Bachelor of Science in General Business Online

Earn a diversified degree that will prepare you for a broad range of business careers.

Apply by: 12/27/24 Request Info
Start class: 1/12/25 Apply Now

Program Overview

Check all the boxes with our online B.S. General Business

Cost per Credit Hour $350
Transfer Credits 90
Credit Hours 120

Equip yourself for career adaptability with an online Bachelor of Science in General Business from St. Cloud State University. Gain a broad knowledge base that will make you a sought-after business professional.

This flexible, 100% online degree will prepare you for a wide range of business opportunities and advancement to cross-functional leadership positions. Increase your versatility to transition between roles with in-depth exposure to multiple disciplines.

You may be closer to graduation than you think by transferring up to 90 credit hours. Learn from highly qualified faculty who will provide one-on-one support and guidance. Multiple start dates and 7-week courses give you the ability to balance work, life and school.

In this online B.S. General Business program, you will learn to:

  • Communicate and collaborate effectively
  • Solve problems competently
  • Skillfully apply business core knowledge
  • Recognize ethical problems and present defensible ethical solutions
  • Apply global perspectives to business situations
  • Demonstrate current knowledge of theories, models, and techniques of practice in the functional areas of business
In this online B.S. General Business program, you will learn to:+
  • Communicate and collaborate effectively
  • Solve problems competently
  • Skillfully apply business core knowledge
  • Recognize ethical problems and present defensible ethical solutions
  • Apply global perspectives to business situations
  • Demonstrate current knowledge of theories, models, and techniques of practice in the functional areas of business

This general business degree online equips you to explore a variety of careers, including:

  • Manager
  • Sales or Customer Service
  • Business Executive
  • Importer/Exporter
  • Banker
This general business degree online equips you to explore a variety of careers, including:+
  • Manager
  • Sales or Customer Service
  • Business Executive
  • Importer/Exporter
  • Banker

Also available:

St. Cloud State offers several online undergraduate programs. Check out all our online undergraduate programs.

Cost per Credit Hour $350*
Transfer Credits Up to 90
Credit Hours 120

Accreditation

AACSB accredited logo

The Herberger Business School at St. Cloud State University is accredited by AACSB International (AACSB). Less than 6% of the world’s schools offering business degree programs hold AACSB business accreditation. We are one of two business schools in Minnesota to hold AACSB accreditation for 45+ years, showing a long-standing record of excellence.

Request Info Apply Now
Need More Information?

Call 888-439-0687

Call 888-439-0687

North Star Promise Scholarship

The North Star Promise Scholarship program, launching in fall 2024, offers eligible Minnesota residents a tuition-free path to a bachelor’s degree. This scholarship program covers any remaining tuition and fees after other financial aid has been applied. Eligibility is based on factors such as residency, family income and enrollment status. Learn more about the North Star Promise Scholarship.

Tuition

Our low tuition helps keep your degree within reach

Affordable tuition helps pave the way to meeting your goals. Our pay-by-the-course tuition is an excellent way to manage your budget.

Tuition breakdown:

$350 Per Credit Hour
View additional tuition information +

Program Per Credit Hour* Per Course
B.S. General Business $350 $1,050

*Per Course rate is based on 3 credit hours. Tuition includes all standard fees and is subject to change without notice. The University reserves the right to increase tuition and fees at any time. Local students may opt-in to additional fees giving them access to several on-campus resources. Click here for more information on the cost of attendance for St. Cloud State University.

For more information on financial aid, please visit our Accelerated Online Programs page.

Per Credit Hour $350*

Calendar

Get started—mark these dates in your calendar

Our online B.S. in General Business offers 7-week courses and multiple start dates. Start when you’re ready!

