Business Administration/Legal Studies (BALS)

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Business Administration/Legal Studies BALS

College(s): Business

Required Courses		Credit Hours
LEGAL STUDIES MAJOR
LLAW 160	Law in the United States 1	3
LLAW 161	Law in the United States 2	4
LLAW 251	Criminal Law and Procedures	3
LLAW 260	Real Estate Law	3
LLAW 261	Probate and Estate Planning	3
LLAW 280	Civil Litigation	4
ISYS 105	Intro Micro Systems-Software	3
Choose one:
*LLAW 253	or	2
LLAW 291	Practice Studies	2
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION MAJOR
Choose One:
INTB 310	International Business Systems	3
or
INTB 335	Cross-Cultural Business	3
MGMT 302	Team Dynamics - Org Behavior	3
MGMT 373	Human Resource Management	3
MGMT 488	Adv Management Cases-Problems	3
BUSINESS CORE
ACCT 201	Principles of Accounting 1	3
ACCT 202	Principles of Accounting 2	3
BUSN 499	Integrating Experience	3
BLAW 321	Contracts and Sales	3
FINC 322	Financial Management 1	3
ISYS 321	Business Information Systems	3
MGMT 301	Applied Management	3
MGMT 370	Quality-Operations Mgmt	3
MKTG 321	Principles of Marketing	3
STQM 260	Introduction to Statistics	3
Additional: Free electives (one must be at 300/400 level.)		6
UNIVERSITY GENERAL EDUCATION
Communication Competence
COMM 121	Fundamentals-Public Speaking	3
ENGL 150	English 1	3
Choose one:
ENGL 211	Industrial and Career Writing	3
Or
ENGL 250	English 2	3
ENGL 325	Advanced Business Writing	3
Scientific Understanding
*	Lab Science Elective	4
*	Science Elective	3-4
Quantitative Skills
MATH 115	Intermediate Algebra	3
*	(If MATH ACT is 24 or higher, substitute a general education elective)
Cultural Enrichment Electives
Electives (one must be at 200 level or above)		9
Social Awareness
ECON 221	Principles of Macroeconomics	3
ECON 222	Principles of Microeconomics	3
Social Awareness Elective		3
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS Additional General Education
General Education Electives (one must be at 300-400 level)		8
Minimum credit hours required for B.S. degree:		121-122

Why Combine the Business Administration and Legal Studies Degrees?

Pursuing both degrees concurrently is an effective and valuable educational program. Our Legal Studies program is one of only a few programs of its type that combines the foundation of a business curriculum and an American Bar Association-approved paralegal curriculum. The legal faculty members are attorneys (all Doctors of Jurisprudence) that bring practical knowledge and expertise to the legal studies courses. Students are engaged in an active learning environment by performing the same job functions as if they were working for a legal employer. Please see the catalog pages for the Business Administration BS and the Legal Studies AAS for additional information. Graduates acquire skills in legal research, criminal and civil procedure, real estate law, and probate and estate planning.

The Business Administration program builds on these skills by providing you with the business knowledge you will need to advance in your career. Graduates have found that a background in law is beneficial in a wide range of business operations. The B.S. in Business Administration with an A.A.S. in Legal Studies is an excellent preparation for application to law school.

Career Opportunities

Our graduates have found the combined degree leads to a variety of exciting career paths, either in the legal environment (e.g., courts, law firms, law school, corporate legal affairs), or business in general. The legal/business grounding is one that appears to be highly sought after by employers.

As a paralegal, graduates assist attorneys in the delivery of legal services. Although they are not lawyers and may not provide legal services directly to the public except as permitted by law, paralegals have the knowledge and expertise to perform work of a legal nature under the supervision of an attorney.

Admission Requirements

New Students: 2.5 high school GPA (on a 4.0 scale) and two of the three criteria below: (1) English ACT score of 16 or higher, or SAT Writing score of 370 or higher; (2) Math ACT score of 19 or higher, or SAT Math score of 460 or higher; (3) Reading ACT score of 19 or higher, or SAT Reading score of 430 or higher.

Transfer Students: Combined college or university GPA of 2.35 (on a 4.0 scale) from all institutions attended. GPA is based on completion of 12 credit hours or more. Transfer equivalency for FSU ENGLISH 150 or placement during the first semester at FSU which would require an ACT English score of 16 or higher; Compass score 70 – 100. Transfer equivalency for FSU MATH 115 or placement during the first semester at FSU which would require an ACT Math score of 19 or higher; Compass Algebra score 46 - 74 and HS Algebra with 2.0.

Exceptions for New and Transfer Students: Applicants not meeting the above criteria but having a 2.35 High School GPA and at least a 16 ACT in Math or Reading (2.00 Overall GPA for Transfer Students) can be considered for conditional admission in a College of Business Pre-Program. Any mitigating circumstances will be considered on an individual basis by the College of Business Dean’s Office.

Pre-Program students must complete a minimum of 12 FSU credits (excluding developmental courses) with a 2.35 GPA; courses must include ENGL 150 and MATH 115 before being considered for admission into their program of choice. Students must meet admission criteria for their chosen degree program by the time they have earned 30 credits.

More Information:
Additional guidance can be found on the College of Business Webpage under the Admissions tab.

Graduation Requirements

The Legal Studies program at Ferris leads to an associate in applied science degree, and the Business Administration major fulfills a bachelor of science degree. Graduation requires a minimum 2.0 GPA in core classes, in the major and overall. Students must complete all general education requirements as outlined on the General Education website.

Legal Studies Mission and Objectives

http://www.ferris.edu/business/programs/legal-studies

More Information

Management Department
119 South Street/BUS 212
Big Rapids, MI 49307-2284
Phone: (231) 591-2427
Email MGMT@ferris.edu

The College of Business is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP.) Next Accreditation Review is February 2018.
http://www.acbsp.org/p/st/ld/&sid=s1_001