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B.S. Business Management

Bachelor of Science Business Management

Ready to create something new—a new opportunity, a new pathway to success, or an entirely new career? Your chance to advance is within reach. Grab it. Something new is within reach—go after it.

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WGU's College of Business programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs.

Overview
A management degree for working professionals with the drive to succeed—and no time to waste.

Become a better manager and a more confident leader. Hone your business acumen and garner added respect. And do it all at a personalized pace and individualized study schedule that will allow you to graduate without quitting your current job. Your real-world experience may even help you graduate faster!

Online, accredited, and designed with business professionals in mind, WGU’s Bachelor of Science Business Management degree program is a great way to kick-start your organizational management career. Whether you’re already a supervisor or your career aspirations involve business management and administration, this degree will give you the skills and knowledge you’ll need to rise to the top of your profession.

71% of graduates finish in

1–3 years

WGU lets you move more quickly through material you already know and advance as soon as you're ready. The result: You may finish faster.
See how it works

Tuition per 6-month term is

$3,190

Tuition charged per term—rather than per credit—helps students control the ultimate cost of their degrees. Finish faster, pay less!
See how time is money

On average, students transfer

33 credits

Your associate’s degree or previous college may waive some courses through transfer. We review your transcripts for transfer credits.
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Tuition as of January 1, 2018.

Success in business management starts here.

A career in business: That’s a dynamic concept that means different things to different people. It covers jobs in organizations from the Fortune 500 to feisty startups, and from mission-driven nonprofits to for-profit corporations as well as the public sector. The business of doing business is always changing, and with its abundance of career paths, you need a strong understanding of organizational behavior and operational principles to achieve results. WGU’s online Bachelor of Science Business Management degree program is designed to help you thrive in a competitive business environment—and find a fulfilling career where you can flex your management muscles, stretch your legs with strategy, and build a strong future for your organization and yourself.

Learn about our grads' careers
Results-focused curriculum: Learn business administration and management from the best.

At the core of WGU’s business management degree is a set of rigorous, highly relevant competencies—the concepts you need to master in order to be a successful business leader.

Download Program Guide

We developed our online business management degree program with significant input from experts and business leaders who serve on our College of Business Program Council. You’ll become an expert in areas relevant to a business career.
Core Subject Areas

Lower-division courses may be cleared through transfer credit. Following are some examples:

Intermediate Algebra

English Composition I

Introduction to Sociology

Introduction to Geography

College Algebra

English Composition II

Introduction to Communication

Ethics in Technology

More

See all courses
Key Subject Areas

Courses specific to the fields of business and business management include:

Principles of Management

Organizational Behavior

Business Ethics

Business Communication

Business Strategy

Fundamentals for Success in Business

Introduction to Human Resource Management

Training and Development

Workforce Planning: Recruitment and Selection

Macroeconomics

Microeconomics

Global Business

More

See all courses
The WGU Difference

We reimagined the path to a degree. How it works for you:

It’s doable.
Efficient, flexible, individualized, and supportive, WGU puts you in the driver’s seat—allowing you to advance as quickly as you're able.

It’s surprisingly affordable.
Low, flat-rate tuition and the opportunity to speed up your program allow you to control the cost of your education.

It’s worth it.
Employers love WGU graduates. And grads report greater satisfaction, career advancement, and income growth after earning a WGU degree.

See how we do it
A supported, personalized experience.

WGU is unlike any university you’ve experienced before—in the best possible way! Take a look at what we mean:

Faculty Learning Assessment Capstone Alumni Support

Faculty

SUPPORTING YOU:

An entire team of faculty members has one goal in mind: your success. Your Program Mentor is your individually assigned faculty member, providing program guidance and instruction from the day you start to the day you graduate. In addition, Course Instructors provide subject-matter instruction and support, typically one-on-one, exactly when you need it.

Learning

Establish YOUR ROADMAP: A personalized learning plan.

Your program is made up of a series of courses, each a personalized journey toward subject mastery. A preassessment provides insight into what you already know. You’ll then learn what you still need to learn, using online learning resources—available 24/7—along with one-on-one or cohort-based faculty instruction.

Assessment

Learn it, PROVE IT: Show you know your stuff.

WGU measures learning, not time, so each course in your program culminates in an assessment—a test, paper, project, or presentation that allows you to prove what you know. As soon as you’re ready, you take the assessment—including the ability to take proctored exams from the comfort of your own home— via webcam, any time of day!

