American Public University System Catalog
2026 - 2027 Catalog
Bachelor of Business Administration
Program Description
The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a professionally focused degree designed to produce graduates who possess practical knowledge and the associated critical thinking skills desired in today’s competitive business world. You’ll study a core curriculum of management, marketing, law, finance, accounting, economics, and business strategy. Additional concentration options allow you to pursue focused specializations. This comprehensive and affordable business program provides a good foundation to students interested in business, government, military, or other professions.
This program offers you the opportunity to learn from experienced instructors who have considerable managerial experience in Fortune 500 companies, and to communicate with fellow business students by participating in online community forums.
This Bachelor of Business Administration has been designed in consultation with industry business leaders and is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP®).
ACBSP® is a registered trademark of the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs.
Degree Program Objectives
In addition to the institutional and degree level learning objectives, graduates of this program are expected to achieve these learning outcomes:
- Explain fundamental financial management operations to enhance business decision-making processes.
- Apply economic factors associated with government, business, consumer environments and theoretical techniques to analyze markets.
- Evaluate management, human resource, and personnel practices to organizational problem solving.
- Analyze concepts and address challenges in the business and technology sectors.
- Discuss the external and internal environments of a business organization, including technology for appropriate strategies.
Degree at a Glance
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General Education Requirements
30
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Major Required
54
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Select one of the following concentrations:
9
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Final Program Requirement
3
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Elective Requirements
24
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Total Semester Hours
120
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Degree Program Requirements
General Education (30 semester hours)
| Arts & Humanities (6 semester hours) 1 |
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Select 2 courses from the following:
6 |
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Arabic I
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Arabic II
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Art Appreciation
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Survey of Photography
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Film and Literature
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Image Enhancement using Adobe Photoshop®
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Literature of American Encounters, Revolution, and Rebellion
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From Abolition to #MeToo: Literature of the American Civil Rights Movement
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Pivotal Figures in Early British Literature
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British Literature from Wordsworth through the Wasteland
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Leadership in World Literature: Antiquity to the Early Modern Period
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Literature of the Newly Globalized World: The Individual’s Struggle to Adapt
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Music Appreciation
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Jazz and Rock
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World Music and Cultures
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Introduction to Philosophy
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Critical Thinking
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Introduction to Ethics
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Philosophy of Science
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Thinking & Acting Ethically
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Introduction to the Study of Religion
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Introduction to World Religions
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Spanish I
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Spanish II
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| Civics, Political & Social Sciences (6 semester hours) |
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Select 1 course from the following:
3 |
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Planning Your Future with Purpose in Business
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Microeconomics
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Select 1 course from the following:
3 |
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Introduction to Anthropology
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World Archaeology
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Human Sexuality
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Social Media and Society
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Intercultural Communication
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Macroeconomics
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Humane Education: A Global Interdisciplinary Perspective
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Exploring Society & Cultures via Science Fiction
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Introduction to Geography
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Practical Food Safety and Awareness
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International Relations I
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Introduction to Political Science
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American Government I
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Introduction to Psychology
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Death and Dying
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Hope and Resilience
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Introduction to Sociology
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Social Problems
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American Popular Culture
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| Communication: Writing, Oral, and Multimedia (9 semester hours) |
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Select 1 course from the following:
3 |
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Emerging Technology for College Success
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Public Speaking
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Interpersonal Communications
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Proficiency in Writing
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Argumentation and Rhetoric
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Introduction to Literature
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Technical Writing
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Scientific Writing
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Effective Business Communication
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Human Relations Communication
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Information Literacy and Global Citizenship
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Introduction to Information Technology Writing
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Human Relations
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| History (3 semester hours) |
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Select 1 course from the following:
3 |
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American History to 1877
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American History since 1877
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World Civilization before 1650
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World Civilization since 1650
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Western Civilization before The Thirty Years War
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Western Civilization since The Thirty Years War
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African-American History before 1877
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African-American History since 1877
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History of the American Indian
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History of Science
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| Mathematics and Applied Reasoning (3 semester hours) |
| Natural Sciences (3 semester hours) |
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Select 1 course from the following:
3 |
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Introduction to Biology
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Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology
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Introduction to Chemistry
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Introduction to Meteorology
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Introduction to Geology
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Introduction to Environmental Science
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Introduction to Physics
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Introduction to Astronomy
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Total Semester Hours 30 |
Major Required (54 semester hours)
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Select 1 course from the following:
3 |
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Accounting I
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Accounting for Non Accounting Majors
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Total Semester Hours 54 |
Students must choose a concentration for this degree program and may select from a General Concentration, Concentration in Business Analysis, Concentration in Business Project Management, Concentration in DoD Project Management, Concentration in Information Technology Management, Concentration in Leading the Digital Workplace, Concentration in Marketing, Concentration in Real Estate Construction and Portfolio Development, or Concentration in Real Estate Marketing Management.
