Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

Become an Innovator in Your Field

The business environment is evolving in a way that demands new and unique skills from today’s business graduates. The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration program at the City University of Seattle is designed to develop you into a highly competent analytical thinker, decision maker, and problem solver who can effectively navigate and operate within this shifting business world, which is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous.

CityU’s BSBA is available online and in a mixed-mode format. The degree strengthens your foundations in subjects that are applicable to a wide range of professional settings and prepares you for higher levels of education (MBA and DBA).

The BS in Business Administration program equips you with essential management skills, innovative problem-solving strategies, and familiarity with complex technologies including artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud computing. This Bachelor of Science in Business Administration is one of the first of its kind to offer core artificial intelligence courses customized for business students.

The BSBA program allows you to choose a specialization that’s aligned with your career goals:

• Data Analytics for Business Decision Making: Advance your practical knowledge of techniques in artificial intelligence and business analytics and develop the ability to identify hidden insights within data.
• Management: Develop a strong strategic vision and mindset that prepares you to pursue a variety of management positions.
• Project Management: Learn how to organize, lead, and schedule projects in a variety of disciplines. Courses are informed by Project Management Institute (PMI®) principles, qualify for PMI Professional Development Units, and can be credited toward PMI’s Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification.
• Specialized Study: Complete an independent study of five courses taken in a specific content area with the approval of the Program Director.

Graduates will be prepared to make decisions that are as complex as the modern business environment.

Throughout the BSBA program, you’ll learn to:

• Propose strategies to succeed in global business and recommend improvements that align with the company’s goals and culture.
• Leverage technology for competitive advantage.
• Demonstrate proficiency in primary and secondary business activities.
• Access and evaluate relevant information to guide business decisions.
• Deliver powerful presentations and effective business writing for diverse audiences.
• Apply ethical principles when conducting and evaluating the business.
• Contribute to a successful team by incorporating leadership, conflict resolution, and collaboration skills.
• Analyze and apply sustainable business practices.

Required Credits (180 Credits)

Students are able to choose from the following specialized areas of study to complete their program:

• Data Analytics for Business Decision-Making
• Global Supply Chain Management
• Management
• Project Management
• Specialized Study

Lower-Division Requirements (90 Credits)

Students must meet the General Education requirements listed below. This is typically completed within the 90 required lower-division credits. For this program, Quantitative/Symbolic Reasoning is met through the course MATH 138 College Algebra or higher.

General Education

• College Composition I** and II (CCII) (10 Credits)
• Quantitative/Symbolic Reasoning (CM/QSR) (5 Credits)
• Humanities (HU) (10 Credits)
• Social Sciences (SS) (15 Credits)
• Natural Sciences (NS) (15 Credits)

**If College Composition I is waived through transfer or articulation, students must take an additional 5 quarter credits from a humanities discipline.

Upper-Division Requirements (90 Credits)

Foundations of Business Operations Core (25 Credits)

• BUS 310 Business Communications (5)
• BUS 315 Financial Accounting (5)
• BUS 317 Finance (5)
• BUS 320 Technology and Operations Management (5)
• BUS 330 Economic Analysis for Business Decisions (5)

Emerging Technologies, Methods, and Markets Core (20 Credits)

• BUS 420 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Business Applications (5)
• BUS 424 Fundamentals of AI (5)
• BUS 426 Business Analytics for Decision Making (5)
• BUS 430 Marketing and Competitive Analysis (5)

Organizational Systems, Complexity, and Strategy Core (20 Credits)

• BUS 300 Business Dynamics (5)
• BUS 304 Organizational Behavior and Leadership (5)
• BUS 402 Managing Organizational Systems and Complexity (5)
• BUS 495 Strategic Management (5)

Upper Division Electives (25 Credits)

Emphasis Area (25 Credits)

Choose One of the emphasis areas listed below:

Data Analytics for Business Decision-Making Emphasis

Data Analytics for Business Decision-Making Emphasis extends key topics in the core technology courses to help students enhance their practical knowledge of advanced techniques in artificial intelligence and business analytics. Courses in this category enable students to generate data-driven decision-making solutions for achieving and maintaining market differentiation by unlocking the value in their proprietary data. In particular, students gain the capacity to identify and harness hidden insights (i.e., patterns) within massive amounts of data generated through social networking channels and internal business processes that are otherwise impossible to discern. This cohesive body of knowledge and skills is applicable to a variety of business functions, such as customer relationship management, marketing, human resource management, organizational management, and project management.

