The principal thrusts of the School are twofold: a program designed to educate generalists in the arts and sciences of professional management, and a professional accounting program aiming toward certification or further study in the School's graduate accounting program. Problem solving, decision making, and interpersonal skills are attributes of McIntire graduates. Scholarship and professionalism are emphasized in all of the School's programs.
The School prepares students for an array of future opportunities, including graduate and professional school. Part of that preparation is the emphasis on group projects and the case method of instruction in which students analyze complex business situations. The success of the McIntire program is evidenced by thousands of alumni who enjoy prominent positions throughout the world. The success is also evident in the national ranking and reputation achieved by the School.
McIntire graduates should be able to:
It was not until 1906 that the School of Economics was established as a separate unit within the College of Arts and Sciences. In 1920 a division of business administration was created in the James Wilson School of Economics. In 1921, a donation from an alumnus, Mr. Paul Goodloe McIntire, made possible the establishment of the McIntire School of Commerce and Business Administration. For the next 31 years the McIntire School operated as a distinct division of the College of Arts and Sciences, but its work was closely integrated with the James Wilson School of Economics. In 1952, the University's Board of Visitors approved the establishment of the McIntire School as a professional school to be administered as a separate unit of the University, distinct from the College.
The School is located in Monroe Hall on the central Grounds of the University. This building contains classrooms, seminar rooms, and administrative and faculty offices. Computer facilities located in the building include a microcomputer laboratory, multimedia classrooms and terminals linked to other University computing facilities. In addition to the facilities in Monroe Hall, the University's extensive libraries and computing systems are available to students of the McIntire School.
Address
The McIntire School of Commerce
Monroe Hall
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA 22903
(804) 924-3865
Link to complete listing of McIntire School of Commerce Student Organizations and Activities.
Available to our students is an extensive on-grounds recruiting program. Each year approximately 250 companies visit the University of Virginia to interview McIntire students for full-time employment. In addition to full-time employment opportunities, over 100 organizations either recruit on-grounds or list summer internships for third-year students. The option to attend graduate school immediately following graduation is one selected by approximately ten percent of each class. Students pursue graduate and professional degrees in law, accounting, management information systems, education, and other areas.
The McIntire School is justifiably proud of its academic program, and the career success of its 8,000 alumni represents a good measure of that pride. The entering third-year student and the finishing fourth-year student both have ample opportunity for direct assistance in plotting their own successful career futures after graduation.
Link to complete listing of McIntire School of Commerce Endowed Chairs.
Link to complete listing of McIntire School of Commerce Research Programs.
Affiliated Programs The McIntire School of Commerce offers several educational programs in affiliation with major trade associations. Examples include the Consumer Bankers Association, the Virginia Bankers Association, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Open Enrollment Programs The McIntire School of Commerce offers open enrollment business programs on a variety of topics to the general public at several locations in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in Washington, D.C., and in other states.
Customized Executive Education Programs The McIntire School of Commerce works closely with individual firms and organizations in custom-designing and presenting programs to meet their unique needs.
Sponsored Lectures and Seminars The McIntire School of Commerce encourages an exchange of ideas among business, banking, and government leaders through a continuing series of lectures, seminars, conferences, and workshops.
Executive-in-Residence The McIntire School of Commerce encourages a "real world" perspective with its executive-in-residence program.
Courses may be dropped only during the McIntire School's drop period, not to exceed six weeks (42 calendar days) following final registration. After the six-week period students are not allowed to drop or withdraw from any Commerce or Non-Commerce courses.
In addition, required courses cannot be dropped at any time.
All Course Action forms must be approved by the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs of the McIntire School. Request forms are available in Room 136, Monroe Hall.
Attendance Students are expected to attend all lectures and other prescribed activities of the courses for which they are registered. Although course attendance requirements are set by the course instructor, any student who is absent from more than 50 percent of the lectures will automatically receive a grade of F in that course.
Course Completion No 400-level Commerce courses can be taken prior to satisfactory completion of: (1) the Humanities and Foreign Language prerequisites, and (2) all required third-year courses (see Degree Requirements). Course Restrictions Commerce students may elect to take no more than one credit of Physical Education or one credit of EDHS Physical Education related course as part of their 120-credit course of study.
Course Credit Requirements (Semester) Students are normally expected to register for 15 credits. Special permission is required for registering for 12 to 14 credits. Special permission is also required to register for more than 17 credits, except that a student may register for three more credits than were passed the preceding semester, up to 21 total credits. Requests for exceptions must be received and granted by the Academic Performance (Rules) Committee prior to the end of the add/drop period.