Capstone

Apply it to the REAL WORLD: You’ll solve a problem.

Throughout your program, you will focus on acquiring and proving specific competencies. At program’s end, you’ll complete a final capstone project that allows you to show off everything you’ve learned by proposing a solution to an relevant issue in your industry. Your mentor can help you select your capstone topic.

Alumni Support

Once you're a WGU Night Owl, you're ALWAYS a Night Owl.

Continued support after you graduate includes many opportunities for professional development and enrichment, career support, and networking. WGU Night Owls may be independent learners, but they also become highly engaged in our active alumni community through apps, groups, and in-person events.

The accreditation you need, plus industry respect and recognition.

One important measure of a degree’s value is the reputation of the university where it was earned. When employers, industry leaders, and academic experts hold your alma mater in high esteem, you reap the benefits of that respect. WGU is a pioneer in reinventing higher education for the 21st century, and our quality has been recognized.

Accredited

In addition to WGU's regional accreditation through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, WGU's College of Business programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

Respected

“I’m impressed by the results in places like Western Governors University. Its low-cost online programs rely on competency-based progression, not class time or credit hours. It uses external assessments to evaluate student proficiency.”
Bill Gates
“Why American Colleges Have to Change”

Recognized

Value is a combination of low cost and high quality. University Research & Review has named WGU a Best Value School several years running—a strong measure of return on investment!

Accredited

Respected

Recognized

Our programs check all the boxes. If this degree is your goal, get started toward becoming a student today—programs start the first of each month.

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Cost & Time
When we say affordable, we mean it.

$3,190

Tuition per 6-month term

+

+$145

Flat fee for e-books and learning resources, saving you hundreds per term

=

=$3,335

TOTAL PER TERM

+$65

One-time application fee

Apply FREE this week
Control the cost of your program: Our tuition links cost to time.

By charging per term rather than per credit—and empowering students to accelerate through material they know well or learn quickly—WGU helps students control the ultimate cost of their degrees.
Flat-rate tuition of $3,335 per term links cost to time.

By charging per 6-month term rather than per credit hour—and empowering students to accelerate through material they know well or can learn quickly—WGU helps students control the ultimate cost of their degrees.

Adjust the time and see your costs change

Your time

2 yrs

Your cost

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2 yrs
2.5 yrs
3 yrs

1 yr
1.5 yrs
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There's help if you need it.

Financial aid is available.

WGU is approved for federal financial aid and U.S. veterans benefits.

View more about financial aid.

WGU students borrow less than half the national average.

Our goal: You graduate with little or no debt.

The average student loan debt of WGU graduates in 2016 (among those who borrowed) was less than half the national average. WGU’s three-pronged approach to keeping your debt low and your return on investment quick: One, provide useful information and advice on responsible borrowing before enrollment. Two, keep tuition low while you're enrolled. And three, offer degree programs that lead to better-paying jobs after graduation.

Read about our Responsible Borrowing Initiative.

Degree Cost Comparison*

For-Profit Online University

Other Nonprofit Online University

WGU

Earn your business management degree for about half what you'd pay elsewhere.

Low tuition and the ability to accelerate make WGU more affordable than most other schools. When you compare us with other programs, WGU’s Bachelor of Science Business Management degree program offers rigorous curriculum with competitive post-graduation results for around half what you'd pay at another university—or even less.

*Estimates based on July 2017 WGU and comparable universities' tuition data. Learn more about WGU's tuition and how it compares.

Transparent fees and no hidden costs.

The cost of attending college often includes much more than tuition and fees. WGU is designed to be a different kind of university, and that translates to cost savings everywhere from books to babysitting.

Other universities bury you in unexpected costs. Not WGU.

Click to explore the extra costs:

Tuition Books

Parking Gas

Library / resource fees Babysitter every week for
nighttime classes

WGU

Other online college

Traditional
4 year school

This demonstration shows how various costs—including official fees and incidental costs of attending school—can add up in different learning environments. It's meant as an illustration only.

Scholarships make our already low tuition even more affordable.

Many scholarship opportunities are available. Here are just a few you may be eligible to apply for:

$2,000

Back to School Scholarship

$2,000

Military Appreciation Scholarship

$2,000

Community College Partner Fund

The affordable, flexible programs offered at WGU put high-quality education within your reach. Start working toward your future.

