2013‐2014
StudentHandbook
UndergraduatePrograms
1046PamplinHall
(540)231‐6602
Table of Contents Pamplin College of Business Organiza onal Chart………………………………………………………………………..……..1 Pamplin College of Business Overview…………………………………………………………………………………..…………… 2 Who Are You, Pamplin Class of 2017? ...................................................................................................4 Academic Advising ..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...5 Advising Hints………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…...8 Support Services and Student Organiza ons……………………………………………………………………………………..10 A endance Policy and Semester Hour Enrollment …………………………………………………………………………...11 Class Levels and Applying the ‘W’ policy.…………………………………………………………………………………….…….12 Free Elec ves/Minors………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………….13 Foreign Languages ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….......…..13 Hokie Spa and Registra on……………………………………………………………………………………………......…………….13 Course Request………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………......…...14 Drop/Add and Grades……………………………………………………………………………………………………………......…….15 Transferring Credits: U.S. Ins tu ons, AP, and IB……………………………………………………………………………….17 Transferring Credits: Cambridge and Ins tu ons Abroad……………………...…………………………………………..18 Gradua on Requirements……………………………………………………………………………………………………….......…..18 Academic Eligibility…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………......…..19 Proba on and Suspension Chart…………………………………………………………………………………………….......…...21 Pamplin Business Requirements: Freshman and Sophomore Years…………………………………………......…..22 Upper Division Clearance..………………………………………………………………………………………………………......…..23 Career Services………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 24 Selec ng a Major………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….......……..25 Majors…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….......…..25 Minors……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….........30 Pamplin College of Business Organizational Chart
College address: Pamplin College of Business (0209), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061
Internet address: cob.vt.edu Area Code All Numbers: 540 FAX number: (540) 231-4487
Dean
Dr. Robert T. Sumachrist
busdean@vt.edu
1030 Pamplin, 231-6601
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs
Dr. Candice E. Clemenz
clemenz@vt.edu
1046 Pamplin Hall, 231-6602
Director of Advising
Dr. Jennifer L. Clevenger
jcleveng@vt.edu
1046 Pamplin Hall, 231-6602
Accounting and Information Systems
Department Head
Dr. Reza Barkhi
acis@vt.edu
3007 Pamplin Hall, 231-6591
Director Career Services
Mr. Stuart Mease
smease@vt.edu
1046 Pamplin Hall, 231-6602
Academic Advisor and Recruiter
Mrs. Yalana Orr
ybryant@vt.edu
1046 Pamplin Hall, 231-6602
Business Information Technology
Department Head
Dr. B. W. Taylor, III
betaylo3@vt.edu
1007 Pamplin Hall, 231-6596
Finance
Department Head
Dr. Arthur Keown
emily@vt.edu
1016 Pamplin Hall, 231-5904
Academic and Study Abroad Advisor
Dr. Letecia McKinney
lmckinney@vt.edu
1046 Pamplin Hall, 231-6602
Hospitality and Tourism Management
Department Head
Dr. Richard R. Perdue
perduer@vt.edu
362 Wallace Hall, 231-5515
Academic Advisor & Business Minor Administrator
Mrs. Katherine Wells
kcwells@vt.edu
1046 Pamplin Hall, 231-6602
Management
Interim Department Head
Dr. Kevin Carlson
kevinc@vt.edu
2007 Pamplin Hall, 231-6353
Diversity Recruiter/Career Placement Coordinator
Ms. Emily Africa
eafrica@vt.edu
1046 Pamplin Hall, 231-6602
Marketing
Department Head
Dr. Kent Nakamoto
nakamoto@vt.edu
2016 Pamplin Hall, 231-6949
1
ThePamplinCollegeofBusinessgenerateshighqualityappliedandtheoreticalresearchthatsupportssuperi‐
orteachingandbusinessapplications.GraduatesofthePamplinCollege,applyingtheiranalyticalanddeci‐
sionmakingskills,helpbusinessescreatesolutions,enhancingtheircompetitivenessintheglobalbusiness
environmentandimprovingthelivesoftheirfamiliesandsociety.
RobertT.Sumichrast
DeanPamplinCollegeofBusiness
Vision
ThePamplinCollege,asacenterofexcellence,isanacademicgeneratorofhighqualityappliedandtheoretical
researchthattranslatesintoteachingsuperiorityandpractitionerapplicationsforallofitsaudiences.
StatementofPurpose
ThePamplinCollegeofBusinesswillberecognizedasVirginia'sbestundergraduatebusinessschoolthrough
outstandingteachingbyfull‐timefacultywhoarealsonationallyrecognizedintheoreticalandappliedre‐
search,andthroughtheplacementofitsgraduates.ThePamplinCollegewillbenationallyknownforitsgrad‐
uateprogramsthatareheldatvariouslocationsthroughouttheCommonwealth,andforservingbusinessand
societythroughtheexpertiseofitsfaculty,alumniandstudents.Thecollegewillbeknownforconductingall
ofitsactivitiesinanopenandethicalmanner.
WeEmphasize

Ethicalbehaviorinallofouractivities

Enhancingthehighqualityofourundergraduateprograms

ProvidingahighqualityMBAprogramatlocationsthroughouttheCommonwealth

Raisingtheresearchandscholarshipreputationoffaculty

Integratingthecomputerandtechnologyintotheacademiccurriculum

Developingtheleadershipskillsandethicalvaluesofourstudents

Preparingstudentsforglobalbusinesschallenges,includingprovidingopportunitiesforglobalexperi‐
encebeforegraduation

Enhancingourcommitmenttodiversity
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
Heighteningourlevelofservicetothebusinesscommunitythroughtheresearchandexpertiseoffaculty,
students,andgraduates

EnhancingthequalityofthePh.D.program
AnticipatedAccomplishments
ThePamplinCollegeplansonmeetingtheneedsofbusinessandsocietythroughitsundergraduateprograms
withastabilizedundergraduateenrollmentof4,000students.Itplansonachievingitsalreadyambitiousgoals
concerningresearchandscholarship,aswellasoutreachandinternationalprograms.Itplansondoublingthe
sizeofitsgraduateenrollmentthroughapartnershipwiththeuniversitythatwillassureadequatefundingfor
thispurpose.Accomplishmentswillbemeasuredannuallyandprogressreportedthroughtheuseofascore‐
card.
DiversityasaCoreValue
VirginiaTechandthePamplinCollegeofBusinessregarddiversityasasourceofstrengthandpride.Building
uponthiscommitment,thePamplinCollegeofBusinessaf irmsthefollowingprinciples:
Allstudents,regardlessoftheirbackground(race,color,gender,sexualorientation,disability,age,veteran
status,nationalorigin,religion,orpoliticalaf iliation)deserveandarepromisedequalopportunitytoan
educationinthePamplinCollegeofBusiness.
Wesupportanenvironmentforallstudents,faculty,andstaffthatisfreefromhostilityandintolerance.
Wepursueasupportiveanddiversecommunitythatrespectseachindividualandallowsideasandopin‐
ionstobeopenlydiscussed.
ThePamplinCollegeofBusinessiscommittedtothegoalofdevelopingitsstudents,faculty,andstaffinaman‐
nerthatinspiresthemtosuccessfulparticipationandeffectiveleadershipinapluralisticsocietyandconsiders
equalopportunity,freedomfromhostilityandintolerance,andrespectforindividualsandideastobevalues
essentialtothatgoal.
UNDERGRADUATEPROGRAMSOFFICEMISSIONSTATEMENT
Toprovidequalityeducationalservicesandsupportforundergraduatepoliciesandprocedurestostudents,
prospectivestudents,families,alumni,corporaterecruiters,andcollegedepartments.Tofacilitateasmooth
transitionintothecollege,throughthecollege,andintopost‐collegecareers,foralltheseconstituents.
SHAREDVALUES:
1. Commitmenttocontinuousimprovementonallpractices.
2. Promptandaccurateservice.
3. Respectfultreatmentforallindividualswithwhomweinteract,foreachother,andfortheorganiza‐
tion.
4. Specializedprogramsfordiversepopulations.
5. Stronguniversityandprofessionalcitizenship.
6. Thoughtfulandattentivestewardshipofresponsibilities.
3
W
A
Y
,P
C
2017?
FRESHMEN
YouareoneofthePamplinfreshmanclassof829students.Thehighschoolgradeaver‐
ageinacademicsubjectsforyourclassis3.86andtheaverageSATis1196.Among
yourclass,30%areVirginiaTechlegacies.Themale‐femalepercentbreakdownis61–
39.ManyofyouarealsoparticipatingintheVirginiaTechCorpsofCadetsoranNCAA
sport.
Virginiaishometo67%ofyou.Theremaining33%areout‐of‐statestudentsfrom
Arizona,California,Connecticut,Delaware,DistrictofColumbia,Florida,Georgia,
Hawaii,Illinois,Louisiana,Maryland,Massachusetts,NewHampshire,NewJersey,
NewYork,NorthCarolina,Ohio,Pennsylvania,SouthCarolina,Tennessee,Texas,
Vermont,andWestVirginia,andthecountriesofChina,Columbia,CostaRica,Ecua‐
dor,Jordan,Mexico,Poland,andSweden.
Fifty‐onepercent(44%)ofyouenteredtheBUS(undecided)major,11%ACIS
(accountingandinformationsystems),11%BIT(businessinformationtechnology),
9%MGT(management),8%MKTG(marketing),8%FIN( inance),5%HTM
(hospitalityandtourismmanagement),and4%ECON(economics).
TRANSFER
Atthetimeofprinting,wehave177transferstudentscomingtoPamplinforthe2013
‐2014academicyear.ThemajorityofstudentsarejoiningusfromtheVirginiaCom‐
munityCollegeSystem(VCCS).Therestofthetransferstudentsarecomingfrom4‐
yearinstitutionsinVirginia,aswellasvariousotherstatesandcountries.Virginiais
hometo94%ofyou.Themale‐femalepercentbreakdownis73‐27.Amongyour
class,33%areVirginiaTechlegacies.
“Insanityisdoingthesamethingsoverandoveragainandexpectingthedifferentresults.”
~AlbertEinstein
“Donotgowherethepathmaylead;goinsteadwherethereisnopathandleaveatrail.”
~RalphWaldoEmerson
“Itistodaywemustcreatetheworldofthefuture.”~EleanorRoosevelt
4
ACADEMICADVISING
AdvisingatVirginiaTechisacollaborativeprocessbetweenstudentandadvisor,leadingto
theexchangeofinformationthatencouragestheindividualstudenttomakeresponsible
academicandcareerdecisions.Studentsareencouragedtocontacttheiradvisors,eitherin
personorviae‐mail,atleasttwiceeachsemester.Inadditiontothefollowingstatements
ofresponsibilityforstudentsandadvisors,allstudentsshouldreadandcompletethe
“ImportantStepsforSuccessfulPamplinStudents”.
