Program Basics

• • Undergraduate Programs in Business
  • The University of Akron
  • 259 S. Broadway
  • Akron, Ohio
  • 44708
  • United States
  • Program Web site: http://www.uakron.edu/cba/ug
  • Program e-mail address: ugcba@uakron.edu
  • Program phone number: 3309727042
  • Status: Public (state-operated)
• • AACSB accredited: Yes
• • Year in which the undergraduate business program was founded: 1953
• • Institution: Four Year
• • Business Program: Four Year

SCHOOL BASICS

• Enrollment:

  • Total undergraduate: 25,190
  • Full-time undergraduate business: 1,998
  • Part-time undergraduate business: 578
  • Distance undergraduate business: 67
• • College or university freshman retention rate: 72 %

• Percentage of students who graduate from the business program:

  • Within four years of admission to the university: 27 %
  • Within six years of admission to the university: 54 %

• Undergraduate Business Degrees Offered:

  • BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration)
  • BSA (Bachelor of Science in Accountancy)

PROGRAM COSTS

• • Annual Tuition (Resident): $9,245.00
• • Annual Tuition (Non-Resident): $17,168.00
• • Tuition Per Academic Credit (Resident): $385.00
• • Tuition Per Academic Credit (Non-Resident): $715.00
• • Annual Room and Board: $10,515.00
• • Annual Cost of Books: $1,200.00

CLASS PROFILE

• Students in newest entering class that are:

  • Female: 42 %
  • International: 1 %

• Mean and median age of full-time business students in the newest entering class:

  • Mean: 19
  • Median: 18

• Percentage of newest entering class:

  • Top 10% of high school class: 27 %
  • Top 25% of high school class: 53 %
  • GPA of 3.75 or higher: 30 %
  • GPA of 3.5 to 3.74: 31 %

• SAT scores (1600 scale) for the newest entering class of full-time undergraduate business students:

  • Mean: 1111
  • Median: 1085

• Middle 50% range of SAT scores (1600 scale):

  • From: 1084
  • To: 1118

• ACT scores for the newest entering class of full-time undergraduate business students:

  • Mean: 25
  • Median: 25

• Middle 50% range of ACT scores:

  • From: 23
  • To: 27

• Citizenship breakdown for newest entering class:

  • US: 98 %
  • Other Non-US Citizens: 1 %
  • Unknown Citizenship: 1 %

• U.S. citizens in newest entering class:

  • African American: 2 %
  • Asian American: 1 %
  • Hispanic or Latino American: 1 %
  • Multiethnic/Multiracial: 7 %
  • Native American: 0 %
  • White (Non-Hispanic): 88 %
  • Other: 1 %

• Regional breakdown of U.S. citizens in newest entering class:

  • Northeast: 1 %
  • Mid-Atlantic: 2 %
  • Midwest: 97 %

ADMISSIONS - Getting Into the Institution

• Standardized tests required of all applicants:

  • ACT or SAT
• • Minimum SAT score on 1600 scale (if applicable) required for admission: 650, 1030
  • Minimum ACT Score (if applicable) required for admission: 16, 22
  • Minimum High School GPA (if applicable) required for admission: 3
  • Interviews are: By invitation only

• Application deadlines:

  • Fall 2012 07-31-12
  • Spring 2013 12-15-12
  • Summer 2013 04-30-12
• • Additional application requirements: Minimum TOEFL score of 173, minimum IELTS score of 6.0 or a minimum MELAB score of 69
• • Total undergraduate applicants, all programs: 14,824
• • Percentage of applicants admitted: 75 %
• • Percentage of admitted applicants who enrolled: 43 %
• • International applicants: 2 %
• • Female applicants: 42 %

• Relative Importance of Application Elements

  • Secondary school record: Very Important
  • Class rank: Considered
  • Talent/ability: Considered
  • Interview: Not Considered
  • Extracurricular activities: Considered
  • Volunteer work: Considered
  • Character/personal abilities: Considered
  • Application essay: Not Considered
  • Work experience: Considered
  • SAT/ACT scores: Very Important
  • Recommendations: Considered
  • High school GPA: Very Important

ADMISSIONS - Getting Into the Business Program

• • Undergrad business program admissions are managed by: The university admissions office
  • Total undergraduate business applicants: 1,806
  • Percentage of applicants admitted: 71 %
  • Percentage of admitted applicants who enrolled: 47 %

• Admission requirement for admission to the undergraduate business program

  • Minimum SAT: 650, 1030
  • Minimum ACT: 16, 22
  • Minimum high school GPA: 3
• • Entrance exam other than the SAT/ACT required for admission to the undergraduate business program?: No
• • Admissions interviews for the undergraduate business program are: Not offered

• Freshman admission:

  • Does the business program admit freshmen?: Yes
  • Percentage of business program admits in most recent entering class who were freshman: 73 %
  • Are freshman business admits required to complete or obtain minimum GPAs in pre-business courses before taking upper-level courses? Yes
  • Process for freshmen admission?: Indicate interest on university application
  • Additional application requirements for freshman admits: Must be in upper 50% of high school graduating class.Must have completed core curriculum.

