Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in General Business Online

The 100% online B.S.B.A. – General program prepares you for professional opportunities in a variety of career paths while you build a strong background in current business management practices.

Apply by 1/3/25
Start class 1/13/25 Apply Now

Now lower tuition to make your undergraduate journey even more affordable! $320 per credit hour with Path to Success Scholarship*

Program Overview

Learn why our online B.S.B.A. degree stands out

Equip yourself with the leadership skills and organizational knowledge that give you an advantage in a competitive workforce by earning an online bachelor’s degree in business administration from Northern Kentucky University. You will graduate this program as a critical thinker ready for management positions with potential for a higher average salary.

Our B.S.B.A. degree offers 100% online coursework that gives you the flexibility to balance your studies, work, and life. The rigorous Bachelor of Science in Business Administration core introduces you to principles of marketing, economics, accounting, and finance as well as managerial decision-making, operations management, and more. Featuring 30 hours of electives, the general business focus empowers you to personalize your degree to your goals and interests.

In this online general business program, you will:

  • Be able to analyze risks and opportunities of various business decisions
  • Build strong communication skills
  • Develop the ability to plan, lead, analyze, and problem-solve in business environments
  • Gain a thorough understanding of ethical business practices
In this online general business program, you will:+
  • Be able to analyze risks and opportunities of various business decisions
  • Build strong communication skills
  • Develop the ability to plan, lead, analyze, and problem-solve in business environments
  • Gain a thorough understanding of ethical business practices

Jobs for graduates with a bachelor’s degree in business administration include:

  • Account Executive
  • Management Analyst
  • Operations Manager
  • Merchandiser
  • Loan Officer
  • Management Consultant
  • Customer Service Manager
  • Hotel Manager
  • Small Business Owner
  • Branch Manager
Jobs for graduates with a bachelor’s degree in business administration include:+
  • Account Executive
  • Management Analyst
  • Operations Manager
  • Merchandiser
  • Loan Officer
  • Management Consultant
  • Customer Service Manager
  • Hotel Manager
  • Small Business Owner
  • Branch Manager
+

Also available:

Northern Kentucky University offers a variety of B.S. in Business Administration programs online. View our online business programs.

Tuition $320 per credit hour*
Transfer Credits Up to 90
Credit Hours 120

Accreditation

AACSB logo

The Haile College of Business is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).

Apply Now

Need More Information?

Call 800-985-7215

Call 800-985-7215

Online Undergraduate Program Advantages

See the top 10 reasons why Northern Kentucky University is right for you!

Tuition

Our budget–friendly tuition can be paid as you go

The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – General Business online program offers the same affordable, pay-by-the-course tuition for in-state and out-of-state students. Financial aid may be available to eligible students.

View additional tuition information+

Program Per Credit Hour University Fee Per Credit Hour
B.S.B.A. – General $485 $16
With Path to Success Tuition* $320 $16

*The Path to Success Scholarship is available to first-time NKU OnlineA students only; existing students may not participate. The Scholarship cannot be combined with any other offer and is not available for the RN to BSN online program. Students who step out of the program for more than a year (thus requiring a new application) will no longer receive the offer; instead, they must pay the tuition or scholarship rate available at the time of new enrollment. Excludes some program-specific fees that will be divided and assessed by credit hour based on the number of hours taken. Tuition and fees subject to change at any time.

Tuition Breakdown:

$320 Per Credit Hour*
Generic Accreditation

Top-Rated Undergraduate Business Programs

Ranked among the “Best Undergraduate Business Programs” by U.S. News & World Report, 2022

Calendar

Learn the important dates

The B.S. in Business Administration – General online program is flexible and efficient for busy schedules, with accelerated courses that start multiple times a year. View the calendar to find the best start date for you, and be sure to submit your application, registration, documents and tuition by the corresponding deadlines.

View full calendar  + 

SessionProgram Start DateApplication DeadlineDocument DeadlineRegistration DeadlinePayment Due
Spring 11/13/251/3/251/7/251/10/251/13/25
Spring 23/17/253/5/253/10/253/14/253/17/25
Summer 15/12/254/30/255/5/255/9/255/12/25
Summer 26/30/256/18/256/23/256/27/256/30/25

Now enrolling:

Apply Date 1/3/25
Class Starts 1/13/25
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Apply Now

Admissions

Are you ready to apply? Check our admission requirements first

The admission process is the first step toward earning your online Bachelor of Science degree in business administration.

