Business, Beacom School of

A.R. Venkatachalam, Dean
Kathryn Birkeland, Interim Associate Dean
Carly Heard, Student Services Center, Director
Beacom Hall, Room 124
(605) 677-5455
www.usd.edu/business

FACULTY

Professors:

Michael Allgrunn, Economics
David L. Carr, Economics
Thomas Davies, Accounting
De Vee Dykstra, Business Law
Srinivasan Ragothaman, Accounting
Daniel Tracy, Decision Sciences
A.R. Venkatachalam, Dean

Associate Professors:

Chet Barney, Management
Kathryn Birkeland, Economics
Gregory Huckabee, Business Law
Maria Lopez Leach, Accounting
Carole South-Winter, Health Services Administration
Thomas Tiahrt, Decision Sciences
Rand Wergin, Marketing
Yewmun Yip, Finance
Mark Yockey, Management

Assistant Professors:

Adhikari, Subash, Accounting
Klaus Beckmann, Finance
Tyler Custis, Business Law
Bartlomiej Hanus, Decision Sciences
Meiying Hua, Accounting
Pavel Jeutang, Finance
Kwabena Kesse, Finance
Eric Kinnamon, Management
Elizabeth Manser Payne, Marketing
Jewel Shepherd, Health Services Administration
Sebastian Wai, Economics

Instructors/Lecturers:

Gregory Bertsch, Entrepreneurship
Erin Cornelsen, Accounting
Karen Davies, Accounting
Derek Franken, Accounting
Matthew Heard, Health Services Administration
Travis Letellier, Economics
Tammy Loos, Human Resources
Thomas Martin, Decision Sciences
James Perry, Decision Sciences
Emily Quinn, Marketing
Aron Spencer, Entrepreneurship
Mandie Weinandt, Economics/Statistics
Henry Wiedrich, Management

MAJORS:

Accounting
Business Administration
Economics
Finance
Health Services Administration
Human Resource Management
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Management
Marketing
Operational Analytics

MINORS:

Accounting (Business Majors Only)
Business Administration (Non-Business Majors)
Business Analytics
Business Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Business Majors Only)
Economics
Finance
Health Services Administration
Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Non-Business Majors)
International Business (Business Majors Only)
Legal Studies in Business (Business Majors Only)
Marketing (Business Majors Only)
Operations Management (Business Majors Only)

The field of business is constantly changing, and USD’s Beacom School of Business strives to be on the leading edge of these changes. At the same time, innovative business processes and philosophies can only succeed when they are based on a strong foundation of well-proven business principles. While the School is energetically moving into the future through the redesign of programs and introduction of the newest instructional methods, basic business concepts are not forgotten. Faculty, administration, and staff take pride in the tradition of excellence that has been and will continue to be associated with the School.

The Beacom School of Business’s educational programs and outreach activities are recognized in the region and beyond for their excellence. Beacom’s programs are consistently ranked among the top business schools in the nation by Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report and others. The School maintains outreach initiatives that enrich the curriculum and provide special opportunities such as internship positions with leading regional, national, and international firms. In addition to these partnerships, the School offers students the opportunity to study issues pertinent to all types of businesses as well as nonprofit organizations and government.

The Beacom School of Business was established at the University of South Dakota in 1927. The Beacom School of Business has been continuously accredited by the AACSB International-The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business since 1949. Its graduates have become global leaders in all business fields. The Health Services Administration program is an AUPHA Certified Undergraduate Program and is a member of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA), the highest recognition available.

The generosity of our alumni and support from other friends of the School allow us to provide scholarships in excess of $400,000 annually to our students. And it is through such generosity that the Beacom School of Business operates in a state of the art building to complement its innovative curriculum. The building has been designed to embrace emerging trends in business education and to use state-of-the-art technology. Students are now able to study the most recent business developments in a facility designed for the 21st century, further enhancing an already distinguished program. 

Mission Statement

The Beacom School of Business’ mission is excellence in undergraduate and graduate education that develops successful future business leaders. We deliver high value to our students, employers, and community through distinctive teaching and learning supported by significant intellectual and professional contributions and meaningful service.
(Revised School Mission adopted 9/24/14.)

ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL OUTREACH INITIATIVES

The Beacom School of Business maintains several academic and professional outreach initiatives to enrich its educational environment. Executive Education, the Freeman Initiative in Rural Entrepreneurship, South Dakota Council on Economic Education, Prairie Family Business Association, Small Business Development Center, Entrepreneur in Residence Program, Academy of Finance, Summer Accounting Institute, Future Business Leaders of America, and DECA are all affiliated with the Beacom School of Business.