S
S
R
Thestudentsharestheresponsibilityfordevelopinganadvisingpartnershipwiththeadvi‐
sor.Overtime,thepartnershipresultsinincreasedresponsibilityforstudents.Thisis
achievedthroughthestudent:
 Communicatinggoals,needs,wantsandconcernstoadvisorsinarespectfulandsincere
manner
 Keepingabreastoftheirownacademicprogressandrequirementsrelatedtotheiraca‐
demicprograms
 Making,keepingandbeingpreparedforappointmentswithadvisors
 Informingtheadvisorofchangesinplansand/orcircumstancesthatmightimpactaca‐
demicperformance
 Knowingdepartmentalproceduresregardingchangingadvisors
 Bringingconcernsregardingthequalityofadvisingtotheattentionoftheadvisor.
S
A
R
Theadvisorsharestheresponsibilityfordevelopinganadvisingpartnershipwiththestu‐
dent.Thisisachievedthroughtheadvisor:
 Communicatingwiththestudentanddeliveringindividualizedandaccurateinfor‐
mationinaprofessionalandsinceremanner;
 Beinginformedof,andprovidingaccurateinformationaboutcurrentacademicpolicies
andprocedures;
 Keepingappointmentsandbeingavailableforassistance;
 Providingappropriatereferrals,contactsandinformation;
 Doingappropriatefollow‐upwiththestudent;and
 Seekingoutandtakingadvantageofopportunitiesforprofessionaldevelopment.
A
A
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Asfreshmenandsophomores,PamplinstudentsareassignedanadvisorinPamplinUnder‐
graduateProgramsOf icelocatedin1046PamplinHall.Theadvisor'snameisavailablein
5
AugustthroughHokieSpa(seepage14formoredetailsonHokieSpa).Advisorsassiststu‐
dentswithlearningthelower‐divisioncoursework,universityandcollegepolicies,proce‐
duresandcorerequirementsandhowtoresearchcareeroptionsandselectamajorwhich
best itstheirlifegoals.
Of icehoursareweekdaysfrom8:00a.m.‐5:00p.m.Studentsmaydropinforanswersto
generalquestionsandreferralsortomakeanappointmentwiththeiradvisor.Thebest
andmostpreferredwaytoscheduleanacademicadvisingappointmentistocalltheUnder‐
graduateProgramsOf ice(540)231‐6602.Thereceptionisthasaccesstoyouradvisor's
calendarandcancheckavailability,aswellasscheduletheappointment.
The irstsemesterofthejunioryear,studentsareassignedafacultyadvisorintheirmajor
department.Thefacultyadvisorwillassistwithmajorcourseoptions,freeelectives,gradu‐
ationrequirementsandcareeradvisement.
Onmattersofexceptionstouniversitypolicy,suchasrequestinganin‐majorcoursesubsti‐
tutionoranexceptiontoadeadline,studentsshouldseetheirdepartmentheads(orifun‐
decided,theDirectorofAdvising).TheAssociateDeanforUndergraduateProgramswill
makeadecisionandthestudentwillbenoti iedviae‐mail.Anyrequestsforexceptions
basedonmedicalproblemsshouldbesubmittedtoSchiffertHealthCenter,locatedin
McComasHall.DecisionsonmedicalrequestsaremadebyHealthEvaluatingCommittee.
CommunicationwithPamplinStudents:
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Youwillreceiveemailsconcerningimportantdeadlines,policies,upcomingevents,
ect.throughbusinfo@vt.edu.Pleasedonotautomaticallydeletetheseemails.
Someemailswillcomefromyouradvisor’spersonalvt.eduemailaddressifthey
haveindividualconcerns.
SomeemailswillcomefromADV….@vt.eduemailaddress(whichwillsendinfor‐
mationtoalladvisees).Academicadvisorsfrequentlyusetheadvisinglistservto
sendtheirstudentse‐mailmessageswithimportantmeetingannouncementsand
remindersofupcomingdeadlines.
InformationoncareerswillbesenttoyouviaemailfromStuartMease,Directorof
CareerServices.HeperiodicallysendsoutCareerConnectnewsletters.
Announcementsandnoticesarepostedontheadvisingbulletinboard,locatedin
1046PamplinHallandthebulletinboardacrossfrom1008PamplinHall.Announce‐
mentsandnoticesarealsopostedintheadvisingsectionoftheUndergraduatePro‐
grams'websiteatwww.undergrad.pamplin.vt.edu.
YoushouldroutinelycheckourSCHOLARpage,AcademicAdvisinginPamplin.All
importantannouncementsanddeadlineswillbeonthisSCHOLARsite,alongwith
otherinformationstudents indhelpful.
6
ImportantStepsforSuccessfulPamplinStudents
1. UsetheelectronicPathwaysPlannertocreateyoursemester‐by‐semesterplanfor
graduatingontime.
2. Completethefreshmanandsophomorebusinesscurriculum—checksheetcanbe
foundonpage22.
3.Readthee‐mailsfromyouradvisorandtheDirectorofCareerServices.
4.Besuretokeepincontactwithyouradvisor,atleasttwotimesasemestereitherin
personorbyemail.ALWAYSincludeyourfullnameincommunicationswithyourad‐
visor.Youmustuseyourvt.eduaccount,notagmailorotheraccounttogetpersonal
information.
5. CompleteAreas1through7oftheUniversityCurriculumforaLiberalEducation
(CLEs)‐seeFreshmen/SophomoreChecksheetonpage22.
6. Takeallrequiredcoursesforalettergrade(A‐F).OnlytrueelectivescanbetakenP/F,
unlesstheareacourseisonlytaughtP/F(e.g.,FA2004,anarea6course).
7. Knowtheprerequisitesbeforeenrollinginanycourse.
8. AttendBusinessHorizonsannuallyduringSeptemberandFebruary.
9. Keepup‐to‐datewithPamplinCollegeofBusinessactivities,suchastheDistinguished
Speakersseriesandregistrationmeetingsbyreadingvarioussourcesofinformation—
seeCommunicationswithPamplinStudents.
10.AttendCompanyDaysintheAtrium.
11.Decidewiselyhowtouseyourfreeelectives—youcouldearnaminor!
12.Researchandselectamajorinbusiness,whichbestdemonstratesyourtalentsand
values.Thenbecomefamiliarwiththemajorchecksheet.
13.DevelopaprofessionalresumewiththeassistanceofCareerServices
(www.career.vt.edu).
14.Completethelowerdivisioncourseworkbytheendofthesophomoreyear,inorderto
gainUpperDivisionClearance(UDC)‐seemoredetailsconcerningUDConpage23.
15.Youshoulddeclareamajorbytheendofyoursophomoreyear.Youmustdeclarea
businessmajornolaterthan72credithours.However,itispreferabletodeclareby
theendof60credithourstobeabletocourserequestappropriatemajorcourses.
16.Applyforyourdegreeinthe irstsemesterofyourjunioryear.
17.ReviewanupdatedDARSreporteachofyourlastfoursemesters.
18.Complete125semesterhours,includingallmajorrequiredcourses.
19.Achieve2.0in‐majorGPAand2.0overallGPAinordertograduate.
7
AdvisingHints
GoToClass
Newstudentsoftenhearthatincollege“youcancutclassanytimeyouwant.”NOTTRUE!
Boredom,lackofsleep,andbeingunpreparedarefrequentexcusesforcuttingclasses.Over‐
comingoravoidingthesehabitsyour irstyearwilldomuchtoensuresuccessthroughout
youracademiccareer.Thefaculty’sattendancepolicy,ifany,willbeonthesyllabus.Refer
tothetopiccoveringattendanceinthisbookletformoredetailsontheattendancepolicy.
LearntheCampus
Acampustourdoesnotprovidethegeographicknowledgenecessarytogetaroundatama‐
joruniversity.Explorethecampusandlearnwherearethedepartmentsandof icesarelo‐
cated.MakesuretotakethetourofNewmanLibraryinthefallsemester.VisitTorgersen
Hall,whichiswhereyouwillpickupstudentsoftwarepackagesforyourcomputer.
BePatientwithYourself...ThereIsNothingWrongWithBeingConfusedInitially
Somestudentsbecomeupsetwhentheyrealizetheyhavenotmasteredallfacetsofcolle‐
giatelifeduringtheir irstterm.Remembercollegeisawayoflife.Youwillbelearningto
adjusttothisnewlifestyleeverydayanditdoestaketime.Youwillmakesomemistakes
duringyourcollegiatecareer.Pleasebeassuredthatyouarenotdoomed.Whenyourealize
orevenjustthinkyouhavemadeamistake,setouttoremoveorcorrectit.Ifyouarestrug‐
glinginanyway,academicallyorpersonally,seekhelpfromyouradvisor.IGNORINGthe
challengewilllikelymagnifyitandcreateotherproblems.
TakeCareofYourself
Yourhealthisnowinyourhands.Besuretoeatwell,dressfortheweather,andconsider
seriouslytherisksofsmokingandconsumingalcohol.StudiesofVirginiaTechfreshmenin‐
dicatethatthemorestudentssmokedanddrankalcohol,thelowertheirfreshmangrades.
ThiscorrelationwastrueevenwhentheeffectsofSATscoresandhighschoolgradeswere
removed.
GetToKnowSomeProfessors
Allprofessorshaveweeklyof icehours.Seekoutprofessorsafterclassorduringtheirof ice
hours.Professorscanonlyhelpyouiftheyknowyouarehavingtrouble.Youcanalsojust
introduceyourselftoyourprofessorandgettoknowhimorher;thisisespeciallyhelpfulin
largerclasses.Sittinginthe irstfewrowscanbehelpfulingettingtoknowyourprofessor,
aswellasavoidingdistractions.Itcanmakeclasseslessdauntingifyouknowyourprofes‐
sor.IfyoumaketheefforttogettoknowoneprofessoreverysemesteryouareatVirginia
Tech,thenyouwillhaveeightprofessorstowriterecommendationlettersforjobsorfor
graduateschool.Moreimportantly,therelationshipwillmakeyoufeelmoreconnectedto
PamplinandVirginiaTech.Youwill indmembersofthefacultyareinvaluablementorsfor
youracademicandpersonallife.
8
KeepPacewiththePrescribedCurriculum
Sometimesfreshmenhavetodropacourse.Ifpossible,donotdropmathorACIS1504,which
areprerequisitesforthequantitativemethodssequence.Theninelowerdivisionbusiness
coursesrequireaC–orbetterandmustbecompletedtomoveontotheupperdivisionbusi‐
nesscoursesinthejunioryear.Inaddition,youmustearnatleastacombined2.0inthenine
lowerdivisionbusinesscourses,whichmeansyoucannotearnallC‐sinthesecourses.Com‐
pleteAreas1through7oftheUniversityCorerequirementsyourfreshmanandsophomore
years.Thisiseasytodobyfollowingthecurriculumandconsultingyouradvisor.
Ignorerumors!UseYourAdvisorforAdvice
Rumorsofalltypesaboundoncampus.Almostallhaveanatomoftruth,butmosthavean
abundanceof iction.Ifyouhearastatementthatcouldaffectyourprogram,checkwithyour
advisor.Manypeoplewillinterprettherulesandpoliciesforyou,butcon irmthemwiththe
personwhoknowsbest…youradvisor.Youmayalsocheckonupdatedpoliciesontheinternet.
