Bachelor of Science in Business and Global Affairs
The Bachelor of Science in Business and Global Affairs (BSBGA) is a joint degree designed and delivered by the McDonough School of Business (MSB) and the School of Foreign Service (SFS). First-year students enrolled in MSB and SFS are eligible to apply to pursue the B.S. in Business and Global Affairs.
The BSBGA degree program features a four-year sequence of signature courses with multiple off-campus experiences in Washington, D.C. and around the world. The first BSBGA signature course, offered in the Spring of the first year, is a degree requirement and is open to all first-year students. Eligible first-year students apply in April to pursue the BSBGA and, if selected, the program of study continues in the sophomore through senior years.
Students pursuing the BSBGA remain students of their home schools (MSB or SFS) but no longer pursue the BSBA or the BSFS. BSBGA students fulfill the degree requirements of the BSBGA and are subject to the policies and procedures of their home schools except as provided in this section. Specific BSBGA curricular requirements, policies, and procedures outlined below supersede those of the home schools.
The diploma will indicate that the BSBGA was delivered jointly by two schools, the McDonough School of Business and the Walsh School of Foreign Service.
Business and Global Affairs Curriculum
The Bachelor of Science in Business and Global Affairs Curriculum consists of the Georgetown Core Curriculum, Business and Global Affairs Core Requirements, major study, modern foreign language proficiency, and elective courses. See below for additional information regarding the degree requirements specific to the BSBGA program.
Business and Global Affairs Core Requirements
Core requirements expand on the University Core with coursework that relates to the specific missions and traditions of MSB and SFS and of the interdisciplinary BSBGA:
- BGAF-1001: Global Markets and Politics (Signature Course 1)
- ACCT-1101: Accounting I
- MATH-1350: Calculus I or equivalent
- ECON-1001: Microeconomic Principles
- ECON-1002: Macroeconomic Principles
- ECON-2542: International Economics or ECON-2543: International Trade
- FINC-2101: Business Financial Management
- GOVT-1400: Comparative Political Systems or GOVT-1600: International Relations
- INAF-1000: Maps of the Modern World
- MARK-1101: Principles of Marketing
- Quantitative methods (select from list)
- Regional history (select from list)
In addition to BGAF-1001, Global Markets and Politics (Signature Course 1), it is recommended that the following BSBGA Core requirements be met before the beginning of the sophomore year: MATH-1350: Calculus I; ECON-1001: Microeconomic Principles; ECON-1002: Macroeconomic Principles; and quantitative methods.
It is also recommended that the following BSBGA Core requirements be completed before or during the sophomore year: ACCT-1101: Accounting I; FINC-2101: Business Financial Management; and ECON-2542 International Economics or ECON-2543: International Trade.
Courses designed and delivered by the BGA program are labeled “Business and Global Affairs” (prefix “BGAF”). The coursework for the Core and for the major also draws on the offerings of MSB, SFS, and College departments. Upon enrollment in the BSBGA degree program, all BSBGA students have the same eligibility and opportunity to enroll in courses offered by both their home school and MSB or SFS as applicable.
Business and Global Affairs Major Requirements
The Business and Global Affairs major is distinguished by an innovative and integrated approach to identifying and solving problems that lie at the intersection of business and international affairs. The jointly delivered Signature Course sequence includes three integrated on-location international experiences within Signature courses 2, 3, and 4.
- Signature Course 2, BGAF-2020: Global Organizations and Culture
- Signature Courses 3, BGAF-3031, -3032 Global Business and Operations
- Signature Courses 4, BGAF-4040, -4041: Business, Policy, and Society
- Washington, Business, and the World, BGAF-2001 and 2003
- History of globalization (select from list)
- International law, policy, and governance (select from list)
- Quantitative analysis (select from list)
There is one major within the BSBGA joint degree program. Along with the BGA major, students are eligible, schedules permitting, to pursue minors or certificates consistent with their home school policies (either MSB or SFS as applicable). Students are not eligible to double major with a major delivered through a different degree program.
Modern Language Proficiency Requirement
The BSBGA incorporates the School of Foreign Service modern language proficiency requirement.
BSBGA students are expected to enroll in a modern language class each semester, for a letter grade, until they have met the proficiency requirement. Students cannot take a language course pass/fail. Language classes occupy elective slots in the academic schedule. The full modern language proficiency requirement can be found on the SFS requirements page.
Integrated Writing
Integrated Writing is embedded within the requirements of the BGA major. The Integrated Writing coursework prepares students to think critically and communicate effectively through writing formats, styles, and conventions relevant for business, international affairs, and the intersection of business and global affairs.
Advising
For students pursuing the BSBGA, specialized academic advising is provided by a joint MSB-SFS advising team. A BSBGA advisor is assigned to each student upon acceptance to the program during the summer before the sophomore year. Advisors in the Business and Global Affairs program provide specific information about the proper sequencing of courses required for the degree, give formal approval to students’ proposed course selection for each upcoming semester, and serve as a sounding board for exploring various academic options. One of the advisor’s primary responsibilities is to help students work out an academic program that will enable them to complete their studies on schedule while also pursuing elective courses and other interests. For first-year students, the BSBGA advising team will supplement the usual first-year advisor resources and assignments within the students’ home schools.
Academic Policies and Procedures
Eligibility for the BSBGA Degree Program
The BSBGA is a limited-enrollment degree program delivered jointly by the McDonough School of Business and the School of Foreign Service. Students must be enrolled in the McDonough School of Business or the School of Foreign Service to pursue the BSBGA program. Interested first-year students from Georgetown College or the School of Nursing and Health Studies must first submit an internal transfer application to MSB or SFS at the end of their first year to be eligible to apply to pursue the BSBGA.
Applicable Policies and Procedures
Students pursuing the BS Business and Global Affairs are subject to the academic policies and procedures of this Bulletin as set forth in the Academic Regulations section as well as the policies set forth by their home schools in the MSB and SFS sections of this Bulletin. Specific BSBGA requirements, policies, and procedures set forth in this section of the Bulletin supersede those of the home schools.
All students are required to comply with the University Academic Regulations. Students are expected to familiarize themselves with these regulations, and no student can claim that unfamiliarity with these regulations warrants an exception to them.
For more information about the BS in Business and Global Affairs please visit the BGA program website.