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    Mar 29, 2024  
American University Catalog 2022-2023 
    
American University Catalog 2022-2023 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Business, Language & Culture Studies (BS)


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Offered by the Kogod School of Business , the Business, Language & Culture Studies (BS) is designed for students with a passion for business and a complementary enthusiasm for a world language. Students choose a language track (Arabic, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, or Swahili) when entering the program, complete the business core, and spend one semester abroad taking courses in their language track. Students with a solid academic foundation in business and proficiency in a world language will be highly competitive in the global marketplace.

Admission to the Program


New first-year and transfer students are admitted through the university’s Admissions Office.

In addition to university requirements for transfer admission, transfer applicants (including non-degree and degree seeking from other academic units) to KSB should have a minimum 2.75 GPA (on a 4.00 scale). All transfer students are required to take MGMT-458 Strategic Management (3)  and at least 18 upper-level credit hours toward their major requirements in residence. Transfer credits for business courses at or above 300-level are subject to validation by the appropriate department chair and may be conditional on successful completion of a more advanced course at American University.

Due to language proficiency expectations, it is strongly recommended that students enter the program at the intermediate level of language study.

University Requirements


AU Core Requirements


For additional information, see AU Core Curriculum .

Major Requirements


  • 68-69 credit hours with grades of C or better, including at least 27 credit hours at or above 300-level and at least 50 percent of the credit hours earned at American University
  • No more than 66 of 120 total credit hours may be completed within the Kogod School of Business
  • No more than 3 credit hours of internship may be counted toward the 120 credit hours graduation requirement
  • Specializations: Arabic Language, Chinese Language, French Language, German Language, Hebrew Language, Italian Language, Japanese Language, Korean Language, Portuguese Language, Russian Language, Spanish Language, Swahili Language
  • Study Abroad Requirement: Students must study abroad in a location where their language specialization is spoken. It is strongly recommended that students spend at least a full semester abroad, but if a suitable option is not available students may work with Kogod advising staff to identify a suitable alternative
  • Minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA required to enroll in business courses

Course Requirements


Students are responsible for fulfilling university and school requirements following a prescribed sequence. Students work closely with Kogod advising staff and their faculty advisor in the Department of World Languages and Cultures in the College of Arts and Sciences to ensure appropriate course sequencing. However, it is the student’s responsibility to consult course descriptions to identify course prerequisites and when courses are offered.

Economics (3 credit hours)


Analytics (3 credit hours)


Statistics (4-5 credit hours)


Complete one of the following options:

Data Analysis and Basic Statistics


Note: Available only to students who transferred statistics from another institution or completed STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4)  prior to enrollment in Kogod.

Data Analysis and Basic Statistics with Calculus


Note: Available only to students who transferred statistics from another institution or completed STAT-203 Basic Statistics with Calculus (4)  prior to enrollment in Kogod.

Business Core (34 credit hours)


AT = analytical tool emphasis; provides a strong foundation in business analytical software

C = case analysis emphasis; provides growth opportunities for students to evaluate cases

O = oral communication emphasis; assists in the development of oral presentation skills

T = teamwork emphasis; focuses on teamwork and the importance of interpersonal relationships and communication

W = written communication emphasis; develops business writing skills, written assignments account for a significant part of the course grade

Note: Students not taking KSB-100 Business 1.0 (3)  in their first year take a 300- or 400-level business course in its place.

Specialization (15 credit hours)


Complete one of the following language specializations:

Note: Students must study abroad in a location where their language specialization is spoken. It is strongly recommended that students spend at least a full semester abroad, but if a suitable option is not available students may work with Kogod advising staff to identify a suitable alternative.

Arabic Language


  • 15 credit hours at or above 200-level in Arabic language  
  • Study abroad in a country where Arabic is spoken

Chinese Language


  • 15 credit hours at or above 200-level in Chinese language 
  • Study abroad in a country where Chinese is spoken

French Language


  • 15 credit hours at or above 200-level in French language 
  • Study abroad in a country where French is spoken

German Language


  • 15 credit hours at or above 200-level in German language  
  • Study abroad in a country where German is spoken

Hebrew Language


  • 12 credit hours in Hebrew language  at AU
  • 3 credit hours at or above 200-level in Hebrew language while abroad
  • Study abroad in a country where Hebrew is spoken

Italian Language


  • 15 credit hours at or above 200-level in Italian language  
  • Study abroad in a country where Italian is spoken

Japanese Language


  • 15 credit hours at or above 200-level in Japanese language 
  • Study abroad in a country where Japanese is spoken

Korean Language


  • 12 credit hours in Korean language  at AU
  • 3 credit hours at or above 200-level in Korean language while abroad
  • Study abroad in a country where Korean is spoken

Portuguese Language


  • 12 credit hours in Portuguese language  at AU
  • 3 credit hours at or above 200-level in Portuguese language while abroad
  • Study abroad in a country where Portuguese is spoken

Russian Language


  • 15 credit hours at or above 200-level in Russian language  
  • Study abroad in a country where Russian is spoken

Spanish Language


  • 15 credit hours at or above 200-level in Spanish language  
  • Study abroad in a country where Spanish is spoken

Swahili Language


  • 6 credit hours in Swahili language  at AU
  • 3 credit hours in Swahili language on the AU Abroad Nairobi Program
  • 6 credit hours of supplementary coursework on the AU Abroad Nairobi Program
  • Study abroad on the AU Abroad Nairobi Program

Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees


American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. Advanced undergraduates admitted to a combined degree program that includes a master’s degree from Kogod are eligible to take graduate-level courses and may apply up to 9 graduate credit hours earned as an undergraduate toward the requirements for both degrees. See Combined Bachelor’s and Kogod School of Business Master’s Programs  for more information.

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