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Courses & Competencies

Curriculum that ensures you’ve mastered the things employers want you to know.

Program consists of:
39 Courses
Total courses in program
What about transfer credits?

At WGU, we design our curriculum to be timely, relevant, and practical—all to ensure your degree is proof you really know your stuff.

Every course focuses on a set of clearly defined competencies that you must prove you’ve learned—through tests, papers, projects, or other assessments.

Demonstrating mastery is how you pass a course, so a Bachelor of Science Business Management degree from WGU is proof that you've shown excellence at what it takes to be successful in your career.

What you learn in this degree program will often be directly applicable the next day at work—and what you’re doing at work will frequently inform the work you’re doing in your courses. It’s all about real-world applicability so every moment spent studying is time well spent.

Courses in this program.

This online degree program is composed of the following courses. Some may be waived through transfer from your previous college experience. The rest you will typically complete one at a time as you make your way through your program, working with your Program Mentor each term to build your personalized Degree Plan. You’ll work through each course as quickly as you can study and learn the material. As soon as you’re ready, you’ll pass the assessment, complete the course, and move on. This means you can finish as many courses as you're able in a term at no additional cost.

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Leadership and Management

Principles of Management

This course addresses strategic planning, total quality, entrepreneurship, conflict and change, human resource management, diversity, and organizational structure.

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General Education

Intermediate Algebra

This course provides an introduction of algebraic concepts and the development of the essential groundwork for College Algebra. Topics include: A review of basic mathematical skills, the real number system, algebraic expressions, linear equations, graphing, exponents and polynomials

English Composition I

English Composition I introduces learners to the types of writing and thinking that are valued in college and beyond. Students will practice writing in several genres with emphasis placed on writing and revising academic arguments. Instruction and exercises in grammar, mechanics, research documentation, and style are paired with each module so that writers can practice these skills as necessary. Comp I is a foundational course designed to help students prepare for success at the college level. There are no prerequisites for English Composition I.

Introduction to Sociology

This course teaches students to think like sociologists, in other words, to see and understand the hidden rules, or norms, by which people live, and how they free or restrain behavior. Students will learn about socializing institutions, such as schools and families, as well as workplace organizations and governments. Participants will also learn how people deviate from the rules by challenging norms, and how such behavior may result in social change, either on a large scale or within small groups.

Introduction to Geography

This course will discuss geographic concepts, places and regions, physical and human systems and the environment.

College Algebra

This course provides further application and analysis of algebraic concepts and functions through mathematical modeling of real-world situations. Topics include: real numbers, algebraic expressions, equations and inequalities, graphs and functions, polynomial and rational functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, and systems of linear equations.

English Composition II

English Composition II introduces undergraduate students to research writing. It is a foundational course designed to help students prepare for advanced writing within the discipline and to complete the capstone. Specifically, this course will help students develop or improve research, reference citation, document organization, and writing skills. English Composition I or equivalent is a prerequisite for this course.

Introduction to Communication

This introductory communication course allows students to become familiar with the fundamental communication theories and practices necessary to engage in healthy professional and personal relationships. Students will survey human communication on multiple levels and critically apply the theoretical grounding of the course to interpersonal, intercultural, small group, and public presentational contexts. The course also encourages students to consider the influence of language, perception, culture, and media on their daily communicative interactions. In addition to theory, students will engage in the application of effective communication skills through systematically preparing and delivering an oral presentation. By practicing these fundamental skills in human communication, students become more competent communicators as they develop more flexible, useful, and discriminatory communicative practices in a variety of contexts.

Ethics in Technology

Ethics in Technology examines the ethical considerations of technology in each of four categories: privacy, accuracy, property, and access. The course presents a range of technologies and issues that challenge technologists in the field of information ethics. Students are introduced to a decision-making process as informed by ethical frameworks that outline key ethical considerations within the technologies presented. Students will study specific cases to help inform their professional responsibilities in how to navigate the important controversies in topics such as surveillance, social media, hacking, data manipulation, plagiarism and piracy, artificial intelligence, responsible innovation, and the digital divide. This course has no prerequisites.

Critical Thinking and Logic

Reasoning and Problem Solving helps students internalize a systematic process for exploring issues that takes them beyond an unexamined point of view and encourages them to become more self-aware thinkers by applying principles of problem identification and clarification, planning and information gathering, identifying assumptions and values, analysis and interpretation of information and data, reaching well-founded conclusions, and identifying the role of critical thinking in the disciplines and professions.

