Entrance to a major in the Smeal College of Business is based on University policy, which outlines strict procedures for applying to and being offered enrollment into a Smeal College major. Offers are competitive and decisions are based on the college’s entrance-to-major requirements. Please refer to our student exchange website for more information.
Eight entrance to major courses are required for all majors (nine for the actuarial science option in Risk Management):
- English Composition (ENGL 015 or ENGL 030)
- Calculus (MATH 110 or MATH 140) * #
- Microeconomics (ECON 102)
- Statistics (SCM 200 or STAT 200) *
- Management (MGMT 301) *
- Financial and Managerial Accounting (ACCTG 211) *
- Marketing (MKTG 301) *
- Finance (FIN 301) *
* These courses require a grade of “C” or better. # The Actuarial Science major requires MATH 140 and MATH 141 with grades of “C” or better.
In order to promote student academic success, the Smeal faculty has designated the successful completion of specific "entrance-to-major" courses prior to the beginning of “major field” course work. In order to ensure all students are equally prepared for success, the Smeal College of Business requires that the following “entrance-to-major” courses must be completed at a Penn State campus: Accounting 211, Management 301, Marketing 301, and Finance 301. Therefore, transfer courses or those designated as direct equivalent courses for the four courses above listed will not be credited toward Smeal entrance-to-major progress.