Also,keepinmindthatyourfriendorroommatemaybeinadifferentmajor,wherethepoli‐
cies,procedures,andprescribedcurriculummaydiffer.
KnowYourAcademicSituation
Ifyouhavequestionsorconcernsabouthowyouaredoinginaclass,gototheprofessorand
discussit.Waitinguntilaftermidtermsorthelastweekofthetermto indouthowyouaredo‐
ingcouldresultinano‐winsituation.YoushouldregularlycheckSCHOLAR(ifyourprofessor
usesthissystemandthemajoritydo)foryourgrades.Notcheckingyourgradesisthe irst
signthattheremaybeanacademicissue.Therearemanyresourcestohelpyouifyou indout
thereisaproblemsoonenough.Makesureyoucheckyourgradesbeforeleavingattheendof
eachterm.Keepyourselfinformed.
LearnToCommunicateintheClassroom
Theonlydumbquestionsaretheonesnotasked.Ifyoudonotknowanddonotunderstand
something,chancesareseveralofyourpeersdonotunderstandeither.Learningtoaskques‐
tionsisaskillyouneedtodevelop.Youshouldalsomakeapointtostopbyandseeyourin‐
structorsduringtheirof icehours,whicharetimessetasideforyou.
StudyinGroups
Doinghomeworkisimportant,butwhatreallymattersisdoingitinawaythathelpsyouun‐
derstandthematerial.Studentswhostudyontheirownandthendiscusstheworkingroupsof
fourtosix,understandthematerialbetterandfeelmoreengagedintheirclasses.
BudgetYourTime;TakingCoursesIsYourFull‐TimeJob
Learntobalancetheimportantareasofyourlife.Thisincludesasociallife,butyoumustlearn
toplanyourstudytimeproperly.Takingafewminuteseachdaytomakeaschedulecouldsave
unnecessaryanxietyattheendofthesemester.Plantogiveenoughtimetowritethatpaperor
studyforthatexam.Pullingan“allnighter”willonlyloweryourconcentrationlevel.Thefre‐
quentlyheardstatement“Iworkbestunderpressure”isoftenanexcuseforthosewhoreally
havenochoice.Agoodruleofthumbtostudyforanexamistotakethenumberofchapters+1
9
to indouthowmanydaysyoushouldstudy(e.g.,a5chaptertestwillrequire6daysofstud‐
ying).
PhoneorE‐MailHomeFrequently
Yourfamilycanprovetobeyourbestsupportsystem.Theywanttoknowhonestlyand
truthfullyjusthowyouaredoing.Theymaynotknowhowtohelpotherthanlistening,but
thatactaloneisessentialtoyourwell‐being.Ifyouwantyourparentstobeabletospeakto
anadvisor,theymustknowthepasscodethatyouenteredontheFERPAforminHokieSpa,if
youchosetodoso.Youmaycalltheof icetogetthatpasscodeifyouforgetwhatyouwrote
down.
SupportServices
Manyservicesareavailableonauniversity‐widebasis.Advisorswillbehappytoprovidede‐
tailsorhelptomakeanappointment.
TheStudentSuccessCenter(SSC),locatedin110FemoyerHallprovidesfreeacademicsup‐
porttostudentsenrolledatVirginiaTech.Theirprogramsinclude:1.)LearningAssistance
Programstohelpstudentswhowanttoimprovetheiracademicskillssuchastimemanage‐
ment,testtaking,readingcomprehension,tutoring,ect.;2.)AcademicExcellencePrograms
targetingstudentswhoarealreadysucceedingacademicallyandsimplywanttoenrichtheir
educationalexperiences;and3.)CollegeTransitionProgramstohelpstudentsmakeasuc‐
cessfultransitionfromhighschooltocollege,aswellasfacilitateacademicandsocialadjust‐
menttoVirginiaTech.Inadditiontotheseprograms,theSSCofferstutoringservices,Turn‐
ingPoint,andaseminarseriesonacademicsuccess.ForadditionalinformationvisitSSC’s
websiteatwww.ssc.vt.edu.
TheMathEmporiumislocatedinUniversityCityMall.Thereareweeklyhelpsessionswith
yourprofessor,aswellasone‐on‐onetutoring.TherearetrainedworkersintheEmpoavail‐
ableforbasichelpduringoperatinghours.Formorecomplexquestions,thereisone‐on‐one
tutoringinthehelproomoftheEmporium(Empo)mostevenings.Inaddition,theSSCoffers
weeklygrouptutoringsessions.Visitthewebsiteatwww.emporium.vt.edu.
TheCookCounselingCenter,locatedinMcComasHall,offersindividualappointmentswith
counselorsaswellasworkshopsonacademicstress,exampreparation,memoryimprove‐
ment,studyskills,testanxiety,timemanagementandothers.To indoutmoreaboutindivid‐
ualcounselingorthevariousworkshopsvisittheirwebsiteatwww.ucc.vt.edu.
TheWritingCenter,locatedinNewmanLibrary’ssecond loorlearningcommons,isafree,
non‐creditwritingtutorialserviceforallstudents.Theydonotproofreadorcorrectpapers.
Theywillofferone‐on‐oneinstructiononwritingandhowtomakeimprovements.Students
mayvisitthewebsiteformoreinformation:www.composition.english.vt.edu/wc/.
StudentOrganizations
VirginiaTechhasover700university‐wideorganizations,includingPamplin’sfouracademic
honorsocieties,threecoeducationalbusinessfraternitiesandmorethan20otherbusiness
organizations,manybasedonmajors.EachPamplinorganizationsponsorscareerrelated
programsandprovidesstudentswiththeopportunitytomeetfellowmajorsandotherPam‐
10
plinstudents.Thesecanbevaluablelearningexperiences,especiallyforfreshmenwhoare
primarilyinclassesoutsidethecollege.Acompletelistoftheseorganizationsisavailableat
thePamplinUndergraduatewebsitewww.undergrad.pamplin.vt.edu.Eachorganizationhas
abulletinboardinPamplinHalllistingitsof icersandupcomingprograms.Toallowstu‐
dentsto indtheorganizationswhichbestmeettheirinterestsandneeds,there’sastudent
organizationshowcaseaspartof“HokieHi”welcomeweekactivities.
AttendancePolicy
Classmeetingsareanintegralpartofmostcoursesandthecentralcomponentofmany.
Therefore,bothfacultyandstudentsareexpectedtomeetatallregularlyscheduledtimes,
exceptforcancellationsannouncedonauniversity‐widebasisbyanappropriateauthority.
To indoutiftheUniversityisclosedorclassesarecancelledduetoinclementweather,call
(540)231‐6668orchecktheUniversitywebsiteatwww.vt.edu.
Facultyareexpectedtoprovidestudentswithacoursesyllabusonthe irstdayofclas‐
seseachsemester,includingcourseobjectives,topicaloutlines,expectedperformancefor
whichgradeswillbeassigned,andtheinstructor’sattendancepolicy,ifany.
Contactyourprofessortoletthemknowthatyouwereunabletocometoclass.Itisyour
responsibilitytomakearrangementsforanyworkmissedassoonaspossible.Ifyouvisit
Schiffert,incasesofprolongedmedicalabsences,studentsshouldnotifytheDeanofStu‐
dent’sOf ice,whowillcontactthestudent’sacademicdeanandfaculty.Relevantdocumen‐
tationwillberequiredfortheDeanofStudentstoprovideastudentwithanAbsenceVeri i‐
cationform.
SemesterHourEnrollment
Minimumfull‐timeenrollmentforundergraduatestudentsis12semesterhours,excluding
auditsand inishingincompletes,forthefallandspringsemestersandthreesemesterhours
persummersession.
StudentswithaminimumGPAof3.0mayreceiveautomaticoverloadapprovalforupto21
hoursforthefallandspringsemesters.Studentswithlessthana3.0GPAmustobtainap‐
provalfromtheAssociateDeantotakeanoverload(morethan19hoursinaregularsemes‐
teror9hoursinasummersession).StudentsmustsubmittheirrequestintheUndergradu‐
ateProgramsOf ice,1046PamplinHall.TheAssociateDeanwillmakeadecisionandnotify
thestudentviae‐mail.StudentswithanoverallGPAbelow2.00arenoteligibleforanover‐
load.Studentsonacademicprobationmayenrollinnomorethan16hoursduringaregular
semester.
Beforedroppingcourses,studentsshouldmakesuretheyarenotrequiredtomaintainfull‐
timeenrollmenttocontinue inancialaid,healthandcarinsurance,NCAAeligibility,on‐
campusresidencyorscholarships.StudentsmaynotdropallclassesforatermusingHokie
Spa.Todropallclassesstudentsmustcompleteawithdrawal/resignationformavailable
fromtheRegistrarin250StudentServicesBuilding(www.registrar.vt.edu),1046Pamplin
Hall,oratwww.undergrad.pamplin.vt.edu.
11
ClassLevels
ManyformswhichstudentscompletewhileatVirginiaTechrequirethestudenttoenter
theiracademicclasslevel—freshman,sophomore,junior,orsenior.Thefollowingnumeri‐
calclassi icationsareusedatVirginiaTechtoindicatetheacademicclasslevels.Students
areresponsibleforknowingtheiracademicclasslevelandwillbeaskedforitonmanyoc‐
casions.Youcan indthisinformationonyourunof icialtranscriptonHokieSpa.Hours
listedare“earnedhours”not“attemptedhours”.
10=Freshman(lessthan30hours)
11=HonorsProgramFreshman
20=Sophomore(30‐59hours)
21=HonorsProgramSophomore
30=Junior(60‐89hours)
31=HonorsProgramJunior
36=Juniorenrolledin iveyearundergraduate/masterprogram
40=Senior(90ormorehours)
41=HonorsProgramSenior
45=Dualenrolledundergraduate/graduate
46=Seniorenrolledin iveyearundergraduate/mastersprogram
Applyingthe‘W’Policy(LateCourseWithdrawal)
Studentsmaywithdrawalfromamaximumofsixhours(6)beyondthenormalsix‐week
dropdeadline(seecalendarfor2013‐2014dropdeadlines)duringtheiracademiccareerat
VirginiaTech,subjecttothefollowing:
1. Studentsmustformallyrequesttowithdrawalfromacourseandhavetheiradvisors’
signature.Thelasttimetowithdrawalisnolaterthan5:00p.m.ontheFridaybefore
thelastregulardayofclassesinthesemesterinwhichtheyareenrolledinthecourse,
regardlessoftheiracademicperformanceuptothepointoftheirrequest.
2. Coursesfromwhichstudentsapplythe’W’policywillappearontheirtranscriptswitha
‘W’,ratherthanagradeandwillnot igureintothegrade.
3. Students’decisionstoinvokethispolicyareirrevocableandnotappealable.
4. Withdrawalsunderthispolicymaynotbeemployedtoreduceorobviateanypenalty
accruingtostudentsundertheUniversity’sHonorSystem.
5. Beforeapplyingthe‘W’policy,studentsshouldcheckanyconsequencesthismayhave
on inancialaid,internationalvisas,NCAAregulations,scholarshipsorotheritemsrelat‐
edtoenrollmentstatus.
