Spears School of Business

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College Administration

James E. Payne, PhD—Dean
Teresa Lightner, PhD—Associate Dean
Marlys Mason, PhD—Associate Dean
Ramesh Sharda, PhD—Vice Dean

Campus Address and Phone

Address: 370 Business Building, Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 405-744-5064
Website: business.okstate.edu

The Spears School of Business focuses on preparing students to make a difference in the world by teaching essential interpersonal skills alongside a high-quality business education backed by impactful research and outreach.

We live in a deeply interconnected world where business is personal while simultaneously more distant. In this world, companies rise and fall based on the strength and success of the relationships they forge.

Spears Business prepares our students for this world by having them live and learn in an environment where personal connections are paramount and academic excellence is strengthened by interpersonal prowess. We take soft skills seriously. We study business collaboratively. We use technology to include and never to exclude. Community isn’t just a byproduct of what we do. At Spears, we empower students to follow their own dreams, not the dream we have for them--because the purpose of business isn’t just individual gain, but a gain for every individual.

With an emphasis on people and community, we ensure our students are just as real as they are ready. In a rapidly changing world, the only constant is people. This is why students choose Spears, why employers choose our graduates and why we make business personal.

Accreditation

The Spears School of Business (business.okstate.edu) at Oklahoma State University is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).

High School Preparation

Although a sound high school program is adequate preparation, prospective business students will benefit from a strong background in English and mathematics. Also, coursework in history and government, science, geography, computer science, foreign language and public speaking will be quite valuable.

Scholarships

Oklahoma State University has an extensive scholarship program which includes entering freshmen. For full consideration as a prospective student, applications should be sent to the OSU Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid by November 1 during one's senior year in high school. Spears School of Business scholarships are primarily designated for sophomores, juniors and seniors. Scholarship awards are based on academic performance, participation, leadership and need, and applications must be received by mid-January.

Academic Advisement and Enrollment Procedure

The Chesapeake Energy Business Student Success Center believes in a holistic approach to advising, beginning with prospective students that are interested in programs through Spears Business. After admission to OSU, each undergraduate student is assigned an academic counselor who is eager to help students create an academic plan of action, guide them toward university resources and serve as a mentor. The professional academic counselors are invested in each student’s collegiate life, as well as their success at OSU and beyond. The Business Student Success Center provides a link between the Spears Business and other university resources that are available to facilitate student success.

Academic Programs

Undergraduate Programs

The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree is offered by four departments and four schools. Departmental majors are listed below.

  • Accounting, with a major in accounting and options in external reporting, control, and auditing and internal reporting, control, and auditing.
  • Business Administration (BADM), with a major in general business and an option in pre-law.
  • Economics, with a major in economics and options in business economics and quantitative studies and pre-law.
  • Entrepreneurship, with a major in entrepreneurship.
  • Finance, with a major in finance and options in commercial bank management and financial analyst.
  • Hospitality and Tourism Management, with a major in hospitality and tourism management and options in beverage management and event management.
  • Management, with majors in management with options in business sustainability, human resource management, management consulting, non-profit management, pre-law, and sports management.
  • Management Science and Information Systems, with majors in management information systems (with options in data science and information assurance) and data analytics.
  • Marketing and International Business, with majors in marketing (with options in marketing research and analytics, personal selling and sales management, and marketing communications) and international business.

Additional information about the undergraduate programs in the Spears School of Business can be found on the Internet at https://business.okstate.edu/departments_programs/index.html.

Outstanding students in the Spears School of Business who meet the requirements of the Honors College may earn various honors designations while completing their undergraduate degree in this School. For more information, please refer to the Honors College information in the Catalog.

Master's Degree Programs

Two types of master's degrees are available to students desiring to undertake advanced work in the business area, specialized master's of science degrees and the interdisciplinary Master of Business Administration degree.

The Master of Business Administration degree allows concentrations in Accounting, Economics, Energy Business, Entrepreneurship, Global Marketing, Human Resource Management, Data Science, Information Assurance, Risk Management, Marketing Analytics, Business Sustainability and Non-profit Management. The following identifies where additional information about this degree can be found in the Catalog:

The Master of Science degree requires completion of a graduate major in accounting, economics, entrepreneurship, management information systems, business analytics, quantitative financial economics or information assurance. Most of our programs are offered on a full-time basis in Stillwater, and part-time in Tulsa as well as online. Please see specific program websites for details. The following identifies where additional information about these degrees can be found in the Catalog:

Doctor of Philosophy Degree Programs

Graduate work toward the Doctor of Philosophy degree with a major in economics is offered in the Department of Economics. Graduate work toward the Doctor of Philosophy degree with a major in business administration is offered in the departments of Finance, Management, Management Science and Information Systems, the School of Accounting, the School of Entrepreneurship, the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, and the School of Marketing and International Business. The Spears School also offers a PhD in Business Administration and a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) that are tailored for executives. 