• Internal transfers:

  • Minimum college GPA for internal transfers to the business program: 2.5
  • Additional application requirements, including course/grade requirements: Must have completed at least 30 credits including College Algebra or higher level math, a behavioral science course; Principles of Microeconomics or Macroeconomics and Accounting Principles I ; and have earned an overall grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.5, a GPA of at least 2.0 in all business administration and economics courses completed or accepted as transfer credit, a GPA of at least 2.0 in any business major courses completed; and a grade of “C” or higher in all business transfer courses.

CAMPUS LIFE

• Five largest on-campus organizations for business students:

  • Accounting Association/BAP
  • Society for H. R. Management
  • International Business Assoc.
  • Delta Sigma Pi
  • Pi Sigma Epsilon
• • Are freshmen required to live on campus?: No
  • Are business students grouped together in 'learning communities' in housing and other facilities?: Yes

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

• Minimum number of credit hours required to receive an undergraduate business degree:

  • BBA 128
  • BSA 128

• Other requirements for the undergraduate business degree

  • Overall GPA of at least 2.3, 2.0 GPA in all business and economics courses, 2.0 GPA in the major.

ACADEMICS

• Average class size:

  • Required business classes: 36
  • Business electives: 24
  • Non-business electives: 48

• Percentage of business classes:

  • With 20 or fewer students: 22 %
  • With 21 to 50 students: 62 %
  • With more than 50 students: 16 %

• Course enrollment:

  • Percentage of required business courses reaching maximum enrollment by the first day of class: 26 %

CURRICULUM

• Electives:

  • Available business electives: 78
  • New electives: Marketing & Sales Analytics
• • Last curriculum overhaul: 2011
  • Total business faculty: 86
  • Percentage of the total faculty that is tenured or tenure track: 55 %

• Most prominent faculty:

  • Raj Aggarwal
  • Aigbe Akhigbe
  • William Baker

• Business program's leading areas of study:

  • • Accounting
    • Finance
    • Marketing
    • Human Resource Management
    • International Business
  • Other leading area of study: Professional selling - our program has been ranked 3rd in N. America
• • Special programs: Institutes for Direct Marketing, Entrepreneurial Studies, Global Business and Professional Selling; co-ops and internships with major companies; study abroad programs; international exchange programs.
• • Work study: CBA students are encouraged to do an internship or co-op as part of their UG program. Opportunities are available with major local, regional and national companies.
• • Study abroad programs: The CBA sponsors study abroad programs in several countries including Argentina, Brazil, China, Ghana, Greece, India, Italy Romania and South Korea. Students may study abroad for a semester or a year.
• • Volunteer opportunities: Students can volunteer to provide free tax assistance to the community through our VITA program. Students also participate in volunteer work and community service through class projects and student organizations.

• Extra-curricular activities:

  • Accounting Association/BAP
  • Akron Advertising Federation
  • Business Honors Group
  • Delta Sigma Pi
  • Financial Management Assoc.
  • International Business Assoc.
  • Pi Sigma Epsilon
  • Society for H. R. Mgmt.

FINANCIAL AID

• • Who manages financial aid for the business program?: Central financial aid office at the university
  • Financial aid web site: http://www.uakron.edu/finaid/

• Scholarships

  • Scholarship money distributed to business students last year: $1,922,018.00
  • Expected scholarship distribution to business students this year: $2,000,000.00
  • Scholarships are awarded to business students based on: a combination of need and merit
  • Other criteria for scholarship consideration: Other criteria may include work experience, leadership experience, campus activities and community involvement.
  • Students receiving institutional scholarships in the current academic year: 19 %
  • Students receiving full-tuition institutional scholarships in the current academic year: 2 %
  • Institutional scholarship money distributed to undergraduate business students based on need: 23 %
  • Institutional scholarship money distributed to undergraduate business students based on merit: 77 %

• Loans

  • Does the school offer a guaranteed loan to all business students, regardless of nationality?: No

CAREER SERVICES

• Employment Information

  • Percentage of most recent business graduates who supplied information regarding employment: 95 %
  • Percentage seeking full-time professional employment in business: 62 %
  • Percentage not seeking full-time professional employment in business: 38 %

• Received first job offer:

  • By graduation: 40 %

• Accepted first job offer:

  • By graduation : 40 %
• • Companies recruiting business students on campus: 234
  • Companies posting job offers for business students on school job boards: 398

• Top employers (number of students hired):

  • The J. M. Smucker Company 5
  • Ernst & Young 4
  • American Income Life 3
  • Panther Expedite 3
  • Sherwin Williams 3
  • Target Stores 3
  • Valmark Securities 3
  • Brockman, Coats, Gedelian 2
  • Deloitte & Touche 2
  • Fastenal 2
  • The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. 2
  • Grant Thornton 2
  • Northwestern Mutual Fin. Svcs. 2
  • PepsiAmericas 2
  • RJF International 2

