Frequently Asked Questions

• The sooner you declare a specialization, the sooner you will be assigned a Faculty Advisor in the program of study you have selected. Declare your specialization by completing the Specialization/Minor Change form.

• A minor can be declared by filling out the Specialization/Minor Change form.

• Contact the College Office of your intended new major. You will need a 2.0 GPA and possibly other requirements to transfer from one college to another.

• No, the Schmidthorst College of Business does not require students to have minors.

• A minimum of 120 credit hours is required for graduation, effective fall 2024. At least 40 hours of the total 120 hours must be completed at the 3000/4000 level. Apply for graduation by the end of the second week of the semester in which you plan to graduate.  (Exception: Summer graduates need to apply by the end of the first week of the first 6 weeks.)

• Students who wish to pursue dual degrees, both of which are from different colleges must appeal for permission from the Schmidthorst College of Business and the other college.
• Within the Schmidthorst College of Business, students have 2 degrees to choose from. A Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Economics. Students interested in declaring multiple specializations within the BSBA major are required to fill out the specialization/minor change form.

• During the fall and spring semesters, a student may enroll in a course within seven calendar days from the beginning of classes; fourteen calendar days are allowed for a student to change the grading option or to drop a course with no record on the transcript. During summer term, students may enroll in courses during the first three calendar days of a given session; five calendar days are allowed for a student to change the grading option or drop a course with no record on the transcript. This should be done online at MyBGSU. After these dates exceptions may be granted only by the Dean of the student’s college by completing a Schedule Change Form. The form is located online on the Registration and Records webpage, www. bgsu.edu/registration-records.html#links. For information about withdrawing from a course after the drop date, refer to “Grading Policies” in the Undergraduate Catalog. Students should check their class schedule to ensure changes have been processed.

• You must obtain permission from the Dean of Business. A withdrawal must be submitted through MyBGSU in the Student Center under Academics.  A student who withdraws with permission from the University will have all courses from the semester dropped and no grades recorded, except for courses previously dropped with a “WF" or "F.” A readmission restriction will be imposed for students who withdraw during the last five weeks of the semester. A student is not permitted to withdraw during the final exam period of the fall or spring semesters, or during the last two days of any summer session. Refer to the “Withdraw from the University” section in the Undergraduate Policies, Programs, and Courses

• The grade of D is a passing grade. You may elect to retake the course. Some departments require a C or better to advance in a sequence. There are certain rules that must be fulfilled in retaking the course. Refer to the “Retaking a Course” section in the Undergraduate Policies, Programs, and Courses for further information and also "Quick Links" under Registration and Records website.

• The Undergraduate Policies, Programs, and Courses states: “If a student receives a grade of D, F, I or WF in a course and then receives credit for that course by successful completion of a similar course at another institution, the credit hours and quality points for the first registration will continue to be used in computing the student’s GPA.” Therefore, you don’t have to take the course over at BGSU, but your GPA will not change. Credits are transferable, but not grades.

• Yes. If you stop attending the course without following proper procedures to drop the course or to withdraw from the University, your instructor may assign you an "F." The grade of “F” may also be assigned in the following four circumstances: 
  1. If a student is failing at the time of withdrawal from a course prior to the withdraw (W) deadline; 
  2. If a student withdraws after the W deadline has passed; 
  3. If a student stops attending but does not process an official withdrawal; 
  4. If a student has never attended class but does not officially withdraw from it.

• The instructor of the course has to remove the Incomplete. If the work is completed prior to the deadline (March 1-Fall; August 1-Spring; November 1-Summer) the instructor needs to send a Removal of Incomplete to the Office of Registration and Records.  

• CHECK YOUR SCHEDULE ON MyBGSU! Check for specific classes, making sure you are registered for the section you are attending (M0D1, M0D2, etc.). Check your grading option and number of hours. All corrections must be made before the withdrawal deadline.

• You may take up to 16 credit hours S/U. You may not take any classes required for your major or minor S/U. The 16 hours does not include those courses which are only offered S/U such as WRIT 1110. To receive an S in a course you must attain a C or better to constitute a passing grade.