• BUS 440 Introduction to Data Science (5)
• BUS 442 Advanced Tools in Business Analytics (5)
• BUS 444 Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics (5)
• BUS 446 Data Visualization and Dashboards (5)
• BUS 448 Strategic Decision Making Under Uncertainty (5)

Management Emphasis

The Management Emphasis is designed for students wishing to pursue a variety of management positions within strategic and tactical divisions of companies. Courses in this category help students gain a strong strategic vision and mindset. This is achieved by learning how to analyze organizations in terms of structures and systems to identify change and new alignments that maximize the fit between internal capacities (e.g., teams, processes, and resources) and the environment’s demands. A key objective of this emphasis is to cultivate managers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners who can create and sustain a competitive advantage and manage their businesses in new and unique ways. Accordingly, students learn about a wide range of markets and business scenarios; acquire analytical and problem-solving skills; become proficient in negotiation and conflict resolution; and master innovative decision-making and entrepreneurial thinking through cross-pollinating ideas. The above skills can be applied to a career in consulting, personnel management, strategy and innovation, global and small business, entrepreneurship, organizational behavior and leadership, change management, healthcare, project management, and operations and production.

• BUS 462 Strategic Consulting (5)
• BUS 464 Design of Effective Teams and Organizations (5)
• BUS 466 Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management (5)
• PM 401 Introduction to Project Management (5)
• PM 444 Negotiation and Competitive Decision-Making (5)

Project Management Emphasis

The Project Management (PM) emphasis augments the core curricula with a solid foundation in how to organize, lead, and schedule projects in a variety of disciplines. Courses in this category are informed by principles of system dynamics and by the Project Management Institutes’ (PMI©) Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®). This integrated and multidimensional design enables students to understand, analyze, and guide the nonlinear behavior of organizational systems while managing operations and project tasks. Students gain distinct skills in micro and macro approaches to Project Management by learning about the applications of key knowledge areas including systems thinking, systems archetypes, change and risk management, scheduling and cost management, PM toolbox, strategic decision-making, and art of negotiation. All of the Project Management courses qualify for PMI’s Professional Development Educational/training Units (PDU®), which are a crucial qualification part of PMI’s coveted Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification. Demand for Project Managers continues to grow domestically and globally in a wide range of industries including aerospace, IT, software, construction, finance, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, production, and telecommunications.

• PM 401 Introduction to Project Management (5)
• PM 404 Project Scheduling and Cost Management (5)
• PM 406 Project Risk and Change Management (5)
• PM 442 Introduction to System Dynamics (5)
• PM 444 Negotiation and Competitive Decision-Making (5)

Specialized Study Emphasis

The Specialized Study emphasis consists of five courses taken in a specific content area. Coursework may be completed through independent study, current course offerings, or developed for a specific industry or organizational setting. The Specialized Study emphasis is proposed by the student and approved by the Program Director prior to registration.

Specialized Study Option: Global Supply Chain Management

• GSCM 400 Managing Global Operations and Value Chains (5)
• GSCM 410 Data Science for Supply Chain Management (5)
• GSCM 430 Optimizing Global Logistics and Supply Chain (5)
• GSCM 440 Global Supply Network Design, Execution, and Cost Management (5)
• GSCM 480 Supply Chain Management Applied Research (5)

The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration is designed to strengthen your foundation in subjects that are applicable to a wide range of professional settings and prepares you to seek graduate-level programs, including an MBA and DBA.

The BSBA program will prepare you for a variety of management and leadership roles in fields such as:

• Business Analytics
• Data Analytics
• Finance
• Marketing
• Operations management
• Project management

Networking Opportunities

At CityU, you’ll have the opportunity to expand your professional network by connecting with faculty working in your field, students from around the globe, and alumni employed at Seattle’s top companies. Plus, you’ll be part of a supportive community that’s dedicated to helping you reach your career goals.