades, students must maintain a minimum 3.000 cumulative GPA at the end of their first year (fall, spring, summer term).  All students are reviewed annually at the end of each summer term for meeting the upperclassmen retention and graduation requirement of a 2.8 cumulative GPA.

²

Some colleges require a minimum GPA for major courses. 

³

Students who do not place into MATH 122 or MATH 141 will be required to take a summer course in the summer following their first year. 

⁴

MGSC 290 is a progression requirement and must be taken within the first year in the Darla Moore School of Business.  Either ECON 221 or 222 must be taken during the first year.  Whichever remains incomplete at the end of the first year, will be taken during the third semester.

⁵

Students in the Darla Moore School of Business are required to demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language by a score of 2 or higher on the foreign language placement test, or credit equivalent to USC 109 and 110 courses, or credit equivalent to the USC 121 course. 

⁶

The Carolina Core provides the common core of knowledge, skill and academic experience for all Carolina undergraduate students. 

⁷

Minors (non-business) may be selected from a University-wide list of approved minors. The minor is normally a minimum of 18 hours of prescribed courses in one subject area. Minors are recognized on the transcript. Cognates which consist of 4 related courses in a specific field. The cognate is intended to support the course work in the major. The cognate must consist of twelve (12) hours of courses at the advanced level, outside of but related to the major. Cognates do not earn an additional designation on the transcript. 

⁸

The total number of elective hours required depends on the number of hours used to fill other degree requirements, including the minor or cognate, multiple business majors or the business analytics concentration. Options to meet this requirement may include: pre-professional coursework, an accelerated master’s program (maximum of 4 courses if not counted elsewhere in the degree), electives, or a second business major. Consultation with your academic advisor is required to determine appropriate use of the electives. 

⁹

ECON 421, ECON 476, ECON 499 and ECON 524 cannot be used to fulfill the 6-hour Business Economics electives requirement. 

¹⁰

Business Electives must be 300-level or higher business courses in ACCT, ECON, FINA, IBUS, MGMT, MGSC, or MKTG.  Students must meet prerequisites to take the business elective of their choosing. 

Program Notes:

• Courses identified as “critical” must be completed with a grade of “C” or better in the student’s first year in the Darla Moore School of Business in order to continue in the Business School.
• Students may choose to complete a Business Analytics Concentration (9 hours) in conjunction with the Business Economics major. Courses applied in the major may not also fulfill concentration requirements.
  • Required: MGSC 394 – Data Analytics for Business (3) 
  • Choose 6 hours from the following: ACCT 404, 475; ECON 336, 436, 594; FINA 444, 462, 464, 469, 472; IBUS 430; MGMT 408, 425; MGSC 390, 391, 486; MKTG 352, 447, 448, 470, 479
• Students may choose to complete a Sustainability in Business Concentration (12 hours) in conjunction with the Business Economics major. Courses applied in the major may not also fulfill concentration requirements.
  • Required: MKTG 472 – Business, Markets and Sustainability (3)
  • Choose 6-9 hours from the following: ACCT 550; ECON 500, 505, 548; FINA 462, 473; MGMT 407, 408; MGSC 489; MKTG 479
  • Choose 0-3 hours from the following: ENVR 321, 322, 331, 533; GEOG 321; HTMT 485; POLI 478
• Business courses may be repeated only once.  Students may appeal to take a course for a third time and must see an advisor to complete the appeal process.
• Students must complete nine hours of international-focused courses.  These courses can be satisfied within the 122 required hours and do not require additional coursework.  At least three credits must be a Business or Economics course at the 300-level or above.  The remaining six credits can come from: a) two Carolina Core courses OR b) two 200-level or above foreign language course(s) in the same language.  For a complete list of the these courses, please visit the Bulletin.
• All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade that covers the founding documents. This course may fulfill any requirement in the program of study. Courses that meet this requirement are listed in the academic bulletin.
• The last 30 credit hours toward your degree must be earned in residence at the University of South Carolina-Columbia.