Dr. Mesfin Bezuneh
Office of the Dean
Wright-Young Hall, Room 326
Telephone: (404) 880-8448

Overview

The genesis of Business Administration at Clark Atlanta University reaches back through several decades. It was recognized early by school personnel and students that effective instruction in the business areas would be a vital cornerstone for progress of those the institution sought to serve. In 1899, Atlanta University professor W.E.B. DuBois authored the “Negro in Business” which provided an important intellectual contribution to the economic policy discussions of that era. In 1931, the first Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Business Administration was offered at the former Clark College, and in 1946 a separate School of Business Administration was established at the former Atlanta University. These two historically black institutions were pioneers in offering business undergraduate and graduate degrees. In those years, about one-fourth of all Masters of Business Administration (MBAs) awarded to black students in the country came from Atlanta University. Meanwhile, the undergraduate program at Clark College continued to grow and soon became the largest department on campus.

Both programs are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and in 1974 the Atlanta University MBA Program was accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB – International). The Atlanta University accreditation was renewed in 1985. In July 1989, the two programs consolidated. In 1995 the undergraduate program received initial accreditation and the graduate program was reaffirmed. The School of Business Administration has been continuously accredited by AACSB – International since 1974.

The mission of the School of Business Administration is to prepare a diverse student population to become managers, entrepreneurs, educators and leaders by providing a quality educational experience grounded in sound and ethical principles that enable graduates to succeed in a complex, dynamic, global environment.

The vision of the School of Business Administration is to be a premier business school for high achieving, critical thinking, entrepreneurial-minded individuals who are prepared to provide innovative solutions to global business challenges.

Student Learning Outcomes for the School of Business Administration

Graduates of the Master’s Degree Programs will be prepared for the following:

1. Leadership – business majors will possess effective interpersonal, analytical and leadership skills, which will result in effective decision-making in a professional business environment.
   1. Students are able to demonstrate understanding of leadership concepts such as managing conflict, negotiation, leadership styles and theories.
   2. Students are able to recognize internal and external environmental factors as they impact leader behavior.
2. Ethics – business majors will possess ethical values and be able to incorporate ethics into effective decision-making.
   1. Students are able to analyze and assess their personal values and ethical beliefs.
   2. Students are able to recognize professional ethical practices within their disciplines.
   3. Students are able to quickly identify various breaches in ethical conduct within their disciplines and know the consequences of such unethical breaches.
3. Communication – business majors will be able to give and exchange information within meaningful contexts and with appropriate delivery and interpersonal skills.
   1. Students are able to produce a quality business document.
   2. Students are able to deliver a professional presentation.
4. Critical Thinking – majors will be able to access information and critically evaluate the information to solve business problems.
   1. Students are able to identify and consider the influence of the context on the issue.
   2. Students are able to identify and evaluate conclusions, implications and consequences.
5. Fundamental Discipline Knowledge – business majors will understand a variety of business concepts to make effective decisions.
   1. Accounting objectives
      1. Students are able to understand and articulate the role of accounting in business.
      2. Students are able to prepare the four basic financial statements (income statement, statement of owner’s equity, balance sheet, and cash flow statement.
      3. Students are able to understand the concepts of opportunity costs, sunk costs, committed costs, direct costs, and indirect costs.
   2. Economic objectives
      1. Students are able to understand the concepts of scarcity, resource allocation and choice.
      2. Students are able to understand the fundamental concepts and theories of macroeconomics in understanding the functioning of the U.S. economics system and its relation to the global economy.
   3. Finance objectives
      1. Students are able to understand the key financial statements, and use them to calculate and interpret the key ratios.
      2. Students are able to demonstrate a conceptual understanding of time value of money (TVM) and cost of capital to make investment decisions.
   4. Management objectives
      1. Students are able to understand and use fundamental concepts and principles of management.
      2. Students are able to understand the impact of major management forces.
   5. Marketing objectives
      1. Students are able to understand the use of appropriate marketing mix variables in decision-making.
      2. Students are able to understand the influences of current consumers and organizational buying decisions.
   6. Quantitative and Information Systems objectives
      1. Students are knowledgeable about the information resources in an organization and are able to apply IT solutions to solve business problems and make informed decisions.
      2. Students are able to develop skills in formulating quantitative business models to support decision-making, operation strategy and business applications.
6. Globalization – business majors will develop an awareness of the factors that impact international business.
   1. Students are able to understand the major cultural, legal, economic and political factors that influence international business.
   2. Students understand how to assess opportunity and operate a business in the global market.
7. Technology – business majors will understand and utilize basic information technology concepts while using appropriate information to solve business problems:
   1. Students are able to understand the roles of information technology within and across the organization.
   2. Students are able to understand and utilize hardware and software components of a computer system.
   3. Students are able to use industry-standard business resources to gather information.
   4. Students are able to transfer financial and business data to business software applications.

Programs of Study

The School of Business Administration offers the following graduate degree programs:

• Master of Arts in Accounting (30 Credits)
• Full-time MBA (45 Credits)
• Working Professional MBA (36 Credits)
• Master of Arts in Economics (33 Credits)

Scholarships

Merit-based scholarships for the first year of study are open to students with outstanding admission credentials. The number of university funded scholarships available is limited. In addition, a limited number of corporate scholarships with varying award amounts are available. Deadline for award of these merit-based scholarships is April 1st.

Transfer Credit

Students may transfer in a maximum of six (6) credits of graduate courses. Students seeking transfer credit must have earned minimum final grades of "B'' in the course(s) in question. Each proposed course must be equivalent to a graduate course offered by the School of Business Administration and must have been earned at an institution accredited by the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) or as determined by the Department Chair and Dean of the School of Business. Requests for consideration for transfer credit must be submitted in writing to the Office of the Dean and accompanied by official academic transcripts (received directly from the Registrar’s Office of the awarding institution).

Placement

The Career and Professional Development Center offers students opportunities to explore and prepare for a wide variety of business activities. This office advises students on resume preparation, development of interviewing skills, and a wide variety of personal and professional development issues. The placement process schedules corporate receptions, information sessions, and on-campus interviews for students. Annually several major firms recruit on campus through career fairs where students are able to experience a spectrum of business opportunities and to present their strengths and make informed choices regarding careers.