Admission Requirements:

  • Official transcripts from each college attended
  • 2.0 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale
  • Online application fee waived for active/veteran military
View all admission requirements +

B.S.B.A. – General Online Admission Requirements

Applicants for the B.S. in Business Administration – General online program are evaluated on a holistic basis and must meet the following requirements:

  • B.S.B.A. pre-majors must complete six designated selective admission courses (ACC 200, ACC 201, BUS 230, ECO 200, ECO 201, and MKT 205—or approved equivalents if transferring)in the B.S.B.A. Business Core with a grade of C- or higher and earn an overall NKU GPA of 2.5 or higher to be admitted into any B.S.B.A. major
  • All transfer students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours at NKU (in any combination of courses) in order to establish an NKU GPA before applying for admission to the B.S.B.A. major

Transfer Admission

Transfer applicants are students who have graduated from high school and have previously attempted coursework for credit (other than college credits taken while in high school) at another accredited college or university.

Students with a minimum 2.0 GPA from an accredited institution and 24 or more transferable credit hours must submit the following:

  • Complete online application and pay $40 non-refundable application fee
    • If you are an NKU alumni or active/veteran military member, your application fee will be waived. Simply submit the online application without payment of the application fee. The fee will be waived when your credentials are verified. No further action is required.
  • Official transcripts from each college attended

Students with a minimum 2.0 GPA and fewer than 24 transferable credit hours are evaluated based on the freshman admission standards and must supply the following

  • Complete online application and pay $40 non-refundable application fee
    • If you are an NKU alumni or active/veteran military member, your application fee will be waived. Simply submit the online application without payment of the application fee. The fee will be waived when your credentials are verified. No further action is required.
  • Official transcripts from each college attended
  • Final and official high school transcript or GED scores
  • New transfer students who apply to the University with fewer than 24 college credit hours earned and a 2.75 and greater unweighted high school GPA will be offered admissions regardless of ACT/SAT scores. Please note: Nursing and respiratory care programs require ACT/SAT scores.
  • New transfer students with a 2.7499 unweighted high school GPA and less will be required to submit ACT or SAT test scores:
    • Required ACT scores:
      18 (English, math, reading)
    • Required SAT scores:
      Prior to March 2016: 430 (math, writing); 450 (critical reading)
      March 2016 to present: 480 (evidence-based reading and writing); 470 (math)

Freshman Applicants

A freshman applicant is a prospective student who has not attempted coursework at an accredited college or university (other than college credit earned while in high school or during the summer immediately following high school graduation).

Students who are 21 years or older and have never attended college (other than college credits taken while in high school) must supply:

  • Complete online application and pay $40 non-refundable application fee
    • If you are an NKU alumni or active/veteran military member, your application fee will be waived. Simply submit the online application without payment of the application fee. The fee will be waived when your credentials are verified. No further action is required.
  • Official high school transcripts or GED scores

Students who are under 21 years old and have never attended college (other than college credits taken while in high school) must supply:

  • You might qualify to apply Direct Admit to NKU, view the direct admit requirements.
  • An online application form
  • A $40 nonrefundable application fee*
  • Official high school transcripts or GED scores
  • Freshmen applicants must have at least a 2.0 unweighted high school GPA to be considered for admissions.
    • Freshman applicants with a 2.75 and greater unweighted high school GPA will be offered admissions regardless of ACT/SAT scores.
    • Freshman applicants with a 2.7499 unweighted high school GPA and less will be required to submit ACT or SAT exam scores:
      • Required ACT scores:
        18 (English, math, reading)
      • Required SAT scores:
        Prior to March 2016: 430 (math, writing); 450 (critical reading)
        March 2016 to present: 480 (evidence-based reading and writing); 470 (math)

NKUWrite (English and reading) and ALEKS (math) scores are encouraged for placement. Some courses may require placement testing depending on transfer credit or ACT scores. Our Testing Services office can help you schedule these tests.

Official documents may be mailed or emailed to:

Northern Kentucky University
Office of Admissions
Lucas Administrative Center
400 Nunn Drive
Highland Heights, KY 41099

[email protected]

Have a question? Call us at 800-985-7215.

Direct Admit for Freshmen Applicants

High school seniors with a current, unweighted GPA of 2.75 or higher can be directly admitted to NKU. No application, essays, or fees are required.

