Reginald F. Lewis College of Business
Dean
Dr. Emmanuel Omojokun
Location
Singleton Hall, Room 106A
Contact Information
804-524-5322 | eomojokun@vsu.edu
Sr. Associate Dean
Dr. Venkatapparao Mummalaneni
Location
Singleton Hall, Room 106B
Contact Information
804-524-5808 | vmummalaneni@vsu.edu
Associate Dean
Dr. Hari Sharma
Location
Singleton Hall, Room 101A
Contact Information
804-524-5324 | hsharma@vsu.edu
Mission Statement
We provide opportunities for diverse students to become successful, ethical and socially responsible business professionals through a technology-infuse curriculum that emphasizes professional development pathways, exposure to real-world business operations, and service to society.
Consistent with our mission, we identify the following focus areas and priorities for student experience in the Reginald F. Lewis College of Business:
• Problem Solving
• Technology Integration
• Professional Development
• Business Ethics and Social Responsibility
• Communication
• Global Perspectives
Organization of the College
The Reginald F. Lewis College of Business is an academic unit of Virginia State University administered by the Dean with the support of an Associate Dean and three Chairpersons. The College is organized into three departments: the Department of Accounting and Finance, the Department of Computer Information Systems, and the Department of Management and Marketing. Undergraduate programs of the College lead to the degree of Bachelor of Science in the following majors:
- Accounting
- Management Information Systems
- Management
- Marketing
In addition to the three departments, other units in the College are the Office of the Dean, the Assessment Center, Student Advisement Center, Center for Entrepreneurship, and Office of Corporate Relations.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS TO THE REGINALD F. LEWIS COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
The curriculum in the Reginald F. Lewis College of Business is divided into two phases, namely: Pre-Business and Business phases. Business majors are required to earn at least a grade of “C” in ENGL 110, ENGL 111 and all Business courses.
Pre-Business Phase Requirements
The pre-business phase consists of 60 credit hours of coursework consisting primarily of the General Education curriculum. Students are required to maintain minimum GPA of 2.25 in the pre-business phase before being admitted to the Business Phase. The following curriculum outlines the course of study for all majors in the Reginald F. Lewis College of Business for the freshman and sophomore years.
Pre-Business Phase Curriculum Requirements
The following curriculum outlines the course of study for all majors in the Reginald F. Lewis College of Business for the freshman and sophomore years.
| Freshman Year | Credit Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 110 | Composition I | 3 |
| COBU 101 | Introduction to Business | 3 |
| MATH 120 | College Algebra | 3 |
| FRST 101 | Freshman Studies | 0 |
| GE Science Electives | 4 | |
| GE Social Science Electives | 3 | |
| ENGL 111 | Composition II | 3 |
| COBU 111 | Professional Enhance/Career De | 1 |
| COBU 155 | Information Systems & Tech I | 3 |
| COBU 170 | Legal, Ethical & Digital Envir | 3 |
| GE History Electives | 3 | |
| GE Wellness/Health Electives | 2 | |
| Credit Hours | 31 | |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| SPEE 214 | Introduction To Public Speakin | 3 |
| MATH 212 | Business Calculus | 3 |
| COBU 201 | Introductory Accounting I | 3 |
| COBU 210 | Financial Economics | 3 |
| COBU 202 | Introductory Accounting II | 3 |
| COBU 220 | Financial Managerial Economics | 3 |
| COBU 260 | Business Statistics | 3 |
| COBU 302 | Organization & Management | 3 |
| GE Global Studies Electives | 3 | |
| GE Literature Electives | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 30 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 61 | |
Pre-Business Phase Electives
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Sciences Electives | ||
| BIOL 116 | Biological Science | 4 |
| CHEM 100 | Chemistry in Society (& Lab) | 4 |
| Wellness/Health | ||
| Must take one 2 credit course or two 1 credit courses. | ||
| HPER 165 | Personal Fitness | 1 |
| HPER 170 | Health And Wellness | 2 |
| HPER 171 | Lifetime Sports/Wellness | 1 |
| HPER 180 | Fitness Walking | 1 |
| HPER 181 | Golf | 1 |
| HPER 188 | Beginning Tennis | 1 |
| History Electives | ||
| HIST 114 | World History to 1500 | 3 |
| HIST 115 | World History Since 1500 | 3 |
| HIST 122 | U.S. History to 1865 | 3 |
| HIST 123 | U.S. History After 1865 | 3 |
| Social Sciences Electives | ||
| PSYC 101 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| SOCI 101 | Introduction To Sociology | 3 |
| Literature Electives | ||
| ENGL 201 | Introduction To Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 202 | Intro African American Lit | 3 |
| ENGL 210 | English Literature I | 3 |
| ENGL 211 | English Literature II | 3 |
| ENGL 212 | American Literature I | 3 |
| ENGL 213 | American Literature Ii | 3 |
| ENGL 214 | World Literature I | 3 |
| ENGL 215 | World Literature II | 3 |
| Global Studies Electives | ||
| AGRI 295 | Contemporary Global Studies | 3 |
| FREN 110 | Elementary French I | 3 |
| GEOG 210 | World Geography | 3 |
| POLI 210 | Comparative Government | 3 |
| SPAN 110 | Elementary Spanish I | 3 |
CORE BUSINESS
All business students are required to take a set of common courses in addition to courses required by their respective majors. These courses provide the breadth knowledge and lay the foundation for successful business careers.