Survey of United States History

This course presents a broad and thematic survey of U.S. history from European colonization to the mid-twentieth century. Students will explore how historical events and major themes in American history have affected a diverse population.

Introduction to Humanities

This introductory humanities course allows students to practice essential writing, communication, and critical thinking skills necessary to engage in civic and professional interactions as mature, informed adults. Whether through studying literature, visual and performing arts, or philosophy, all humanities courses stress the need to form reasoned, analytical, and articulate responses to cultural and creative works. Studying a wide variety of creative works allows students to more effectively enter the global community with a broad and enlightened perspective.

Applied Probability and Statistics

Applied Probability and Statistics is designed to help students develop competence in the fundamental concepts of basic statistics including: introductory algebra and graphing; descriptive statistics; regression and correlation; and probability. Statistical data and probability are often used in everyday life, science, business, information technology, and educational settings to make informed decisions about the validity of studies and the effect of data on decisions. This course discusses what constitutes sound research design and how to appropriately model phenomena using statistical data. Additionally, the content covers simple probability calculations, based on events that occur in the business and IT industries. No prerequisites are required for this course.

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Business

Organizational Behavior

Organizational Behavior and Leadership explores how to lead and manage effectively in diverse business environments. Students are asked to demonstrate the ability to apply organizational leadership theories and management strategies in a series of scenario-based problems.

Business Ethics

Business Ethics is designed to enable students to identify the ethical and socially responsible courses of actions available through the exploration of various scenarios in business. Students will also learn to develop appropriate ethics guidelines for a business. This course has no prerequisites.

Business Communication

Business Communication is a survey course of communication skills needed in the business environment. Course content includes writing messages, reports, and résumés and delivering oral presentations. The course emphasizes communication processes, writing skills, message types, and presentation of data. The development of these skills is integrated with the use of technology.

Business Strategy

Strategy, Change and Organizational Behavior Concepts addresses complex material in the areas of organizational behavior and strategic quality management. Topics include strategic planning, and competitive advantage. This course focuses on models and practices of strategic management, including developing and implementing a strategy and evaluating performance to achieve strategic goals and objectives.

Fundamentals for Success in Business

Fundamentals for Success in Business is an introductory course that provides an overview of the field of business and gives students an opportunity to explore their own strengths and passions in relation to the field. The course gives students a basic understanding of how technology, emotional intelligence, global communication, and leadership styles affect the future of work. Students will reflect on their place within and future contributions to the business world.

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Human Resources

Introduction to Human Resource Management

The course provides an introduction to the management of human resources, the function within an organization that focuses on recruitment, management, and direction for the people who work in the organization. Students will be introduced to HR topics such as strategic workforce planning and employment; compensation and benefits; training and development; employee and labor relations; occupational health, safety and security.

Training and Development

Training and Development focuses on the development of human capital (i.e., growing talent) by applying effective learning theories and practices for training and developing employees. The course will help develop essential skills for improving and empowering organizations through high-caliber training and development processes. There are no prerequisites.

Workforce Planning: Recruitment and Selection

This course focuses on building a highly skilled workforce by using effective strategies and tactics for recruiting, selecting, hiring, and retaining employees.

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Economics

Macroeconomics

Macroeconomics provides you with an in-depth overview of the economy as a whole. The course covers market structure, essential models, theories, and policies that affect international and domestic economic systems. You will learn how the economy operates and how society manages its costs, benefits, and trade-offs when allocating scarce resources through market demand and supply. Other topics include how output and growth in the economy are measured with GDP and how the government and Federal Reserve influence growth, unemployment, and inflation through fiscal and monetary policy.

Microeconomics

Microeconomics introduces undergraduate students to foundational economic concepts. Students will learn how households and firms allocate their scarce resources to maximize utility and profit respectively. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to explain opportunity costs and the importance of competition. They will also know how demand and supply work to determine equilibrium price and quantity in perfectly competitive markets and under monopolistic competition, oligopoly, and monopoly. Recommended prerequisites: College Algebra or equivalent.

Global Business

This course provides an introduction to global business. The advantages of global production and the benefits of trade are critical aspects of global business. Many factors influence global business, such as transparency, geography, corruption, intellectual property protections, outsourcing and off-shoring, operation management, and generally accepted accounting principles.