12
FreeElectives/Minors
Freeelectivesareopportunitiesforstudentstochoosecoursesfromanydepartmentinthe
university,aslongastheymeettherequirementsspeci iedbyanindividualdepartment.
Electivespresentunlimitedpossibilitiesfortailoringacurriculumto itinterest,educational
plans,andcareergoals.Youcanuseyourfreeelectivestoconcentrateoncompletingcours‐
esforaminor.Mostminorsrequire18credits.YoumaychoosetominorinRealEstate,
BusinessDiversity,BusinessLeadership,InternationalBusiness,orAppliedComputingin
BusinessthroughPamplin.ThereareminorsinmanymajorsoutsideofPamplin—justcheck
withthedepartmentofinterest.Studentsmayalsousefreeelectivestohelppursueadouble
major,selectcoursesthatcomplementtheirmajor,continuespecialinterestsortalents,or
explorenewareas.
Freeelectivesareoneofthemanywaysstudentscandemonstratetheirinitiativesandinter‐
ests.Speakingtoafacultymembers,readingabouttheminorsandmajors,consideringin‐
terestsandcareergoals,andmeetingwithanacademicadvisorareallhelpfulinplanning
howbesttousefreeelectives.
ForeignLanguages
Studentsarerequiredtohavecompletedatleasttwoyearsofaforeignlanguagetosatisfy
theUniversityrequirement.Thelanguagerequirementmaybemetusingcoursesfromhigh
school.Ifyouplantocompletetherequirementwithcollegecourses,beawarethatthecred‐
itscannotcounttowardyourrequired125degreecredits.TheForeignLanguageRequire‐
mentisnotpostedtoyourDegreeAuditReportuntillateSpringeachyear.
Inthisglobaleconomy,languageskillsarebecomingmoreimportant.WhilePamplindoes
notrequirestudentstotakeforeignlanguages,thecurriculumisdesignedtogivestudents
theopportunitytotakeforeignlanguagesasfreeelectives.Studentsmayevencompletefor‐
eignlanguageminors.Itisimportantforstudentswishingtopursueminorstoworkwith
theiradvisorstoutilizetheirfreeelectivesandsomeoftheUniversityCorerequirementsfor
theminor.
HokieSpa
AllVirginiaTechstudentscreateaPID(personalID)aftertheyaccepttheirofferofadmis‐
sion.ThePIDisalsotheir“@vt.edu”e‐mailaddress.ThePIDgivesstudentsaccesstoHokie
Spa(StudentPersonalAccess).HokieSpaisthegatewayintoregistrationandschedules,
grades,transcripts,advisorassignment,degreemenu,studentaccount, inancialaid,housing
anddiningservices,andpersonalinformation(suchasaddressandphonenumbers).
Registration
RegistrationatVirginiaTechoccursinmultiplephases.First,acourserequestperiodofap‐
proximatelysevendaysoccursatthemidpointofeachsemesterforsubsequentterms,cur‐
rentlyinOctoberforspring,andMarchforfall.Summerisabitdifferentbecausethecourse
requestisfromDecembertoFebruary.Thisisjustarequestwhereyousubmityour
13
“ideal”schedule.Oncetherequestperiodcloses,theRegistrarwillprocessallofthere‐
questsfromtheuniversity.Second,theRegistrar’sOf icewillprovideyouwithyour
“actual”scheduleabout3‐4weeksaftertherequestperiodcloses.Third,ascheduleadjust‐
mentperiodreferredtoas“Drop/Add”followsthearrivalofyourschedule.TheDrop/Add
periodbeginsneartheendofeachsemester.DatesforDrop/AddarelistedintheTimeta‐
bleofClassescalendar.
CourseRequest
The irststepinthecourserequestprocessforPamplinfreshmenandsophomoresistoat‐
tendoneofthecollegeregistrationmeetings.Thesemeetingsareheldonavarietyofdays
andtimeswithinPamplinHallandtheresidencehalls.Speci icdates,timeandlocationsare
postedatwww.undergrad.pamplin.vt.eduandadvisorswillsende‐mailnoticestotheirad‐
viseeseachsemester.Atthesemeetings,topicssuchascourserequirements,policyup‐
dates,andeventannouncementsarecovered.
Next,studentsplantheircourseselectionsbyreviewingtheirmajorchecksheetsorthe
freshman‐sophomorerequirements.
Then,usingtheon‐lineTimetableofClasses,studentsselectdaysandtimesforthecourses
theyplantotake.Asectionidenti iernumber,referredtoasaCourseReferenceNumber
(CRN),isusedintheTimetable.The irstdigitoftheCRNrepresentsthenumericcodefor
theterm:9=fall,1=spring,6=FirstSummerand7=SecondSummer.Thefollowing
itemsarelistedatthetopoftheTimetableofClassesunder“ImportantDatesandRegistra‐
tionInformation.”
 Calendarsforcurrentandfuturesemesters
 ExamSchedules
 FreetimeandLunchCRNs—studentsoftenneedtoutilizefreetimetoblockout
hoursofeachdayneededforworkorextracurricularresponsibilitiessuchasathlet‐
ics,bandpractices,andtheCorpsofCadets.Studentsmaywishtoschedulesuf i‐
cienttimeformeals.
 BuildingAbbreviations
Withinthelistofclasses,studentscan indthefollowingusefulinformationtoassistin
scheduling:
 ClickontheCRNinthefarleftcolumn(anewwindowwillopen)toviewthesection
comments,suchas“mustattendthe irstdayofclassorbedroppedfromtheroll”
andrestrictions,suchas“ACISmajorsonly”.
 Clickonthecoursenumbertoviewthecatalogcoursedescriptionandprerequisites.
 Clickon“Exam”(anewwindowwillopen)toviewthe inalexamtimeforthecourse
section.
Finally,studentsinputtheCRNsintothecourserequestscreeninHokieSpa.Coursere‐
questopensatmidnightonthe irstdayofrequestandremainsopenuntil11:59onthe
lastdayofrequest.Thereisnoprioritygiventoprocessingrequestsifenteredthe irstday
ofcourserequest,noristhereapenaltyforenteringarequestthe inaldayofcoursere‐
quest.However,studentswhowaituntilthelastdayofthecourserequestperiodwilllike‐
lyencountermoredif icultyinaccessingthesystemduetothehighervolumeofactivity.
14
CourseRequestResults
ThedatecourserequestswillbeavailableispostedintheTimetableofClasses.Thecom‐
putersystemwillgenerateschedulesfortheentireuniversity,notbycollegeormajor.Re‐
questsare illedfromstudentswithspecialneedstograduatestudentstoundergraduate
students.Undergraduateschedulesare illedfromstudentswiththemostamountofcredits
tothosewiththeleastamountofcredits.Everyattemptismadetohonorthestudents’spe‐
ci icschedulerequests.
Reasonsstudentsmaynotreceivearequestedcourseinclude:ClosedSection(Full);Con‐
lict(requestedcoursesectionisfullandallothersectionscon lictwithothercoursesin
schedule);cancelled(sectionofcoursehasbeenwithdrawnbydepartment);Restrictions
(studentdoesnotqualifytoregisterforcoursebasedoncourserestrictions);andenrolling
inmorecredithoursthanallowed.
Drop/Add
Onceclassschedulesareavailable,studentsmaymakechangestothemthrough“Drop/
Add.”Studentsmaynotaddordroppastthedeadlines.(The2013‐2014deadlinesare
listedon“MarkYourCalendar”).Drop/Addforthefallsemesterrunsthroughtheendof
thespringsemesterandopensagaininearlyAugust.Forthesummerterms,Drop/Addis
availablefrommid‐Marchthroughthedeadlinesforaddinganddroppingcourses.Forthe
springsemester,Drop/AddwillbeavailableinearlyDecemberandremainopenthrough
thedeadlinesforaddinganddroppingspringsemestercourses.
Holds
Astudent’sregistrationrecordmaybeplacedonholdforavarietyofreasonsandbyavari‐
etyofof ices.Forexample,HealthServicesmayplaceaholdonastudent’srecordforfail‐
uretosubmitimmunizationrecords.StudentAccounts,forfailuretopayfees;andcolleges,
forfailuretodeclareamajororprogresstowardadegree.Theholdwillprohibitaccessto
courserequest,Drop/Add,andviewingclassschedules.Studentsmaycheckwhetherthey
haveaholdinthe“YourStudentAccount”sectionofHokieSpaandmayviewthereasonfor
thehold,aswellaswhomtheyshouldcontacttoresolvethehold.
Grades
StudentsmayaccesstheirsemestergradesfromthetranscriptsectionofHokieSpathe
weekafter inalexams.Gradesarenotmailed,unlessthestudentmakesarequesttothe
UniversityRegistrar.
GradingSystem
GradesandGradePointsperCreditHour:
A=4.0
A‐=3.7
B+=3.3
B=3.0
B‐=2.7
C+=2.3
15
C=2.0
C‐=1.7
D+=1.3
D=1.0
D‐=0.7
F=0.0
QualitypointsmaybeobtainedbymultiplyingGradePointsbythenumberofcoursecred‐
its.Forexample,anA–ina3creditcoursewouldresultin11.1qualitypoints.(3.7x3=
11.1).
P=Pass,AppliestoPass/FailonlycoursesandP/Foptions.
NR=NoGradeReported,Thisisusedongradereportortranscriptwhenaninstructorre‐
turnednograde.AgradeofNRiscalculatedinGPAlikean”F.”
I=Incomplete,Anincompleteisusedwhenastudenthasobtainedpermissionfromthe
courseinstructortodelaycompletionofacourse.Hoursareshownunder“deferredhours”
only.Theworkmustbecompletedbytheendofthenextterminwhichthestudentisen‐
rolledorthegradewillconvertto“F”andbeaddedintoGPA.
W=Withdrew,StudentappliedLateCourseWithdrawalPolicytothecourse.
RP=RepeatedCourse,Whenastudentretakesacoursewherea“C”orhigherhasbeen
earned,RPwillappearontherecord.Astudentmaynotrepeatacourse“toimprovehisor
herGPAwhereaChasbeenearned.”
AUD=audit,Neithergradenorcreditsaccrue.
X=Continuingcourse,Thestudentcontinuestocompleterequirements.Oncecompleted
thegradewillbechangedfromanXtoalettergrade.TheXgradeismostcommonlyused
during ieldstudieswithaparticularnumberofhoursrequiredtocompletethestudy.
GradeOptions
Allrequiredcourses(college,majoranduniversitycorerequirements)mustbetakenforan
AthroughFlettergrade(A‐F).Only“freeelectives”maybetakenonapass/failbasis(P/F).
Ifyouareusingyourfreeelectivestoful illadoublemajororminor,youmusttakethe
coursesforalettergrade.
ThePass/FailGradeOptionisavailabletoallstudentswhohaveattemptedaminimumof
30credithoursatVirginiaTechandhaveaminimum2.00overallgradepointaverage
(GPA).UndertheP/Fgradingsystem,a“P”isgrantedforearningagradeof“D”orbetterin
thecourse.Agradeof“D‐“isconsideredafailinggradeundertheP/Foption.
