The bama bound dates are up and I’m starting to think about what classes I should take freshman year. I’ll be coming in with lots of AP credit and UA Early College credit, so I will only have a few (like 6) general ed and lower division business classes to take before I can start taking upper division business classes. Six classes is only a little more than a semester. So if I took 5 of those classes first semester freshman year, I would have one left to take second semester. If I am correctly understanding the admission to upper division business class requirements, all six classes must be completed before I can take any 300 or 400 level business classes. So what would I fill my second semester with if I only needed that one class? Would I be allowed to go ahead and take some 300 level classes?
(I am planning this now because I heard that by registration time at bama bound, the upperclassmen will have taken all the spots for the non-100 level courses, and I will have placed out of most 100 level courses. So I just want to have a good understanding of what I can take and when so I can make backup plans for first semester class scheduling at bama bound.)
Which 6 classes do you need to take and what is your major? While technically you need to be admitted to upper division before you take 300 and 400 level classes, if there is truly nothing else for you to take in 2nd semester freshman year, you can talk to the head of your department and I’m sure you can get permission to take some 300-level courses. I thought my daughter was going to be in a similar position as a freshman, but she ended up picking up another major and a minor, and waited until sophomore year for the 300 and 400 level courses in business.
You are correct that many upper level courses will be filled by the time Bama Bound rolls around, but students change their schedules all summer long, so if you keep checking, there’s a good chance that classes that were closed during your Bama Bound will have some spots open up.
I’m planning on double majoring, the first major being general business, and the other being either marketing or management.
The classes I need:
1 fine arts (UH 210)
1 foreign language (SP 103)
1 literature (EN 220)
1 math (Math 121)
AC 210
CS 102 (because this is listed as a pre-req for MIS 200, which I need for my major)
Have you considered taking a CLEP test for Spanish and to satisfy your FL requirement, or have you already done so? do you plan on taking more SP in college?
I really don’t know. I’m considering studying abroad in a Spanish speaking country, so I’ll probably continue with Spanish in college. I may even minor in it.
Here’s the actual requirement:
http://courseleaf.ua.edu/commercebusinessadministration/#departmentandprogramrequirementstext
“Applicants for the upper division in the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration must complete at least 60 semester hours prior to admission into the upper division. The 60 hours should be chosen from the requirements listed above and must include degree credits for EC 110 Principles of Microeconomics and EC 111 Principles of Macroeconomics; MATH 121 Calculus & Applications or MATH 125 Calculus I; EN 101 English Composition and EN 102 English Composition; AC 210 Intro To Accounting; ST 260 Statistical Data Analysis; and LGS 200 Legal Environment of Business (or their equivalents). Additionally, at least four hours of natural science, three hours of fine arts, literature or humanities, and three hours of history or social and behavioral sciences should be completed. Failure to earn degree credit for these specific courses, or to earn at least 60 semester hours overall, will make students ineligible for admission to the upper division and for enrollment in 300- and 400-level C&BA courses.”
The confusion typically comes in for students that think they have to have 60 hours including ALL of their lower level courses before being admitted to Upper Division, which is not true. Out of the 60 hours, only 35 are specifically prescribed courses (Econ sequence, Math 121 (or 125), Freshman Comp sequence, AC210, ST260, LGS200, 4 hours of science (out of 8 required total) and 3 hours of “FA, HU, or L”, and 3 hours of SB.
Out of the list you provided of courses that you need to take, only MA121 and AC210 are SPECIFICALLY REQUIRED to move to the upper division (assuming you will also have 60 hours and meet the other requirements). You can complete the other requirements after you start taking the upper-level courses if you choose to do so.
Other notes:
The B-school doesn’t require foreign language, that is your option - many students choose to fulfill with two C-designated courses (ST260 and some other C course).
To fulfill the CS102 pre-req for MIS200, you can also choose to take the placement assessment instead:
Thanks! That was very helpful.
If you will have 60 credits by the end of 1st semester and you’ve already taken EC 110 & 111, ST 260, LGS 200, freshman composition and 4 hours of science (which I’m assuming you will have since they’re not on your list), you should be in a position to apply for Upper Division during your first semester. They’ll conditionally approve it, subject to you completing the rest of the required classes, and that should enable you to register for the 300 levels in 2nd semester. You’ll want to get on that quickly as registration comes up pretty early in the fall. Be sure to make an advising appointment as soon as the first e-mail comes in the fall. You’d definitely need to take AC210 first semester.
2016BamaDad is correct that you can test of out CS102. Here’s the info: http://assessment.cs.ua.edu/. You don’t need to take SP103 unless you want to. Your FL requirement will be satisfied by taking ST260 and MKT 385/FI389 (or equivalent for your major). If you have a background in Spanish you could try the CLEP test; those credits would count towards your Humanities requirement, and even if you don’t need them, the extra credits are helpful for priority registration.
When my daughter registered at Bama Bound (she’s a senior now, so it was a few years ago), all AC210 classes were full. However, over the course of the summer spots in a few classes opened up as students tinkered with their schedules. If you can’t register for AC210 at BB, keep trying over the summer. You might also want to e-mail Dr. Heggem (head of advising for Culverhouse) in advance of Bama Bound to get advice on your plan. My daughter got poor advice at Bama Bound, I suspect because her situation was similar to yours, so a bit out of the ordinary. Familiarize yourself with the catalog and be prepared to question the advisors if they tell you something that doesn’t sound right. Also, if there aren’t any 100-level courses for you to take and the upper level classes are full, you can e-mail professors and department heads to attempt to get into an otherwise full class.
I will be a finance major. If I bring in credit for both AP lang and AP lit, will I have to take any part of the freshman comp sequence?
As long as you have at least a 3 in both, you won’t need to take EN 101 or 102. If you have at least a 4 in both I think you get additional Humanities credit.
http://courseleaf.ua.edu/introduction/academicpolicies/creditbyexamination/#advancedplacementaptext