Degree Offered
- Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
Nature of the Program
The Organizational Leadership major will introduce students to leadership theory and practice, organizational behavior and teams, the ethical dimensions of leadership and decision making, how to lead organizational change, and how to handle conflict and negotiation.
Vision: To be the national leader in developing principled, knowledgeable, adaptable, and innovative leaders with strong business acumen for non-profit, public and private organizations.
Strategy: Leaders see the big picture and how to move the pieces to get there. With strong business acumen, be ready to lead non-profit, public and private organizations. Engage in conversation about leadership theories, organizational change, ethical leadership, youth leadership, and conflict management.
Strengths: Explore organizational behavior and teams. Become a Self-Leader and learn your personal talents and develop them into strengths. Practice identifying strengths in others and how to lead them effectively.
Service Impact: This is business with a heart. Dive into nonprofit leadership. Understand the importance of corporate social responsibility. Learn about board development and interact with our outstanding advisory council members.
Administration
Program Coordinator
- Kelly Nix - PhD
Faculty
Chair
- Michael F. Walsh - Ph.D. (University of Pittsburgh)
Professor
- Jeff Houghton - Ph.D. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)
Teaching Associate Professor
- Kelly Nix, Ph.D. (West Virginia University) - Program Coordinator
- Frank DeMarco - MBA (West Virginia University)
Admissions for 2025-2026
For specific information regarding the admissions requirements for First Time Freshmen to the John Chambers College of Business and Economics, please visit Chambers admissions.
Students who are direct admitted to the major as first-time freshmen must possess an overall university GPA of at least 2.5 and have completed the course prerequisites listed in the table below with minimum grade of C-, unless otherwise noted, to be eligible to enroll in upper-division course work.
Students who are not direct admitted to the major (i.e. Business) will declare the major during the semester in which they satisfy the course prerequisites listed below. Applicants also must possess an overall GPA of at least 2.5 to be considered for admission to the major.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT 201 | Principles of Accounting 1 | 3 |
| BCOR 121 | Introduction to Business Applications | 2 |
| ECON 201 & ECON 202 | Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics | 6 |
| ECON 225 | Elementary Business and Economics Statistics | 3 |
| or STAT 211 | Elementary Statistical Inference | |
| Choose one of the following: | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
| Accelerated Academic Writing | ||
| MATH 124 | Algebra with Applications | 3 |
| Total Hours | 20-23 | |
Major Code: 2155
Organizational Leadership Program Requirements
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Degree Requirements
To qualify for the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration students must meet the following criteria:
- Complete a minimum of 120 credit hours.
- Possess an overall GPA of 2.0.
- Possess a minimum GPA of 2.0 for all major courses (i.e. ACCT, ENTR, LDR, MANG, and ORGL), calculated using all attempted GPA hours unless excluded by the D/F repeat policy.