A degree candidate needing 27 or fewer credits to meet degree requirements may, in either (not both) of the last two semesters of candidacy, carry as few as 12 credits. However, any student carrying less than 15 credits will not be eligible for the dean's list.
Credit/No Credit Option Courses taken on a CR/NC basis before entering the McIntire School may be applied toward a student's degree requirements. After enrollment at McIntire, students may enroll in non-Commerce courses on a CR/NC basis, but these courses cannot be used to satisfy any School or University requirement. This includes the School's course load requirement of 15 credits a semester. Commerce courses are not offered on a CR/NC basis.
Dean's List Any student who has passed at least 15 credits of graded work in the preceding semester, of which nine or more credits are Commerce courses, without failure in any course, and with a grade average in the top 20 percent of the School, will be placed on the Dean's List of Distinguished Students. Courses taken on a CR/NC basis may not be counted toward the 15-credit minimum. Any student receiving an F, NC, or NG during the semester is not eligible to be on the dean's list.
| Course | Suggested Year |
| 1. Commerce | |
| COMM 201 | 2nd |
| COMM 202 | 2nd |
| 2. Non-Commerce | |
| ECON 201 | 2nd |
| ECON 202 | 2nd |
| ENWR 101 | 1st |
| MATH 111 or 121 | 1st |
| MATH 112 | 1st |
| CS 120 or above | 1st or 2nd |
| Humanities/Fine Arts (3-6 credits) [1] | 1st or 2nd |
| Foreign Language (0-14 credits) [1] | 1st or 2nd |
| Social, Natural/Physical Sciences (0-3 credits) [1] | |
[1] Requirements as defined in this Record, College of Arts and Sciences chapter, area requirements section. Three humanities credits are required prior to enrollment. Three additional credits of humanities along with three credits of social, natural/physical sciences will be required before graduation and may be taken either before or after entering the McIntire School. The Humanities and Foreign Language prerequisites may, under unusual circumstances be completed during the third year or by transfer during summer.
| Fall Semester | |
| COMM 325 | Quantitative Analysis |
| COMM 351 | Fundamentals of Marketing |
| COMM 361 | Organizational Behavior |
| COMM 371 | Managerial Finance I |
| Spring Semester | |
| COMM 326 | Business Information Systems |
| COMM 341 | Commercial Law [2] |
| COMM 372 | Managerial Finance II |
| COMM 384 | Foundations of International Business |
[2] COMM 341 -- Commercial Law I may be taken prior to enrollment in the McIntire School or in the fourth year, and if taken at the University of Virginia will be included in the student's 45 Commerce credits.
| Third Year | |
| COMM 314 | Cost Accounting |
| COMM 311 | Intermediate Accounting I |
| Fourth Year | |
| COMM 312 | Intermediate Acct II |
| COMM 310 [3] | Accounting Information Systems |
| COMM 342 [4] | Commercial Law II |
[3] COMM 320 may be substituted.
[4] May be completed third or fourth year.
| Fourth Year | ||
| COMM 473 | Investments: Equity Securities and Markets | |
| COMM 475 | Fixed-Income Securities and Markets | |
| COMM 478 | Financial Forecasting and Strategy | |
| First or Second Year | |
| Area Studies [5] 6 credits | |
| [5] from approved list; humanities courses taken to fulfill the area studies requirements for the international business concentration may be counted toward the (six credit) humanities requirement. | |
| Fourth Year | |
| COMM 451 | International Marketing |
| COMM 469 | International Management |
| COMM 472 | International Financial Analysis, or |
| COMM 474 | International Finance and Banking |
| Students are encouraged to study abroad in a chosen country or region during the fall semester of their fourth year. | |
| Fourth Year | |
| COMM 462 | Topics in Organizational Behavior |
| Two other 400-level Management Courses | |
| Third Year | |
| COMM 320 | Business Software Development |
| Fourth Year | |
| COMM 327 [6] | Database Management Systems |
| COMM 427 | Systems Analysis and Design |
| COMM 428 | Data Communications |
| [6] May be completed third or fourth year | |
| Third Year | |
| COMM 353 | Marketing Techniques |
| Fourth Year | |
| COMM 454 | Marketing Analysis |
| COMM 455 | Marketing Strategies and Tactics |
Diploma with Distinction Diplomas inscribed "with distinction" are awarded to Bachelor of Science in Commerce students who have a grade point average in the top 15 percent of the class based on work completed while enrolled in the School.
