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Undergraduate Carroll School of Management
Mission Statement
Founded as the College of Business Administration at Boston College in 1938, and later named the Carroll School of Management, in honor of a distinguished alumnus, the school identifies its mission in these terms:
The Carroll School of Management educates undergraduates preparing for careers in management, graduate students aspiring to greater responsibilities in a complex global economy, and practitioners and executives seeking renewed vision and new skills for that economy. Vigorous teaching, learning, and research that advances business theory and enhances management practice are crucial means to these ends. Our current efforts are a partnership of students, faculty, staff, the business community, and the broader academic community. We seek and value the support and counsel of our alumni and the wider business community. We aspire to be an effective and caring organization for our immediate community, and we strive to orchestrate all our efforts for the service of the many communities—local, national, and global—that sustain us.
The undergraduate curriculum, which combines a broad liberal arts background with specialized training in a management discipline, prepares students for leadership roles in business and society. The Carroll School of Management provides future managers with a knowledge of the methods and processes of professional management and an understanding of the complex and evolving social system within which they will apply this knowledge.
Philosophy of Undergraduate Education
Managers bear great professional responsibilities. A pervasive concern with the ethical and moral dimension of decision-making informs the undergraduate management curriculum. In outline, the program seeks to:
- instill a humane managerial perspective characterized by high personal and ethical standards
- prepare students with the necessary skills in analytical reasoning, problem solving, decision making, and communication to make them effective contributing leaders and managers in society
- develop a multicultural and global perspective on the interactions within and between organizations and their members
- convey a thorough appreciation of the functional interrelationships among management disciplines
- communicate a clear understanding of the reciprocity of business organizations to the societies in which they operate
- empower students to initiate, structure, and implement learning that leads to self-generated insights and discoveries
- prepare students to use advanced information and control technologies relevant to the management of organizations
We believe that the combination of liberal study and core and specialized business disciplines creates baccalaureate candidates who possess unusual breadth and depth of understanding of management and who will be thoughtful contributors to civic life.
Information for First Year Students
In most ways, the first year in the Carroll School of Management resembles the first year in the College of Arts and Sciences. Carroll School of Management freshmen are expected to focus their study on aspects of the University's Core curriculum (described in the University Policies and Procedures section); the study of courses required in the Management Core, with the exceptions noted below, usually begins in earnest in sophomore year.
All Carroll School freshmen will enroll in MH 100 Portico, a 3-credit course, offered in the fall semester, which combines an introduction to business with ethics and attention to globalization.
During freshman year, CSOM students should also complete the Writing Seminar and the Literature requirement as well as one semester of Calculus (MT 100 or higher) and one semester of Statistics (EC 151). These five courses, or their equivalent via Advanced Placement, along with MI 021 Computers in Management, are indispensable in the first year. Note that there is no necessary sequence for the above mentioned courses; they may be taken in any order, either semester, during the first year.
What other courses should a freshman pursue? If a student has yet to fulfill the language requirement (see elsewhere in this section for the variety of ways in which it can be satisfied), language study is in order. Note that students contemplating study abroad, and cognizant of the increasingly global nature of business, are well advised to hone existing language skills and consider beginning study of another language. Proficiency in several languages constitutes a significant advantage for aspiring business people. Boston College's international programs include a number of programs—from Scandinavia to the Pacific Rim—which are especially attractive for Carroll School students.
Freshmen should also consider enrolling in one of the University's hallmark programs, PULSE and Perspectives, which fulfill both the Philosophy and the Theology Core requirements. Perspectives, with the exception of one sophomore section, is restricted to freshmen; PULSE may be taken at any time except senior year.
Other possibilities for freshman year include the Modern History sequence, the two-semester Principles of Economics sequence, and a pair of science courses.
While the preceding remarks capture a range of possibilities, even greater possibilities await a student possessed of advanced placement, transfer, or international baccalaureate credit. Such students should consult carefully with the Associate Dean and their faculty orientation advisor in crafting a plan of study for first year.
The Management Core Courses
- 1 MH 100 Portico (freshman, fall)
- 1 EC 131 Principles of Economics I–Micro (freshman or sophomore)
- 1 EC 132 Principles of Economics II–Macro (freshman or sophomore)
- 1 MI 021 Computers in Management (freshman or sophomore)
- 1 MA 021 Financial Accounting (sophomore or spring, freshman year)
- 1 MA 022 Managerial Accounting (sophomore)
- 1 MD 235 Math for Management (sophomore)
- 1 EC 151 Statistics (freshman year, either fall or spring)
- 1 MJ 021 Introduction to Law (sophomore or junior)
- 1 MB 021 Organizational Behavior (sophomore or junior)
- 1 MD 021 Operations Management (junior)
- 1 MF 021 Basic Finance (junior)
- 1 MK 021 Basic Marketing (junior)
- 1 MB 099 Strategic Management (formerly MD 099 Strategy and Policy) (senior)
- 4–6 CSOM concentration courses (junior, senior)
- 2–6 Electives (may be taken in any year with the proviso that at least 12 credits must be completed within Arts and Sciences.)
With the exception of MB 099 Strategic Management (formerly MD 099 Strategy and Policy), all Management Core courses usually are completed by the end of the junior year. Students who have transferred, who have done a semester or a year abroad, or who have had deficiencies may have to modify their schedules somewhat.