- The John Chambers College of Business and Economics accepts all baccalaureate transferable course work completed at public and private colleges in West Virginia and other regionally accredited institutions. Since the College is AACSB accredited, upper-division courses (courses equivalent to 300/400 level at WVU) must be evaluated by the Dean or designee before they may count toward business core, major core and major restricted electives in the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration or Bachelor of Science in Economics program.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | 34 | |
| Program Requirements | 23 | |
| Business Core Requirements | 33 | |
| Organizational Leadership Major Requirements | 30 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
| Outstanding GEF Requirements 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8 | 16 | |
| BCOR 191 | First-Year Seminar | 1 |
| General Electives | 17 | |
| Total Hours | 34 | |
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT 201 | Principles of Accounting 1 (Minimum grade of C-) | 3 |
| BCOR 121 | Introduction to Business Applications (Minimum grade of C-) | 2 |
| ECON 201 | Principles of Microeconomics (Minimum grade of C-; may fulfill GEF 4) | 3 |
| ECON 202 | Principles of Macroeconomics (Minimum grade of C-; may fulfill GEF 8) | 3 |
| Select one of the following (Minimum Grade of C-; may fulfill GEF 1): | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
| Accelerated Academic Writing | ||
| Select one of the following (Minimum grade of C-; may fulfill GEF 8): | 3 | |
| Elementary Business and Economics Statistics | ||
| Elementary Statistical Inference | ||
| MATH 124 | Algebra with Applications (Minimum grade of C-; may fulfill GEF 3) | 3 |
| Total Hours | 23 | |
Business Core Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ENTR 102 | Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| BCOR 199 | Introduction to Business | 3 |
| BCOR 299 | Business Communication (Fulfills Writing and Communication Skills Requirement) | 3 |
| BCOR 320 | Legal Environment of Business | 3 |
| BCOR 330 | Information Systems and Technology | 3 |
| BCOR 340 | Principles of Finance | 3 |
| BCOR 350 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| BCOR 360 | Supply Chain Management | 3 |
| BCOR 370 | Principles of Management | 3 |
| BCOR 380 | Business Ethics | 3 |
| BCOR 460 | Contemporary Business Strategy | 3 |
| Total Hours | 33 | |
Organizational Leadership Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Possess a minimum GPA of 2.0 for all major courses calculated using all attempted GPA hours unless excluded by the D/F repeat policy. | ||
| LDR 201 | Principles of Leadership (minimum grade of C-) | 3 |
| HRMG 470 | Conflict Management | 3 |
| MANG 422 | Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| MANG 480 | Corporate Social Responsibility | 3 |
| ORGL 305 | Leader Self-Development | 3 |
| ORGL 310 | Leadership and Ethical Decision Making Skills | 3 |
| ORGL 320 | Theories of Leadership and Organizational Change | 3 |
| ORGL 410 | Youth Leadership Development | 3 |
| ORGL 420 | Nonprofit Leadership | 3 |
| ORGL 491 | Professional Field Experience | 3 |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BCOR 191 | 1 | ACCT 201 | 3 |
| BCOR 199 | 3 | ECON 201 (GEF 4) | 3 |
| BCOR 121 | 2 | ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| ENTR 102 | 3 | GEF (Choose from F2, F5, F6, F7 or F8) | 3 |
| MATH 124 (GEF 3) | 3 | Minor or General Elective | 3 |
| GEF (Choose from F2, F5, F6, F7 or F8) | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ECON 202 (GEF 8) | 3 | BCOR 299 | 3 |
| ECON 225 (GEF 8) | 3 | BCOR 330 | 3 |
| ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 | BCOR 340 | 3 |
| LDR 201 | 3 | BCOR 370 | 3 |
| GEF (Choose from F2, F5, F6, F7 or F8) | 3 | GEF (Choose from F2, F5, F6, F7 or F8) | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BCOR 350 | 3 | BCOR 320 | 3 |
| ORGL 305 | 3 | BCOR 360 | 3 |
| ORGL 310 | 3 | MANG 422 | 3 |
| Minor or General Electives | 3 | ORGL 320 | 3 |
| GEF (Choose from F2, F5, F6, F7 or F8) | 3 | GEF (Choose from F2, F5, F6, F7 or F8) | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BCOR 380 | 3 | BCOR 460 | 3 |
| HRMG 470 | 3 | MANG 480 | 3 |
| ORGL 420 | 3 | ORGL 410 | 3 |
| Minor or General Electives | 6 | ORGL 491 | 3 |
| Minor or General Electives | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total credit hours: 120 | |||
Major Learning Outcomes
Organizational Leadership
- Leadership Skill Development--Graduates will be have the skills necessary to lead others.
- Ethical Thinking- Graduates will demonstrate the values, ethics, and principles necessary to be a good leader.
- Leading Organizational Change - Graduates will be able to lead organizational change efforts.
- Team Building-Graduates will be able to deal with the dynamics of individuals and teams within organizations and to motivate, lead, and inspire employees toward achieving organizational goals.
- Conflict Resolution-Graduates will be able to lead negotiations and resolve conflict