Examinations Absence from examinations will not be excused except for sickness on the day of examination attested by a physician's certificate or for other cause approved by the faculty. An unexcused absence is counted as a failure.
A student who is excused from more than one-half of a semester's examinations due to illness may not be a member of a student organization which publicly represents the University until the examinations are taken. No student may remain in the McIntire School who misses all examinations in two consecutive semesters due to illness.
Special examinations may be taken by a student with an excused absence on a date to be arranged with the course instructor.
Exclusion from Courses Any student who is making no real progress in a course, may, at any time during the semester, be excluded from the course (with a grade of F) by the dean upon recommendation of the course instructor.
Grade Changes No grade may be changed after it has been submitted the the university registrar without the approval of the dean. The dean is not authorized by the faculty to change a grade submitted to the university registrar except when an instructor certifies that, because of errors in calculation or transcription, an incorrect grade has been submitted.
A McIntire School of Commerce instructor may establish a limit to the time allowed for a student to appeal a semester’s grade and request that it be changed. Time limits may vary from course to course, but in no case may they extend beyond the following semester. They may be any length of time less than one semester if so specified by the instructor in the course syllabus.
Incompletes The symbol IN (incomplete) is used when additional course work is required or examinations need to be taken in order to fulfill the requirements of the course. IN automatically becomes a grade of F in ten days following the final examination date unless work in the course is completed satisfactorily in that time, or unless arrangements have been made, with permission of the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs for work to be made up later.
Independent Study COMM 499, Independent Study in Commerce, may be taken only by fourth-year Commerce students who have obtained permission from the supervising faculty member prior to the Commerce add date. Students may take COMM 499 only once while they are Commerce students, for only one credit.
Leave of Absence Upon the completion of any semester in the McIntire School, a Commerce student may take a leave of a year or more away from the University. Students taking a leave of absence may only return in the academic semester which follows the completed semester (e.g., a student who takes a leave after the fall semester, third year, must enroll in third-year courses in a subsequent spring semester).
A Commerce student may take a leave of absence by meeting with the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and filing a Leave of Absence form in Room 136, Monroe Hall.
Readmission depends on a student's status at the time of leaving the McIntire School. Students having at least a 2.0 average in the McIntire School who are making satisfactory progress toward their degree may return in the appropriate semester as stated above. Students with less than a 2.0 average, or who have not been making satisfactory progress toward their degree (e.g., they have not completed or passed courses required at the level attained when they requested the leave of absence), may be required by the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs of the McIntire School to attend the University's Summer Session to take prescribed courses before readmission.
Any student who wishes to be readmitted following a leave of absence must submit a readmission request to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs of the McIntire School by March 1 for fall semester and November 1 for spring semester.
Major/Minor in the College A student enrolled at McIntire may earn a major or a minor in the College of Arts and Sciences. Prior permission must be obtained from the chair or director of undergraduate programs of the College department in which the student is seeking the major or minor.
In pursuing the above, students will not receive two degrees from the University. They would receive a B.S. in Commerce with a concentration and a minor (or major) appearing as degree information on the official transcript. In a case where a student has a double concentration, the College minor or major appears following the semester in which it was completed.
Students are responsible for completing the major or minor form (available in the College departments) and for obtaining the signature of the chair or director of the undergraduate programs. The form is to be submitted to the Registrar of the McIntire School, in Monroe Hall, who will monitor the satisfactory completion of requirements.
Physical Education Covered in the Course Restrictions section. Probation Probation is a state of warning involving the withdrawal of certain privileges from the student. No student on probation may be a member of any organization which publicly represents the University. Probation will be incurred when a student:
Students placed on probation for work completed in the semester preceding graduation may not be allowed to graduate.
Repeating Courses No course, once passed (D- or better), can be repeated to improve the recorded grade.
Required Courses See Degree Requirements.
Study Abroad A student wishing to study abroad should visit the Office of Foreign Study (Minor Hall) to explore the various opportunities available. Information on several opportunities in business can also be obtained from the Office of Student Affairs in Monroe Hall. Because of the nature of the third-year curriculum, students should consider the summer between the third and fourth year or the fall semester of their fourth year as periods to study abroad.
Interested students should work with their faculty advisor, area coordinator, the Assistant Dean, and Registrar of the McIntire School to prepare an appropriate program of study. For McIntire students who are studying abroad on a McIntire approved program, a waiver of the University 54 credit residency requirement, and the McIntire 57 credit residency requirement will be granted, but in no case will students be allowed to complete less than three semesters or 45 credits in residence at McIntire.