Additional information about PhD programs can be found in the "Business Administration" section as well as in the various departmental sections.

General Education Requirements

During the freshman and sophomore years, the student will complete courses in each of the following areas:

  • Behavioral and social sciences:  American history, three semester credit hours; American government, three hours; and three hours elected from courses identified by the University as satisfying social science (S) credit. MGMT 3013 and MKTG 3213, which are required courses for all business majors also carry a social science (S) designation.
  • Humanities and fine arts:  Six semester credit hours elected from courses identified by the University as satisfying humanities (H) credit.
  • Natural science and mathematics:  A minimum of 10-13 semester credit hours with the specific number of required hours in mathematics and natural science varying with the major chosen. Specific requirements for each major are published by the University in the book Undergraduate Programs and Requirements.
  • Communications:  English composition, six semester credit hours. For non-business students, the University prerequisite for upper-division courses applies. (See "Academic Regulations" in the Catalog.)
  • General electives:  In addition, the student may elect courses from any area except lower-division aerospace studies and military science and LEIS and HHP activity courses to complete degree requirements.
  • As part of the student's general education, one course must be selected that is identified as satisfying the international dimension (I) requirement and one must be selected to satisfy the diversity (D) requirement.

Credits earned during the freshman and sophomore years at a two-year college may not be substituted for junior and senior course requirements in majors in the Spears School of Business.

Lower-Division Requirement

Work in the freshman and sophomore years is planned in such a way as to give the student foundational knowledge in key business areas.  Early, pre-business coursework should include the following:

  1. ACCT 2003 or ACCT 2103 & 2203, ECON 2003, EEE 2023, MSIS 2103 or BADM 2233, and MKTG 3213 or MGMT 3013, each with a grade of C or higher;
  2. ENGL 1113, ENGL 1213, and 3 hours MATH/STAT designated;
  3. 45 credit hours earned for incoming freshman or 12 credit hours at Oklahoma State University for transfer students in order to transition from pre-business into the majors;
  4. Minimum GPA of 2.7 at Oklahoma State University in order to transition from pre-business into the majors.

The student may also select additional hours from courses in these areas, with the opportunity of achieving either further breadth or a certain degree of depth by concentrating these hours in a particular area of interest. 

The Eastin Center for Career Readiness

The Eastin Center for Career Readiness provides students with resources to build interpersonal skills and professionalism while ensuring graduates are job ready. The center unites career readiness, career services, and corporate engagement. Programs which begin with the first-year experience and extend through the student’s time at OSU, integrate career development and employer engagement. The career coaches within Spears Business work closely with recruiters and corporate partners to connect students with numerous networking activities. The center also provides students with a direct link to OSU Career Services and showcases the Korn Ferry professional development competency.

Departmental Clubs and Honor Societies

  • African American Business Students Association
  • American Association of University Women
  • American Hotel and Lodging Association Student Chapter
  • Association of Information Technology Professionals
  • Beta Alpha Psi (accounting honor society)
  • Beta Gamma Sigma (business honor society)
  • Brand Squad
  • Business News Club
  • Business Student Council
  • Club Managers Association of America
  • Consulting Club
  • Data Analytics Club
  • Delta Sigma Pi (coed business fraternity)
  • Economics Society
  • Entrepreneurship Club
  • Eta Sigma Delta (HTM honor society)
  • Financial Management Association
  • Hospitality Administration Graduate Student Association
  • Human Resource Management Association
  • Information Security and Assurance Club
  • Latino Business Student Association
  • Marketing Club
  • MBA Association
  • Meeting Professionals International
  • National Society of Minorities in Hospitality
  • Net Impact
  • OSU Investment Banking Club
  • Sales Club
  • Spears Ambassadors
  • Spears Freshman Community
  • Spears Transfer Community
  • Sports Management Club
  • Student Center for Public Trust (Student CPT)
  • Women in Business
  • Women in Technology