GFCB Interdisciplinary Programs
Department website: http://www.wku.edu/business
NOTE: BA courses offered through the Online MBA program may include higher course fees.
Business Administration Courses
BA 500 Management Dynamics 3 Hours
An introduction to organizational analysis and to the understanding and management of behavior in organizations.
Prerequisite(s): COBA Course Eligibility with a score of 5
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 501 Survey of Economic Theory 3 Hours
An overview of basic concepts in micro and macroeconomics. Topics include price and output decisions, cost concepts, aggregate income, the price level, and related areas.
Prerequisite(s): COBA Course Eligibility with a score of 5
Equivalent(s): ECON 501
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 502 MBA Foundation Modules 4.5 Hours
Preparatory course covering the eight foundational areas required to take courses in the MBA program. Course is offered in a self-paced, online independent learning format. Note: Approval through MBA office required.
Recent Term(s) Offered: spring 2021; summer 2021
BA 503 Information Systems and Decision Science 3 Hours
A survey of management information systems concepts and decision science theory. Emphasis on using information systems and decision support models to enhance managerial decision making.
Prerequisite(s): COBA Course Eligibility with a score of 5
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 504 MBA Foundation Modules Pt 1 1.5 Hour
Preparatory course (first of a three part series) of the foundational areas in the MBA program. Course is offered in a self-paced, online independent learning format.
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 505 Survey of Accounting Principles 3 Hours
Concepts and principles governing financial and managerial accounting. Emphasis on issues associated with the preparation and interpretation of information presented in external financial statements. Includes an introduction to management's use of internally generated accounting information.
Prerequisite(s): COBA Course Eligibility with a score of 5
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 506 MBA Foundation Modules Pt 2 1.5 Hour
Preparatory course (second of a three part series) of the foundational areas in the MBA program. Course is offered in a self-paced, online independent learning format.
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 508 MBA Foundation Modules Pt 3 1.5 Hour
Preparatory course (third of a three part series) of the foundational areas in the MBA program. Course is offered in a self-paced, online independent learning format.
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 510 Advanced Organizational Behavior 3 Hours
Contemporary theory and research on organizational structure and design that has relevance for practical problems of designing and managing organizations.
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: winter 2021; spring 2021; summer 2021; fall 2021; winter 2022; spring 2022; summer 2022; fall 2022; winter 2023; spring 2023; summer 2023; fall 2023
BA 511 Applied Micro Economic Theory 3 Hours
Fundamental concepts of firm analysis, public policy, and individual decisions. Critical thinking applied to topics like supply and demand, revenue and costs, pricing, and information and uncertainty.
Equivalent(s): ECON 502
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: spring 2021; summer 2021; fall 2021; spring 2022; summer 2022; fall 2022; spring 2023; summer 2023; fall 2023
BA 512 Business Analysis and Research Methods 3 Hours
An applications-oriented course designed to help students envision, design, conduct, interpret, and report statistically oriented analyses applicable to managerial decision making. Topics such as the design of data generation, modeling, regression, process control and evaluation, and survey errors will be covered.
Prerequisite(s): COBA Course Eligibility with a score of 6
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 513 Contemporary Business Analytics 3 Hours
This course examines contemporary concepts and methods used to analyze business problems and scenarios. Course topics will include the administration of data analytics, and will utilize a variety of analytic techniques and visualization tools to improve the decision process and enhance business value.
Equivalent(s): BDAN 513
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: winter 2021; spring 2021; summer 2021; fall 2021; winter 2022; spring 2022; summer 2022; fall 2022; winter 2023; spring 2023; summer 2023; fall 2023
BA 515 Managerial Accounting 3 Hours
A review of the managerial accounting concepts and techniques used by managers in planning, performance evaluation, and decision making. Emphasis on the application of concepts and techniques in the analysis of cases.
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: spring 2021; fall 2021; spring 2022; fall 2022; spring 2023; summer 2023; fall 2023
BA 517 Advanced Marketing 3 Hours
Analysis and application of marketing principles, policies, and operations. Course focuses on marketing strategy and planning, the identification of marketing problems, the development of solutions, and ethical decision-making.
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: spring 2021; summer 2021; fall 2021; spring 2022; summer 2022; fall 2022; spring 2023; summer 2023; fall 2023
BA 519 Advanced Managerial Finance 3 Hours
How corporate entities make investment, financing, and dividend decisions maximizing shareholder wealth. Case studies and critical thinking on topics like corporate governance/ethics, shareholder analysis, and risk and return.
