Download a Free
UW Flexible Option Info Kit
Overview
Professionals who’ve earned a well-rounded business degree are consistently in demand across industries. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects steady growth and employment opportunities in business, management, operations, and finance occupations over the next decade.
Secure your future and put yourself on the path to a versatile career by earning the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, offered online through the UW Flexible Option, a self-paced format designed for working adults.
Tailor your degree to match your career goals
Choose from two concentrations—General Business or Business Analytics—and customize your degree to align with the career path you want to take. You’ll build a solid foundation of business knowledge, while developing essential skills in leadership, critical thinking, and problem solving. Both concentrations allow you to apply what you learn as you complete the project-based curriculum.
General Business
Build a solid foundation in the functional areas of business and prepare for a variety of positions across industries.
Business Analytics
Gain the analytical skills to lead change and solve the complex business challenges by converting data into strategic insights.
Program Outcomes
Program graduates will be able to:
- Demonstrate social and personal responsibility and ethical behavior in organizational settings.
- Apply financial tools and techniques to meet organizational objectives.
- Design and evaluate operations, supply chain, marketing, human resources, management systems, structures, and processes in organizations.
- Apply information technology and research methods to improve organizational decision-making.
- Evaluate scenarios impacting an organization and respond using diverse communication strategies.
- Evaluate economic, political, regulatory, legal, technological, and social contexts to address organizational challenges in a global society.
- Apply intercultural knowledge, interpersonal skills, and teamwork to function effectively in diverse environments.
- Employ critical and systems thinking principles to create an integrated multi-functional strategy to meet organizational objectives.
Who Should Apply
This UW Flexible Option program is designed for self-motivated learners who want to leverage their previous work skills and knowledge to advance more quickly to a degree. This online, self-paced format is ideally suited for:
- Professionals with some college credits, who want to upskill or expand their expertise in different areas of business
- Experienced business managers or supervisors who need a degree to advance
- Professionals seeking a management career but need the training and a credential
- Individuals with some transferable college credit who want to complete their degree
Benefits of the UW Flexible Option
UW Flexible Option is a national pioneer in competency-based education for adult learners. This means you can earn your degree without sacrificing your commitments to work and life. The self-paced format of UW Flexible Option programs fits around your schedule, as you balance your responsibilities with your educational goals. With the UW Flexible Option, you’ll:
- Build on the expertise you have already developed on the job and in your previous experience or academic work.
- Fit school into your life. Start any month. Without semester schedules, group work, class discussions, or scheduled log-on requirements, you can earn your degree when it works for you.
- Control your pace. Complete assignments when you’re able and then move on to the next. Or pause your studies to enjoy a vacation, holiday, major life event, or if you just need a break.
- Earn an affordable degree. The Flex Tuition Guarantee locks in your tuition rate while you are actively enrolled in the program.
About UW-Parkside
Located in Kenosha, Wisconsin between Milwaukee and Chicago, the UW-Parkside is renowned for its commitment to quality education and student success. The AACSB-accredited business department offers industry-informed curriculum covering marketing, project management, accounting and more, all at an exceptional value.
Accreditation
UW-Parkside is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges & Schools, and by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-International (AACSB). Our BSBA degree is recognized as the nation’s first AACSB accredited competency-based degree.
Curriculum
The comprehensive Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) curriculum is project-based. It requires 120 credits for completion, including major courses, electives, and general education courses. You will be required to demonstrate mastery in each course. There is a final culminating capstone project which requires you to demonstrate your real-world business acumen. The breakdown for each concentration is as follows:
| Courses | General Business | Business Analytics |
| Major Courses | 66 | 59 |
| Concentration
(Specialty Courses) |
n/a | 13 |
| Electives | 10-12 | 3-6 |
| General Education | 42-45 | 42-45 |
| Total Credits | 120 | 120 |
Program Requirements
The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration is made up of 20 competency areas (equating to 66 credits) integral to business administration. Each of these areas have clearly defined competencies that students master by completing courses. You must complete all courses related to a competency area to earn transferable credit for the competency area.
Business Algebra | 4 Credits
Apply algebraic, exponential, and logarithmic functions, and matrices to business scenarios.