Suspension Suspension involves enforced withdrawal from the University and may be issued whenever a student:
Transfer Credit Credit toward a degree will be allowed for approved work completed in an accredited college or university or in other schools of this University upon presentation of a satisfactory transcript of record. However, no credit will be given for a required upper-level Commerce course unless such course is taken in the McIntire School. In no case will the total transfer credit granted toward a degree in the School of Commerce be more than 63 credits or more than 33 credits completed in one academic year. No adjustment of transfer credit for prior coursework will be made after the first semester in the School. Students wishing to transfer credit for coursework taken after enrollment in the School must receive prior approval from the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. In general, credit will not be granted for:
The application must be endorsed by the Dean of Students (2nd floor, Peabody Hall). The completed withdrawal form, along with student identification cards, must be deposited with the Dean of Students at the time of withdrawal.
A student who withdraws for reasons of ill health must obtain permission from the Department of Student Health. Subsequent medical clearance from the Department of Student Health is among the requirements for readmission.
Failure to comply with these regulations will subject a student to suspension from the University by the Vice President for Student Affairs.
Any student who withdraws without having obtained permission is recorded as having been suspended.
A Commerce student who withdraws during the first semester in the McIntire School (fall semester, third year) will not be guaranteed readmission to the School. Also, students who withdraw after the drop date will receive grades of WP or WF in their courses.
Any Commerce student who subsequently wishes to re-enroll must submit a written request for readmission to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs of the McIntire School by March 1 for fall semester and November 1 for spring semester. Commerce students may return only in the academic semester which follows the student's last successfully completed academic semester. For example, a student who withdraws during the spring semester, third year, must re-enroll in third-year courses in a subsequent spring semester. Readmission is not automatic and depends on the student's performance at the time of withdrawal.
Withdrawal, Enforced The faculty of the McIntire School may impose enforced withdrawal when a student exhibits habitual delinquency in class, or any other fault which prevents the student from fulfilling the purposes implied by registration at the University.
Enforced withdrawal may also be imposed for failure to comply with University pre-entrance health requirements; or for failure to obtain medical leave or medical withdrawal in the case of repeated or prolonged absence from class as a result of illness.
Accounting
The accounting program develops individuals, molding them into financial experts. Graduates work as business consultants, financial managers, independent auditors and tax advisors. McIntire's accounting program is widely recognized as one of the country's best and graduates are highly sought after. The program builds on the broad liberal arts background acquired during a student's first two years at the University. It is designed to give the student both a sound general business foundation and the analytical and conceptual skills essential to an understanding of current accounting practices.
Accountants supply quantitative information, primarily financial in nature, essential to decision making and control to various users. They also participate in making financial decisions that allocate scarce resources within and among private and public sector organizations to achieve both economic and social goals. These are the corporate financial managers. Equally important, accounting provides information to investors, creditors, the government, and society at large on management's stewardship and effective use of an organization's resources. Independent certified public accountants provide a wide variety of tax and consulting services to clients. CPAs also audit management's reports and determine whether they fairly present the facts.
The basic requirements for the accounting concentration are
COMM 311,
COMM 312,
COMM 314,
COMM 310, and
COMM 342. Students seeking
professional certification (e.g., certified public accountant,
certified management accountant, or certified internal auditor)
should consider these additional electives:
COMM 445
COMM 521
COMM 531
COMM 546
Students planning to enter the School's graduate accounting program (M.S.) and who graduate with 126 credits, or more, may take two 500-level courses and receive graduate credit for them toward the M.S. degree.
University of Virginia students who have been admitted to the McIntire School of Commerce may apply for and receive acceptance to the M.S. in Accounting degree program after having completed two semesters of study as a Commerce School student, earned good grades, submitted acceptable letters of recommendation, and earned GMAT scores that indicate a capacity to do graduate level work at the University of Virginia. Because this is a competitive admissions process, acceptance to the program is not guaranteed, but will ultimately hinge on the candidate's record of accomplishments.
The Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination -- Students planning to sit for the Uniform CPA examination should determine the requirements for admission to the examination by contacting their State Board of Accountancy. Persons seeking information concerning the requirements for admission to sit for the CPA examination in Virginia are referred to the Virginia State Board of Accountancy, Department of Commerce, 3600 W. Broad St., Richmond, Virginia 23230, or call 1-800-CPA-EXAM.
Finance
Financial management is responsible for the efficient acquisition and investment of a firm's funds, and thus plays a critically important role in the management of the corporate enterprise, both in domestic and multi-national firms. It is essential, therefore, that the student possess an understanding of both the functional and analytical methods of finance, and the operation of global financial systems.