Now enrolling:

12/27/24 Apply Date
1/12/25 Class Starts

View full calendar  + 

TermStart DateApp DeadlineDocument DeadlineRegistration DeadlineTuition Deadline
Spring A1/12/2512/27/241/6/251/8/251/21/25
Spring B3/9/252/24/253/3/253/5/253/18/25
Summer A5/11/254/28/255/5/255/7/255/20/25
Summer B7/6/256/20/256/26/257/1/257/15/25
Fall A8/31/258/18/258/25/258/27/259/9/25
Fall B10/26/2510/20/2510/20/2510/22/2511/4/25

Now enrolling:

Apply Date 12/27/24
Class Starts 1/12/25

Have questions or need more information about our online programs?

Request Info

Ready to take the rewarding path toward earning your degree online from St. Cloud State?

Apply Now

Admissions

Get started on your application today—here’s how

We offer a streamlined admission process to make it easier for you. Review the admission requirements below.

  • No SAT or ACT Required
  • 2.0 GPA in prior college coursework
  • Transfer up to 90 credit hours
View all admission requirements +

University Admission Requirements

There are several paths to admittance at St. Cloud State University:

Transfer Students (out of high school and who have attempted any college-level credit)

  • Students who have completed 12 credit hours or more are eligible for admission with a cumulative college GPA of 2.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale)
  • Students with less than 12 credit hours are reviewed using SCSU’s freshman requirements

Freshman Students (out of high school and who have not completed any college-level credit)

  • Students are eligible for admission with a high school GPA of 2.25 or higher (on a 4.0 scale)

Admission to Herberger School of Business Upper Division Status

Only business majors with HBS Upper Division Status or admitted business minors may enroll in 300- and 400-level Business School courses. 

Prior to registering in 300- and 400-level major courses, all business majors must speak with their advisor to confirm that they have completed or attained the following:

  • Cumulative overall GPA of 2.5
  • 40 earned credits from courses numbered 100 or higher
  • Completed all Lower Division Business Core – Group 1 courses
  • Completed or enrolled in all Lower Division Business Core – Group 2 courses
  • Grade of C- or better in MATH112

Submitting Documents

  • Students who have earned less than 15 college-level credits must submit official high school transcripts or GED. Put in a request with your high school counseling office to send an official transcript directly to SCSU.
  • There are two ways to send transcripts to SCSU from non-Minnesota State institutions (SCSU will download official transcripts for coursework completed at a Minnesota State College or Universities):
    • Via an electronic service such as Parchment or Clearinghouse, sent to [email protected]
    • Via mail to:
      Office of Records and Registration
      St. Cloud State University
      720 4th Avenue South
      St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498

If you have any questions along the way, call us at 888-439-0687—we’re happy to help answer questions.

Courses

Explore our online business degree courses

To earn your Bachelor of Science in General Business online, you will need to complete 120 total credit hours of coursework. These hours will include general education courses as well as courses specific to the major program and electives. Finish faster by transferring previously earned credits, which may count toward the 120. Potential transfer credits will be evaluated during the admissions process.

