Business and Management

Return to: Departments

SBMS Undergraduate Student Affairs Center
Richard T. Doermer School of Business and Management Sciences

Neff Hall 366 ~ 260-481-6472 ~ www.ipfw.edu/bms 

Academic programs leading to degrees in business address the growing need for broadly education peole who have demonstrated high levels of competence in the theories, concepts, and skills of commerce. The Associate of Science and bachelor of Science business programs are founded on the principle that a university education for business provides the best preparation for successful careers in today’s and tommorrow’s dynamic, rapidly changing economic environment.

Course Waivers

You may be eligible for waivers of course requirements based upon academic courses taken as part of your bachelor’s program if those courses were completed within the past five calendar years.

Special Academic Regulations for Students in Undergraduate Business Programs

Following are the general policies and procedures for students enrolled in business undergraduate programs. In addition to the policies of IPFW (see Part 8), these are intended to maintain the historically high academic standards of undergraduate business programs at IPFW.

Regulations Applying to All Business Undergraduates

The Student’s Responsibility

You are responsible for satisfying the graduation requirements specified for your selected program. Thus, it is essential that you develop a thorough understanding of the required courses, academic policies, and procedures governing your academic career. All requests for exceptions to specific  requirements must be made in writing and may be granted only by written approval from the appropriate chair or dean.

Academic Renewal Option

The school participates in the Academic Renewal Option for eligible students returning to IPFW after an absence of five or more years. Information about this option appears in Part 8 of this Bulletin.

Maximum Enrollment

The maximum number of credits for which you may enroll during a regular semester is 21. If you wish to enroll for more than 17 credits during a regular semester or more than 6 during a summer session, you must (1) have attained at least sophomore standing and (2) have earned a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher. If you qualify and desire to enroll for more than 17 credits during a semester, you must have your status verified and your request approved by your advisor.

Overlapping Courses

You may not count toward graduation any courses or sequences considered to have overlapping content. A list of overlapping courses appears in Part 4 of this Bulletin under the College of Arts and Sciences.

Pass/Not-Pass Grades

This option is available only for courses considered to be elective. You may take up to two courses each semester for a grade of P/NP with a maximum of two such courses each academic year (fall, spring, and summer). You may apply a maximum of 12 credits of pass/not-pass grades toward a bachelor’s degree or a maximum of 6 credits toward an associate degree.

Credit by Self-Acquired Competency

IPFW business programs do not award credit for self-acquired competency (experiential credit). Credit awarded on this basis, regardless of its sources, will not apply toward IPFW business degrees.

Academic Probation

You are on academic probation upon completion of a semester or summer session in which you fail to earn a semester GPA of 2.00 or higher. Your university grade report will serve as notification of your probationary status.

Academic Dismissal

You are dismissed from the degree program immediately upon completion of a semester or summer session that results in your cumulative GPA falling below 2.00. Dismissal will not necessarily be preceded by a formal warning, especially if your prior academic work does not indicate a critical situation. Upon verification of your ineligible status, you will be formally notified and given an adequate amount of time to withdraw from any classes for which you are ineligible. Following that, you will be administratively dropped from the specified class(es).

Application for the Degree

At least two weeks before you register for the semester or summer session during which you will complete all requirements for your program, you must inform the school of your intention to graduate. Degree application forms and related instructions are available at the school’s Undergraduate Student Affairs Center, Neff 366. Unless you have submitted a degree application by this deadline, your records will not be audited for graduation and you cannot register as a degree candidate.

Additional Regulation Applying to Undergraduates in the A.S.B. Program

Time Limit for Completion of A.S.B.

It is the school’s intention that you possess the most current knowledge and skills when you complete the A.S.B. Because of this, you are allowed a maximum of eight regular semesters (four calendar years) to complete this degree. This begins with the semester you are regularly admitted to IPFW. If more than eight regular semesters have elapsed since your admission, you will be required to meet the degree requirements specified in the most current IPFW Bulletin.

Additional Regulations Applying to Undergraduates in the B.S.B. Program

Transfer Credit.

If you transfer from another school to IPFW, you will be granted credit toward a business degree only for courses considered to be equivalent to IPFW courses required in the business programs.

Generally, courses in basic business and economics subjects (freshman- and sophomore-level courses) will be accepted as equivalent only if they are being transferred from regionally accredited institutions.

Courses in advanced business and economics subjects that you have taken at another school during your freshman or sophomore years generally will not be accepted as equivalent to business or economics courses that are available to only juniors and seniors at IPFW. These may be used only as elective credit.

Courses in advanced business and economics subjects that you have taken as a junior or senior within the last four calendar years will be considered equivalent only if the business degree program from which they transfer is accredited by the International Association for Management Education (AACSB).

Requests for equivalency validation of 300/400-level business and economics courses will be considered only after you have been formally admitted to the B.S.B. program and you have provided the SBMS Student Affairs Center (Neff 366) with an official copy of your Indiana University credit-transfer report. Forms for requesting transfer-course equivalency are available at this location.

At least 50 percent of required business and economics credits must be completed at IPFW.

Correspondence Study.

No more than 6 credits earned through correspondence study will be counted toward your undergraduate degree. Business or economics courses taken by correspondence will not apply to undergraduate business degrees. You will not be permitted to enroll for credit in a correspondence-study course during any semester in which you are enrolled for 15 or more credits.

Credit by Examination.

Under very limited circumstances and subject to the following policies, you may be permitted to earn credit by means of a special examination:

1. Credit examinations are not provided for business or economics courses numbered 300 and above.
2. In all cases, your eligibility for a credit examination (for business courses numbered below 300); the type of examination; testing procedures, date, time, and location; and evaluation of your performance are the decision of the appropriate IPFW business or economics department. The decision of the department is final.
3. Credits earned by examination cannot exceed 10 percent of your total degree requirements.
4. You may attempt an authorized credit examination only once.
5. Only those examination scores that equate to a C grade or better will be considered. Only the grade S will be reported for credit earned by examination.

Use of Physical Education Credits.

You may use a maximum of 4 credits of physical education (HPER) courses as elective credits. Grades earned are included in your cumulative GPA.

Time Limit.

To ensure that you will be professionally competitive with other members of your graduating class, you may complete the degree requirements specified in the Bulletin in effect at the time you were formally admitted to the degree program only if

• Progress toward your degree objective has been continuous. If you have not registered for degree-applicable courses as an IPFW business major for a period of one calendar year, you will be considered as not progressing toward your original degree objective. Subsequently, if you qualify for re-entry to an undergraduate business program at IPFW, you must satisfy the admission and degree requirements specified in the IPFW Bulletin that includes your year of re-entry.
• No more than four years have elapsed since your admission to the business degree program. If more than four years have elapsed, your cumulative academic record will be reviewed by the appropriate business or economics department, and you will be required to meet the degree criteria specified in the current IPFW Bulletin. This may result in your having to repeat those courses in which the original content is determined to be outdated.
• The necessary courses or degree programs are available. If the courses that were required at the time of your formal admission to the business degree program are no longer available, you must complete the current replacements for those courses. Should these newer courses require prerequisites you have not taken, you must also enroll for these prerequisites in the appropriate sequence.

Arts and Science Minors.

B.S.B. candidates are encouraged to complete the requirements for minors available through the IPFW School of Arts and Sciences (see Part 4). Completion of your minor will be documented on your official transcript. No more than two minors will be shown.

Special Academic Regulations for P.B.A. Students

Performance Standards With the exception of the minimum GPA for retention, P.B.A. students are held to the performance standards specified for students in undergraduate business programs.

Return to: Departments