Concentrations
Effective July 15, 2009, students will no longer be permitted to declare more than one concentration.
If you have declared more than one concentration, you are required to submit a primary concentration declaration form by October 2nd 2009.
THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY DECLARED TWO CONCENTRATIONS, HAVE SUBMITTED A GRADUATION EVALUATION FOR GRADUATION IN SUMMER OR FALL OF 2009, AND HAVE COMPLETED ALL COURSEWORK BY THAT TIME WILL BE ALLOWED TO KEEP TWO CONCENTRATIONS. IF YOU EXTEND YOUR EDUCATION BEYOND FALL 2009 YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO SELECT A PRIMARY CONCENTRATION AND WILL LOSE YOUR ABILITY TO GRADUATE WITH TWO OFFICIAL CONCENTRATIONS. USE THE PRIMARY CONCENTRATION DECLARATION FORM TO DECLARE YOUR PRIMARY CONCENTRATION IF YOU INTEND TO EXTEND YOUR GRAD DATE.
I understand that a double concentration was an important part of your academic and career strategy. Given the extraordinary constraints on our fiscal resources, however, our top priority is to ensure that every student in our College can complete his or her degree and concentration on time. By narrowing your concentration choice to one, you are enabling us to achieve this priority for everyone.
Thanks in advance for your understanding.
Below we have included some answers to frequently asked questions, but if you have other questions, please contact the Orfalea College of Business Advising Center at (805)756-2601.
Brian Tietje, Associate Dean
Important Information and Frequently Asked Questions on the Single Concentration Policy
Beginning Fall Quarter 2009, all students must declare a primary concentration. This does not apply to those applying for graduation this Fall 2009. Policy is subject to be adjusted, so check for updates regularly. Deadline to submit this form is October 2nd, 2009, or one will be chosen for you acconrding to your progress to the degree. Here are the frequently asked questions in regards to this policy update:
Orfalea College of Business
Open Forum with Dean Dave Christy
& Associate Dean Brian Tietje
Thursday - 9/24/2009……11:10AM-12:00PM…...Bldg 3 Room 112
Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1. Can I declare two concentrations?
Answer 1. No. As of July 15, 2009, double concentrations are no longer permitted, and only one concentration will be noted on a student’s transcript.
Question 2. Why can’t I declare two concentrations?
Answer 2. The College of Business does not have the financial resources to provide enough classes to accommodate students who want to earn more than one concentration. The College will provide enough classes for every business student to receive one concentration, but we cannot ensure sufficient class availability for students who want to receive two.
Question 3. What if I have already declared two concentrations?
Answer 3. You will need to pick one as your primary concentration.
Question 4. How do I declare my primary concentration?
Answer 4. Submit a primary concentration declaration form to the College of Business Advising Center, either in person or via email by Friday, October 2nd, 2000 You should also print and save a copy of the form for your records. Be sure to check Poly Profile to verify that your declaration was formally processed.
Question 5. What concentrations can I choose from?
Answer 5. Currently enrolled Business and Economics students can select one concentration from the following list: Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Financial Management, Information Systems, International Business, Marketing Management, Management, Packaging & Logistics (09-11 catalog), Quantitative Economics, and Real Estate Economics.
Question 6. Can I be dropped from a course if it does not count towards my primary concentration?
Answer 6. Yes. The College reserves the right to drop students from a course who do not need the course to complete their primary concentration so that we can accommodate students who need the course to complete their primary concentration.
Question 7. Could this decision change in the future?
Answer 7. It’s unlikely that this policy will change in the near future. If budget conditions improve in future years, consideration will be given to reinstating the opportunity for double concentrations.
Question 8. At what point will a student not be allowed to choose a primary concentration?
Answer 8. When a student reaches150 units or above of course completion, he/she may not make adjustments to their primary concentration.
Question 9. Why not implement this program beginning with younger students who have not yet declared a concentration?
Answer 9. We are severely challenged to provide major courses in a primary concentration for all students right now. There is simply not enough money to guarantee access to these courses in two concentrations in a timely manner, and delaying graduation because you cannot get all of the courses for two concentrations is even more expensive for students and their families. If the courses are open and available to enable you to complete the equivalent of a second concentration, then by all means pursue that. We will not record this on the transcript, but all of your courses will be listed.
Question 10. I’m in two concentrations right now. Why do I have so little time to choose between them?
Answer 10. We knew we had a problem in June, but did not know the actual budget until recently. This was in part because the state was so late in passing a budget; then the CSU had to allocate state funds to the 23 campuses; finally, we needed to determine what the impact was in each Cal Poly college and program. When the faculty and staff agreed to two furlough days per month, and a resulting 9.5% pay cut, we then knew that we would have to cancel far fewer classes for this fall than would have been the case otherwise. We announced this decision as soon as we had budget clarity, and consulted with the advising center, area chairs, and upper levels of Cal Poly administration. We are trying to provide the best possible outcome for every student who is enrolled this fall with our available resources.
