BPS in Business and Management

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Overview

The online Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) in Business and Management program offered by Excelsior University includes coursework in accounting, financial management, marketing, project management, employee relations, leadership, management practice, business communication, and global commerce.

With this flexible business management program, you can transfer credit from other schools and receive more credit for military training and education programs and courses approved by the New York State Board of Regents National College Credit Recommendation Service.

The fully online BPS program is also an attractive option for military spouses, veterans, and DoD civilians who have completed government-sponsored training that’s been evaluated for college credit by ACE.

The program is accredited by the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE).

Course Information

120 credits are required for the Bachelor of Professional Studies.

  • Cornerstone Course
  • Arts and Sciences Component
  • Written English Requirement
  • Humanities:
    • One ethics course
    • Two additional humanities courses
  • Social Sciences/History
  • Natural Sciences/Math
    • College Algebra or Statistics
    • One math elective
    • One natural sciences elective
  • INL 102 Information Literacy

The Professional Component requires of 45 credits.

Professional Core Requirements

Management Concepts and Applications

Sharpen the skills you need to execute the four functions of management (planning, organizing, leading, and controlling) in the workplace. This course introduces the activities involved in strategic management and how to use performance metrics to measure results. Learn how to evaluate an organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and how to conduct competitive analyses. Readings and assignments cover manager roles and job responsibilities, leadership models, staffing, and managing change.

Business Leadership

Explore research findings about leadership, leadership practice, and leadership skill development, evaluate leadership behaviors and personal attributes of leaders, and prepare case studies of leaders in organizations. This course balances theory with real-world applications for a practical, skill-building approach to leadership. Topics include: empowerment of followers, teamwork, diversity in the workforce, rewards, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, and ethics and corporate social responsibility.

Financial Accounting

Do you know how to read a financial statement of a publicly traded company? Does your job require you to report whether you’re above or below the budget for the year? Do your company’s assets cover its expenses and liabilities? In this course, you learn how to manage budgets, read financial statements, and use accounting principles and processes to make business decisions in real-world settings. Gain experience recording common business transactions for service and merchandising proprietorships, and preparing basic journal entries for transactions that affect the balance sheet. Topics include financial statement analysis, accounting information systems, operating decisions, financing, ratio analysis of business performance, and internal control features for cash and accounts/notes receivables transactions.

Introduction to Computers

Increase your knowledge of computer hardware, application software, operating systems, networking, and the World Wide Web. Course material covers topics in information privacy and security, database management, and ethical and legal issues in information technology. Learn how to create documents in Microsoft Word, calculate formulas in Excel spreadsheets, create Access databases, and produce narrated PowerPoint presentations. Become familiar with the business uses of websites, online software services, and social media platforms.

Project Management

Learn the methodologies, tools, and processes used by successful project managers to define, plan, execute, and manage projects. Coursework teaches you how to identify project requirements and develop a project plan that specifies project scope, project features, project staffing, and project deliverables. Study the system development life cycle (SDLC) and project life cycle (PLC), and enhance your budget, scheduling, timeline management, cost and risk analysis, and stakeholder communication skills. Topics include program evaluation review technique (PERT), and the critical path method.

Business and Management Core Requirements

Managing Human Resources

This course covers human resource management, fair employment practices, human resource planning, human resource staffing, performance management, employee development, compensation, and labor relations. Apply personnel management theories to real-world scenarios as you learn about legal issues, job analysis, recruitment and selection practices, employee training and review, salaries and benefits, safety and health regulations in the workplace, and contingency planning.

Marketing Concepts and Applications

Deepen your knowledge of the four Ps (product, price, promotion, and placement), market segmentation and differentiation, the marketing mix, and the product life cycle. Gain experience putting together a comprehensive strategic marketing plan for an organization. Material for this class covers business-to-business (B2B) versus business-to-consumer (B2C) commercial transactions, marketing management, market research methods, product planning, distribution channels, pricing strategies, the promotion of products and services in international markets, and careers in marketing.

