PDF version of this chapterCourses of Instruction
Business Administration (BUAD)
The terms indicated are expected but are not guaranteed. For the courses offered during any given term, consult the Schedule of Classes.
020x Survey of Business Administration (3, FaSp) Survey of the important topics in business administration, including marketing, accounting, finance, management information systems, leadership, business communication, and human resource management. Not available for degree credit to USC undergraduates. Recommended preparation: 2-5 years management experience.
040 Executive Development (4) Problems and cases in contemporary management and business economics in American society. Graded credit/no credit. Open only to participants in managerial institutes and executive programs sponsored by the Marshall School of Business. Open to USC employees.
100x Foundations of Finance and Accounting (2) Accounting information in decision-making from the perspective of users and preparers. Basics of financial asset valuation. Consideration of time-value of money and risk. Graded CR/NC. Not available for major or minor credit.
101 Freshman Leadership Seminar (2) Colloquium of leading researchers, authors, and administrators in the Marshall School of Business and other schools at USC. Industry leaders will also be invited to talk about leadership challenges. Registration restricted to freshmen only. Graded CR/NC.
102 Global Leadership Seminar (2, Sp) Colloquium of researchers and industry leaders discussing international business and the challenges faced by leaders in a global environment, with a specific focus on China. Graded CR/NC. Open to freshmen Business Honors students only. International travel may require additional fees.
200x Economic Foundations for Business (2, FaSp) Examines fundamental concepts of both microeconomics and macroeconomics as they pertain to business and financial decisions. Not available for degree credit to business majors.
215x Foundations of Business Finance (4, FaSp) Principles and practices of modern financial management; use of financial statements; valuation of investment; asset pricing under uncertainty; elements of financial decisions. Not available for credit to business majors. Prerequisite: BUAD 200x and ACCT 410x.
250ab Core Concepts of Accounting Information (a: 4, Fa; b: 4, Sp) a: Accounting information in decision-making from the perspective of users and preparers; development of the basic accounting model and issues concerning income and cash flows. Corequisite: ECON 203. b: Continuation of financial and managerial accounting information in decision making, focusing on accounting issues involving economic resources, debt, and equity capital. Prerequisite: BUAD 250a; corequisite: ECON 203.
301 Technical Entrepreneurship (3) Starting and managing a technological business: developing a viable concept, market and financial planning, product development, organizing the venture, protecting intellectual property rights.
302 Communication Strategy in Business (4, FaSpSm) Theory, practices, and techniques of business communication strategy essential to external and organizational communication; group and interpersonal communication; development of skill in oral and written communication. Prerequisite: WRIT 340.
302T Business Communication for Accountants (4, FaSp) (For Accounting majors only) Theory, practices, and techniques essential to communication by accounting professionals; interpersonal communication, written and oral presentations; communication technologies; development of communication strategies for varied audiences. (Duplicates credit in BUAD 302.) Recommended preparation: WRIT 340.
304 Organizational Behavior (4, FaSpSm) The environments and technologies of business and industrial organizations, processes of work group development and management, and their effects on individual behavior.
305 Abridged Core Concepts of Accounting Information (4, FaSp) Uses of accounting information in decision-making; accounting issues concerning income and cash flows, economic resources and capital. (Duplicates credit in BUAD 250ab.) Open only to students with two transferable "Principles of Accounting" courses from a two-year or four-year institution.
306 Business Finance (4, FaSpSm) Financial problems of business enterprise; function of financial manager; sources of funds; instruments, institutions, and practices of finance; problems of financial management using case studies. (Duplicates credit in BUAD 406.) Prerequisite: BUAD 250a or BUAD 305.
307 Marketing Fundamentals (4, FaSpSm) Develops a managerial viewpoint in planning and evaluating marketing decisions of the firm: products, pricing, channels, promotion, information processing, legal implications, and marketing in contemporary society.
309 Business Decisions under Uncertainty (4, FaSp) Introduction to risk management and investment decisions in equities and real estate using the tools of probability, classical and Bayesian statistical inferences. Business honors only. Prerequisite: MATH 118x.
310 Applied Business Statistics (4, FaSpSm) Statistical methods for business analysis; data exploration and description; sampling distributions; estimation; hypothesis testing, simple and multiple regression; model building. Extensive computer applications. Prerequisite: MATH 218.
311 Operations Management (4, FaSpSm) Learn the fundamentals of operations management and acquire skills to analyze, manage and improve production processes. Topics include: project/total quality/materials management and just-in-time production.
311T Operations Management for Accounting Majors (4) Learn the fundamentals of operations management and acquire skills to analyze, measure, control and improve production processes. Open to accounting majors only. (Duplicates credit in BUAD 311.)
350 Macroeconomic Analysis for Business Decisions (4, FaSpSm) Behavior of economic indicators over business fluctuations, economic growth, monetary and fiscal policy, exchange rate movements. Prerequisite: ECON 203, ECON 205.
351 Economic Analysis for Business Decisions (4, FaSpSm) Theory of the firm in the enterprise system; profits, demand, and cost analysis; market competition and resource allocation; problems of size efficiency and growth. Prerequisite: ECON 203, ECON 205 and MATH 118.
390 Special Problems (1-4) Supervised, individual studies. No more than one registration permitted. Enrollment by petition only.
403 Legal Environment of Business (4, FaSpSm) Legal principles of business: litigation process, constitutional law, torts, product liability, crimes, contracts, sales and leases, intellectual property, international law, agency, employment law, and ethics.
490x Directed Research (2-8, max 8, FaSpSm) Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit. Prerequisite: departmental approval.
491 Honors Seminar (2, max 4, FaSp) Advanced study of a selected topic in business administration. In-depth exploration of relevant theories and methods of analysis. Senior standing with a minimum overall GPA of 3.3 and completion of at least 32 units of upper division BUAD courses with a minimum GPA of 3.5 required.
493x Dean's Seminar in Entrepreneurship (2, Fa) Overview of starting and developing a new business. Discussions with successful business leaders and entrepreneurs. Not available for students admitted to the Entrepreneur Program. Prerequisite: Senior or graduate standing in business or engineering or departmental approval. Graded CR/NC.
495 Practicum in Business Issues (Internship) (2) Combined classroom discussion and field application of business theories and practices; part-time employment. Project to be jointly defined by student, employer and professor. Junior or Senior standing. Graded CR/NC.
496 Leadership Seminar (2, Fa) Designed to expose students to both the study and the practice of leadership and to provide a structural opportunity for leadership skill building.
497 Strategic Management (4, FaSpSm) Examination of managerial decision-making, planning, and policy under changing environments; readings, cases, exercises, simulations. Prerequisite: BUAD 250b or BUAD 305, BUAD 302, BUAD 304, BUAD 306, and BUAD 307; corequisite: BUAD 311.
499 Special Topics (2-4, max 8, Irregular) Examination of current literature relevant to the total and changing environment in which business operates. Prerequisite: departmental approval.