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Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets

The Spreadsheets course will help students become proficient in using spreadsheets to analyze business problems. Students will demonstrate competency in spreadsheet development and analysis for business/accounting applications (e.g., using essential spreadsheet functions, formulas, charts, etc.)

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Business Law and Ethics

Business Law

Law is a fundamental part of business, largely associated with laws and legal regulations, which are becoming more complex. Business law encompasses laws that dictate how to form and run a business. This governs the process involved in starting, buying, managing, and closing or selling any type of business. This course introduces students to business law. Topics include the nature of law, the role of legislatures and courts, as well as contract law. Students analyze examples of business activities to learn whether specific laws apply. Legal reasoning and critical analysis are introduced alongside tort law, intellectual property, and agency law. Emphasis is placed on legal ethics, criminal and corporate law, real and personal property, and the types of business organizations. Students learn about the formation and application of law to business. This course is designed to make business managers, owners, and executives more aware of the many legal issues that may arise in the day-to-day operation of any business and in personal life. At a minimum, students need to know what conduct is legal and ethical and what is not. Students should also be able to identify legal problems before they become an issue, opportunities to use the law to create value and manage risk, and times to seek the advice of a licensed attorney. Understanding law will give students the edge as business leaders!

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Accounting

Principles of Accounting

Principles of Accounting focuses on ways in which accounting principles are used in business operations. Students learn the basics of accounting, including how to use generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), ledgers, and journals. Students will also be introduced to the steps of the accounting cycle, concepts of assets and liabilities, and general information about accounting information systems. This course also presents bank reconciliation methods, balance sheets, and business ethics.

Managerial Accounting

This course focuses on identifying, gathering, and interpreting information that will be used for evaluating and managing the performance of a business. Students will also study cost measurement for producing goods and services and how to analyze and control these costs.

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Marketing and Communication

Marketing Fundamentals

Marketing Fundamentals introduces students to principles of the marketing environment, social media, consumer behavior, marketing research, and market segmentation. Students will also explore marketing strategies that are related to products and services, distribution channels, promotions, sales, and pricing.

Marketing Applications

Marketing Applications allows students to apply their knowledge of core marketing principles by creating a comprehensive marketing plan. Their plan will apply their knowledge of the marketing planning process, market analysis, and the marketing mix (product, place, promotion, and price).

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Quantitative Analysis for Business

Quantitative Analysis For Business

Quantitative Analysis for Business explores various decision-making models, including expected value models, linear programming models, and inventory models. You will learn to analyze data by using a variety of analytic tools and techniques to make better business decisions. In addition, you will develop project schedules using the Critical Path Method. Other topics include calculating and evaluating formulas, measures of uncertainty, crash costs, and visual representation of decision-making models using electronic spreadsheets and graphs. This course has no prerequisites.

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Management

Project Management

Project Management prepares you to manage projects from start to finish within any organizational structure. The course presents a view into different project-management methods and delves into topics such as project profiling and phases, constraints, building the project team, scheduling, and risk. You will be able to grasp the full scope of projects you may work on in the future, and apply the proper management approaches to complete a project. The course features practice in each of the project phases as you learn how to strategically apply project-management tools and techniques to help organizations achieve their goals.

Change Management

Change Management provides an understanding of change and an overview of successfully managing change using various methods and tools. Emphasizing change theories and various best practices, you will learn how to recognize and implement change using an array of other effective strategies, including those related to innovation and leadership. Other topics include approaches to change, diagnosing and planning for change, implementing change, and sustaining change.

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IT Management for Business

Information Systems Management

Information Systems Management provides an overview of many facets of information systems applicable to business. The course explores the importance of viewing information technology (IT) as an organizational resource that must be managed, so that it supports or enables organizational strategy.

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Finance

Principles of Finance

Principles of Finance is an introductory course that provides an overview of time-honored business financial concepts and rules, including financial management and maximization of shareholder wealth. Using business cases and scenarios, students gain an understanding of the financial market environment, financial statement analysis, ratio calculations and analysis, the time value of money, interest rates, pricing of stocks and bonds, financial forecasting, the trade-off between risk and return, and the capital budgeting process.