Nomorethan10percentofthetotalrequiredhoursforgraduationtakenatVirginiatech
maybeP/F.StudentmaytakenomorethantwoP/Fcoursesperterm,excludingcourses
taughtonlyP/F.
OncecreditisreceivedforcoursestakenP/F,thecourseCANNOTberepeatedundertheA‐
Fgradeoption.Ifagradeof“F”isreceivedinaP/Fcourse,itisincludedinthecalculation
oftheGPA.(Note:Nomorethantwopass/failHNFE/EDPEactivitycourses,suchasaero‐
bicsorgolf,willcounttowarddegreerequirements.)
Studentsmayauditcoursesotherthanlaboratoryandstudiocourses,iftheyhavepermis‐
sionfromtheiradvisorsandtheinstructor.Auditedcourseswillnotcounttowarddegree
16
requirements.Anycoursethatwasauditedcannotbetakenforalettergradelater.The
lastdaytoaddordroptheauditoptionisthelastdaytoaddacourseeachsemester.
TransferringCredit:
TransferCreditfromAnotherInstitution(UnitedStates)
Youarerequiredtocompleteapre‐authorization,“AuthorizationtoTakeCoursesElse‐
whereform,”priortotakingcoursesatanotherinstitutionwhilecurrentlyastudentatVir‐
giniaTech.http://www.undergrad.pamplin.vt.edu/advising/forms/authorization.pdf
Ifyouareapprovedtotakeacourse,youmustearnatleastaCinthecoursetoearntransfer‐
rablecredit.Onlythecredittransfers,notthegrade.YoucannotimproveyourGPAbytaking
coursesaway.
YoushouldconsulttheTransferEquivalencyDatabase(TED)ontheOf iceoftheRegistrar’s
websitehttp://www.tranguide.registrar.vt.edu.Thisdatabaseshowscoursesthathavebeen
acceptedinthepast;however,thisisnotaguaranteeofacceptance.TEDisonlyaguide.The
authorizationformandasyllabusarenecessarytoreviewthecourseforacceptance.
Astudentmaytakenomorethan62creditsfromVirginiaCommunityCollegeSystem
schoolsoranyothercommunitycollegesystemoutsideofVirginia.Thereisnotaspeci ied
amountofcreditacceptedfrom4‐yearinstitutions.However,25%ofyourdegreecredits
mustcomefromVirginiaTech.Inaddition,50%ofallbusinesscoursesmustbetakenatVir‐
giniaTechtoearnaBusinessdegree.Finally,nomorethan18ofyourlast45creditsmaybe
takenawayfromVirginiaTech.
AdvancedPlacement(AP)Credit
APscoresarereceivedelectronicallyfromtheCollegeBoard.Mayexamscoresdirectedto
VirginiaTecharereceivedinJuly.Thereafter,scoresarereceivedweeklythroughAugust,
thenevery3‐4weeks.APcreditisviewableonHokieSpawithinthreebusinessdaysofVir‐
giniaTechreceivingthescores.IfscoreswerenotdirectedtotheOf iceoftheUniversity
RegistraratVirginiaTech(schoolcode5859),youmaycontacttheCollegeBoardat(888)
308‐0013.Amaximumof38hoursmaybeawarded.YoumaychecktheAPcreditguidefor
equivalenciesathttp://www.registrar.vt.edu/registration/transfer/ap‐ib‐clep‐credit.html.
MakesureyouusetheguidefortheyearthatyouenterVirginiaTech,notwhenyoutookthe
testsorbegantakingcoursesatanotherinstitutions(fortransferstudents).Itisyourre‐
sponsibilitytomakesureyourcreditstransfer.
InternationalBaccalaureate(IB)Credit
IBtranscriptsarereceivedelectronicallyfromIBO.Maytranscriptsarereceivedattheendof
July.Thereafter,transcriptsarereceivedmonthly.IBcreditisviewableonHokieSpawithin
ivebusinessdaysofVirginiaTechreceivingthescores.IfscoreswerenotdirectedtotheOf‐
iceoftheUniversityRegistraratVirginiaTech,pleaserefertotheIBOwebsiteathttp://
www.ibo.org/ibna/graduates/.Creditisawardedbasedonearningacerti icateoradiploma.
WiththeIBDiploma,creditisawardedforHigherLevel(HL)coursesbasedonminimum
17
ScoresshownintheHLCreditTable.CreditforonlyoneStandardLevel(SL)courseis
awardedprovidedaminimumscoreof6isearned.Inaddition,creditisawardedforTheo‐
ryofKnowledgewithagradeofCorhigherandExtendedEssaywithagradeofCorhigher.
Amaximumof38hoursmaybeawarded.
WiththeIBCerti icate,creditisawardedforHigherLevel(HL)coursesbasedonminimum
scoresshownintheHLCreditTable.NocreditisawardedforStandardLevel(SL)courses.
Inaddition,nocreditisawardedforTheoryofKnowledgeorExtendedEssay.Amaximum
of30hoursmaybeawarded.
YoumaychecktheIBcreditguideforequivalenciesathttp://www.registrar.vt.edu/
registration/transfer/ap‐ib‐clep‐credit.html.Makesureyouusetheguidefortheyearthat
youenterVirginiaTech,notwhenyoutookthetestsorbegantakingcoursesatanotherin‐
stitutions(fortransferstudents).Itisyourresponsibilitytomakesureyourcreditstrans‐
fer.
UniversityofCambridgeInternationalExaminations
VirginiaTechwillawardtransfercreditforcertainAdvancedLevelexaminationsbasedup‐
onreceiptofanof icialCertifyingStatementofResults.YoumaychecktheIBcreditguide
forequivalenciesathttp://www.registrar.vt.edu/registration/transfer/ap‐ib‐clep‐
credit.html.MakesureyouusetheguidefortheyearthatyouenterVirginiaTech,not
whenyoutookthetestsorbegantakingcoursesatanotherinstitutions(fortransferstu‐
dents).Itisyourresponsibilitytomakesureyourcreditstransfer.
TransferCreditfromAnotherInstitution(International)
Youarerequiredtocompleteapre‐authorizationformifyouintendtotakeclassesabroad,
“CourseEquivalencyEvaluationforInternationalProgramsform,”priortotakingcoursesat
aninternationalinstitutionwhilecurrentlyastudentatVirginiaTech.
http://www.undergrad.pamplin.vt.edu/advising/forms/authstudyabroad.pdf
PleasekeepinmindthatschoolsystemsoutsideoftheUSusedifferentgradingsystems.If
youareapprovedtotakeacourse,youmusttheequivalencyofatleastaCinthecourseto
earntransferrablecredit.Onlythecredittransfers,notthegrade.Youcannotimproveyour
GPAbytakingcoursesaway.
Youwillneedtoprovidesyllabiforreview.Thisprocessusuallytakesuptofourweeks.In‐
ternationalcreditcanbedif iculttoobtainandmayrequireseveralreviewsofvarious
coursesbeforeyouhaveaviablesetofcoursestotakeawayforcredit.Youshouldstartthe
processonesemestertooneyearinadvanceofwhenyouwishtostudyabroad.
GRADUATIONREQUIREMENTS
AllmajorswithinPamplincurrentlyrequire125semesterhours,aswellasa2.0overall
GPAanda2.0in‐majorGPA.RequirementchecksheetsbymajorareavailableintheUn‐
dergraduateProgramsOf ice(1046Pamplin),thedepartmentof ices,andontheInternet.
The inalchecksheetsfortheClassof2017willbeavailableinthespring.Studentsshould
18
Inthe irstsemesterofthejunioryear,studentsshouldapplyfortheirdegreeviaHokie
Spa.Withinafewdaysofapplyingforadegree,studentsmayviewtheirDegreeAuditRe‐
ports(DARS)onHokieSpa.TheDARSreportincludesallrequirementsincategoriessuch
asmath,socialsciences,collegecore,universitycore,andmajorrequirements.Ifstudents
havecompletedthecategory,theDARSreportwillindicate"OK."Ifnot,"NO"or“IP”(in‐
progress)isprintedalongwiththecoursesneededtocompletethatcategory'srequire‐
ments.UpdatedDARSreportsmayberequestedatanytime,however,itisrecommended
thatstudentsrequestoneatleasteverysemesterandwhenmajorsarechanged
AcademicEligibility(ProbationandSuspension)
ContinuedenrollmentatVirginiaTechisaprivilegethatisgrantedaslongasthestudentis
makingsatisfactoryprogresstowardadegree.Theminimumstandardforacademicgood
standingisacumulativegradepointaverage(GPA)of2.00.Academicprobationisimposed
whenthecumulativeGPAislessthan2.00andperformancewillbereviewedattheendof
eachfallandspringsemester.RefertotheProbationandSuspensionChartforadetailed
viewandexplanationoftheprogressionofprobationtosuspension.
Astudentonprobationmaytakenomorethan16hourspersemester.Studentsonpro‐
bationarerequiredtomeetwithanadvisorpriortobeginningaprobationarysemesterto
illoutanddiscusstheprobationcontract.Aprobationarystudentwhofailstomeetanad‐
visortocompletethecontractwillhaveaholdplacedonhisorherrecords.Probationary
studentsshouldre lectuponwhytheydidnotachieveacademicsuccess,theobstaclesthey
faced,andthestepstheywilltaketoovercometheseobstacles.Probationarystudentsare
expectedtomeetregularlywiththeiradvisor.Probationarystudentsshouldalsoplanto
takepartinProjectSuccess(throughtheSSC)orCollegeSuccessStrategies(UNIV1004),
usetutoringservices,andpossiblyusecounselingservices—seeSupportServicesformore
detailsorconsultyouradvisor.
ThefollowingformulaassistsincalculatingtheGPAneededforthecurrenttermtoreacha
2.00cumulativeGPA.ThiscalculationdoesnotincludeP/Fpassed,transfer,AP,AS,IB,or
CLEPcredits.
2.0(+)=2.0(GPAhours+currenthours)–qualitycredit
Currenthours
ThisformulacanbeusedtocalculateanyGPAstudentswishtoreachbyreplacingthe2.0
withthedesiredGPA.Anon‐lineGPAcalculatorisavailablewithinthestudentaccesssec‐
tionofHokieSpa.
YouwillwanttobuildyourGPAupassoonaspossible.AGPAbetween2.0and2.3isinthe
dangerzone!Youcaneasilyfallbackbelowa2.0GPAwithoneortwopoorgrades.
Toincreaseyourchanceofachievinggoodacademicstanding,youshouldfollowthesestip‐
ulations:
1.
Scheduleanappointmenttoseeyouracademicadvisorimmediatelytodiscussyour
situationandturninyourprobationarycontract.Discusswithyouradvisortorevise
yourclassschedulebyretakingrequiredcoursesinwhichyouhavereceiveda inal
gradebelowaC‐,aswellastakingsomecoursesthatwillhelpboostyourGPA.
19
2. Attendallscheduledclassesregularly.IFyouabsolutelymustmissclass,notifythepro‐
fessorandmakeupanymissedworkassoonaspossibletoavoidfallingbehind.