Question 11. Isn’t this budget problem a short-term problem? Why ‘over-react’ by denying access to two concentrations now?
Answer 11. There are a lot of reasonable opinions about the timing of the economic recovery. There is a good chance that the CSU budget will be even more difficult in 2010-11 for two reasons:
- The state would have cut higher education even more deeply for 2009-10 except for one-time federal stimulus money that reduced the impact of the shortfall in state tax revenues. Next year the stimulus money will not be available.
- Even if the economy rebounds, the tax revenues from that rebound don’t immediately appear—it’s a gradual process.
Next year’s state budget is likely to require even more cuts than this year’s did. The stimulus money and faculty/staff furloughs together give us one year to develop a significant and sustainable cost reduction strategy for the future.
Question 12. CSU students recently had their fees increased a lot. Doesn't that mean the College has more money, not less?
Answer 12. The increase in the State University Fee and the CSU employee furlough are stopgap measures that only partially offset the cut in state funding for the CSU. Even with these higher fees and reduced payroll costs, our College has still received a sizable cut in its funding for the 2009 - 2010 academic year. Without the fee increases and furloughs, the cut would have been catastrophic. With this smaller budget than last year, we have less money to provide classes in our College. Rather than reducing the number of classes across the board and impeding students' progress to degree, we chose to limit the second concentration option so that every business student will have sufficient access to classes to complete their primary degree objective on time. Even with this new rule, one that we knew would be unpopular among some students, we have to plan more carefully than ever. Every course section has to be fully enrolled and carefully deployed; the budget is that tight.
Question 13. Does the one-concentration rule mean that I can’t try to complete two concentrations?
Answer 13. If classes are available and you have the prerequisites, you may enroll in them. However, when we have limited spaces in a course, priority will go to students in that concentration. If we are forced to cancel a class with low enrollment, we will give priority for the spaces that are available to students in that concentration.
Other questions? Contact the Orfalea College of Business Advising Center.
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A concentration is a group of courses designed to provide specialized knowledge within a bachelor's degree program. Completion of a concentration will be noted on the student's transcript, but not shown on the diploma.
Students must declare and follow concentrations that are listed for their catalog year. Students on catalogs from Fall 1998 to Summer 2005 (Catalogs 1998 - 2000, 2000 - 2001, 2001 - 2003, 2003 - 2005) and the 2005-2007 catalog must change their catalog to 2007 - 2009 to declare the new concentrations. The concentrations for the 2007 - 2009 are now available in the Advising Center and are listed below. All 2007 - 2009 concentrations must be accompanied by a Change of Catalog Request form.
Concentration information can be found by clicking on the links below. It is important to know your concentration and major advisors. You can find their names, office and telephone numbers by clicking Concentration & Major Advisors.
Note: Concentration courses cannot be double counted with Major or Support courses, but can be double counted for minor courses.
IMPORTANT POLICY CHANGE EFFECTIVE FALL 2008
Beginning Fall Quarter 2008, students who have NOT yet declared their concentrations will be DISENROLLED** from certain concentration specific courses, including:
- BUS 322
- BUS 382
- BUS 393
- BUS 419
- BUS 431
- BUS 439
- BUS 488
- IT 403
Students must declare their concentrations before taking these courses.
** CPREG will not block you from enrolling in these courses. However, you must have declared a concentration by the ADD/DROP DATE. If you have not declared by the ADD/DROP DATE you will be disenrolled from the class.
Business Administration & Economics Concentrations
Additional Concentration Information
Once deciding upon a concentration, it is important for you to declare and begin taking courses as soon as possible. Concentration course offerings are dependent upon the number of students in that concentration. Scholarship, job, and internship opportunities for each concentration are made available only for students who have declared.
Some concentrations contain series classes that require you to take them in order; such concentrations cannot be completed in one academic year, and need to be started no later than your junior year.
Please consult the following information to help plan your future coursework:
Economics Information
Economics students can choose a Concentration or opt for Advisor Approved Electives.
Econ Concentration Declaration with Advisor Approved Electives (1998 - 2005 Catalogs)
Econ Concentration Declaration with Advisor Approved Electives (2005 - 2007 Catalog)
Economics Course Offerings 2008-2009
Real Estate Economics Concentration Flow Chart (new includes all pre-requisite classes)
Quantitative Economics Concentration Flow Chart (new includes all pre-requisite classes)
Industrial Technology Information
Industrial Technology students complete Advisor Approved Electives and do not have concentrations like the two other majors in the OCOB. However, when viewing the List of Eligible Classes link, there are areas of interest available for the IT student to pursue. (These areas of interest are not noted on the diploma.)
Advisor Approved Electives: 2007 - 2009
Advisor Approved Electives: 2005 - 2007
Advisor Approved Electives: 2001 - 2005
Flowcharts &Tentative Course Offerings