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.

Coursework and experiences completed for the Pitt Business Honors Program can also count toward completion of the University Honors College Joint Degree  or the Honors Distinction. Business students should discuss these options with their academic advisors.

Eligibility Guidelines

How to apply for the Pitt Business Honors Program

Entering first-year students are eligible to participate in the Pitt Business Honors Program if they have been admitted to both the College of Business Administration and the Pitt Honors College. To receive consideration, you will need to select the College of Business Administration on your Pitt admissions application as your intended academic program and also to apply to the Pitt Honors College

While the Pitt Business Honors Program is designed for students who spend their first year in the business school, transfer students to the business school who earn at least 60 letter-graded credits through Pitt may qualify for graduation honors (magna cum laude, summa cum laude, cum laude). Students should discuss their circumstances with their Pitt business academic advisor.

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 1428 – Digital Marketing
  • BUSMKT 1485 – Projects in Marketing (BUSMKT 1485 may be used as an Honors Elective course or as the Experience-Based capstone, but not as both)
  • 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.

These courses currently fulfill the “practice track” requirement. Discuss your Pitt Business Honors program of study with your academic advisor to determine how best to fulfill the Experience-Based Capstone requirement.

    • BFIN 2555 Practicum in Portfolio Management (application and acceptance required)
    • BIND 2024 Consulting Field Project (application and acceptance required)
    • BUSBIS 1650 IS Consultancy Practices Solution Development
    • BUSHRM 1686 Sports Management Project
    • BUSMKT 1485 Projects in Marketing (application and acceptance required: BUSMKT 1485 may be used as an Honors Elective course or as the Experience-Based capstone, but not as both)
    • BUSQOM 1085 Business Analytics Projects (application and acceptance required)

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.

Watch Our Honors Program Webinar

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