General Concentration (9 semester hours)
This general concentration allows you to select from dozens of different concentration courses offered within this program, enabling you to create your own focused area of study.
Students must select 9 semester hours from undergraduate courses that have the following prefixes and have not already been used to fulfill their degree requirements: ACCT, ANLY, BUSN, DEFM, ECON, ENTR, FINC, HOSP, HRMT, MGMT, MKTG, RLMT, RTMG, SCMG and TLMT.
Concentration Requirements (9 semester hours)
Total Semester Hours 9 |
Concentration in Business Analysis (9 semester hours)
Offers a comprehensive review of business requirements gathering, tools, techniques, and documentation suites. Offers project management techniques to define project cycles, measure and estimate efforts, and set priorities.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Identify business needs and problem domains.
- Analyze processes and behavior requirements for problem solutions.
- Diagram current and proposed business processes using various tools and techniques.
- Evaluate and recommend business solutions.
- Develop business processes and improvements.
- Develop functional business capabilities.
- Facilitate and manage recommended projects.
Concentration Requirements (9 semester hours)
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Select 3 courses from the following:
9 |
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Fundamentals of Business Analysis II
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Project Management for Business Analysts
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Strategic Policy Decision-Making
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Comparative Economics
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Total Semester Hours 9 |
Concentration in Business Project Management (9 semester hours)
The Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Business Project Management enhances your understanding of how businesses depend on project management to move the organization toward its strategic goals. Through this concentration, you will be introduced to the theories, concepts, and practices that align with project management.
You will come to understand how projects begin during the sales cycle and continue to be assessed after the project is delivered. You will be exposed to skill sets to track and monitor projects, develop a schedule and integrate it with costs and risks, prepare presentations for leadership and stakeholders, and create status reports. Companies depend on project management to stay competitive in developing new offerings, determining the technology needed within the enterprise, updating processes and procedures, and implementing projects for customers.
The concentration is designed for business professionals and military personnel looking to transition into project management within the business environment.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Analyze the fundamentals of project management.
- Demonstrate varying problems from a risk management standpoint.
- Define the role of projects and project management.
- Create a project charter, a scope statement, a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Risk Management Plan, Quality Management Plan and Stakeholder Management Plan.
- Explain the need for ethical project management.
Concentration Requirements (9 semester hours)
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Select 3 courses from the following:
9 |
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Introduction to Business Project Management
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Project Schedule and Scope Management
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Project Integration, Quality, Resource, and Stakeholder Management
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Risk Management
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Total Semester Hours 9 |
Concentration in DoD Project Management (9 semester hours)
The Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in DoD Project Management enhances your understanding of the government acquisition cycles and how these cycles are tightly coupled with program management. You will learn the policies that government and military personnel must understand to see programs to fruition.
The concentration is designed for federal employees and military personnel looking to enhance their knowledge of the government’s acquisition cycle by understanding the steps an acquisition must go through in order for a contract to be awarded to a civilian contractor.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Analyze the fundamentals of defense systems acquisition management.
- Evaluate the diverse, interrelated and changing nature in the different disciplines of defense systems acquisition management.
- Analyze the regulations and governing structures of defense systems acquisition management.
- Define the role of projects and project management.
- Create a project charter, a scope statement, a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM).
- Explain key elements of a communication plan to keep stakeholders abreast of progress, problems, and controls.
- Describe the steps required to plan a project.
- Explain the key features of an executive program manager’s role in today’s workforce
- Demonstrate the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to be a successful executive in today’s government contracting and acquisition organizations.
- Create an executive level action plan for practical and measurable government contracting and acquisition policy and procedures changes.
- Create explain the role and pitfalls of ethics in executive decision-making.
Concentration Requirements (9 semester hours)
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Select 3 courses from the following:
9 |
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Program and Acquisition Management I
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Program and Acquisition Management II
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Defense Budget Development and Execution
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Program Appraisal
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Total Semester Hours 9 |
Concentration in Information Technology Management (9 semester hours)
Focuses on enhancing organizational productivity through technology. Topics include: technical skills critical in a business environment; system development life cycle (SDLC) models; project management techniques such as PERT and Gantt charts; and Internet concepts such as protocols, web browsers, search engines, FTP, network security, and online gaming.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Examine Internet protocols, middleware, interfaces, security, and applications.
