Business, Beacom School of

Timothy P. O’Keefe, Ph.D.-Dean
Klaus Beckmann-Interim Associate Dean
Jewel Shepherd, Associate Dean (grduate programs)
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
Daniel Tracy, Decision Sciences

Associate Professors:

Chet Barney, Management
Maria Lopez Leach, Accounting
Carole South-Winter, Health Services Administration
Thomas Tiahrt, Decision Sciences
Rand Wergin, Marketing

Assistant Professors:

Klaus Beckmann, Finance
Tyler Custis, Business Law
Kathryn Enget, Accounting
Bartlomiej Hanus, Decision Sciences
Eric Kinnamon, Management
Yanguang (Alice) Liu, Finance
Yi Liu, Decision Sciences
Elizabeth Manser Payne, Marketing
Paul Ordyna, Accounting
Jewel Shepherd, Health Services Administration
Sebastian Wai, Economics
Sara Yang, Accounting

Instructors/Lecturers:

Gregory Bertsch, Entrepreneurship
Erin Cornelsen, Accounting
Karen Davies, Accounting
Derek Franken, Accounting
Matthew Heard, Health Services Administration
Thomas Martin, Decision Sciences
Reed Muehler, Economics
Emily Quinn, Marketing
Mandie Weinandt, Economics/Statistics

Emeritus:

Thomas Davies, Accounting
Yewmun Yip, Finance

MAJORS:

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

MINORS:

Accounting (Business Majors Only)
Business Administration (Non-Business Majors)
Business Analytics
Business Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Business Majors Only)
Economics (Non-Business Majors or Business Majors with substitutions)
Finance (Business Majors Only)
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 4/28/21.)

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.

ADMISSION PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS

Students intending to pursue one of the Beacom School of Business majors are admitted to the University as pre-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:

Students must have completed 45 semester hours.
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.
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, CMST 210 Interpersonal Communication for Professionals, 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

Students who meet admission requirements 1 & 2 will be admitted by the Dean on probation. The probation conditions are that they complete the last of their pre-major business core requirements within the first semester of admission and maintain institutional and Beacom School of Business grade point averages at 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 are listed above in item 3 of the admission criteria. 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.

A minimum of 120 semester credit hours must be successfully completed.
All University requirements for general education, and residency must be met in accordance with the student’s official catalog of entry.
All courses required of the specific business major must be successfully completed.
At least 50% of the business credits, pre-business and major, required for the business degree must be earned through USD.
A minimum of 60 credits of upper-level (300/400) course work must be successfully completed.
Either ENGL 205 - Business Writing [SGR #1, HSDC] from USD or another acceptable advanced composition course.
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.
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.
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.
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.

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, Business Analytics, Economics, Finance, Health Services Administration, Human Resource Management, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Management, Marketing, Supply Chain Management)
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.
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
Business Analytics
Economics
Finance
Health Services Administration
Human Resource Management
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Management
Marketing
Supply Chain Management

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 same 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.

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:

Programs

First/Second Year Curriculum for All Business Majors