Frequently Asked Questions

The Frequently Asked Questions page is designed to help students find answers to any question they have about School of Business advising. The questions are updated by advisors and kept current to make sure you can find the important information when you need it. You can also submit your own question and get a personal response.

Click on any of the topics below to see questions and then click on the question to see the answer. You can also use or site search feature to look for a keyword related to your question, such as "degree".

Business Requirements

  • Do I have to earn a "C" or better in every business course I take? No; you must, however, earn an average of 2.00 or better in all business courses taken to earn your business degree. Therefore, if you earn a "D" in one three hour course and earn a "B" in another three hour course, your business gpa would be 2.00 (which is acceptable).
  • How do I gain admission into the Business School? Click here for Farmer School of Business admission details.
  • Must I earn a "C" or better in MTH 151? No, a D- or better is acceptable and will fulfill the requirement.
  • What courses fulfill the Business Diversity requirement?  Click Here 
  • When should I take a business course; may I take junior business courses before my junior year? In general, business course numbers reflect the first year in which they should be taken (100 are freshmen and above level courses and 200- sophomore, 300- junior, 400-senior). It is more important, however, that the student meet the prerequisite courses as noted in the respective course descriptions. Most 300 level business courses are restricted to students who have been fully admitted to the business school and/or are declared in the respective minor or thematic sequence.
  • Why can’t I register for BUS 101/102 or CSE 148? To access these courses, you must be a declared business major. To declare, visit 1022 FSB and complete a Change of Major form.
  • Can I get credit for an internship? An internship is an excellent opportunity to gain professional experience.   It will be a great addition to your resume and to discuss in job interviews. To receive academic credit for an internship, you will work with the chair or chief departmental advisor of your major. You will enroll in the professional practice course (i.e. MKT 330 if you’re a Marketing major, ECO 330 if you’re an Economics major, etc.) for one credit hour and are required to pay Miami University tuition. The course requires an additional academic component, such as a related research paper, to earn credit. See your chair or chief departmental advisor for more information.
  • Are scholarships available to FSB students? During the first year, all scholarship information is administered through the Office of Student Financial Assistance. Some departments have scholarship money available to upper-level students in their major. Check with your department for more information.

General Questions

  • How can I change my major? If you are in the business school, simply come to 1022 FSB and complete a change of major form.   In most cases you need only complete the form and submit.  For some majors, you may need to also gain the signature of a major advisor.
  • I have scheduling problems and/or did not get all the classes that I requested; how do I get into business classes which are full? Unlike other divisions of the university, the business school handles "force-adds" centrally within each department; business faculty do not handle force-adds for their own classes. To add a closed class, visit the Force-Add Procedures page for more information.
  • What courses may I take on a credit/no credit basis? Business students may take most Miami Plan courses and all non-business electives on a credit/no credit basis. All business courses and any courses used to fulfill core and major requirements (whether they are business or outside of business, i.e., COM 135, MTH 151, CSA courses - for MIS majors, COM choices for MGT majors) must be taken for a grade. Additionally, course work taken toward completion of a minor must be taken for a grade.
  • How do I register for courses now that BannerWeb is closed? For a course that has available seats, complete a Change of Schedule Form and submit it to the Registrar’s Office in the Campus Avenue Building. It does not require a signature of the instructor if seats remain. If the course is full, you will need to force add the course. For courses outside the FSB, contact the department or instructor of the course to determine the process.  
  • How do I run my DAR? See instructions here.
  • Can I register for more than 20 credit hours? You need to get permission for excess hours from the Student Services Offices, 1022 FSB. This form is a request for excess hours and may or may not be approved. There are specific criteria under which a student would qualify for excess hour permission.

Miami Plan

  • I see that some courses may fulfill more than one area of the Miami Plan foundation; may I use a course in more than one area? In groups I through V of the Miami Plan a course may be used only once. A course may be used in any area in which it applies, but may not be used in more than one area. A course may “double dip” and satisfy the cultures and/or historical perspective and may fulfill one of the I through V groups concurrently.
  • May I take a thematic sequence course or a capstone course on a credit/no credit basis? If the thematic sequence course is not a business course - yes; since your capstone course must be a business course, it must be taken for a grade.
  • What is my capstone requirement? Actually, all business majors have two capstone requirements; one for the Miami Plan for Liberal Education and one for the School of Business. All School of Business capstones (which are identified in the core on the DARS) are also Liberal Education capstones. One course chosen from the list of business capstones will fulfill both capstone requirements.
  • Which capstone course should I choose? Most students are eligible for all capstones. Most only have the business core as the prerequisite. Each course is anticipated to have students from all majors (even non-FSB majors); select the one that most interests you. All students are encouraged to have more than one choice, however, as enrollment in the first choice cannot be guaranteed.