- Evaluate workplace productivity, legal ramifications, and policies related to Internet access,
- Outline the process and the phases pertaining to managing information systems projects.
- Appraise the technology, communications, and policy issues related to managing virtual teams.
Concentration Requirements (9 semester hours)
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Select 3 courses from the following:
9 |
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Application Software Integration
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Fundamentals of IT Project Management
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Law, Privacy, and Digital Data
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Internet Concepts
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Total Semester Hours 9 |
Concentration in Leading the Digital Workplace (9 semester hours)
The Bachelor Business Administration concentration in Leading the Digital Workplace is designed to equip the student with practical risk and management knowledge related to the digital and remote working environments. The concentration enhances the student’s skills in addressing challenging issues managers face during the digital transformation of the workplace. Typical topics include the lack of face-to-face supervision, social disconnect, access to information, productivity, and culture. This concentration is suitable for managers in business, government, military, and other professional settings.
This concentration offers the student the opportunity to learn from accomplished professionals who have considerable experience in Fortune 500 companies, the military, government, and other industries. During the program, students will be encouraged to share experiences with other business students. This Bachelor of Business Administration concentration in Leading the Digital Workplace has been designed in consultation with industry experts.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Understand the elements of managing and leading remote organizations.
- Apply the behaviors and traits of effective managers.
- Analyze relevant issues in management such as ethics, globalization, and strategic management.
- Develop strategies to anticipate and remediate the effects of a remote workforce.
- Identify various scenarios and ethical issues that can emerge from a remote workforce.
- Demonstrate an understanding of effective communication.
- Articulate the components of a remote operating plan.
- Incorporate the resource requirements in a remote operating plan.
- Develop a stakeholder management plan.
- Create an eportfolio of assignments.
Concentration Requirements (9 semester hours)
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Select 3 courses from the following:
9 |
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Operational Crisis Management
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Leadership & Motivation
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Organizational Change
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Law, Privacy, and Digital Data
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Total Semester Hours 9 |
Concentration in Marketing (9 semester hours)
Integrates marketing functions with principles of management, finance, strategic planning, and information systems. Topics include: marketing plan development; marketplace analysis; psychology and sociology concepts of consumer behavior; and research techniques.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Integrate the marketing function with fundamental business enterprise concepts and principles of management, finance, strategic planning, and information systems.
- Develop a strategic marketing plan.
- Apply concepts in psychology and sociology relevant to consumer behavior.
- Analyze business markets, customer markets, and buyer markets using concepts and techniques of research for marketing decisions including problem definition, research objectives, execution and research management, and presentation of findings.
Concentration Requirements (9 semester hours)
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Select 3 courses from the following:
9 |
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Principles of E Business
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Consumer Behavior
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Marketing Research
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Marketing Strategy
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Total Semester Hours 9 |
Concentration in Real Estate Construction and Portfolio Development (9 semester hours)
This concentration provides the student with an introduction to construction management, along with real estate management, commercial and residential real estate portfolio development.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Research and appraise historic, current, and developing methodologies in construction management and real estate portfolio development in a wide variety of real estate business fields.
- Evaluate construction management strategies and techniques.
- Compare and contrast commercial and residential real estate portfolio development.
Concentration Requirements (9 semester hours)
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Select 3 courses from the following:
9 |
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Introduction to Construction Management
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Residential Real Estate Portfolio Development
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Commercial Real Estate Portfolio Development
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Real Estate Management
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Total Semester Hours 9 |
Concentration in Real Estate Marketing Management (9 semester hours)
This concentration consists of four courses. The concentration provides the student with an array of study and coursework in real estate communication and negotiation, residential real estate management, marketing, and portfolio development.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Research and appraise historic, current, and developing methodologies in real estate marketing management in a wide variety of real estate business fields.
- Evaluate marketing management strategies and techniques.
- Compare and contrast communication and negotiation best practices and techniques.
Concentration Requirements (9 semester hours)
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Select 3 courses from the following:
9 |
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Real Estate Communication and Negotiation
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Real Estate Marketing
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Residential Real Estate Portfolio Development
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Real Estate Management
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Total Semester Hours 9 |
Final Program Requirement (3 semester hours)
Total Semester Hours 3 |
Elective Requirements (24 semester hours)
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Select any courses that have not been used to fulfill requirements listed above. Credits applied toward a minor or certificate in an unrelated field may be used to fulfill elective credit for the major. 24 |
Total Semester Hours 24 |
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All literature courses require successful completion of ENGL101-Proficiency in Writing or ENGL110-Making Writing Relevant.
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Prerequisite: Senior Standing and completion of all major courses prior to enrollment. Must be taken as the last course before graduation.