Beginning with the class of 2016, students who enroll in an Arts and Sciences minor may reduce, by one, their Management Core courses; note that not all courses are eligible for this reduction. Students who pursue an Arts and Sciences major may reduce their Management Core by two courses, with exceptions. Students who wish to pursue one of these options must consult with the Associate Dean’s office.
The prerequisites, which are listed in the individual course descriptions, must be followed.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Beginning with the class of 2014, Boston College has restated its degree requirements in terms of credits rather than courses. Beginning with the class of 2014, a Carroll School of Management student must complete at least 114 credits to earn the bachelor's degree. Beginning with the class of 2016, all students must complete 120 credits for graduation.
Members of the class of 2013 must complete 38 three-credit courses. Particular requirements for gaining those credits, or compiling those courses, are stated elsewhere in this section.
To continue enrollment in a full-time program of study, a student must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 1.5 as the minimum standard of scholarship and must not fall more than six credits behind the total number of credits a student of their status is expected to have completed. For example, a first semester sophomore student must have completed at least twenty-four credits during the freshman year. Any student who is permitted by the dean to continue enrollment in a full-time undergraduate program is considered to be in good standing.
Failure to maintain good standing either through a low cumulative grade point average or by incurring excessive deficiencies including failures, withdrawals, or unapproved underloads will result in the student's being placed on probation, or being required to withdraw, as the Academic Standards Committee or the Dean shall determine.
A student on probation may return to good standing by approved methods (e.g., make-up of credits via approved summer school work; students may make up no more than nine credits in summer study.) A student who incurs additional failures or withdrawals, or carries an unapproved underload while on probation, may be required to withdraw from the School at the time of the next review.
Arts and Sciences Majors
Students who have a very strong interest in an area in Arts and Sciences may complete a major in the College of Arts and Sciences by careful use of their electives. For example, it is possible to graduate with a concentration in Finance and a major in Philosophy or History. Students interested in this option should contact the Carroll School of Management Undergraduate Associate Dean and the department chairperson in the College of Arts and Sciences as early in their studies as possible.
Pre-Medical Studies
Carroll School students are also eligible to pursue a pre-medical course of study in addition to their management curriculum.
International Study
Studying and living in another country enables students to broaden their horizons and experience a different culture, and Carroll School of Management students are encouraged to spend at least a semester studying abroad, usually during junior year. During the spring semester of freshman year, the Dean’s Office sponsors an annual program for management students interested in studying abroad; a subsequent fall semester program for first semester sophomores complements the first year program. All students interested in international study should visit the Office of International Programs early in their sophomore year and then the CSOM Undergraduate Associate Dean.
The Office of International Programs administers a growing number of programs for Boston College. Carroll School of Management students may avail themselves of opportunities for study in excellent institutions in the Pacific Rim, continental Europe and the United Kingdom, South America, and Eastern Europe, among others. See elsewhere in this Catalog for a full listing.
Students in the Honors Program, students with two concentrations, transfer students, and other students with special circumstances should plan their schedules carefully. Students in the Honors Program should seek advice on planning from the Honors Program Director. In order to receive permission to study abroad, students typically need a 3.2 grade point average.
Special Programs
Management Honors Program
The Honors Program has as its goal the development of professional skills and leadership ability in the organizational world.
Students are invited to join the Honors Program as entering freshmen. Students wishing to be considered for admission to the Honors Program after freshman year must have a Dean’s List average for freshman year, exhibit an ability to work well with others, and desire to develop abilities by being involved in the functions associated with the program. Interested students should contact the Honors Program Director for information about application. Throughout the program, a participant is expected to remain on the Dean’s List and actively participate in planning and executing program functions.
Honors students enroll in Honors sections of Management Core courses, take a special course in Advanced Statistics and complete two courses—MH 126 Management Communication Skills and MH 199 Senior Honors Thesis—above and beyond the Carroll School graduation requirements.
Pre-Professional Studies for Law
Pre-Law students need clear reasoning power, a facility for accurate expression, a mature balance of judgment, and the ability to appreciate the moral, social, and economic problems related to the administration of justice in modern society. The Carroll School of Management offers an ideal opportunity to develop these qualities both through the Liberal Arts Core and specialized management courses, notably those case style courses which place a premium on analytical powers and a capacity in both oral and written expression.
Carroll School students interested in law should contact Dom DeLeo, Director of Alumni, Career Services, in the Career Center, and the University's prelaw advisor.
The Ethics Initiative
In addition to MH 100 Portico, many regular Carroll School of Management courses integrate ethical issues in business and management. Elective courses in accounting, marketing, law, and operations are focused on ethical issues specific to those disciplines.
The Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics offers annual lecture, seminar, and workshop programs on ethics and leadership for undergraduate students.
Special Interest
A course of special interest to CSOM sophomores is listed below.
MM 010 Perspectives on Management (Spring: 3)
Cross Listed with UN 010
This course provides Boston College sophomores with an excellent opportunity
to explore the functional disciplines of business from a real world perspective.
Using a combination of lectures, case studies, readings and outside speakers,
the course introduces each of the management disciplines as well as provides
views on careers in each of these areas. The course will also provide students
a framework to explore and discuss cross-functional issues that affect business
strategy and execution.