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 105A | Business Algebra Fundamentals | 2 |
| MATH 105B | Money in the Bank: Application of Exponential and Logarithmic Functions | 1 |
| MATH 105C | Application of Algebraic Methods to Model and Solve Business Problems | 1 |
Business Economics I | 3 Credits
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BAEF 100x | Microeconomic Market Analysis I | 1 |
| BAEF 101x | Microeconomic Market Analysis II | 2 |
Business Law & Ethics | 3 Credits
Describe the legal environment and ethical considerations that govern businesses.
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BALM 200x | Analysis of a Selected Organization’s Navigation of Law and Ethics | 3 |
Finance | 3 Credits
Apply financial principles and tools such as time value of money, risk and return trade-off, bond and stock valuations, financial statements, and capital budgeting to arrive at corporate financial decisions.
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BAEF 300x | Capital Budgeting Techniques | 1 |
| BAEF 301x | Stock Market Performance | 1 |
| BAEF 302x | Business Financial Ratio Analysis | 1 |
Global Business | 3 Credits
Demonstrate knowledge of cultural, operational, financial, and managerial challenges and techniques to manage them in global business organizations.
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BAOS 310x | Reshoring Product Manufactoring | 2 |
| BAOS 311x | Issues in Doing Business Globally | 2 |
Information Systems | 3 Credits
Design and construct information systems for business processes and utilize them for effective decision making.
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BAOS 300x | Sales Data Analysis and Communication Using Spreadsheets and Statistics | 2 |
| BAOS 301x | Database Design and Development | 1 |
| BAOS 302x | Building Competitive Advantage Using Information Systems | 1 |
| BAOS 303x | Enterprise Systems and E-Commerce | 1 |
Marketing | 4 Credits
Demonstrate marketing techniques related to pricing, promotion, distribution, and buyer behavior variables to promote organization’s products and services.
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BAMS 300x | Marketing Foundations Concepts and Application | 2 |
| BAMS 301x | Marketing Plan | 2 |
Organizational Behavior & Leadership | 3 Credits
Apply organizational leadership theories and organizational behavior principles to manage business issues.
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BALM 310x | Organizational Behavior and Leadership | 4 |
Sales | 3 Credits
Demonstrate effective sales principles to manage organization’s sales and key accounts.
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BAMS 310x | Sales Concepts and Application | 1 |
| BAMS 311x | Sales and Sales Territory Management Practicum | 2 |
Supply Chain Management | 3 Credits
Evaluate and manage business supply chains from quality, procurement, and cost perspectives.
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BAOS 400x | Foundational Concepts in Supply Chain Management | 1 |
| BAOS 401x | Sourcing and Supplier Management Strategies in Supply Chains | 1 |
| BAOS 402x | Inventory Management and Distribution Strategies in Supply Chains | 1 |
Business Communication | 4 Credits
Effectively communicate a business issue and alternative solutions in written and oral communication format. This 3 credit competency area is satisfied by completing components inside the following courses.
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BALM 100x | Introduction to Business Administration | 1 |
| BALM 310x | Organizational Behavior and Leadership | 4 |
| BAMS 301x | Marketing Plan | 2 |
| BAOS 300x | Sales Data Analysis and Communication Using Spreadsheets and Statistics | 2 |
| BAOS 303x | Enterprise Systems and E-Commerce | 1 |
| BAOS 311x | Issues in Doing Business Globally | 2 |
Business Economics II | 3 Credits
Evaluate economic, political, regulatory, legal, technological, and social contexts to address organizational challenges in a global society.
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BAEF 110x | Government Budget Process | 1 |
| BAEF 111x | Business Cycle Analysis | 2 |
Business Statistics | 5 Credits
Apply statistical methods to solve business problems.
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BAOS 300x | Sales Data Analysis and Communication Using Spreadsheets and Statistics | 2 |
| BAMA 300x | Business Analytics I | 2 |
| BAMA 301x | Business Analytics II | 2 |
Financial Accounting | 3 Credits
Gather, record, analyze, and evaluate financial accounting information in the organization.
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BAEF 200x | Financial Accounting: The Language of Business | 2 |
| BAEF 201x | Financial Accounting: Ethics and Internal Controls | 1 |
Human Resource Management | 3 Credits
Apply policies, procedures, and theories of human resource management in the business context.
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BALM 300x | Introduction to the HRM Function | 3 |
Managerial Accounting | 3 Credits
Identify and utilize relevant accounting and financial information for managerial decisions.