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Business Management

Operations and Supply Chain Management

Operations and Supply Chain Management provides a streamlined introduction to how organizations efficiently produce goods and services, determine supply chain management strategies, and measure performance. Emphasis is placed on integrative topics essential for managers in all disciplines, such as supply chain management, product development, and capacity planning. You will learn how to analyze processes, manage quality for both services and products, and measure performance, while creating value along the supply chain in a global environment. Topics include forecasting, product and service design, process design and location analysis, capacity planning, management of quality and quality control, inventory management, scheduling, supply chain management, and performance measurement.

Business Management Tasks

Business Management Tasks addresses important concepts needed to effectively manage a business. Topics include the cost-quality relationship, the use of various types of graphical charts in operations management, managing innovation, and developing strategies for working with individuals and groups.

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Capstone

Business Management Capstone Written Project

For the Business Management Capstone Written Project students will integrate and synthesize competencies from across their degree program to demonstrate their ability to participate in and contribute value to their chosen professional field. A comprehensive business plan is developed for a company that plans to sell a product or service in a local market, national market, or on the Internet. The business plan includes a market analysis, financial statements and analysis, and specific strategic actions relevant to the chosen company.

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General Science Content

Integrated Physical Sciences

This course provides students with an overview of the basic principles and unifying ideas of the physical sciences: physics, chemistry, and Earth sciences. Course materials focus on scientific reasoning and practical and everyday applications of physical science concepts to help students integrate conceptual knowledge with practical skills.

Plan to work hard: Program requirements and expectations.

The Bachelor of Science Business Management program is an all-online degree program that you will complete by studying and working independently with instruction and support from WGU faculty. You will be expected to complete at least 12 competency units (WGU's equivalent of the credit hour) each 6-month term. (Each course is typically 3 or 4 units).

The first person you speak with at WGU will be your Enrollment Counselor, an expert in your program who can explain all the requirements and expectations in more detail. You can also read more about each course in the Program Guide.

Request info from an Enrollment Counselor

Download the Program Guide

Special requirements for this program:

Capstone project: At the end of your program, you will complete a capstone project that represents the culmination of all your hard work—a project that allows you to take what you’ve learned and apply it to a real-world situation, proposing a solution to an actual issue you face in your place of business.

We offer degrees for in-demand careers that provide the knowledge and skills you need to succeed. Give your résumé the boost it needs!

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Quality you can trust: Curriculum developed with guidance from business leaders and experts.

Program councils—teams of industry and academic experts—collaborate in the creation of our programs, providing input on what a successful graduate needs to have mastered.
How You'll Learn
What makes us different: learning designed to fit today’s busy lifestyles.

Competency-based education puts working, busy, adult students in the driver’s seat of their education. At most other schools—including other online programs—you move through the curriculum at a set pace, driven by semesters and hours in class. At WGU, your progress is driven by your ability to prove what you know, so you have the ability to speed up your progress and graduate sooner. Once you’ve mastered the defined competencies (knowledge and skills), you prove what you know through tests, papers, projects, or other assessments.

“Attending WGU online was the perfect way for me to further my education. I could basically work at my own pace and use the knowledge I had already learned from working for so many years before attending. I love WGU and all the mentors who helped me succeed and earn my bachelor's degree in Business Management.” Debra Marshall
B.S. Business Management

Designed for working adults.

At WGU, your progress is driven by your ability to prove what you’ve learned. How quickly you do that is largely up to you. There are no classes to attend, no homework to be completed on a given schedule, no “attendance” hours to log.

It’s simple: Once you’ve mastered the defined competencies (knowledge and skills), you prove what you know through tests, papers, projects, or other assessments. Demonstrating mastery is how you pass a course, so a business degree from WGU is proof that you've demonstrated excellence at what it takes to be successful in your career.

Competency-Based Education (CBE)

How it helps you

Efficient

Save time and money by focusing your efforts where they matter the most.

No two students are alike—especially adult students working in the diverse world of business. University students come to school knowing different things, they learn at different speeds, and they have different amounts of time to spend studying. Competency-based education lets you prioritize where to spend your valuable time.

Flexible

Learn on your own terms.

Some people do their best studying in the early mornings, before going in to work; others are most energized when they come home in the evenings. Sometimes work gets crazy; and sometimes, it gets really crazy—deadlines loom, you hit the busy season, and then you enjoy the relative quiet of “down time.” Thanks to the flexible scheduling you enjoy at WGU, you work when, where, and how your life allows.

