Business Competencies
Declared undergraduate business majors will have the opportunity to strategically use their free electives to complete a supporting business competency.
A supporting business competency is a multidisciplinary collection of elective courses which together provides the student with an opportunity to pursue a specialized market-based skill.
Although the competency will not appear as a credential on a student’s transcript, it does enhance a student’s toolkit and provides marketable skills that will make a student’s resume stand out in the job market.
The Carlos Alvarez College of Business offers seven supporting business competencies. Each competency requires the completion of three courses.
- Analytics
- Business Research
- Entrepreneurship
- International Business
- Leading Change
- Modeling
- Risk Management
For more information about how to earn a Supporting Business Competency, speak to your business advisor.
Analytics Competency
Students who complete the analytics competency will prepare to properly collect, process and analyze data; to generate and interpret results; and to draw and communicate informed conclusions in order to support business and economic decision making. Students can select three courses from the list below to receive this competency.
| Course | Title | Credit Hours |
| ECO 3123 | Introduction to Econometrics and Business Forecasting |
3 |
| FIN 4873 | Computer Modeling of Financial Applications | 3 |
| MKT 4953 | Special Studies in Marketing | 3 |
| MS 3073 | Business Analytics | 3 |
| MS 3313 | Business Applications of Statistics | 3 |
| MS 4383 | Predictive Operational Analytics | 3 |
| MS 4323 | Simulation Applications in Business | 3 |
Business Research Competency
Addressing a pressing need in the marketplace, the UTSA Carlos Alvarez College of Business business research competency will provide students with experience in business research necessary to explore a future career in academia, research or consulting.
| Course | Title | Credit Hours |
| GBA 3013 | Introduction to Academic Research | 3 |
| And either | ||
| GBA 4013 | Conducting Cutting Edge and Innovative Research and Discovery | 3 |
| GBA 4023 | Communication and Visualization of Impactful Research | 3 |
| Or | ||
| GBA 4993 | Honors Thesis | 6 |
Entrepreneurship Competency
Students who complete the entrepreneurship competency will prepare to participate in the creation, launch and management of new business ventures. Students can select three courses from the list below to receive this competency.
| Course | Title | Credit Hours |
| ENT 3123 | Innovation and Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| And, two of the following: | ||
| BLW 3013 | Business Law | 3 |
| ENT 4123 | Commercialization and Enterprise Planning | 3 |
| ENT 4903 | Business Venture Practicum | 3 |
| FIN 4333 | Business Finance for Entrepreneurs | 3 |
| MKT 4053 | New Product Development | 3 |
International Business Competency
Students who complete the international business competency will prepare to understand international marketing, strategic, financial and economic issues that confront managers of multinational enterprises. Students can select three courses from the list below to receive this competency.
| Course | Title | Credit Hours |
| ECO 3193 | International Economics | 3 |
| FIN 4613 | Introduction to International Finance | 3 |
| GBA 4873 | Global Immersion I | 3 |
| MGT 4073 | International Management | 3 |
| MGT 4083 | Comparative International Management Practices |
3 |
| MKT 4073 | International Marketing | 3 |
Leading Change Competency
Students who complete the leading change competency will prepare to lead teams of professionals to plan projects, deliver solutions and improve efficiency and effectiveness in the contemporary organization. Students can select three courses from the list below to receive this competency.
| Course | Title | Credit Hours |
| MGT 4923 | Leading Organizations and Making Decisions | 3 |
| And, two of the following: | ||
| MGT 4433 | Introduction to Business Negotiations | 3 |
| MGT 4943 | Managing Teams and Avoiding Conflict | 3 |
| MOT 4143 | Introduction to Project Management | 3 |
| MS 4313 | Six Sigma and Lean Operations | 3 |
Modeling Competency
Students who complete the modeling competency will prepare to perform, through proper use of quantitative and computer models, problem solving and decision analysis in support of business functions in a real world environment. Students can select three courses from the list below to receive this competency.
| Course | Title | Credit Hours |
| ECO 3123 | Introduction to Econometrics and Business Forecasting |
3 |
| FIN 4873 | Computer Modeling of Financial Applications | 3 |
| MS 3063 | Decision Support Systems | 3 |
| MS 4383 | Predictive Operational Analytics | 3 |
| MS 4323 | Simulation Applications in Business | 3 |
Risk Management Competency
Students who complete the risk management competency will prepare to identify sources of risk in an enterprise and manage this risk in a prudent manner. Students can select three courses from the list below to receive this competency.
| Course | Title | Credit Hours |
| FIN 4523 | Introduction to Risk Management | 3 |
| FIN 4813 | Property-Liability Insurance Finance | 3 |
| FIN 4823 | Life and Health Insurance Finance | 3 |