To achieve these goals, the program in finance presents an integrated treatment of the operational aspects of business and investment finance, the functions of financial institutions and the international capital markets, and the basic economic and legal framework of financial organizations. Primary emphasis is placed on the role of the global financial manager in achieving broad corporate objectives, including financial planning and control, and raising and investing funds. A variety of teaching pedagogies, including lecture, socratic, and case methods are employed in this process. The program is designed to meet the needs of students who look forward to specialized careers in corporate finance, financial counseling, investment management, or banking. International financial topics are incorporated throughout all finance courses as well as a specialized course held abroad, COMM 474. Students concentrating in finance are required to complete COMM 473, COMM 475, and COMM 478. Additional courses in accounting are recommended.
International Business
For business, the future is global. For managers, a knowledge of international business is imperative in an increasingly global business environment. The crossing of national boundaries increases the complexity of a business transaction given the differences between countries in accounting, banking, culture, currency, finance, governmental regulations, information systems, insurance, law, management, marketing, political systems, taxation, and transportation.
As a field of study, international business is broader in focus than the field of international trade. International business draws upon contributions from the traditional business disciplines of accounting, finance, management, management information systems, and marketing. It also draws from anthropology, culture, economics, geography, history, languages, law, politics, psychology, and sociology.
The required courses for a concentration in international business include COMM 451, COMM 469, and COMM 472 or COMM 474. Additionally, students must complete the foreign language requirement and at least two courses in area studies of other cultures in the College of Arts and Sciences. Students are encouraged to study abroad during the fall semester of their fourth year.
Management
Managerial, interpersonal, and organizational insight skills are a necessary complement to technical skills for long-term career success and satisfaction. The management concentration in the McIntire School develops and deepens those skills through a course of study of management theory and practice. Students choose a management concentration for a variety of reasons.
Some have a specific career area in mind, such as human resource management or entrepreneurship. Others choose management courses or a concentration to provide a balance to more technical courses of study in business. The flexibility of the management curriculum provides students with the ability to customize a program of study that meets their academic and career objectives.
The required courses for this concentration are three 400-level Management courses, of which at least one must be a COMM 462 course.
Management Information Systems
Information is an important organizational resource. Information is a primary input to the decision and control systems of modern management. The focus of the MIS concentration is upon the design, development, and implementation of effective systems for the collection, processing, and dissemination of information in support of organizational decision-making. This implies a conceptual integration of information sources, requirements, and interrelationships among the functional units of an organization. Because of the massive volume of information associated with the transactions of the organization and the large number of decisions ranging from operational control to strategic planning, the management information system will typically use computers.
The program in MIS is designed to prepare students to become effective systems analysts with a developed proficiency in state-of-the-art information technologies. Important areas for MIS-related knowledge and skill development include business software development (e.g., computer programming), systems analysis and design, database management, and data communications.
The required courses in the MIS concentration are: COMM 320, COMM 327, COMM 427 and COMM 428. Recommended electives include COMM 429 and selected computer science courses.
Marketing
The discipline of marketing is eclectic in nature, drawing from and interchanging with the quantitative and social sciences in developing and expanding its content. As such, the areas of accounting, economics, law, mathematics, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and other related disciplines are drawn upon for the conceptual, theoretical, and empirical underpinnings of the marketing discipline.
What product to make or service to provide? how much? how to distribute it? how to inform people about its existence and communicate its merits? what price to charge? -- these are all marketing questions. Every organization, profit or nonprofit, must answer these questions in one form or another. It is the purpose of the marketing program to provide the student with the necessary concepts and background for examining these questions. The program's objectives are to make the student aware of the role of marketing in society and in the firm, where it interrelates with almost all organizational functions and influences virtually all plans and decisions.
The marketing program intends to introduce the student to the role of marketing both in the firm and in society. Case analyses, computer simulation, discussion groups, experiential exercises, research reports, seminars, field projects, lectures, outside speakers, and the McIntire Marketing Association (MMA), together with national marketing/advertising competitions, are utilized to accomplish this purpose. The marketing program is intended to meet the basic educational needs of students planning graduate study or entering profit or nonprofit organizations in such areas as client relations, sales, advertising and promotion, brand management, distribution, international marketing, marketing research, marketing consulting, logistics, purchasing, product management, retailing, and positions in the service industries.
Required courses for the marketing concentration are COMM 353, COMM 454 and COMM 455.