Thematic Sequence

  • How do I declare a Thematic Sequence? You would complete a "Change of Major" form to declare the sequence and obtain the department designee's signature then submit to the Dean's/Advising Office for the division/school/college where the department is housed.
  • How may I fulfill the thematic sequence requirement? The university currently offers over 100 different thematic sequences; a business student may select any thematic sequence which is offered in a non-business department. . A student may also fulfill the thematic sequence requirement by completing a minor outside the School of Business. A second degree (i.e., completing a Bachelor of Science in Business and a Bachelor of Arts) will also complete the thematic sequence requirement. A DSC-2 thematic sequence is also an option for all business majors except MIS.
  • If I complete two majors, is it necessary for me to complete a Thematic Sequence? All business students must complete a thematic sequence outside of the School of Business. Therefore, a student fulfilling two business majors must still complete a thematic sequence outside the School of Business.
  • Can I "double dip" my Thematic Sequence with another requirement? The first course in a Thematic Sequence may be a Foundation course and may count as hours in both Foundation and Thematic Sequence requirements. Should the Thematic Sequence contain more than one Foundation course, only one of those courses can be counted for both requirements.
  • May I complete Thematic Sequence courses on a credit-no credit basis? Yes, but such a decision is irrevocable.
  • May I include cross-listed courses that involve contributions from my department of major (e.g., BOT/MBI/ZOO 116)? Yes, cross-listed courses that are part of sequences are considered outside of all majors and may be used to fulfill the requirement.
  • May I use Advanced Placement credit to complete a portion of the sequence? Yes, AP credit may be used to meet Foundation course requirements, including those which act as the first course in a sequence.
  • May I use transfer credit to meet the sequence requirement? Yes, provided the transfer courses have been deemed equivalent to Miami courses.
  • Should I declare a sequence as soon as possible? Normally, you would begin a sequence second semester of your sophomore year or first semester of your junior year, after you have completed most of your Foundation courses. Some thematic sequences have limits, so you should check with an advisor in the department of the sequence during Sophomore year to be sure. The Department cannot guarantee you will be able to get these courses without already being enrolled in the minor or thematic sequence - you are encouraged to seek another thematic sequence option.
  • What if I want to change my declared sequence? Simply submit a new "Change of Major" form signed by the advisor for your new sequence and your prior declaration will be dropped automatically. Only one sequence will be listed on your academic record. Remember, there must be available space in the new sequence in order for the advisor to allow you to declare it.
  • Where do I get advice about choosing a Thematic Sequence? Your academic adviser and the department contact person for each sequence are the best sources of information.
  • Will my degree audit reflect my progress toward completion of a sequence? Yes, once the thematic sequence is declared.

 

Study Abroad

  • Does study abroad satisfy the international requirement? For students who entered the university prior to Fall 2010, the FSB requires 8 hours of international coursework. This can be satisfied via courses or study abroad.
  • When is the best time to study abroad? Most students study abroad the summer between the sophomore and junior year or during the junior year.   Sophomore year may also work well for most students.  
  • Which classes do I take while studying abroad? It depends on the program. See your academic advisor for help with planning courses.
  • Can I study abroad for a semester and still graduate in 4 years? Yes, definitely. See the Academic Planning portion of the FSB International Study page.

Transfer Courses

  • Can I take a course at another institution? Yes, visit www.transfer.org to find a course that is equivalent to the Miami course. Select Equivalencies by School, Miami University, then the other school. Courses listed on www.transfer.org have already been reviewed and deemed equivalent to Miami courses. Some departments have restrictions on taking courses for the major at other institutions; check with your department.
  • The course I want to take isn’t listed on transfer.org? If a course is not on transfer.org or has an asterisk (DSCT**), it does not have an exact Miami equivalent and would need further review. Pick up a Transfer Credit Evaluation form from 1022 FSB, obtain a copy of the syllabus from the other institution, and meet with the Chief Departmental Advisor for the course you wish to take. He/she will then review the syllabus to determine the equivalent course, if any.
  • Is it bad if I take business courses elsewhere? It is permissible to take business core courses elsewhere. The Farmer School of Business is recognized for our outstanding business education. We offer excellent business courses taught by our top-notch faculty. It’s likely that you chose the Farmer School of Business for these reasons, so take advantage of the high quality education that you receive at Miami and complete your business courses here.
  • Can I take courses online? If the course is listed on www.transfer.org as an equivalent course, you may complete it online.
  • If I take a course elsewhere, what grade do I need to get to transfer it back? A passing grade, D- or better, is required.
  • Will a transfer course factor into my grade point average? No, transfer courses show up on the DAR as TR instead of a letter grade. They will not be factored into the grade point average.  Is there a limit to the number of courses I can transfer in? Yes. All business majors must complete at least 50 percent of their business courses at Miami University. Some departments require that major coursework be completed at Miami; check with your department. For admission, a minimum of 12 hours of business core courses must be completed at Miami.

Still have a questions?

Please contact us or stop by our office in 1022 FSB, and we'll be glad to help.

Last modified on 10/18/12 | Content maintained by Academic Advising