BALA Courses

Required BALA Courses

All BALA courses stress critical thinking, effective writing and speaking, ethical decision making, and teamwork. Faculty are selected for their academic excellence and familiarity with the business world.

The BALA minor consists of seven 3-credit courses (six required courses, plus one elective) totaling 21 credits.

Introductory Course

BALA 101 Business and Society

Prereq.: Open to all QC students

This course will introduce students to an interdisciplinary study of the impact of business on individuals and society. Students will explore relationships between people, business, and politics. Concepts in globalization, financial markets, ethics, diversity, leadership, and economics will be examined from an individual perspective vs. societal perspective. Students will receive a broad overview of business functions, including finance, human resources, marketing, and computer information systems.

Intermediate Courses

BALA 103W. Critical Thinking in Business

Prereq.: BALA 101 and ENGL 110, Limited to students enrolled in the BALA minor.

Introduces students to effective logic and reasoning. Students will learn how to define issues, ask key questions, clarify assumptions, evaluate information, avoid stereotypes, assess risk and opportunity, and resolve conflicts. Examples are selected from domestic and international business contexts.

 BALA 200 Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Prereq.: BALA 101, ENGL 110, and BALA 201W Limited to students enrolled in the BALA minor.

An introduction to the process of beginning a new enterprise; learning how to take an idea for a new or improved product or service and turn it into a business. Students will create a business plan using a spreadsheet program for data analysis and documentation, suitable to be sent to possible investors and lenders as well as serving as a blueprint for operating the enterprise. Students will learn leadership and teambuilding skills required to succeed as an entrepreneur or innovator.

BALA 201W Business Communications **

Prereq.: BALA 101 and ENGL 110, Limited to students enrolled in the BALA minor.

Introduction to fundamental skills in oral and written communication combined with intercultural competence. Intensive practice in writing effectively across various businesses, drafting and revising documents based on current events and case-studies, creating external and internal communication pieces for organizations, and writing for digital platforms.

 

** ATTENTION BBA MAJORS: if you wish to use BALA 201W as a substitute for BUS 160W, you need to e-mail qcbbaprogram@qc.cuny.edu and provide your name, BBA major, QC ID, and the semester and year you took BALA 201W. The Economics Department will then submit a ticket to Degree Works for equivalency.

Upper Level Courses

BALA 302. Law and Ethics of Business

Prereq.: BALA 101 and BALA 103W, Limited to students enrolled in the BALA minor.

An examination of legal issues concerning rights, liabilities, and obligations in corporate life, as well as the ethical obligations of businesses. Included will be analyses of selected law cases illustrative of the ethical as well as legal problems arising for both domestic and transnational corporations. (This course is limited to students enrolled in the BALA minor.)

 

BALA 303 Strategic Management and Leadership

Prereq.: All BALA courses, Limited to students enrolled in the BALA minor

A capstone course that brings management and leadership skills together. Students will learn how long-term strategic plans are formulated, implemented and evaluated in the business and not-for-profit spheres. The process of melding business analytics, intuition, social responsibility, and ethical considerations to form successful strategies will be explored.

Elective Courses - Choose one
  • ACCT 100 – Financial & Managerial Accounting
  • ACCT 261 – Business Law 1
  • BALA 250 – Principles of Marketing 
  • BALA 391.3 – Business Internship (departmental permission required)
  • BALA 398.3: Special Topics in Business – Digital Commerce Entrepreneurship
  • BALA 398.3: Special Topics in Business – Leading Across Cultures
  • BUS 247 – Business Economics
  • CSCI 48 – Spreadsheet Programming
  • CSCI 100 – Information & Intelligence
  • DESN 296 – Advertising Design
  • ECON 220 – Consumer Economics & Personal Finance
  • FNES 275 – Institutional Management
  • FREN 235 – Business French 1
  • GERM 235 – German for Business & Industry
  • GRKMD 235 – Commercial & Business Greek
  • ITAL 235 – Commercial & Technical Italian
  • MEDST 264 – The Business of Media
  • MUSIC 242 — Music Career Development
  • PHYS 270 – Physics Applications of Machine Learning & Data Science
  • PSYCH 226 – Introduction to Industrial & Organizational Psychology
  • URBST 223 – Introduction to Public Administration