3. Enrollinnomorethan16credithourspersemester.
4. Avoidbeingtardy
5. Completeassignmentsandprojectsinatimelymanner.
6. Seektutoringassistanceandanyotheracademic,careerandpersonalsupportservices
thatwillbehelpfulinattaininggoodacademicstanding.Consultyouradvisorforassis‐
tanceon indingtherightservicesforyourneeds.
7. ParticipateinoneoftheAcademicRecoveryProgramsofferedbytheStudentSuccess
Centerhttp://www.studentsuccess.vt.edu/Academic_Success/academicrecovery.htmlto
assistyouwithself‐assessment,timemanagement,studyskills,etc.orCollegeSuccess
strategiesclass(UNIV1004–non‐degreecreditcourse).
8. Plantohavea2.5GPAorbetterinyourprobationsemester.
9. Reportanyextenuatingcircumstancestoyouracademicadvisorifyouanticipatethatit
mightpreventyoufromachievinggoodacademicstandingattheendofthesemester.
10.Meetweeklyorasarrangedwithyouracademicadvisortoprovideupdateonyourpro‐
gress.
AppealingSuspension
StudentsplacedonFirst,Second,orFinalAcademicSuspensionhavetherighttoappeal
eachsuspensiontotheUniversityAcademicAppealsCommittee.TheAssociateDeanfor
UndergraduateProgramspresentsthePamplincasestotheAppealscommittee.Theappeal
formcanbefoundatwww.undergrad.pamplin.vt.edu/advising/forms/appealspetition.pdf.
Studentsshoulddiscusstheappealsprocesswiththeiradvisor.
20
Probation and Suspension Chart
First Probation
Overall GPA 2.0 or better
Overall GPA below 2.0,
semester GPA below 2.5
Continue on First Probation
First Suspension
Good Standing
Overall GPA below 2.0; semester GPA at
least 2.5
Fall Suspension
Cannot return to VT for Spring semester or take courses elsewhere for transfer credit
First Suspension
Spring Suspension
Cannot return to VT for summer or Fall
classes or take courses elsewhere for
transfer credit
Second Probation
Overall GPA 2.0 or better
Good Standing
Overall GPA below 2.0; first semester
after suspension the semester GPA at least
2.0, additional semesters must be 2.5 semester GPA until reach 2.0 overall GPA
Overall GPA below 2.0, first semester back the semester GPA
below 2.0, additional semesters
below 2.5 semester
Continue on Second Probation
Second Suspension
Fall Suspension
Cannot return to VT for 1 year – no
Spring, Summer, and Fall semesters or
take courses elsewhere for transfer credit
Spring Suspension
Second Suspension
Cannot return to VT for 1 year – no Summer, Fall, and Spring classes or take
courses elsewhere for transfer credit
Third Probation
Overall GPA 2.0 or better
Good Standing
Overall GPA below 2.0; first semester after
suspension the semester GPA at least 2.0,
additional semesters must be 2.5 semester
GPA until reach 2.0 overall GPA
Overall GPA below 2.0, first
semester back the semester GPA
below 2.0, additional semesters
below 2.5 semester
Continue on Third Probation
Final Suspension
FINAL SUSPENSION
APPEALS
Students have the right to appeal a suspension. The form may be found at: www.undergrad.pamplin.vt.edu/advising/forms/appealspetition.pdf
21
PAMPLIN BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS-FRESHMAN AND SOPHOMORE YEAR
65 HRS
CURRICULUM FOR LIBERAL EDUCATION (CLE) REQUIREMENTS
(Freshman and Sophomore Years)
Fall
Spring
Area 1 - ENGL 1105-1106 or 1204 or COMM 1015-1016
3 ____
3 ____
Area 2 - Ideas, Cultural Traditions & Values
3 ____
3 ____
3 ____
3 ____
3 ____
3 ____
1 ____
Area 3 – Fulfilled by ECON 2005-2006 (see college requirements below)
Area 4 - Scientific Reasoning and Discovery
*Area 5 - MATH 1525-1526 Calculus with Matrices
Area 6 - Creativity and Aesthetic Experience
AREA 7 - CRITICAL ISSUES IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT REQUIREMENT MET BY: __________
The Area 7 course may be used to meet another area requirement or may be taken as a free elective during the sophomore,
junior or senior year. Some courses in Areas 2 and 4, as well as some social sciences, are also Area 7 courses.
COLLEGE REQUIREMENTS
Freshmen Year
*ACIS 1504 Introduction to Business Information Systems
3 ____
Social Sciences - Nine (9) hours required.
PSYC 2004 or SOC 1004 - Intro Psychology or Sociology
3 ____
Two additional Social Sciences
3 ____
3____
3 ____
3 ____
3 ____
3 ____
3 ____
3 ____
Options include any courses in Economics (beyond Principles), Geography, History (except HIST 1024,
1025, 1026, or 2054), International Studies, Political Science (except PSCI 3015-3016), Psychology, and
Sociology; or any course approved for Area 3 of the University Core. GEOG 1014, HIST 1214, IS 2054, IS
2064, PSCI 1024, and SPIA 1004 will satisfy social science requirements in addition to Area 7.
Sophomore Year
*ACIS 2115-2116 Principles of Accounting
(Sophomore standing)
*BIT 2405-2406 Quantitative Methods
(Pre-req - ACIS 1504 + MATH 1525-1526)
*ECON 2005-2006 Principles of Economics (Area 3)
Economics major should take ECON 2005 spring of freshman year and ECON 2006 fall of sophomore year.
COMM 2004 Public Speaking OR Free Elective, if COMM 1015-1016 taken
3 ____
Free Elective(s) or Course Required by Major
3 ____
ACIS majors – ACCT and ISA Options take ACIS 2504
BIT majors – CS 1054 spring sophomore year
ECON majors –ECON 3104 spring sophomore year
HTM majors – HTM 1414, HTM 2454, HTM 2464 are recommended electives
FIN and MGT majors – ACIS 2504 recommended junior year, but can be taken sophomore year.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS (Freshman and Sophomore Years)
Free Electives (all majors except ECON)
4 ____
Any combinations of 1,2, and 3, credit courses to complete the 4 credit hour requirement.
Science Labs and Free Electives (ECON majors ONLY)
1 ____
1 ____
ECON students must take two 1 credit science labs, and take any other free electives
to complete the 4 credit hour requirement.
2 ____
*C
23 . C‐ , 22
– UPPER DIVISION CLEARANCE
COMPLETION OF LOWER LEVEL COURSES PRIOR TO PURSUING UPPER LEVEL COURSES
THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA MUST BE MET TO TAKE ALL 3000-4000 LEVEL BUSINESS COURSES.
Upper Division Clearance (UDC) check all that apply
1. UDC courses completed with a final grade of C- or better AND
ACIS 1504 and 2115-2116, BIT 2405-2406, ECON 2005-2006, MATH 1525-1526 (or equivalent series)
2. 2.0 Upper Division Clearance Average (The average of the above nine course) AND
3. 2.0 overall GPA AND
4. 60 hours passed
Levels of Upper Division Clearance
UDC Full Clearance: NO APPLICATION IS REQUIRED (all boxes checked)
A student meets ALL of the above requirements. S/he is able to take upper division courses (3000-4000) as long as s/he
meets the pre-requisites and restrictions set by the department which houses the courses.
UDC Partial Clearance: APPLICATION IS REQUIRED (one or more boxes NOT checked)
A student MAY receive partial clearance if s/he is not missing (and does not need to repeat) more than two of the lower
division business core courses and has completed at least 55 credit hours at Virginia Tech (includes transfer, AP, etc.). In
addition, the UDC GPA and overall GPA must be at least a 2.0. Students who have a UDC GPA and/or overall GPA below 2.0, but meet the other requirements, may still apply for partial clearance. The application is online and due during
course request. Approval or denial will be sent by email to the student’s vt.edu account. If approved, conditions and the
limit on the number of courses will be included in the email. These conditions must be met or clearance will be revoked.
Exception to UDC Clearance: APPLICATION IS REQUIRED (one or more boxes NOT checked)
If a student does not meet the requirements for full or partial clearance, s/he may still apply for UDC. Exceptions are
made for extenuating circumstances only. The application is online and due during course request. Approval or denial will
be sent by email to the student’s vt.edu account. If approved, conditions and the limit on the number of courses will be
included in the email. These conditions must be met or clearance will be revoked.
Revocation of Clearance:
A student must earn at least a C- in all of the lower division business core courses. S/he MUST retake courses from the
lower division business core if a grade lower than a C- was earned or the student has not earned a combined 2.0 in the
lower division business courses. The number of attempts at completing a course is taken into account when reviewing an
application and may be a reason to revoke clearance. No clearance will be granted to a student attempting a lower division course for the third time. A student must continue retaking the courses until at least a C- grade is earned (or a higher
grade if s/he needs to raise the UDC GPA to a 2.0). A student will not be able to continue taking upper division courses
until the lower division core courses are satisfied. Additionally, failure to comply with any conditions or limitations attached to the approval will result in the student being dropped from their upper division courses. It is the student’s responsibility to know their conditions and limitation, and remain a full-time student (if so desired).
JUNIOR AND SENIOR COURSES REQUIRED FOR ALL MAJORS
BIT 3414 - Production and Operations Management – Prerequisites Upper Division Clearance and BIT 2405-2406
FIN 3055 - Legal Environment in Business – Prerequisite Upper Division Clearance
FIN 3104 - Introduction to Finance – Prerequisite Upper Division Clearance and ACIS 2115
MGT 3304 - Management Theory and Leadership Practice – Prerequisite Upper Division Clearance
MKTG 3104 - Marketing Management – Prerequisite Upper Division Clearance and ECON 2005
MGT 4394 - Bus Policy and Strategy – Prerequisites: senior standing (90 hours) and the above five junior classes
23
CareerServices
ThestaffatCareerServices,locatedintheSmithCareerServicescenteronthecornerof
WashingtonStreetandWestCampusDrive,conductworkshopsonavarietyofjobsearch
topicsandbringhundredsofemployerstocampustointerviewstudentsforfull‐timeem‐
ployment,aswellasinternshipandco‐opexperiences.Theyalsoassiststudentsinresume
writing,interviewingskills,identifyinginternshipsandCooperativeEducation(co‐op)op‐
portunities,aswellaspermanentemploymentopportunities.Formoreinformationonthese
topicsandmore,visittheCareerServices’websiteatwww.career.vt.edu.
CareerServicesinPamplin
TheDirectorofCareerServices,whoislocatedin1046PamplinHall,servesastheprimary
contactbetweencorporaterecruitersandundergraduates.TheDirectorisalsotheadvisor
forBusinessHorizons(BH),theannualcollegecareerfair.
BusinessHorizonsCollegeCareerFair
September19,2013from10:00AM–4:00PM
January30,2014from1:00pm‐6:00pm
BotheventswillbelocatedinSquiresStudentCenter.
www.businesshorizons.org
BusinessHorizons,astudent‐runevent,providesanopportunitytomeetinformallywith
businessrepresentativesfrommorethan150companiesandorganizations.Byattending
BH,evenanewstudentcangetabetterpictureofwhatemployersarelookingforincandi‐
datesandwhatopportunitiesexist.
