General Business

The general business curriculum provides an overview and fundamental working knowledge of the varied aspects of business.

Students receive a broad and generalized understanding of the function of business and how the various sub-disciplines of business interact to contribute to the success of an organization. Students select courses across all business sub-disciplines, obtaining an understanding of the field of business. Courses are selected within a particular sub-discipline to develop specialized knowledge of a particular area of business. Positions available to graduates with a general business major are those that require a broad, overarching understanding of the business function, rather than a specialized knowledge within a particular business sub-discipline. Examples are in retailing, sales, and other service industries.

The requirements below are based on the 2026-2027 University Catalog. For additional information about degree requirements, course descriptions, and prerequisites, consult the University Catalog.

Courses in preparation for the major may not be taken for Credit/No Credit (Cr/NC), and students must earn a minimum grade of C in each course. Students must also meet additional academic progress requirements before being admitted to the upper-division major.

ACCTG 201: Financial Accounting
ACCTG 202: Managerial Accounting
ECON 101: Principles of Economics (Macro)
ECON 102: Principles of Economics (Micro)
FIN 240: Legal Environment of Business
MIS 180: Principles of Information Systems
RWS 290: Business Writing and Rhetoric
MATH 120: Calculus for Business Analysis (or an approved calculus course)
STAT 119: Elementary Statistics for Business (or ECON 201: Statistical Methods)

Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 major GPA, based on all upper-division courses attempted in the major.

BA 300: Ethical Decision Making in Business (1-unit)
BA 305: Career and Professional Readiness (1-unit)
BA 310: Foundations of Business in a Global Environment (1-unit)
BA 323: Fundamentals of Finance
BA 350: Management and Organizational Behavior
BA 360: Introduction to Operations and Supply Chain Management
BA 370: Marketing
BA 404: Small Business Consulting or MGT 405: Strategic Management
3 units of Accounting Elective selected from:
- ACCTG 325: Intermediate Managerial and Tax Accounting
- ACCTG 326: Intermediate Financial Accounting
3 units of Finance Elective selected from:
- FIN 321: Managerial Economics
- FIN 326: Financial Institutions Management
- FIN 327: Investments
- FIN 328: Entrepreneurial Finance
- FIN 329: International Business Finance
- FIN 331: Real Estate Principals
3 units of Management Elective selected from:
- MGT 352: Human Resource Management
- MGT 357: Multinational Business and Comparative Management
- MGT 358: Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship
3 units of Management Information Systems Elective selected from:
- MIS 301: Statistical Analysis for Business
- MIS 306: Information Systems Analysis and Design
- MIS 315: Business Applications Programming
- MIS 380: Data Management Systems
4 units of Marketing Elective selected from:
- MKTG 371: Consumer Behavior
- MKTG 372: Retail Marketing Methods
- MKTG 373: Integrated Marketing Communications
- MKTG 376: Global Marketing Strategy
- MKTG 377: Selling Strategy and Practices
6-7 units selected from 400-level and 500-level courses in the Fowler College of Business

Current Students:Degree requirements may vary by catalog year. For requirements specific to your program and catalog year, review your key academic planning resources, including yourdegree evaluation in my.SDSU, theDegree Roadmaps, and theUniversity Catalog.

To stay on track for graduation, students are encouraged to meet with an academic advisor in the Center for Student Success at least once per semester. The Center is located in Lamden Hall 419 and can be reached at [email protected].

Requirements by Catalog Year