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: spring 2021; fall 2021; spring 2022; summer 2022; fall 2022; spring 2023; fall 2023
BA 520 Critical Thinking and Business Ethics 3 Hours
A study of contemporary ethical issues facing leaders. Emphasis is placed on examining analyzing issues for sound solutions from a variety of perspectives, some grounded in business, some grounded in the Liberal Arts. Students will examine ideas and cases from the business world and gain practice in the application of a variety of approaches to problem solving. Additionally, the responsibilities of business corporations and executives to shareholders and other constituencies will be explored.
Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to students in Business Administration (057) or Organizational Leadership (1723)
Course Fee: $320
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 540 Applied Statistical Methods 3 Hours
Introduction to applied statistics for decision making and research including analysis of variance, process control, experimental design, regression, and forecasting, as well as useful software and data sources.
Prerequisite(s): COBA Course Eligibility with a score of 5
Equivalent(s): ECON 506
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 542 International Economics 3 Hours
Survey of trade theory and evidence, status and effects of tariffs and other trade restrictions, and balance of payment issues.
Prerequisite(s): COBA Course Eligibility with a score of 6
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 543 Forecasting 3 Hours
Methods of forecasting changes in the U.S. economy and other economic units. Emphasis on application and evaluation of different techniques.
Prerequisite(s): COBA Course Eligibility with a score of 6 and (BA 540 or ECON 506)
Equivalent(s): ECON 594
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 544 Labor and Human Resources Economics 3 Hours
Study of static and dynamic models of labor demand, supply, and human capital investment.
Prerequisite(s): COBA Course Eligibility with a score of 6
Equivalent(s): ECON 595
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 545 Survey of Business Sustainability Issues 3 Hours
Survey course exploring the definition of and key issues concerning business sustainability. Provides overview of regulations regarding issues of sustainability as applied to business organizations. Introduces international standards and other global issues of sustainability which affect businesses. Explores compliance approaches, important metrics and best practices businesses use in addressing sustainability issues. Discussion of political, environmental, other pressures surrounding these issues especially as related to current and future standards, regulations, and best business practices. Corporate social responsibility.
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: spring 2021; summer 2021; fall 2021; spring 2022
BA 546 Sustainable Business Operations Management 3 Hours
Exploration and development of sustainable operations management. Students will be introduced to operations management with designing, planning, development, organizing and delivery of products and services. Students will be introduced to frameworks and analytical tools to optimize key decisions in designing and managing operational processes. The course will include a value chain perspective for the integration of sustainability measures.
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: spring 2021; summer 2021; fall 2021; spring 2022; fall 2023
BA 547 Sustainability, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship 3 Hours
An examination of the impact of sustainability on global forces that are restructuring the world economy and driving opportunities for related new entrepreneurial ventures in that context.
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: spring 2021; fall 2021; spring 2022
BA 548 Sustainability Marketing 3 Hours
This course integrates marketing fundamentals with the environmental, social, and economic principles of sustainability. In this course, students analyze current sustainability trends that influence marketing applications and the influences of marketing on sustainability trends.
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: spring 2021; summer 2021; fall 2021; spring 2022; fall 2022
BA 551 Investments and Portfolio Management 3 Hours
A comprehensive examination of investment opportunities with emphasis on the risk-return relationships, economic and market forces affecting financial markets, security valuation and analysis, and portfolio formation and management.
Prerequisite(s): COBA Course Eligibility with a score of 6
Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to students in Business Administration (057)
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: summer 2021
BA 552 International Financial Management 3 Hours
The focus of the course is on financial decision making in the international context. Topics covered include environment of international financial management, foreign exchange risk management, foreign investment analysis, financing foreign operations, and international tax management.
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 555 Strategic Leadership 3 Hours
This course is designed to improve understanding of strategic planning, implementation, and performance measurements in contemporary organizations. Students will explore the tools, techniques, benefits and limitations of strategic planning and management in the context of contemporary organizations, the role of organizational leaders as a key player in strategic management, managing stakeholders, assessing the organizational capacities as well as the external environments, and identifying adoption strategies. Emphasis will be place on strategic initiatives, change management, and leading through change in contemporary organizations.
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 556 Leading Innovation, Creativity and Change 3 Hours
This course is geared towards developing a better understanding of the challenges, techniques, burden, and successes associated with initiating and implementing major changes within organizations. Therefore, the objective of the course is to prepare leaders to meet the challenges of organizational change. The theoretical concepts and practice of leading change in organizational, community, political and social action/social movement contexts are examined. Explicitly links theoretical concepts, models and processes of leadership and change with the intended purpose of change and its resulting outcomes.