• Compensation

  • Mean base salary: $42,356.00
  • Median base salary : $46,000.00

• Most recent graduates accepted jobs in the following functional areas:

  • Consulting: 2 %
  • Finance/Accounting: 52 %
  • Human Resources: 7 %
  • Management Information Systems: 4 %
  • Marketing/Sales: 30 %
  • Logistics/Transportation: 2 %
  • Other: 3 %

• Most recent graduates accepted jobs in the following industries:

  • Accounting: 41 %
  • Consumer Products/Retail : 32 %
  • Consulting: 2 %
  • Financial Services: 15 %
  • Government/Education: 2 %
  • Pharma/Biotech/Health: 1 %
  • Manufacturing: 3 %
  • Petroleum/Energy: 1 %
  • Non-Profit: 1 %
  • Other: 2 %

• Job offers accepted by most recent graduates in North America:

  • US: 100 %

• Percentage of 2009-10 academic year graduates who accepted jobs in regions of US:

  • Northeast: 3 %
  • Mid-Atlantic: 1 %
  • Midwest: 96 %
  • Southwest: 1 %
• • Career services offered: Career fairs; both walk-in and scheduled appointments with career advisers; online job database; job search workshops; resume/cover letter writing workshops and review services; mock interviews.

INTERNSHIPS

• • Companies recruiting business students for internships on campus: 33
  • Companies posting internship offers for business students on school job boards: 297

• Top internship employers (number of students hired):

  • J. M. Smucker Company 10
  • RPM International 7
  • Brockman, Coats, Gedelian 4
  • Deloitte & Touche 4
  • Grant Thornton 4
  • InfoCision Corporation 4
  • Sherwin Williams 4
  • Ernst & Young 3
  • FirstEnergy Corporation 3
  • Fresh Mark 3
  • Northwestern Mutual Fin. Svcs. 3
  • RJF International 3
  • Summit Data Communications 3
  • The Timken Company 3
  • Valmark Securities 3

• Internship pay

  • Internships that are paid: 84 %
  • Mean compensation, per week, for paid internships only: $420.00
  • Median compensation, per week, for paid internships only: $405.00
  • Average internship length, in weeks: 15

B-SCHOOL ALUMNI

• • Total number of undergraduate business program graduates since inception: 27,927
  • Total living alumni of the undergraduate business program: 25,930

• Alumni gifts

  • Did the business program receive a gift of $10 million or more in the last academic year? No

• Prominent alums of the undergrad business program

  • Mary Taylor Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
  • Anthony Alexander President & CEO, First Energy
  • Don Misheff Managing Partner, Ernst & Young

• • --The University of Akron's business program can best be described as a great value. I had many of the same--if not better--opportunities as those paying as much as four times the amount for their education at other schools. From quality professors to international experience and even social events, the College of Business Administration provides students with the necessary tools required for today's business world.
    
    -Many of the professors need a lot of work in how they handle students. Posted office hours should not be viewed as a "suggestion", but something that they must stick to. It is frustrating when a prof is obsessed with being right and refuses to listen to alternative thoughts. (Which has happened mostly in the accounting department-information systems and audit.)
    
    -Many of the professors have more experience in careers outside of the classroom and they share their real world experiences with students rather than always teaching right out of the books. This provides students with a better idea of what to expect when beginning a career and how situations can be handled.
    
    -The advising faculty is poor at best. Multiple times I was given incomplete, inaccurate, or flat out wrong information. The advising office has failed to respond to emails and phone messages over 20 times in my stay at this college
    
    -The University of Akron has relationships and partnerships with many great organizations. Corporate headquarters for the Goodyear Company, the J.M. Smucker Company, First Energy, and the Timken Company, to name a few, are all located within 30 minutes of the university. This provides opportunities to student that many other universities cannot.
    
    -I think it would be nice if I knew more of my classmates, I like group work but i think teachers need to assign groups so we can meet new people.
    
    -The business program offers a variety of concentrations. For accounting, the department makes it possible to obtain an internship and a full-time job offer by the time of graduation. They give the best opportunities to meet and network with firms for the students. The program exceeds in expectations in helping students find a career.
    
    -I feel as though a lot of context is lost in translation with the more "foreign" professors. The accents and cultural diversity seemed to be overwhelming at some points.
    
    -The students are very diverse and come from every background imaginable. The faculty is also truly outstanding and concerned about you in and outside of the classroom.
    
    -Because of the limited number of students in the Supply Chain Management and Information Systems Management majors, many classes are only offered once a year. This can cause difficulty in scheduling at times.
    
    -The teaching is outstanding. Akron is a working class town with working class people. The teachers here are exceptionally and they have brought a lot of experience and knowledge. As I have been a student for longer than I would like I have seen dramatic changes in the quality of teaching. The weak are being weeded out and the newer professors are exceptional.
    
    -The campus is in a downtown area; some areas can be dangerous after dark.
    
    -You get that 1 to 1 relationship with your professor. This helps in making sure that if I have any problem I can talk to them and they know me personally and can assist me in way that they know works, due to 1 to 1 relationship.