The W. Paul Cole, Jr. School of Business at Bluefield State College offers a variety of programs. Students in the four-year Bachelor of Science degree program in Business Administration program will complete the core studies curriculum required of all BSC students, the Business Core component, an 18-hour major, and a 12-hour minor. Areas from which a major may be selected include Accounting, Management, and Marketing, while the minor may be selected from Accounting, Business Information Systems, Management, or Marketing. For the first time in school history, the baccalaureate Business Administration degree program can be completed entirely via distance learning, through a combination of courses offered by videostream and/or online.
A Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy is available for those students seeking an intensive concentration in accounting. Students planning to sit for the Certified Public Accountant examination in the state of West Virginia need to complete 150 hours of college study. The B.S. Accountancy program as outlined in the college catalog will provide students with the specific courses required to sit for the CPA examination. Students who take the BSBA Business Administration program, with the Accounting major, need to take BUSN 302 – Business Law for Professional Accountants as an elective and ACCT 431 – Auditing Principles and either ACCT 432 – Advanced Auditing or ACCT 424 – Accounting Information Systems among their 300/400 level accounting electives to satisfy the CPA examination requirements.
A Bachelor of Science degree program in Business Information Systems was initiated in 2011, and is available for those students seeking an integrative program combining courses in business, information systems, and computer science. Students must complete the business core, 30 hours of business information systems courses, and 17 hours in computer science. Admission to this program requires a minimum ACT score of 20. Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.75 upon the completion of 32 hours to remain in this program.
A new program added to the Cole School of Business offerings is the baccalaureate program in Health Services Management. Students in this program must take 30 hours of Health Services Management coursework, including a 300-hour summer internship between the junior and senior year. HSMT students also complete an additional 33 hours of business core classes.
For the B.S. business programs and B.S. in Accountancy, students are required to take a major field test in business prior to graduating.
The Cole School of Business received national accreditation of the Business Administration and Accountancy programs on July 1, 2001 by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), 11520 West 119th Street, Suite 420, Overland Park, Kansas 66213, telephone (913) 339-9356. Accreditation for the Business Information Systems program will be pursued after the program produces its first group of graduating students.
Mission Statement for The W. Paul Cole, Jr. School of Business
The W. Paul Cole, Jr. School of Business is dedicated to preparing students to succeed in an ever-changing business environment. We will provide the knowledge and technical skills required today, while developing critical thinking and adaptation capabilities needed for the future. We seek to continuously improve our practices, methods, and delivery systems utilized in accomplishing this mission.
Vision Statement for The W. Paul Cole, Jr. School of Business
The vision of the BSC W. Paul Cole, Jr. School of Business is to become the preeminent teaching-focused business school in southern West Virginia, offering high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs in various high-demand fields of study.
Message from the Dean
As we enter a new academic year, there is a great deal of excitement among the faculty, staff and students of the Bluefield State College W. Paul Cole Jr. School of Business. We are proud that our Business Administration and Accountancy programs are nationally accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), the premier accrediting agency for business schools focused on maintaining excellence in teaching. The Bluefield State College Cole School of Business was only the third business school in West Virginia to receive national accreditation, following West Virginia University and Marshall University. Being a nationally accredited program requires a commitment of time, resources, and energy on the part of all involved- students, faculty, and BSC administrators. That commitment was richly rewarded last year when we received reaffirmation of ACBSP accreditation for the highest possible ten-year cycle. The W. Paul Cole, Jr. School of Business is committed to the maintenance of a continuous improvement culture, and our adherence to ACBSP standards identifies opportunities for improvement in our curriculum and processes. As evidence of this culture, effective August, 2012, our Business Administration degree program is being offered entirely via a combination of distance learning modalities for the first time. It is now possible for students to complete this program without ever attending courses on the Bluefield campus.
Within the past two years, we have implemented a new program in Business Information Systems, which integrates information systems, business, and computer science courses to provide students a skill set in great demand in today’s business environment. The U.S. Department of Labor has projected the information systems field as one of the fastest growing occupational fields through the year 2016. This proposed academic program will place BSC graduates in contention for these highly paid positions. Given the continued digitization of both the private and public sectors, continued high demand for graduates in this field is expected.
Also, the Health Services Management degree program has been transitioned from the School of Nursing and Allied Health to the Cole School of Business. This program prepares students for the challenging career opportunities available in the health care field today. Careers grounded in this degree are growing at a very rapid pace, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects rapid growth to continue in this field well into the future.
The W. Paul Cole, Jr. School of Business also has submitted to the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission a program proposal to offer a Master of Business Administration (MBA). This submission is consistent with BSC’s strategic initiative to transition to university status, and the Cole School of Business is proud to be one of two schools on campus to submit proposed graduate programs to assist in this endeavor.
Mahood Hall, which is home to the Cole School of Business, experienced a $5 million renovation in 2011, so students are afforded an excellent learning environment. All eight classrooms in the building are electronic, with four of these having additional full Interactive Video Network (IVN) technology that enables courses to be offered simultaneously in five geographic locations. The Mahood Hall Conference Room also has full electronic and IVN capability, and we anticipate this room being used by many groups in our community for meetings and presentations. All classrooms and the conference room also are equipped for live broadcasting of classes via the internet, with full lecture recording of each class. This will enrich the learning experience for our distance learning students, moving us more closely toward our goal of providing distance learning students a learning experience equivalent to that offered in the traditional classroom.
For our students, I encourage you to take advantage of every opportunity available at BSC, both academic and social. Within the Cole School of Business, Phi Beta Lambda and Delta Mu Delta provide an opportunity for involvement in service projects that benefit the college and community. Also, the Cole School of Business has developed an alliance with the Walt Disney World College Program, enabling our students to spend an internship semester at WDW. The internship is a paid internship; and the Cole School of Business works with each student to develop an academic plan during the internship period that will keep the student on-track for graduation.
This is an exciting time in the development of the BSC W. Paul Cole, Jr. School of Business, and I encourage prospective students to take a close look at our programs, faculty, and institution. As you examine the BSC Cole School of Business, please feel free to contact me with any questions that might arise. You may reach me at 304-327-4087, or by email (sbourne@bluefieldstate.edu).