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 560 Contemporary Human Resources Management 3 Hours
An advance course focusing on the current critical issues of human resource management. Includes discussions on recruitment and selection techniques, performance appraisals, training and development, compensation, labor relations, occupational safety, and employee rights.
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: fall 2023
BA 571 Services Marketing 3 Hours
Focuses on the marketing of intangible products by discussing strategic implications for marketing mixes (product, price, place, and promotion) and consumer perceptions and expectations.
Prerequisite(s): COBA Course Eligibility with a score of 6
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 573 International Business 3 Hours
Institutions, organizations, and procedures of international business. Emphasizes problems and decision-making techniques.
Course Fee: $320
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 579 Supply Chain Management 3 Hours
Integrates an organization's operations planning and control with suppliers and distributors through sharing information, managerial and technical talents.
Recent Term(s) Offered: summer 2021; fall 2021; summer 2022; fall 2022; summer 2023; fall 2023
BA 580 Contemporary Issues in Business 1-3 Hours (repeatable max of 6 hrs)
Emphasizes issues pertinent to an understanding of today's business environment. Topics embrace the cross-functional, global, and technical aspects of business.
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: spring 2023
BA 583 Procurement Management 3 Hours
Examines procurement processes and decision making frameworks. Topics addressed include: inter-dependencies with other corporate functions; purchasing cycles; development of material and technical specifications; supplier selection, relationship management, and evaluation;supplier quality management and improvement activities; capital goods and services purchases; global sourcing; and procurement tools and analytics.
Recent Term(s) Offered: spring 2021; spring 2022; spring 2023
BA 584 Supply Chain Analytics 3 Hours
Examines the design, development, and utilization of decision models for the supply chain. Topics addressed include supply chain network design, analytical models, challenges, and data-based solutions.Descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive data analytics techniques will be applied to business cases and decision making situations.
Recent Term(s) Offered: spring 2021; spring 2022; spring 2023
BA 590 Strategic Business Concepts and Applications 3 Hours
Concepts and business strategies focusing on viewing the organization as an integrated whole. Use of Integrated Management Exercises (IMEs) involving student teams working on a business simulation or actual business project aimed at challenges and opportunities facing a business.
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: spring 2021; summer 2021; fall 2021; spring 2022; summer 2022; fall 2022; spring 2023; summer 2023; fall 2023
BA 592 Special Topics in Business 3 Hours (repeatable max of 9 hrs)
Emphasizes special topics in business.
Prerequisite(s): COBA Course Eligibility with a score of 6
Course Fee: $60
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 595 Internship for MBA 1-3 Hours (repeatable max of 3 hrs)
Supervised work situation with cooperating business, industry, social or governmental agency, emphasizing the application of advanced knowledge, research, and skills in a specific field of business. Note: Requires the approval of the MBA Advisor
Recent Term(s) Offered: fall 2021; spring 2023
BA 596 GFCB Graduate Certificate Portfolio 0 Hours
This course tracks the student skills attainment summary and artifacts for Gordon Ford College of Business graduate certificate programs.
Recent Term(s) Offered: fall 2023
BA 597 MBA Portfolio 0 Hours
This course tracks the student skills attainment summary and artifacts for Gordon Ford College of Business graduate certificate programs.
Recent Term(s) Offered: fall 2023
BA 753 Current Topics in Organizational Behavior 3 Hours
This seminar course extends the material introduced in Leadership 710. Students will examine the many principles of human behavior that effective leaders use when leading individuals and groups in organizations. Current research relating to individual differences in abilities and attitudes, attribution, motivation, group dynamics, power and politics, conflict resolution, organizational culture, and organizational structure and design will be examined.
Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to students in Educational Leadership (0010)
Recent Term(s) Offered: None
BA 754 Budgeting and Financial Decision Making 3 Hours
This course is designed to improve understanding of strategic planning, implementation, and performance measurements in public and nonprofit organizations. Although they have been adopted from a business sector model, strategic planning and management have become the standard practice of public and nonprofit organizations as a critical tool to reinvent, restructure, and transform the traditional ways of doing business. Students will explore the benefits and limitations of strategic planning and management in the context of public and nonprofit organizations, the role of organizational leaders as a key player in strategic management, managing stakeholders, assessing the organizational capacities as well as the external environments, and identifying the adopting strategies.
Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to students in Educational Leadership (0010)
Recent Term(s) Offered: None