Results

Know you’re learning real-world skills.

You earn a business degree for results—not simply to accrue credits. Competency-based education centers on competencies—the clearly defined knowledge and skills that leading employers are looking for. How do we know what they’re looking for? They tell us—and their input drives our curriculum.

Finish courses by proving what you know, as soon as you’re ready.

With competency-based education at WGU, success is measured by actual learning, not class time. You advance by demonstrating that you've mastered the course subject matter—whether you learned it through your study at WGU or picked up that knowledge through years of work experience.

Your progress through a course is driven by you.

How quickly you learn

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The time you devote to studying

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How much previous knowledge you bring
See it in action.

Play the game to see how a competency-based course works at WGU.
competency, noun

Demonstrated knowledge, skill, or ability required to advance in a degree program.

At WGU, course competencies are defined by an expert council, including employers.

For this course, there are 3 areas you need to prove competency in.

Start

First, let's take a pre‑assessment.

Determine what you already know from previous work and education experience, and where you need to focus your studies. Prove your competency in 3 areas in this exercise.

Start Pre-Assessment

Competency 1: Retrieving results...
Competency 2: Retrieving results...
Competency 3: Retrieving results...

Start Course

Second, study course materials.

Click on the free learning resources created by education experts that will help you master the competencies.

E-textbook

Web-based Tutorials

Online Classes

Simulations

Learning Communities

Course Mentors

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Measuring:

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Career Outlook
Find your niche in the diverse world of business management and administration.

Many business professionals choose to advance their careers in fields they are already familiar with or in areas where they have a personal interest. Others are motivated by the challenge of mastering something completely new and different. Whether your goal is to work your way up the ladder at an international corporation or to start a brand-new business, you'll need a solid understanding of how to effectively manage every aspect of the company you expect to lead.

8%

Expect 8% employment growth in the field of organizational management between 2016 and 2026, driven by the creation of new businesses.
—U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
The job opportunities in business management are nearly limitless.

Our nearly 7,000 Bachelor of Science Business Management alumni have great jobs and satisfying careers.
Job Titles

Account executive

Accountant

Business analyst

Project or program manager

Director, senior director, vice president, c-level executive
Diverse Industries

Private companies

Healthcare

Government and military

Nonprofit organizations

Colleges, universities, and K–12 schools/districts
Major Employers

Amazon

Microsoft

American Red Cross

FedEx

Kaiser Permanente

Self-employed
Explore a career in business management

Get info on salary, job outlook, work environment, and more.

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WGU is a university committed to producing successful grads.

The ultimate test of your degree's value is whether it helps you become an outstanding employee and advance your career. Our happy grads—and their happy employers—confirm that WGU is the path to that kind of degree.
Happy employers

Happy grads

They're Prepared.

Employers said that WGU graduates were prepared for their jobs.

They Perform.

Employers rated WGU graduates' job performance as very good or excellent.

They Wow.

Employers said their WGU graduates have exceeded their expectations.

They're Confident.

Graduates said the majority of their coursework was related to their jobs.

They're Working.

Graduates are working full-time.

They're Satisfied.

Graduates said their degrees were worth the cost of their education.

Source: 2016 Harris Poll survey of 301 employers; 2016 Harris Poll Online survey of 1,403 new college graduates nationwide compared with survey of 1,207 WGU graduates; WGU--Gallup 2016 Report
“In addition to advancing my career, having my education has been a huge asset for my kids. WGU has absolutely changed my life, and, more importantly, has changed the lives of my kids as well.” Misty Dieffenbach
B.S. Human Resource Management and MBA

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Admission requirements unique to this degree.

For undergraduate business programs, there are currently no additional admission requirements beyond the general admission requirements.

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WGU seeks to admit individuals who have the capacity and determination to complete a rigorous WGU degree program ... and graduate. The admission process is designed to help you and the university reach an informed decision about your likelihood of success.

At WGU we want you to graduate, not just enroll. Consequently, not every applicant is admitted because not every individual is a good fit for WGU’s programs and competency-based, online academic model.

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“My enrollment experience was seamless. The first moment I spoke to my Enrollment Counselor got me excited about WGU. They tell you what the different benefits are, the format and everything. They walk you through everything. If you want it, it's there. Getting enrolled and getting started is easy-peasy.” Dale Boolton
B.S. Business Management

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