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BAEF 210x | Cost Accounting Fundamentals and Applications | 1 |
| BAEF 211x | Master Budget and Variance Analysis | 1 |
| BAEF 212x | Using Managerial Accounting Information for Decision Making | 1 |
Operations Management | 3 Credits
Demonstrate knowledge of qualitative and quantitative decision support tools and techniques for management decision making in operations.
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BAOS 320x | Evaluating Competitive Priorities in Operations Management | 1 |
| BAOS 321x | Improving Productivity in Operations | 2 |
Project Management | 3 Credits
Apply project management principles to organization’s projects.
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BALM 320x | Project Planning, Requirements, and Stakeholder Management | 2 |
| BALM 321x | Project Budget, Schedule, Quality and Risk Management | 1 |
Strategic Management | 3 Credits
Apply strategic management tools and techniques to arrive at strategic directions for the organization.
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BALM 400x | Strategic Management | 3 |
Integrative Capstone | 4 Credits
Critique the selected business organization from a managerial perspective, and solve business problems/issues using a multifunctional strategy.
| Number | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BALM 410x | Designing Solutions for Business Challenges | 4 |
Sample Academic Plans of Study
Faculty have developed sample academic plans of study to assist you in developing your own academic plan to complete the BSBA competency area requirements. This program has an integrated curriculum, meaning many courses satisfy several competency areas at one time.
Better understand how long it might take you to finish your degree, and at what total cost.
Earn a Certificate Alongside Your Degree
As part of your enrollment in this degree, you can earn an Agile Project Management certificate. This is a signal to employers that you have a specialized skillset on top of your generalized bachelor’s degree. Nearly every type of business position, across all industries, requires some level of project management.
Your Success Coach will help you learn more about how this certificate fits in your degree planning. If you are using federal financial aid to pay for tuition, be sure to talk to your financial aid adviser to learn more about how to incorporate this certificate in your funding plan.
Faculty
At UW-Parkside, you will learn from a diverse team of expert faculty. They bring not just business knowledge, but also industry experience to the classroom, ensuring that you receive the highest quality of education that will prepare you for the business world. Learn more about the faculty.
Tuition
Courses take place in subscription periods. These subscription periods start every single month, and are more flexible than traditional semesters. This allows you to focus on learning the material at your own pace and on your own time.
Subscription periods are approximately 12 weeks long. You can take breaks in between subscription periods, or continuously enroll, based on your own schedule and goals.
Tuition is a flat rate of $2,250 per subscription period, which covers as many courses as you’re able to complete.
Your Success Coach will help you decide how many courses to undertake each subscription period.
Just as existing knowledge can save you time by allowing you to demonstrate mastery of skills within courses more quickly, this subscription model can help you move through the program more quickly by adding on courses as you finish others, even if your subscription period is underway.
Financial aid is available for this program. We also encourage speaking with your employer about workplace tuition assistance.
Are there any additional fees?
There are no additional student segregated fees with the UW Flexible Option, though you may need to purchase textbooks or additional learning resources required for your program.
Admission
Finishing your bachelor’s degree is closer than you think! Schedule an advising call at 608-800-6762 or contact us at flex@uwex.wisconsin.edu.
Minimum Academic Requirements
Candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration must have earned at least 10 transferable college credits and have a transfer credit GPA of 2.00 or higher.
- Applicants who do not meet these academic requirements may be considered for admission to the Associate of Arts & Sciences (AAS) degree program.
- Applicants admitted to the AAS degree may consider a program change once the business administration academic requirements have been satisfied or after the AAS degree is earned.
- Admitted business students are considered intended majors until 45 total credits are earned.
NOTE: Prior college transcripts from which you may transfer credit must be accredited by a regional or national accrediting organization recognized by the CHEA (Council for Higher Education Accreditation).
How to Apply
- You may apply up to five months in advance of your desired start date. See Steps to Apply.
- If previously enrolled in Flex, please review our returning student admissions process.
Transfer Credit Evaluations
- Transfer credit is awarded for college-level coursework completed at regionally accredited institutions. See Transfer Credit Evaluations for more information.
- Learn more about how credit by exam and military coursework may apply towards your degree.
Still have questions? Check out our Admission FAQ page.