BETA GAMMA SIGMA

Beta Gamma Sigma is the honor society serving business programs accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest recognition a business student anywhere in the world can receive in a business program accredited by AACSB International. 

MU KAPPA TAU

Mu Kappa Tau is the only Marketing Honor Society offering both national recognition and chapter affiliation to its members. It recognizes the scholarship, achievement, and professional development of marketing students. Membership is available to students achieving academic excellence in marketing. 

OMICRON DELTA EPSILON

Omicron Delta Epsilon is the academic honor society for economics. Membership is available to students for outstanding achievement in economics.

ADMISSION PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS

Students intending to pursue one of the Beacom School of Business majors are admitted to the University as general business students. During the first half of their undergraduate program, they complete general education requirements and prerequisites for acceptance to our majors. Most students apply for admission to a major by the end of the sophomore year. Students who have not been admitted to business majors may not enroll in 300/400 level business classes without special permission. Exception: health services administration majors may be declared at any level; they must also meet the requirements for admission to a major before enrolling in 300/400 level business classes.

EARLY ADMISSION

The Dean may grant early admission to the Beacom School of Business majors to students with more than 30 credits on the basis of high academic performance.

ADMISSION TO THE BEACOM SCHOOL OF BUSINESS MAJORS

Application to the Beacom School of Business majors is submitted to the Student Services Center in the semester during which the following criteria will be met:

1. Students must have completed 45 semester hours.

2. Students must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.50 or above on a four-point scale; students with a cumulative grade point average of 2.50 or above, but less than a 2.50 institutional (USD) grade point average or USD Beacom School of Business grade point average may be admitted on probation.

3. Students must have completed the pre-major business core including BADM 101 Survey of Business, ACCT 210 Principles of Accounting I, ACCT 211 Principles of Accounting II, ECON 201 Principles of Microeconomics, ECON 202 Principles of Macroeconomics, BADM 220 Business Statistics, and MATH 121 Survey of Calculus or MATH 123 Calculus (or their equivalents).  

ADMISSION ON PROBATION

A student with a cumulative grade point average below a 2.50 will be denied admission to the majors. If a student wishes to appeal the decision, an entrance examination must be taken and the results reviewed. If there is evidence to indicate the probability of success, the student may be admitted by the Dean for one semester on probation. Before admitting any student on probation, special attention will be paid to the grades in the USD Beacom School of Business courses and the semester grade point averages in the semesters just prior to the request. 

CONDITIONAL ADMISSION

Students who meet admission requirements 1 & 2 will be admitted by the Dean on the condition that they complete the last of their pre-major business core requirements within the first semester of admission, as long as the institutional and Beacom School of Business grade point averages are 2.5 or above. If either of these two grade point averages is below a 2.5, the Dean may admit the student. The pre-major business core requirements include BADM 101 Survey of Business, ACCT 210 Principles of Accounting I, ACCT 211 Principles of Accounting II, ECON 201 Principles of Microeconomics, ECON 202 Principles of Macroeconomics, BADM 220 Business Statistics, and MATH 121 Survey of Calculus or MATH 123 Calculus I (or their equivalents). Students failing to meet the conditions of admission will have their admission revoked and will not be permitted to enroll or continue enrollment in 300/400 level business classes from USD. If special circumstances warrant, these decisions may be appealed to the School’s Academic Dean. 

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

All business students must meet the University graduation requirements as well as the requirements of the business degrees. It is the individual responsibility of every student to fully acquaint himself/herself with all requirements for graduation and to meet these requirements during the period of registration in the school. These include, at a minimum, residence, scholastic average, specific courses required, and elective credit hours required. Consult with the Beacom School of Business Student Services Center, academic advisors, and the degree auditors to assure all requirements will be met.

1. A minimum of 120 semester credit hours must be successfully completed.

2. All University requirements for general education, and residency must be met in accordance with the student’s official catalog of entry.

3. All courses required of the specific business major must be successfully completed.

4. At least 50% of the business credits, pre-business and major, required for the business degree must be earned through USD.

5. A minimum of 60 credits of upper-level (300/400) course work must be successfully completed.

6. Either ENGL 205 - Business Writing [SGR #1, HSDC]  from USD or another acceptable advanced composition course and an approved senior research paper under the direction of a business school faculty member must be completed.  If ENGL 205 is completed from another university, a senior research paper under the guidance of a business faculty member must be completed.This paper may be written as part of a Beacom School of Business course with the approval of the faculty member teaching the course and the student’s selected paper advisor. A minimum grade of “C” is required to satisfy the requirement.

7. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00 in all courses completed including transfer courses, a minimum grade point average of 2.00 from the University of South Dakota (institutional), and a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in the USD Beacom School of Business courses complete must be achieved. Transfer grades are not considered in the Beacom School of Business average.

8. Students may count no more than 6 credit hours toward their business major from any of the following four categories: (1) internships/practicums, (2) study tour, (3) independent studies/readings and (4) service learning activities. In addition, no more than 6 credits total from the above list may be applied to any business major (i.e. business electives), and no more than 12 credits total from the list can be applied toward a business degree (i.e. business and/or free electives). No more than 6 credits of Satisfactory/ Unsatisfactory graded business coursework may be applied toward a business major.

9. No more than two business courses (ACCT, BADM, BLAW, DSCI, ECON, ENTR, FIN, HRM, HSAD, MKTG, MGMT) with grades of D, F, or WDF are permitted. Students with more than two business courses with grades of D, F, or WDF will be required to repeat one (or more) of those classes and must earn a grade of C or better to comply with this requirement. The student may choose which class (or classes) to repeat. Business courses from USD and business courses accepted in transfer from other schools are considered when applying this rule.

10. All students must pass an exit examination.

Probation Status-Students not yet accepted to a business major. Students seeking business degrees must have a 2.50 or higher cumulative grade point average in order to remain in good standing. Students whose cumulative grade point average falls below a 2.50 will be placed on Beacom School of Business probation. Probation status serves as a warning that acceptance to the Beacom School of Business majors is in serious jeopardy.

Probation Status-Students admitted to a business major. Students admitted to a business major with a cumulative, institutional, or Beacom School of Business grade point average below 2.50 are placed on Beacom School of Business Probation. Students previously admitted to a major who have their cumulative, institutional, or Beacom School of Business GPA fall below 2.50 are also placed on Beacom School of Business Probation.

1. Any student on probation will be subject to the following review:

   1. If the GPA at issue does not increase at the end of the next semester, the student will be dismissed from the business majors. (Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Health Services Administration, Human Resource Management, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Management, Marketing, Operational Analytics)

   2. If dismissed from the major, a business student is no longer eligible to enroll in any upper-level (300/400) courses with a prefix of ACCT, BADM, BLAW, DSCI, ECON, ENTR, FIN, HRM, HSAD, MKTG, or MGMT.

   3. If the GPA at issue increases but remains below 2.50, the student will be reviewed for possible continuance as a probation student.

   4. Students may be removed from probation status if their GPA at issue is 2.50 or above.

2. If special circumstances warrant, these decisions may be appealed to the School’s Academic Dean. 

BEACOM SCHOOL OF BUSINESS MAJORS/DEGREES

Students majoring in any of these fields will receive a Bachelor of Business Administration, B.B.A.

Students must select one of the following majors in the Beacom School of Business. Students may elect to complete more than one major by fulfilling all of the requirements for each major; double majoring with the Business Administration major is not permitted.

Accounting
Business Administration
Economics
Finance
Health Services Administration
Human Resource Management
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Management
Marketing
Operational Analytics

FIRST/SECOND YEAR CURRICULUM FOR ALL BUSINESS MAJORS

Prior to gaining admission to the Beacom School of Business majors, students complete the University’s general education requirements and the prerequisites necessary for acceptance to a business major. Each of the ten majors offered through the Beacom School of Business begins with the first/second year curriculum. All students must complete a minimum of 15 credits of general education including composition, a social science, a humanities/fine arts, a mathematics course, and a science course within their first 45 credit hours. The remaining requirements are to be completed as early as possible in the student’s academic program.

Click here for FIRST/SECOND YEAR CURRICULUM FOR ALL BUSINESS MAJORS  requirements. 

SCHOLARSHIPS

Each year, the Beacom School of Business has the capacity to award over $400,000 in awards and scholarships. These funds are made available through the generous support of alumni and friends of the Beacom School of Business. Scholarships can be found on the Beacom School of Business department pages:

• Accounting and Finance Division  
• Economics and Decision Sciences Division  
• Entrepreneurship, Management, and Marketing Division  
• Health Services Management Division  

Programs

• First/Second Year Curriculum for All Business Majors