• Yes. Prior to doing so, check with the Transfer Credit Evaluation Office within the Office of Registration and Records for information about the proper procedure to follow. Be sure to check with your advisor to make sure the class will transfer to the proper course.
• It's important to ensure that all business courses are from an AACSB accredited school. Talk to your advisor or Student Success Coordinator, Lindsay Czech to ensure the class will transfer appropriately to your degree requirements.

• A variety of scholarships are available. Scholarships can be searched through the Office of Student Financial Aid's website.  Most academic departments have scholarships and their applications are available online beginning in the month of January. Check with the specific department secretary for details. Many scholarships are accessible by completing the general application for AcademicWorks.

• Permission for any overload must be obtained from the College Office. Email business@bgsu.edu to request the form. Course registration in excess of 18 hours will result in extra fees. Consult the Bursar’s Office for specific charges.

• To allow a class to count towards degree programs, to dual major across colleges, and a variety of other topics, you can file an appeal by emailing the College Office at business@bgsu.edu and requesting an appeal form. If you want to improve the chances of your appeal being granted, state precisely and succinctly what you want and write clearly and briefly why you think your appeal should be approved. Attach any relevant supporting information, but do not overwhelm the Appeals Board with paper. The Appeals Board will try to give you a prompt answer. Please remember that submission of an appeal does not guarantee approval. Do not presume that it will be approved. An appeal by its nature is a variance from the rule, and there must be good reason for granting it.

While it is not required to have a laptop, the College of Business highly recommends the following laptops and technology hardware and software:

• Windows 10 64-bit or Windows 11 64-bit (Macs and Chromebooks are highly discouraged)
• ITS minimum recommendations (i5 or i7 Intel® Core™ or equivalent processor, 16GB RAM, 3-4 year warranty)
• 500GB hard drive minimum
• Office365 – Desktop Version (Free to BGSU students)

Visit the BGSU student technology guide to learn more. 

• All students are assigned to advisors who work primarily with business students. Students who have a declared area of specialization for their BSBA, are assigned a faculty mentor in that area. If a student does not know the name of the faculty mentor, they can access this information in their MyBGSU Student Center. Professional advisors are available to Schmidthorst College of Business students, pre-business students, students from other colleges, and prospective students. It is the students’ responsibility to contact their faculty mentor or academic advisor. Advisors can be reached at the Academic Advising office, 419-372-8943.

• Students who did not complete 2 years of the same foreign language in high school must complete a foreign language through the 1020 level (e.g. FREN 1020).

• The Schmidthorst College of Business does not require co-ops or internships, but it is strongly recommended that students gain work experience before graduation. Students who are interested in a co-op or internship should contact the Career Center.
  

• To receive credit for work experience, students would need to sign up for the appropriate internship seminar course (ACCT 4890, BA 4890, MIS 4890, or MKT 4890), if offered. We advise students to read the course descriptions in the Undergraduate Catalog for enrollment requirements.  You can register a Co-Op or Internship here: www.bgsu.edu/business/students/current-students/co-op-education-internships/register-internship-or-co-op.html.

• An elective is any course that counts toward the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA). Students should refer to the back of their checksheet for a list of courses that do not count toward the BSBA for their catalog year.

• Enough electives to reach 120 credit hour towards the degree for graduation.  The number depends on number of hours in General requirements, Business Cores and Specialization.

• 2.5 college GPA
• Be Business Calculus Ready:
  • Take the Math Placement test and score 32 or higher
  • Complete College Algebra equivalent 
  • Place into BA 1600 based on high school GPA and ACT/SAT score

• Yes, but a minor, dual specialization or dual degree is not required. To declare a minor or dual specialization, students should go to the College Office. Students are responsible for meeting all additional requirements for the minor or second specialization as shown in the appropriate Undergraduate Catalog. Dual degrees require permission of the deans of both colleges before the end of the junior year, completion of the requirements of both colleges for the degrees sought, and the completion of at least 20 hours of credit beyond the hours required for a single degree.