Honors Coursework and Eligibility

The Pitt Business Honors Program consists of an enriched academic program that includes honors seminars, an honors elective course in the student’s area of specialization, and an experience-based learning capstone.  The honors program is designed for highly motivated and capable students with a proven track record of success.

Eligibility Guidelines

Students qualify during the freshman application process based on the criteria below. Transfer applicants will be reviewed on an individual basis. To participate, students must be enrolled in the BSBA degree program.

  • Combined SAT math and critical reading score of at least 1450 or a 32 ACT composite score
  • “A” average in a challenging high school curriculum
  • Top 5 percent of class rank (if applicable)

Required Course Work

Each student must select from the list below and complete a total of three 1-credit honors-enhanced Pitt Business core classes.  The honors-enhanced courses consist of the core business course combined with a 1-credit honors seminar. The seminars offer a highly personalized experience in which the students and professors work together in small group settings. The seminars offer more in-depth study of the topic through greater use of case studies, special projects, and discussion time.

  • BUSSPP 0020 – Managing in Complex Environments and BUSSPP 0021 Honors +1
  • BUSACC 0030 – Financial Accounting and BUSACC 0031 Honors +1
  • BUSORG 1020 – Organizational Behavior and BUSORG 1021 Honors +1
  • BUSFIN 1030 – Introduction to Finance and BUSFIN 1031 Honors +1
  • BUSMKT 1040 – Introduction to Marketing and BUSMKT 1041 Honors +1
  • BUSBIS 1060 – Introduction to Information Systems and BUSBIS 1061 Honors +1

Each student must select one 3-credit course from the approved list of electives that is specifically linked to their major or functional area of specialization. The elective options represent some of the most challenging and intensive courses offered at Pitt Business, which ensures that honors students will gain sufficient experience in the professional domain.

The Pitt Business Honors functional electives include the following 3-credit course options:

  • BUSBIS 1600 – Technology-Enabled Business Transformation
  • BUSBIS 1630 – Project Management
  • BUSENV 1706 – Market Manipulations
  • BUSENV 1760 – Business Law
  • BUSFIN 1347 – Mergers, Acquisitions and Corporate Structures
  • BUSFIN 1355 – Valuation
  • BUSHRM 1665 – Negotiations in Business
  • BUSMKT 1485 – Projects in Marketing
  • BUSQOM 0050 – Quantitative Methods (honors section only)
  • BUSSCM 1730 – Managing Global Supply Chains
  • BSEO 2525 – Competitive Intelligence (MBA level- requires instructor approval)

To accommodate various student interests and needs, Pitt Business Honors students may complete the capstone requirement in one of three ways: the research track, practice track, and global experience track. Each track is designed to provide students with a hands-on experience in real-world business issues that will challenge students to apply what they have learned in the classroom to solve problems. Completion of the capstone experience prepares students for the challenges they will face as business professionals.

  1. Research Track – Pitt Business Honors students may select a research track that would involve working closely with a CBA faculty member on a new or ongoing research project focused on core aspects of business. Download and read an example of an honor’s student’s research project
  2. Practice Track – Pitt Business Honors students may select the practice track by enrolling in a senior-level capstone project experience that requires them to apply core knowledge acquired in the CBA program.
  3. Global Experience Track – Pitt Business Honors students may select the global experience track by completing an approved international internship or participating in an approved Panther study abroad program as part of the experience-based learning requirement.

Graduation

Students will need at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA upon graduation in order to have “Pitt Business Honors” noted on their final transcript. They also must successfully complete all other program requirements.