Business Degrees
The mission of the Robert W. Plaster College of Business is to equip students to pursue academic excellence through professional programs with a biblical worldview in a caring environment committed to the principles of free enterprise.
Division of Business
Area of Accounting
SBU's accounting degrees prepare graduates for diversified careers in the practice of public accounting, not-for-profit accounting, internal auditing, federal taxation, and general accounting management, all with a Christ-centered worldview in order to prepare the graduates to be servant leaders in a global society. This area offers two majors:
Area of Business
SBU's business administration degrees provide students with a broad curriculum of study in business-related courses with a Christ-centered worldview, preparing them for diverse, ever-changing, global careers, and equipping them for continued education and service. This area offers nine undergraduate majors:
- Agricultural Business
- Business Administration (online)
- Business Management
- Computational Finance
- Cybersecurity Operations and Management
- Digital Marketing
- Economics/Finance
- Global Business
- Marketing
Master of Business Administration
SBU's Robert W. Plaster College of Business also offers a Master of Business Administration (MBA) graduate degree. The MBA program has been established to enhance the professional and personal development of the students, and provide the foundation necessary for occupational advancement.
Accreditation
Specialized Accreditation
The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) has accredited the following programs within the Robert W. Plaster College of Business:
- Accounting, B.S.
- Business Administration (Traditional), B.S.
- Master of Business Administration, M.B.A.
The traditional business administration programs that are accredited include Management, Marketing, Economics/Finance, Public Relations, and International Business.
Programs not accredited by ACBSP include the Business Administration (Non-Traditional), B.S. which comprises the General Business major offered on the Salem and Mountain View Campuses. Furthermore, the following majors have been recent additions to the College and as a result are not currently accredited by ACBSP: Computational Finance, Cybersecurity Management, Digital Marketing, and Sport Business. All programs are covered by SBU's overall accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Program Review
There are several different reporting measures the College utilizes in order to identify what our graduates obtain as a result of their educational experience at SBU. While the pursuit of a Christian higher education has a number of intangible experiences, the items that follow will help to convey the educational significance our graduates have gained.
Major Field Test
The Major Field Test is a test given to students pursuing a bachelor’s degree by the ETS organization (the same company that administers the SAT test). 560 colleges and universities utilize this instrument to evaluate the capabilities of their soon-to-be graduates.
According the ETS website, “the ETS® Major Field Tests are … outcomes assessments designed to measure the critical knowledge and understanding obtained by students in a major field of study. The Major Field Tests go beyond the measurement of factual knowledge by helping you evaluate students’ ability to analyze and solve problems, understand relationships and interpret material from their major field of study.” The areas of study considered on the Major Field Test are:
- Accounting
- Economics
- Finance
- Information Systems
- International Issues
- Legal and Social Environment
- Management
- Marketing
- Quantitative Business Analysis
The ETS website goes on to say that, “ETS offers comprehensive national comparative data for the Major Field Tests, enabling you to evaluate your students' performance and compare your program's effectiveness to programs at similar institutions nationwide.”
The data is presented in percentiles with 99% being the highest ranking of those taking the test and 1% being the lowest. Here is how Southwest Baptist University students have performed over the last several semesters.
| Date | SBU Overall Percentile |
| 2022-23 | 60th percentile |
| 2021-22 | 67th percentile |
| 2020-21 | 83rd percentile |
| 2019-20 | 87th percentile |
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Exam Results
The CPA is administered by the American Institute of CPAs. The test is administered in four different sections. These are:
- Auditing and Attestation
- Business Environment and Concepts
- Financial Accounting and Reporting
- Regulation
SBU Accounting graduates over a five-year average (2017-2022 graduates) have passed CPA exam at a 70% first time, per-part rate versus a 53% national average. While almost one-third of our accounting graduates do not attempt the CPA exam for various reasons, approximately 50% of all SBU Accounting graduates are CPAs today.
Nearly 100% of our graduates are employed in accounting positions prior to graduation. Many of them have job offers before the end of their junior year.
Employment Rates of Graduates
Since 2013, we have actively tracked continuing education or job placement of our graduates. We want to know when our graduates accepted employment offers or have been accepted into an additional educational program such as an MBA, PhD, etc. We evaluate this information at three different points of time: graduation day, three months after graduation, and six months after graduation. The following chart communicates the percentage of our graduates that accept employment or are admitted into an educational program.
Business alumni placement rate and salary data (PDF)
Where do our students find jobs?
What follows is a non-comprehensive list of organizations that employ our graduates. It has been segmented according to each academic discipline area.
Accounting
- Central Bank
- Missouri State Auditors
- FORVIS
- KPGM
- Ernst & Young
- Dannon
- Rubin Brown
- Leggett & Platt
- Grant Thornton
- Kirkpatrick, Phillips, & Miller
- O'Reilly Auto Parts, Corporate Headquarters
- Accenture
- Citizens Memorial Healthcare
- Cerner Corporation
Business administration
- Duck Creek Technologies
- Cerner Corporation
- Citizens Memorial Healthcare
- Bank of Bolivar
- Jack Henry & Associates
- Dannon
- New York Life
- Nestle
- Hallmark
- Microsoft
- Edward Jones
- BNSF
- Bank of America
- Boeing Intellectual Property Management
- Progressive Insurance
- O'Reilly Auto Parts, Corporate Headquarters
- Sam's Club
- Walmart Headquarters
- Whirlpool
- Reckitt Benckiser (Budapest)
- GE Capital (Netherlands)
- Neptune Marine Services (Australia)
Master of Business Administration
- Strategic Financial Concepts
- Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
- Lockton Companies
- Southwest Electric Cooperative
- Citizens Memorial Hospital
- Federal Protection, Inc.
- Chick-fil-A, Inc.
- Samaritan's Purse
- Nexus Therapy Management
- SS&C Technologies
- Great Southern Bank
- Cerner Corporation
- Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation
- Mid-Missouri Bank
- Ozark Orthopedics
- American National Insurance Company
- MFA Inc.
Retention rates
The rates for retaining students from their first to their second year within the College is as follows:
| College of Business | University | |
| Fall 2022 to Fall 2023 | 61% | 67% |
| Fall 2021 to Fall 2022 | 74% | 74% |
| Fall 2020 to Fall 2021 | 71% | 71% |
| Fall 2019 to Fall 2020 | 73% | 73% |
Graduation rates
The graduation rates for first-year, first-time degree-seeking students within the College is as follows:
| College of Business | University | |
| Fall 2017 first-year students that graduated by 2023 | 50% | 52% |
| Fall 2016 first-year students that graduated by 2022 | 54% | 43% |
| Fall 2015 first-year students that graduated by 2021 | 62% | 51% |
| Fall 2014 first-year students that graduated by 2020 | 45% | 50% |
Assessment reports
College of Business Program Learning Outcomes (PDF)
College of Business Course & Instructor Means
Student learning outcomes
Standard 4 Student Learning Assessment
Accreditation standards results