Ithasbeensaid,“It’sajob,togetajob.”Therefore,studentsneedtotakeadvantageofthe
resourcesatVirginiaTechto indoutmoreaboutthebusinesscareersandthesearchpro‐
cess.Thereareprogramsthroughouttheacademicyearthataffordstudentstheopportunity
tomeetcorporaterecruiters,tolearnaboutthejobmarket,hiringpractices,internshipand
co‐opopportunitiesandemployment.TogainthemostfromtheirPamplinexperience,stu‐
dentsshouldstartnowtoexploreallthatthecollegehastoofferbeginningwiththefall2013
programs.
TheDirectorroutinelysendsemailstoPamplinstudentsviathePamplinCareerConnect
eNewsletter.Studentsareencouragedtoreadtheseemails,astheycontainvaluableinfor‐
mationaboutupcomingcareereventsandemployerinformationsessions.
CareersessionsarepresentedthroughoutthefallsemesteroneachmajorinthePamplinCol‐
legeofBusiness.Studentswillbenoti iedofspeci icdatesforeachprogramthroughlistserv
messagesinthefallsemester.
24
WhatEmployersLookForinCandidates
Workexperience,leadershipandgradesmakeupthethreekeyfactorsinhiring.Relevant
workexperience,eitherthroughinternshipsorco‐op,isavitalfactorin luencingrecruiters’
decisions.Networkingcontactsaccountedforthesinglebiggestsourceofstudents inding
permanentemployment.OtherequallyviablesourcesofemploymentareCareerServices
programs,on‐campusinterviewsandcareerfairs.Studentsoftenbroadentheirsearchesby
callingonfamily,friends,colleagues,otherstudents,formerhighschoolcontactsandem‐
ployers,aswellasutilizingtheInternettoaidintheircareersearchandgainunderstanding
ofvariouscareers.
Recruiterslookforcandidateswithproblemsolvingskills,theabilitytoworkindiverse
groupsandanunmistakablenaturaldrivetosucceedandlead.Leadershipisoftenthedecid‐
ingfactor,whenallotherapplicants’credentialsareequal.Whenevaluatingapplicants,re‐
cruitersalsolookforastronggradepointaverage,often3.0orbetter.Studentsareencour‐
agedtomakethemostoftheircollegeyearstogainexperiencetolearnaboutcareergoals
whichareinlinewiththeirlifegoals.
SelectingaMajor
Choosingacareerpathisnotaneasydecisionandwillrequireresearchonthepartofthe
student.Tostartthisresearch,studentsshouldexploreinformationaboutthesevenbusi‐
nessmajors(accountingandinformationsystems,businessinformationtechnology,econom‐
ics, inance,hospitalityandtourismmanagement,management,andmarketing)ontheInter‐
netatwww.undergrad.pamplin.vt.edu.Thecareeradvisorforthemajorofinterestisanoth‐
erresource.Someothersuggestionsare:
 EnrollinMGT1004,IntroductiontoBusinessorBUS2984,Quick‐StarttoBusiness.
Thesecoursesintroducestudentstothevarious ieldswithinbusinessusingdifferent
approaches.
 AttendtheCompanyDaysintheAtriumtolearnmoreaboutemploymentopportuni‐
tiesfromvariouscompanies.

VisitCareerServices,SmithCareerCenter,onthecornerofWashingtonStreetand
WestCampusDrive.
 AttendBusinessHorizonsinSeptemberandFebruary.
 Joinoneofthemajor‐relatedorganizations.
MAJORS PAMPLINCOLLEGEOFBUSINESS
A
I
S
(ACIS)
Theaccountingandinformationsystemsmajorpreparesstudentstobeinformationagepro‐
fessionals.Twooptionsareavailable:1)accountingand2)informationsystemsaudit.
AccountingOption(ACCT)‐Thisprogramprovidesbasiceducationforcareersinpublic
accounting(CPA) irms,largeandsmallcorporations,governmentagencies,ornonpro it
25
organizations.TheprogrampreparesgraduatestoearntheCPA,CMA,andotherprofes‐
sionalaccountingcerti ications.Studentsshouldchecktherequirementsfortheirstateto
sitfortheCPAexam.
ISOption(IS)‐TheInformationSystemsOptionisapremierinformationsystemsprogram
designedtopreparestudentsforcareersinthedesignandimplementationofcomplexcom‐
puter‐basedinformationsystems.TheISOptioncurriculumemphasizesastrongmixof
businessandtechnologyknowledgeandskills.Aftercompletingtheprogram,studentswill
beabletoanalyzeabusinessproblem,designandimplementatechnology‐basedsolution
thatincludesadatabase,asetofcomputerprograms,userinterface,andsystemarchitec‐
ture.StudentsarealsoexposedtoemergingtopicsinIS,suchasprivacy,securityandmo‐
bilecommunications.
ISOptiongraduatesarehiredinanumberofdifferentprofessionalcareers.Typicalcareers
includeIS‐orientedbusinessanalyst/managementconsultants,systemsanalystsandde‐
signers,databasedevelopersandadministrators,networkadministrators,andprojectman‐
agers.
B
I
T
(BIT)
TheDepartmentofBusinessInformationTechnology(BIT)offersanundergraduatemajor
designedtoprovideourstudentswithexpertiseinthedevelopmentanduseofcomputer
systemsandquantitativemodelingtechniquesforsolvingbusinessproblemsandmaking
managerialdecisions.Ourstudentslearnthenecessaryinformationtechnology(IT)and
computingskills,plusquantitativeandmodelingtechniques,todevelopandimplementso‐
phisticatedbusiness‐relatedcomputersystems.Thedegreeprogramespeciallyfocuseson
thepracticalapplicationofcomputingtobusinessproblem‐solving.
Studentsinthismajorlearnquantitativetechniquesandmodelstoapplytomanagerial
problems,thecomputingskillsnecessarytoimplementthesemodels,andalogicalap‐
proachtomanagerialdecision‐making.Studentsaretaughthowtousethecomputeranda
varietyofanalytictechniquesinsolvingreal‐worldproblems.Thecurriculumprovides
trainingbothforindividualsinterestedinpursuingcareersinbusinessandforthoseinter‐
estedingraduateorprofessionaldegrees.StudentsmajoringinBusinessInformation
Technologymaychooseoneoftwooptionsre lectingtheirparticularcareerobjectivesand
interests. DecisionSupportSystemsOption(DSS)–Thedecisionsupportsystemsoptioneducates
thestudentinthedesign,implementationanduseofcomputerizedsystemsthatsupport
businessmanagersinthedecision‐makingprocess.Adecisionsupportsystem(DSS)isa
computersystemthattypicallyencompassesmathematicalmodelsaswellasinformational
databasesandauserinterfaceinordertoproviderecommendeddecisionstomanager‐
users.ADSSdiffersfromatraditionalinformationsystem(IS)ormanagementinformation
system(MIS)inthatitnotonlyprovidestheuserwithinformation,databasesorreports,as
doesanISorMIS,butitalsoprovidesanswerstouserqueries,i.e.,decisions,throughits
modelingcomponent.InessenceaDSSisacomputersystemthathelpsmanagersmakede‐
cisions.
26
OperationsSupplyChainManagementOption(OSM)–Theoperationsandsupplychain
management(OSM)optionisdesignedtoteachourstudentshowtomanageoperationsin
businessandgovernment.Anoperationistheprocessbywhichacompanyororganization
convertsrawmaterials,laborandcapitalintoa inalproductorservice.Decisionshaveto
bemadetoestablishworkschedules,forecastdemand,improveandmaintainquality,en‐
sureadequateinventory,transportandstoreproductsandmaterials,andordermaterials
andparts.Theseallrequireoperationaldecisionsthatcanbemadeusingthemanagerial
techniquesandcomputingtechnologiestaughtintheOSMoptionofourmajor.
E
(ECON)
TheundergraduateprogramineconomicsinthePamplinCollegeofBusinessisdesignedto
emphasizeanalyticalthinking,provideabroadunderstandingoftheoperationofcorpora‐
tionsandtheeconomy,andstudygovernmentalandbusinesspolicy.Economicsisasub‐
jectthatreachesintomanyareasofhumanlifeandisthescienceofhumanchoice.Econo‐
mistsaskandseektoanswersuchquestionsas:Whataffectspeople’sbuyingdecisions?
Howcanacompanybestcompeteinthemultinationaltradeclimateofthe21stcentury?
Howcanwebettermanageourwealthasindividualsandasanation?Howcanwefairly
distributewealthandreducepoverty,disease,andcrime?
Economicsisgenerallydividedintotwomajorareasofstudy.Macroeconomicsexamines
larger,system‐widephenomena,suchas inancialmarkets,in lation,unemployment,and
thede icit.Microeconomicslooksathowthemotivationsandbehaviorsofindividualsand
corporationscombinetocreatetheoftenunpredictableeconomictrendsofourtime.Stu‐
dentswhoareinterestedinbusiness,politics,philosophy,orsocialpolicywill indthatan
economicsmajorintegratesthesespecializationsandcanserveasastrongfoundationfor
manydifferentcareerpaths.
Jobopportunitiesforeconomistsaregrowingfasterthanaverage.Thebestopportunities
arein inancialservices,consulting irms,andresearchorganizations.Thisprogram’s
strongpreparationinmathematics,statistics,andcriticalthinkingwillbeespeciallyappeal‐
ingtoemployers.Approximatelyone‐thirdoftheeconomicsgraduateswhopursueajob
aftergraduation indworkinthe inancialservicessectoroftheeconomywithanother
thirdgoingintoconsultingpositions.Theremainingstudentslandeitherinclassicbusiness
positions,suchasmanagementorsales,oringovernmentpositions.
F
(FIN)
Adegreein inanceprovidestrainingandspecializationinallaspectsofraisingandallocat‐
ing inancialcapital.Financeisaspecialtythatdealswiththeallocationofresourcesonthe
corporate,institutional,andpersonallevels.Financialmanagementencompassesthe
sourcesandusesoffundsinallsectorsoftheeconomy.Thisprogramgivesstudentsper‐
spectivesondecision‐makingproblemsinbusiness,computer–based inancialanalysis,the
institutionalandlegalstructuresofcorporate inanceand inancialinstitutions,andtheap‐
plicationoftheoreticalmodels.
Traditionally,threeseparatebutrelated ieldswithin inanceareidenti ied:1)Corporate
Finance,whichfocusesontheinternaldecisionsofcompaniestoraisefundsandinvestin
corporateassets;2)Investments,whichfocusesonthepurchaseandsaleofstocksand
27
bondsortheirderivativesbyindividualsorinstitutions;and3)FinancialSevices,which
focusesonthemanagementandregulationofinstitutions,suchasbanks,andtherolethat
inancialinstitutionsplayintheeconomy.Thecurriculumrequiresstudentstakecourses
ineachoftheseareastoprovideastrong,broad‐basedfoundation.Inaddition,students
takeelectivecoursesinFinanceandAccounting,allowingthemtoful illtherequirements
ofageneral inancetrackorspecialtracks.