Principles of Finance

Get familiar with the discipline of corporate finance in this course that covers: financial statements, cash flow, the time value of money, stock and bond valuation, net present value, risk and return, capital budgeting, the cost of capital, financial forecasting and ratio analysis, working capital management, EVA (economic value added) and MVA (market value added) concepts, and trends in corporate finance. Learn how to determine values across time at various discount rates and calculate time value functions, how to use basic ratio tools to interpret financial statements, and how to analyze and solve capital budgeting problems. Prerequisites: Financial accounting, college algebra and statistics, and proficiency performing calculations in Microsoft Excel.

Organizational Behavior

This writing-enriched course focuses on the behaviors of organizations at the individual, group/team, and organizational levels. Complete two case studies and examine how external and internal forces influence leadership, communication, management, job design, employee motivation, conflict resolution, and inclusion in the workplace. Topics cover domestic and global private, public, and military organizations, and the impact of organizational behavior on the organizational performance.

International Business

Learn how economic, political, legal, ethical, and financial environments affect international business operations. This course introduces the challenges and opportunities that globalization presents to business. Study the influence of cultural differences on business strategies, the impact of governmental policies on international trade and investment, foreign development, transnational management, and diplomacy. Coursework covers the growing economic interdependence of nations and its impact on managerial and corporate policy decisions that transcend national boundaries.

Integrated Business and Management Assessment Capstone

In the capstone for the Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) in Business and Management, you analyze complex management situations to make strategic decisions related to process improvement. This course is open only to BPS students who have completed all other professional component core requirements and most, if not all, of their general education requirements.

Professional Component Electives

Business and management credits other than those earned through core courses are applied to this professional component elective requirement. If you earn more than 45 total credits in business and management subjects, the extra credits may be used to fulfill outstanding free elective requirements.

  • Apply discipline-specific concepts and methodologies to identify, analyze, and solve business problems.
  • Demonstrate desire and commitment to remain current with and adaptive to changing business conditions through continuous learning and self-improvement.
  • Demonstrate independent and critical thinking, function effectively in team-oriented settings, and maintain a high level of performance in a professional business environment.
  • Communicate effectively, orally and in writing, in a professional business environment.
  • Behave ethically and professionally in business and society.
  • Demonstrate and utilize leadership principles in one’s chosen career field.
Learn More

Get Maximum Credit For Prior Learning

Credit for what you already know = lower cost and a shorter path to graduation. Receive credit for a variety of approved previous learning accomplishments, from courses and college-level exams to professional and military training, health care credentials, and industry certifications. Learn More

Learn Now, Pay Later with Deferred Tuition Program

Excelsior offers a deferred tuition program for those utilizing tuition reimbursement or GI Benefits. This means instead of paying at the time of registration or using a payment plan, payment is deferred until after the course is completed. This allows ample time for you to submit your tuition reimbursement paperwork for a refund.

INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITATION 

Excelsior University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. (267-284-5000). The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Excelsior University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. EPCE sponsored technology programs are also ABET accredited. Visit the accreditation page for more details.

All courses are delivered asynchronous and  offered 24/7.

Plan to spend approximately 15-20 hours a week working on a course.

You can get started in January, March, May, June, August and October. See program course schedules here.

Yes, you can receive college credit for a variety of approved previous learning accomplishments using Prior Learning Assessment (PLA). Explore your options with the Excelsior advisor. Excelsior University awards academic credit for accredited college coursework you’ve successfully completed, including military and professional training, certifications, licenses, and exams. Learn how to Start with More Credit.

Visit the tuition page here. If you/your company is not an EPCE member, learn more about becoming an EPCE member company and or individual member.

Contact your Human Resources department to see if courses qualify for your company tuition assistance program.

To get started, you will need to complete the application process . The admissions process typically takes 3 weeks.

Ask an Excelsior Advisor

 Have questions about earning your degree?
Get in touch with Excelsior’s program advisor.

Jane Kelley, Partnership Manager

[email protected]
518.332.5758

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