COBU 101 INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS - 3 semester hours
For Business Majors only. This course introduces the student to the fundamental principles of business, organizations, finance, banking, credit management, salesmanship, advertising, ecology and consumers. The student will be able to relate/work with real world examples in higher-level courses with an emphasis on use of the library (information literacy), research skills, writing skills, critical thinking, and the synthesis and analysis of information.
COBU 111 PROFESSIONAL ENHANCEMENT/CAREER DEVELOPMENT-1 semester hour
For Business Majors only. This course is designed to aid students in becoming competitive in today’s dynamic environment by providing students with the necessary skills and resources to be successful as they enter the corporate arena and develop their career.
Prerequisite(s): COBU 101
COBU 155 INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION SYSTEMS/ELEM-K -2 semester hours
This course is designed to introduce the student to the basic concepts and procedures required in the development and use of computer information systems. It provides a hands-on experience on computer application software for spreadsheet modeling and database management.
Prerequisite: High school algebra or equivalent
COBU 170 LEGAL, ETHICAL AND DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT - 3 semester hours
For Business Majors only. This course is an introduction to the background, role, structure, and importance of the legal system of the United States of America. Civil procedure, tort law, administrative law, bankruptcy and criminal law will be surveyed. Other areas of the law to be treated in more depth include contracts, personal property and bailments, intellectual property and piracy, real property, agency, as well as the ethics of managers and the social responsibility of business.
Prerequisite: COBU 101
COBU 200 BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS – 3 semester hours
For Business Majors only. Designed to improve practical communication, both written and oral. Students learn business style and formats (the letter, memo, resume, and report), as well as strategies for presenting neutral, negative, and persuasive messages. Students will speak on business or professional topics.
Prerequisites: ENGL 111 or equivalent
COBU 201 INTRODUCTORY ACCOUNTING I - 3 semester hours
For Business Majors and Minors only. This course is a study of fundamental principles of financial accounting as applied to the contemporary business environment. Problems of measuring and reporting 460 income, assets, liabilities, and equity as shown on financial statements are discussed.
Prerequisite: COBU 101 and MATH 120 or equivalent
COBU 202 INTRODUCTORY ACCOUNTING II - 3 semester hours
For Business Majors and Minors only. This course is a study of introductory management accounting principles as applied to the competitive business environment. Emphasis is on using data from an organization’s management information system to formulate and implement business strategy.
Prerequisite: COBU 201
COBU 210 FINANCIAL ECONOMICS – 3 semester hours
For Business Majors only. An introductory course on the principles of economics, covering macroeconomic concepts, theory, analysis, and applications.
COBU 211 CAREER LAUNCH - 1 semester hour
For Second Semester Junior and Senior Business Majors Only. This course is designed to make students competitive in today’s dynamic job market. It will cover all professional career areas including job search, interviewing, etiquette, resume and business writing, and behavior and attitudes, and provide students the necessary skills and resources to be successful in finding and keeping a professional position. This course cannot be used to satisfy a business elective.
Prerequisite(s): COBU 111
COBU 220 FINANCIAL MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS - 3 semester hours
For Business Majors only. This course covers the fundamental economic principles essential for applied business decisions from micro business perspectives.
Prerequisite(s): COBU 210
COBU 260 BUSINESS STATISTICS - 3 semester hours
For Business Majors only. Introduction to the use of statistical methods as a scientific tool in the analysis of problems in business and economics. Coverage will include probability, probability distributions, measures of central tendency and dispersions, sampling distributions, and estimation. Methods include hypothesis testing, regression and correlation, ANOVA and Chi square tests.
Prerequisites: COBU 155 and MATH 122 or its equivalent
COBU 300 PRINCIPLES OF FINANCE - 3 semester hours
For Business Majors only. Students are exposed to the field of finance including financial concepts, financial analysis, decisions involving long-term assets, sources and forms of long-term financing, international financial markets and issues, as well as selected ethical and social issues related to finance.
Prerequisites: COBU 202
COBU 301 PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING - 3 semester hours
For Business Majors only. This course is designed to cover the basic concepts of marketing management in consumer and industrial markets, and the formulation of marketing strategies relating to products, channels of distribution, promotion, and price. The course seeks to promote a managerial approach to solving marketing problems and reviews the fundamental marketing institutions, with an awareness of ethical considerations and the global environment.