How Direct Admit works:

  1. Are you a high school senior with an unweighted GPA of 2.75 or higher?
  2. Will you be a new, first-time freshman?
  3. Are you a resident of the United States?

If you answered "yes" to all of the above, you are eligible to receive a direct admissions offer from NKU. Once you receive the email from NKU offering you direct admissions, click the embedded link to accept Direct Admit. Your personal NKU enrollment specialist will reach out promptly to begin solidifying your spot at NKU.

Direct Admit is a conditional admission offer for qualified students as determined by your current high school GPA.* Submit your unofficial transcripts to verify your current GPA. Final admission to NKU will be determined by official final transcripts submitted upon your high school graduation. You will work with NKU and your high school counselor to submit all unofficial and/or official final transcripts. Learn more about Direct Admit.


Click the button to begin!

DIRECT ADMIT

*Conditional based on submission of high school transcript.

If you answered "no" to any of the above questions, we still offer a streamlined path to admissions! Please follow the instructions under "Freshman Applicants" above.

Courses

Discover the online Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Curriculum

For the B.S.B.A. – General Business online programs, students must complete a total of 120 credit hours, including 37 general education credit hours, 50 business core credit hours, 3 general business core credit hours, 18 major elective credit hours, and 12 free elective credit hours.

Expand All

Students must take the following courses:

Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course covers the measurement of business transactions through the accounting cycle and communication of results to external parties through the preparation of the income statement, statement of shareholders' equity, balance sheet, and the statement of cash flows. Financial statement analysis is covered, as well as GAAP-based measurement (valuation) of cash, receivables, inventory, long-term assets, current and long-term liabilities, and stockholders' equity. Prerequisites: sophomore standing; completion of one college level mathematics course; completion of computer competence requirement as determined by student's major, or completion of BIS 101 or INF 101. Corequisite: ACC 200L.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course examines management’s use of accounting information for decision-making and planning; is an introduction to management accounting terms and concepts. Elements of product costing; assessment of various costing systems such as actual, normal, and standard costing, and variable versus absorption costing is covered. Various topics such as outsourcing decisions, maximizing constraints, cost-volume-profit analysis, cost function estimation, activity-based costing, and management’s preparation and use of budgets and analysis of variances is also covered. Prerequisites: ACC 200 and sophomore standing.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Concepts in legal environment; ethical considerations in business decisions; broad overview of judicial process, legal systems, contracts, torts, environmental and international issues, employment law, and consumer protection.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Course covers introductory macroeconomics; national income and employment; economic growth, business cycles and inflation; economic role of government; role of money and banking system; international trade. General Education Credit: Individual and Society. Prerequisite: completion of one college-level mathematics course.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course examines individual market behavior in a capitalistic economy; role of supply and demand in determination of value and resource allocation; monopoly and its regulation; problems of economic growth; population growth, and environment. General Education Credit: Individual and Society. Prerequisite: completion of one college-level mathematics course.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course covers the flow of goods from producer to consumer; demand-stimulated and demand-fulfilling activities of business enterprises; marketing concepts and systems analysis. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1
This is a lab to accompany ACC 200, including an Excel project. Corequisite: ACC 200.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course covers the principles of Management Information Systems and is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of MIS and to apply problem-solving skills in Excel, Access, and Web development. Prerequisites: junior standing, STA 212 or STA 205 or STA 250 or BIS 275 and demonstrated competency in Word, Excel and PowerPoint, e.g., completion of INF 101 or equivalent transfer work or placement.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1
Business decisions require the basic skills of analyzing data to understand the problem more completely and to produce better answers. The business environment uses tools and techniques to accomplish this analysis. This course is designed to introduce students to those tools and techniques and how they can be automated. Prerequisites: BIS 300; STA 205 or STA 212, or STA 250.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course examines the application of ethics to decision-making in business; case method, discussion, and presentations. Prerequisites: BUS 230 and junior standing.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Concepts in legal environment; ethical considerations in business decisions; broad overview of judicial process, legal systems, contracts, torts, environmental and international issues, employment law, and consumer protection.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course covers the basic concepts in finance including security markets, interest rates, taxes, risk analysis, time value of money, security valuation, short-term financial planning, capital budgeting, and capital structure. Prerequisites: ACC 200 and ACC 201, STA 205 or STA 212, and junior standing.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course covers linear functions, matrix algebra, linear programming, and probability. Emphasis on applications to business. General Education Credit: Mathematics. Prerequisite: C- or better in MAT 109 or placement.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course is an overview of the complex organizational, group, and individual processes constituting the internal environment of contemporary business organizations; understanding the dynamics and learning the concepts, theories, processes, and skills suggested by research to underlie effective planning, organizing, interacting, and controlling. Prerequisite: junior standing.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course examines concepts of operations in production and service organizations; application of quantitative and qualitative techniques to quality, human resources, forecasting, inventory, and process improvement problems. Prerequisites: MAT 114 and STA 205 or STA 212; junior standing.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course covers the application of theoretical knowledge to a wide variety of business situations; development of top management viewpoint in developing and assessing corporate strategy; case method and classroom presentations. Recommended to be taken during the last 18 semester hours of business coursework. Prerequisites: MGT 300, FIN 305, MGT 305, MKT 205 or MKT 305, senior standing, and open only to students certified as majoring in business disciplines.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Graphical descriptive measures; numerical descriptive measures; probability; hypothesis testing, estimation; analysis of variance; chi-square; regression; analysis by means of statistical software. Not open to students who have completed STA 250 or STA 314.
Students must take the following course:
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course is an introduction to business firms, their organization, functions, and management in the context of global, legal, and ethical environments; business as a setting in which people work, make decisions, and contribute productively to society; management of people, information, and processes to achieve organizational goals. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
Students must choose 18 credit hours among any 300- or 400-level courses from AACSB-accredited programs with the following prefixes: ACC, BIS, ENTP, FIN, HRM, MGT, MKT, and SPB.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course is an introduction to the Concepts, tools and techniques of Project Management. The goal is to provide the student with a fundamental knowledge of project planning, budgeting, scheduling, work breakdown structures, risk analysis, project monitoring and project control/termination. Group projects, presentations, class discussions and case exercises will provide the vehicle for developing decision- making, communication, interpersonal and leadership skills that are essential for success in the workplace.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
The skills, knowledge and abilities to negotiate effectively with others are important to managers and employees in all types of organizations; business, governmental, non-profit, healthcare and professional. The purpose of this course is to provide students with the theory, tactics, and practices that will enable them to negotiate successfully and resolve conflicts. Core subjects include negotiation preparation; distributive and integrative bargaining; strategies and tactics; gaining leverage through power and persuasion; and the influences of ethics, gender and culture. In addition to use of mediation and arbitration techniques to resolve conflicts are presented. The course requires students to learn through active participation in negotiation of actual cases.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Management of the multinational firm; cross cultural issues; differences in attitudes and behaviors, organizational structure, environmental considerations between domestic and multinational firms; host country subsidiary relations in an international context.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Retail sub-channel of distribution; role of retailing in meeting consumer and producer needs in distribution; distribution cost analysis at retail level; merchandising, promotion, and control.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Students are exposed to strategies, theories, and personal skills involved in processes used to manage and build customer relationships and gain an appreciation for the role of customer value in marketing.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Focuses on an understanding of the global, societal, and cultural context of marketing, and the impact these factors have on the practice of marketing. Incorporates the development of the marketing mix in light of these contextual factors.
Students must take 12 credit hours of free electives. Remember, some of these may have to be at the 300/400 level to reach the required 45 total hours of 300+ work for graduation.

Students must take 37 credit hours of general education courses, selected from the following categories. Note, some general education courses may be part of the major/minor/focus requirements. If so, those courses may be used to count for both general education and the major/minor/focus.

  • General Education Courses:
    • Communication; Written (3)
    • Communication; Written II (3)
    • Communication; Oral (3)
    • Scientific and Quantitative Inquiry;
  • Mathematics and Statistics (3)
    • Scientific and Quantitative Inquiry;
  • Natural Sciences with lab (4)
    • Scientific and Quantitative Inquiry;
  • Natural Sciences without lab (3)
    • Self and Society;
  • Cultural Pluralism (3)
    • Self and Society;
  • Individual and Society (3)
    • Self and Society;
  • Individual and Society (3)
  • Culture and Creativity (3)
  • Culture and Creativity (3)
  • Global Viewpoints (3)

Credit for prior learning acknowledges your experiences and can save you time and money on your degree.

You might be closer to graduation than you think!

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