Expand All
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1
Programs and policies, career and program options, preparation for academic success, and orientation to student life in the Herberger Business School. (Should be taken as early as possible in the student's program.)
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Functions and graphs; polynomial, radical, rational, exponential, logarithmic functions; equations, inequalities, systems of equations; applications. No more than 6 credits from MATH 112, 113, and 115 may be counted toward graduation.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 4
Analytical reading, writing, and critical reasoning in various rhetorical situations. Argumentative research project comprising analysis and interpretation of information, texts, and perspectives.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Interpersonal communication, small group communication and public speaking. Theory and experience to relate meaningfully, think critically, organize clearly, and speak and listen effectively.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Accounting as a process of providing useful financial information to investors, creditors, management, and other users. The accounting process, financial statements, and the uses and limitations of accounting information.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
History, moral and social implications of computer technology, problem solving, extensive hands-on microcomputer experience involving software packages (including word processing, database management, spreadsheets).
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Economic decision-making, market processes, measurement and determination of aggregate prices and employment, money and banking process, fiscal policy, and monetary policy. May be taken before or after 206.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Economic decision-making, marginal analysis, consumer and producer behavior in markets, price and output under different market structures, input markets, and policy analysis. May be taken before or after 205.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Legal, ethical, environmental, political, and global issues affecting business. Governmental regulations, employment relationships, contracts, product liability, consumer protection, and business forms.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 4
Business problem solving: data collection, summarizing and describing data, estimation and hypotheses testing, analysis of variance, regression analysis, time series, quality control, decision analysis. Statistical software.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
The statement of cash flows and financial statement analysis. Accounting information as a planning, analysis, and control tool facilitating decision-making.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1
Business career paths, job application materials (print and web), interview strategies, opportunities in study abroad, internships, leadership, and community engagement.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Survey of fundamentals of contemporary management from the perspective of the manager, the organization, its environment and their interactions.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Analysis, planning, and control of marketing functions with reference to ethical, social, political, economic, technological, and global forces.
Please note all 300 and 400 level courses require upper division status.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Advanced business report writing; analysis and interpretation of business communications.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Conceptual foundations of MIS, roles of computer-based information systems in organizations, global and ethical issues in MIS, and business application software. Computer Competency.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Basic concepts in finance: Time value of money, financial ratio analysis, and security valuation. Corporate financial decisions: capital budgeting, choice of capital structure, and working capital management.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
How the operations function manages people, information, technology, materials, and facilities to produce goods and services. Requires prior completion of IS242. IS242 cannot be taken at the same time as MGMT 383.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Capstone course that critically assesses global, domestic, and industry trends, organizational competency, values, and culture. Examination of stakeholders and corporate responsibility in developing strategic direction and plans of action (Open only to graduating business seniors). (Students must apply to take this course from the Management and Entrepreneurship Department and be granted permission to take it before registering)

Select 9 courses (27 credits) from 300-400 level courses from at least three of the following ten areas:

Accounting (12 credits max), Business Law (12 credits max), Entrepreneurship (6 credits max), Finance (12 credits max), Information Systems (12 credits max), Insurance (12 credits max), Management (12 credits max), Marketing (12 credits max), Real Estate (12 credits max); 3 credits maximum may be applied from Economics or other departments outside the Business School with approval of advisor.

Please note all 300 and 400 level courses require upper division status.

Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Financial statement measurement and derivation. Develop an in-depth understanding of financial statement concepts such as revenue recognition, cash flows, assets, liabilities, shareholders' equity, revenue, and expenses. Prerequisites: ACCT 292
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Legal regulatory, and ethical aspects of marketing activities including product development, promotion pricing and distribution.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Monetary economics, structure and functioning of commercial banks and other financial intermediaries. The Federal Reserve System and its monetary policy tools, goals, and targets. Prerequisites: HBS Upper Division Status; ECON 205; ECON 206
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Design a business model that describes the ways, means, and methods a business uses to generate revenue. Test and evaluate the effectiveness of the business model.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Types of investment securities; security market operations; investment policies; security analysis and valuation principles: risk, return, and portfolio analysis; personal investment principles. Prerequisites: FIRE 371
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Management of risk in a business setting; control of property, liability, and personnel risks; risk financing including self insurance, group retention and insurance, decision-making: introduction to the insurance industry.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Introductory real estate: contracts, finance, investment, appraisal, owning vs. renting, taxation and closings. Approved for pre-license education under Ch. 82, MN Real Estate License Law.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Corporate financial decision making; adjustments to changing conditions; market structure and corporate capital instruments; capital market movements and financial decisions. Prerequisites: FIRE 371
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Role in the economy; current issues/controversies in banking and intermediation; international aspects of financial intermediation. Prerequisites: FIRE 371
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Foreign exchange, currency and derivative markets, currency risk management, international investment and financing decisions, multinational corporate financial decisions. Prerequisites: FIRE 371
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Equity valuation application, process, and analysis, discount rate estimate, capital asset pricing model, multifactor models. Introduction of valuation models such as discounted dividend valuation model, free cash flow valuation model, and relative valuation technique. Prerequisites: FIRE 371
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Characteristics and functions of financial derivatives. Corporate risk management applications of financial derivatives. Pricing models of derivatives and trading strategies using derivatives to hedge financial risks. Prerequisites: FIRE 371
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Decision making in commercial banks and other depository institutions. Asset, liability, and capital management issues. Lending, depository and trust functions. Prerequisites: FIRE 371
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
The acquisition and utilization of human resources, developing desirable working relationships, and integrating the workers with organizational goals, within the contemporary legal and societal framework. Prerequisites: MGMT201
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Individual and interpersonal behavior, group dynamics and structure, intergroup processes, and leadership within organizational contexts. Prerequisites: MGMT201
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Management of human resources from the labor market into and through the firm, including job analysis, predictor selection and validation, interview development, and maintaining legal defensibility. Prerequisites: MKTG352
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Management challenges, responsibilities, and rewards of operating and growing a small business. Prerequisites: MGMT201
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Elements involved in planned organizational change including linkages between the external environment and organization architecture, organization development, organization design, work design, leadership, communication, organization culture, and interpersonal and group processes. Prerequisites: MGMT201; MGMT 365
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Cultural, economic, political, social and physical environment of doing business abroad. Theories of management for effective coordination of human and material resources in global business. Prerequisites: MGMT201
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Design and management of service delivery systems. Operational aspects of service organizations: understanding customer satisfaction, selecting, training, and empowering employees, matching technology to strategy, defining and measuring quality, and designing facilities. Prerequisites: MKTG383
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Total quality management for manufacturing and service organizations: including strategic quality planning, understanding customer satisfaction, the role of human resources, benchmarking, quality costs, statistical tools and reengineering. Prerequisites: MKTG383
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Personal selling from an analytical and decision-making perspective. Prerequisites: MKTG 220
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Consumer and organizational buying behavior; psychological, economic, and socio-cultural theories as they relate to buying decisions. Prerequisites: MKTG 220
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Research as an aid to decision-making in marketing management; research methods: market surveys and experiments; interpreting, reporting, and using research results; competitive intelligence. Prerequisites: MKTG 220; IS242
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Principles of advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, and direct marketing. Prerequisites: MKTG 220; MKTG 321; MKTG 322
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Movement of products and services from producer to consumer; channels of distribution; logistics. Successful completion of this course satisfies the Upper Division Writing Requirement. Prerequisites: MKTG 220
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Activities involved in managing a sales force; sales manager's decision-making with respect to formulation, implementation, and evaluation of sales programs; case emphasis. Prerequisites: MKTG 220
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Training and techniques in professional selling arena. Requirement: admission to the Professional Selling Skills Certificate program. Prerequisites: MKTG 220; MKTG 333; MKTG 315
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Evaluation of social media platforms and other emerging media channels. Develop and execute social media marketing strategies and assess the strategies' effectiveness in achieving business goals. Focus on understanding the use of social media sites from a marketer's standpoint. Prerequisites: MKTG 220

MISSION:  The Liberal Education Program (LEP) at St. Cloud State University is committed to the ideal of liberal education that provides knowledge, skills, and experiences and promotes critical thinking and ethical values for a lifetime of integrative learning in a diverse and changing society.

The Liberal Education Curriculum is organized into 10 goals. To complete the curriculum, students must achieve the 10 goals through courses or experiences and earn at least 40 credits in liberal education courses. Some goals may be satisfied by experiences other than courses (e.g., approved internship, study abroad, completion of major, or sequence of courses). Some courses may achieve two goals, and experiences may not be credit bearing, so students may complete the goals with fewer than 40 credits. Those students must complete additional liberal education courses to earn the required 40 credits. Liberal Education courses may be double counted as courses required for a major or minor. Courses used in the major may be designated as Liberal Education.

Each student must complete three courses designated as Diversity courses. Students may take no more than one course from any one department. One of the Diversity courses must be an approved Racial Issues Graduation Requirement course (RIGR).

Some additional courses may be required for your major. For more information, please speak with your advisor. 

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St. Cloud State University has been recognized by VIQTORY media as a Top 10 Military Friendly® School for embracing military students and dedicating resources to ensure their success (2021).

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