FinanceTracks–studentscanchoosefromtheA)InvestmentManagementandChartered
FinancialAnalyst(CFA)track,B)CorporateFinancialManagementtrack,C)FinancialSer‐
vicesManagementtrack,D)Certi iedFinancialPlanner(CFP)Certi icationandEducation
track,orE)GeneralFinancetrack.
Financegraduateshavefoundcareersincorporate inancialmanagement,banking, inan‐
cialinstitutions,andthesecuritiesindustry.Traditionalpositionsavailableto inancema‐
jorsare:Controller,Treasurer,FinancialAnalyst,CreditAnalyst,SecuritiesAnalyst,Certi‐
ied inancialPlannersandAdvisors,Stockbroker,LoanOf icer,Auditor,andAccountRep‐
resentative.GraduatesinFinanceusuallyenterabrieftrainingperioduponjoininganew
organization,afterwhichtheymoveintoanareaofneedandinterest,andtheydevelop
practicalexpertise.
H
T
M
(HTM)
Theundergraduateprograminhospitalityandtourismmanagementpreparesstudentsfor
managementpositionsinthehospitalityandtourismindustry,oneoftheworld’slargest
industries.Allstudentsobtainhands‐onexperiencethroughcoursesinhospitalitymarket‐
ing, inancialmanagement,computers,foodandbeverage,tourismmanagement,andlodg‐
ingoperationsmanagement.Specialemphasisisplacedondevelopinganalytical,decision
making,leadership,andcommunicationskills.
StudentswithundergraduatedegreesinHTM indawidevarietyofpositionsopentothem,
includingentry‐levelmanagementpositionsintourism,hotels,restaurants,andinstitution‐
alfoodservicecompanies,aswellasfoodservicepositionsinthepublicsectorsecondary,
andpost‐secondaryorganizations,andmanagedservices.Majoremployersthathavere‐
cruitedHTMgraduatesatVirginiaTechincludeApplebee’s,Aramark,BuschGardens,
ChoiceHotels,ClubCorporationofAmerica,DoubleTree,Enterprise,Hilton,Houston’s,Hy‐
att,Marriott,RedLobster,RubyTuesday,Starwood,USAirways,WaltDisneyWorld,and
Wyndham.
M
(MGT)
ThecurriculuminmanagementisuniquewithinthePamplinCollegeofBusinessbecauseit
fostersanintegratedperspectiveofbusinessenterprises.Courseworkinthetraditional
functionalareas(accounting,operations, inance,marketing,informationtechnology)is
coupledwithachoiceofoneoffollowingthreemanagementnine‐houroptions.
Thecapabilitytomanageacrossfunctionsisofparamountimportanceinthemodern‐day
businessenterprise.Ourcurriculumenablesstudentstounderstandhowtheseparatebusi‐
nessfunctionscanbeintegratedtoachieveasingle,coordinatedeffort,especiallyin
28
complex,technologically‐basedenterprises.
Tomorrow'smanagersmustbeabletoleadthemselves,otherindividuals,andteams.Studentsare
exposed to state‐of‐the‐art ideas and practices regarding leadership, and are given multiple op‐
portunitiestodeveloptheirinterpersonalskillswhileapplyingthisknowledgeinteamprojects.
Increasinglyinthemodernbusinessworld,organizationalsuccessdependsuponactionstakenin
situationsrequiringcomplexethicaljudgments.Therefore,aconcernforethicsisinfusedincours‐
esthroughouttheManagementcurriculum.
Entrepreneurship,Innovation,andTechnologyManagement(EIT)–Thisoptionprepares
studentstotakeanentrepreneurialapproachtomanagingorganizationalcontext,includinglarge
organizationsaswellasnewstartups.Itisalsosuitableforstudentswhointendtoruntheirown
businesses.
HumanResourcesManagement(MHR)–Thepurposeofthetrackistoprovidegeneralmanag‐
erswiththeknowledgeandskillsnecessarytosystematicallymanagepeopleandhumanresource
processestohelptoachievegroupandorganizationaleffectiveness.Thecourseworkprovidesa
foundationforstudentsinterestedinpursuingeithergeneralmanagementorhumanresource
managementcareers.
ManagementConsultingandAnalysis(MCA)–Thepurposeofthisoptionistoprovideourstu‐
dentswithasolidbackgroundandcutting‐edgeskillsthatwillfurtherstrengthentheirabilityto
succeedintheircareersingeneralmanagementconsulting.Studentswillalsobeabletocustomize
thecontentoftheoptionbyselectingfromalistofcoursesthatbroadenstheirknowledgeabout
consultingbeyondthestrategyconsultingemphasis.
M
(MKTG)
Theundergraduateprograminmarketingmanagementisdesignedtoofferstudentsabroadbusi‐
nesseducationwithanemphasisonprofessionaltrainingforcareersinsalesandmarketingman‐
agementinmanufacturing irms,suchserviceindustriesasbankingandhealthcare,andnon‐pro it
organizations.Marketinggrowsoutoftheconceptofexchangebetweenbuyersandsellers.Driv‐
enbytheneedsandwantsoftheconsumer,marketingmanagersdevelopnewproducts,assign
effectivepricelevels,createpromotionalstrategies,anddevelopthebestdistributionplansto
guaranteethatproductsreachthe inalconsumer.Marketingalsoplaysacrucialroleinmanaging
theef icient lowofgoodsandservicesfrombusinesstobusiness.Managingmarketingisgrowing
evenmoreexcitingastechnologyandtheInternetenablemanagerstostayinclosercontactwith
theircustomersandbettermanagethisrelationship.Inaquicklychangingglobalmarketplace,
marketingisanessentialfunction.Giventheimportantrolethatmarketingplaysinensuringour
highstandardofliving,itisnowonderthatourcountryistheleadingexporterofmarketing
knowledge.
VirginiaTechmarketinggraduatespursuearangeofcareers.Themajorityofon‐campusrecruit‐
ersareseekinggraduatesforpositionsinindustrialandconsumersales.Suchexperienceiscon‐
sideredbymany irmstobeessentialfordevelopingexpertisewiththecompany’sproductline
andcustomers.Theseentry‐levelpositionsleadtocareerpathsthatincludeproduct
29
management,salesmanagement,advertisingandpromotionalmanagement,logisticsand
supplychainmanagement.Retailing irmsalsorecruitmarketinggraduateswhoareinter‐
estedinmerchandisingcareers.
MINORS PAMPLINCOLLEGEOFBUSINESS
ApplicationforallPamplinCollegeofBusinessminorsareavailablein1046PamplinHall
andonthewebathttp://www.undergrad.pamplin.vt.edu/advising/businessminors.html.
A
B
C
M
The18‐19creditAppliedBusinessComputingminorisopentostudentsinallmajors
acrossthecampus.Thisminorwillhelpstudentsgainabetterunderstandingoftheweb
andsystemsdesign.ItincludescoursesinAccountingandInformationSystems,Business
InformationTechnology,ComputerScience,andEngineering.
B
D
M
Thedemographicsoforganizationsarechangingandwillcontinuetochangeatarapid
pace.Theparadoxofdiversityintheworkplaceisthatitpresentsoneofthegreatestchal‐
lengeswhilealsopresentingoneofthegreatestopportunitiesthatorganizationswillface.
TheBusinessDiversityMinorwillhelpstudentsunderstandtheorganizationsinwhich
theywillworkandtheworldinwhichtheywilllive.
TheDiversityminorrequires18credithours,including6hoursofrequiredmanagement
courses,6additionalhoursofrequiredbusinesscourses,3electivehours,and3hoursof
experientialactivity.
E
—N
V
G
M
TheEntrepreneurship‐NewVentureGrowthMinorisintendedtofocusontheknowledge
andskillstocreatenewventuresandleadtheirearlygrowth.Theobjectiveistoprovide
students with the knowledge and skills needed to convert ideas into business successes,
particularlyinthecontextofengineeringandscience‐basedtechnologycommercialization.
I
B
M
S
A
P
TheInternationalBusinessMinorisopentoallPamplinCollegeofBusinesssophomores,
juniorsandseniorswithatleasta2.00GPA.TheIBminorrequires18semesterhours,a
foreignlanguagerequirementandaninternationalexperience.Threeoftherequired
coursesareinternationalcourseswithinbusiness.Therequiredinternationalexperience
maytaketheformofastudyabroadprogram,anon‐creditinternship,aninternationalCo‐
opassignment,workinaU.S. irmwithaninternationallyorientedof ice,recentresidency
inaforeigncountry,oremploymentinaglobalbusiness‐relatedinstitution.
ThePamplinCollegeofBusinesssponsorscredittripstoothercountriesfall,springand
summereachyear.Pamplinawardsmorescholarshipmoneyforsummerstudyabroad
thananyotherbusinesscollegeintheCommonwealth.Theseprogramshaveincluded
tripstoCambodia,China,France,Germany,Greece,India,Italy,Japan,Portugal,Spain,
30
SouthAfrica,Thailand,Turkey,andVietnam.
JuniorsinPamplincanapplytospendthesemesterearning21semesterhoursattheVir‐
giniaTechCenterEuropeanStudiesandArchitecture(CESA)inRivaSanVitale,Switzer‐
land.Thisprogramiscompetitiveandstudentsapplyinthe irstsemesterofthesopho‐
moreyearandarenoti iedoftheiracceptancebythebeginningofthespringsemester.
PamplinalsohasaspringsemesterprogramforupperlevelmarketingmajorsinLugano,
Switzerland.Inthisprogramstudentsnotonlytakeclasses,butworkwithSwissstudents
onactualbusinessproblemsforacompanythere.
InadditiontothePamplinprograms,studentshaveparticipatedinotherinternationalex‐
changeandstudyabroadprogramsaroundtheworld.Oneofthemostpopularprogramsis
theConsortiumInternationalUniversity(CIU)inPadernodelGrappa,Italy(nearVenice).
FacultiesfromuniversitiesacrosstheU.S.teachinthisprogram,includingPamplinfaculty.
CIUprogramsinthefall,spring,andsummersessionsoffercoursesinbusiness,communi‐
cations,andeconomics.
L
M
TheBusinessLeadershipMinorisopentoallVirginiaTechjuniors
andseniorswithatleasta2.50GPAinaminimumof48hoursatVirginiaTech.Applica‐
tionstotheprogrammaybemadeduringthespringsemesterofthesophomoreyear.The
minorisofferedbytheManagementDepartment’sBusinessLeadershipCenterandpro‐
videsamulti‐disciplinary,experientialbackgroundinthehistory,values,skillsandtheory
ofleadership.Studentscantailortheirleadershipeducationandexperiencestomeetper‐
sonalandcareerneeds.
TheLeadershipMinorconsistsof18hoursofstudy,includingninehoursofmanagement
courses,sixhoursofelectivesandthreehoursofexperientialactivity.
R
E
M
The19‐semesterhourRealEstateMinorisopentostudentsinall
collegesoftheuniversityanddrawsitscoursesfromanumberofdepartmentsandcolleges
withintheUniversity.Studentsmustbeadmittedtotheminor,completetherequirements
andmaintaina2.0orhighergradepointaverageinarequiredgroupofcourses.
31
Notes