Prerequisites: Completion of the Pre-Business Phase requirements or equivalent.
COBU 302 ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT - 3 semester hours
For Business Majors only. This course provides an overview of the many aspects of managing organizations. Emphasis will be placed on management processes, human behavior in organizations and applications of classroom knowledge to actual challenges facing managers. The application of management concepts will be practiced using such activities as case studies, team projects, decision 461 making exercises, presentations, and active in-class discussion of current management issues.
Prerequisite(s): Completion of the Pre-Business Phase requirements.
COBU 303 BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEMS- 3 semester hours
This course will examine common operational-level organizational processes to provide an understanding of the nature of such processes and the role of data and information systems in facilitating and integrating organizational processes. It focuses on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems and the role they play in modern organizations. Students will gain an understanding of ERP Systems from both functional (business process) and ERP software-based implementation perspectives. The following business process software modules will be covered: Software Navigation; Sales and distribution (SD)--Order to Cash, Procure to Pay; Financial Accounting (FI); Financial Control (CO); Human Capital Management (HCM).
Prerequisites: COBU 201 and COBU 202
COBU 305 OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT - 3 semester hours
This course provides a general introduction to operations management. Operations management is the design and control of business processes, that is, the recurring activities of a firm. The aim of the course is to provide the student with an understanding of the: (1) major operational problems and issues that confront modern-day managers, (2) language, concepts, insights and tools to deal with these issues in order to gain competitive advantage through operations, and 3) introduction to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and management practices that include: review of Sales and Distribution (SD), Material Management (MM); Production Planning (PP); Warehouse Management (WM); Project Systems (PS) and Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) processing using specialized and in-demand software.
Prerequisite: COBU 303. Prerequisites must have been completed with a grade of C or better. This course must be completed with a minimum grade of C to meet the requirements of a business major.
COBU 306 BUSINESS ANALYTICS – 3 semester hours
This course is designed as an introduction to Business Analytics. It covers managerial statistical tools in descriptive analytics and predictive analytics, including regression. Other topics covered include forecasting, risk analysis, simulation, data mining, and decision analysis. The course provides students with fundamental concepts and tools needed to understand the emerging role of business analytics in organizations. It shows students how to apply basic business analytics tools in a spreadsheet environment and how to communicate with analytics tools to effectively use and interpret analytic models and results for better business decision-making. Emphasis would be placed on concepts, applications and interpretation of results, rather than theory and computations. Students will use computer software packages for data analysis.
Prerequisite: COBU 260 or permission of the instructor.
COBU 400 ORGANIZATIONAL POLICY AND STRATEGY - 3 semester hours
For Business Majors only. This is the capstone business course. This course is designed to probe the interrelationships of the functional areas within an organization. Students will apply management skills and processes to integrate these areas, make decisions and formulate policies to accomplish organizational goals. A project is an important part of the course that allows students to apply and demonstrate these skills.
Prerequisites: May only be taken in the final semester of the senior year or with permission of the Management & Marketing Department Chair.
COBU 406 BUSINESS ANALYTICS II - 3 semester hours
This course is designed as a more advanced course in Business Analytics. In this course, students will explore the capabilities and limitations challenges of data-driven business decision-making. The course will integrate specialized tools such as SAP HANA and S4/HANA cloud platform to simplify business analytics at a data model and user level, and to deliver big data processing and reporting for business decision-making. Students will learn to use these tools to handle transactional as well as non-traditional data, such as social media information, consumer preferences, and other contextual information to compile a complete and more realistic picture of a business and its customers. Among others, the enterprise reporting generated with the tools is expected to provide a competitive advantage to the enterprise in order to stay ahead of the market.
Prerequisite: COBU 306
COBU 410 GLOBAL BUSINESS PERSPECTIVES - 3 semester hours
This course provides an analysis of major global challenges that affect businesses. The course focus will be on cultural, economic and political environment of global firms. This course will also explore multiple functional areas of global businesses, specifically the areas of marketing, human resources, finance, information technology and accounting.
Prerequisite: COBU 300, COBU 301 and COBU 302
COBU 415 SPECIAL TOPICS IN SERVICE LEARNING - 2 semester hours
This course is designed to (1) inform students about the historical importance of business professionals’ engagement in community and civic service to minority communities, in particular, and to improve society as a whole, and to (2) engage students in group service-learning activities that enable them to utilize their business skills to benefit society. Students will be assigned to one or more organizations that are committed to resolving a pressing a social issue and assist the organization(s) with creating a specific deliverable or solving a specific problem. At the end of the course, students will produce a report summarizing their activity and articulating the importance of service leadership and giving back to society throughout their career(s).
Prerequisite: COBU 300, COBU 301 and COBU 302
BUSINESS PHASE
The Business phase also consists of 60 credit hours of course work primarily focusing on courses in the student’s chosen major. The curriculum for the Business Phase varies across majors. The curricular requirements are described under the respective departments.
