Spring 2024 Trine Course Catalog

Business

ASSOCIATE DEGREES:

BACHELOR OF ARTS:

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION MAJORS (BSBA):

The School

Trine University’s Ketner School of Business (KSB) was named in honor of Dr. Ralph W. Ketner, a distinguished alumnus and friend of the University. Dr. Ketner is a co-founder of Food Lion, one of the U.S.’s largest supermarket chains.

Courses in accounting and business law date from when the school first opened its doors on June 17, 1884, making the business program the University’s oldest continuous course of study.

All undergraduate majors offered in the Ketner School of Business at Trine University are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), www.acbsp.org.

Mission

Building tomorrow’s business leaders one experience at a time, founded on critical thinking, integrity, passion, personal growth and experiential learning. It’s a Trine thing.

Program Objectives (for all KSB majors)

  1. Demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving abilities in an organization context.
  2. Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills.
  3. Demonstrate responsible, appropriate, and effective use of information and communication technology (ICT) tools to access, manage, integrate, analyze, evaluate, create and communicate information.
  4. Demonstrate computer skills.
  5. Be prepared to seek and grow in a professional career path.
  6. Demonstrate ethical acumen both personally and professionally.

Courses of Study

The Ketner School of Business offers the programs of study listed at the beginning of this section. In addition, students may earn KSB minors as shown in the programs of study list. A 2.0 cumulative grade point average for all courses in the minor program is required for a minor to be awarded. For transfer students, at least 15 hours of the courses toward a minor must be taken at Trine University. Internship credit of up to six hours can be applied toward a minor, but the internship cannot be double counted (i.e. the hours can be applied to either a major or a minor, but not both).

Degree Requirements

Each of the bachelor degrees in the Ketner School of Business requires 120 semester hours unless otherwise specified. Associate degrees in the School of Business require 60 semester hours.

The requirements for both the bachelor degrees and associate degrees involve the following:

  1. A liberal arts and sciences curriculum which serves to enrich the academic program so that it constitutes a basic cultural education. Courses in written and oral communication, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics provide basic tools needed for applying knowledge in business administration toward worthwhile goals. The foundation of this curriculum is the general education requirements.
  2. A business curriculum that provides the fundamentals through which the entire business enterprise operates.
  3. A business specialty curriculum that supplements the business curriculum and allows students to develop a deeper understanding in a specialized area.
  4. Business electives that provide for program flexibility and allow students to complement the required credits.

In developing an academic program, each student will have the assistance of a faculty advisor. The student, however, has the ultimate responsibility for meeting specific degree requirements. Prerequisites for individual courses must be carefully observed.

Double Majors

Ketner School of Business students may receive double majors. To receive a double major (e.g., management and finance), a student must meet all requirements in both majors and have a minimum of 135 semester hours of credit. Business electives may count in only one major; a single business elective cannot meet the elective requirements for two business majors.

However, a required course in one major can count as an elective in another major.

Internships

The Ketner School of Business requires every business student to enter into an internship during his/her course of study at Trine University. Internships are quickly becoming a requirement before a student can be considered for a permanent position by many companies.

The value of an internship to the student, to the sponsoring entity, and to the University/School of Business is considerable.

  • The intern gains by actual work experience in a real-world capacity, thus clearly establishing true expectations of the job and profession;
  • The company gains by being exposed early to potential employees and by having a chance to evaluate them; and
  • The University gains by brokering potential employees and employers and assisting the community.

A maximum of six semester credit hours can be earned toward degree requirements with a maximum of three hours in any one work session. (Golf Management internships are taken for three semester hours.) Internships can take place during any semester but are especially encouraged during the summer. Advisor approval is required.

Master of Business Administration (MBA) Preparation for Non-Business Majors

Students who would like to enter an MBA program after graduation should consider taking the following course. Prerequisites as shown in the Course description section of this catalog must be carefully observed. 

Course Requirements

AC 203  Accounting I 
AC 213  Accounting II 3
BA 343  International Business 3
ECO 213  Microeconomics 3
ECO 223  Macroeconomics 3
FIN 303  Managerial Finance 3
LAW 203  Business Law I 3
MA 253  Statistics 3
MGT 353  Designing Operations 3
MGT 363  Organizational Behavior  3
MK 203  Marketing 3