BBA & BSI Dual Degree 4 Year Plan
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There’s a growing interest in the University of Michigan Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) & Bachelor of Science in Information (BSI) dual degree program. This combination is an ideal way to learn about both the business and tech worlds. I was one of the first students to complete both programs in 4 years after spending (way too many) hours planning and iterating my course schedule. Read below for the most comprehensive guide you’ll find including semester by semester course plans. Please share with any current or prospective students who may find this helpful!
Insider Tips:
Apply to BSI Freshman Year
BSI program applications are due during the Winter semester each year on February 1.
BSI is meant to be a 2-year program, so most people apply their Sophomore year to officially start the program their junior year. However, to pursue a BBA BSI dual degree in 4 years, you could benefit from applying during your Freshman year, which is what I did.
The BSI program requires you to have Sophomore Standing when you apply, not necessarily be in your Sophomore Year of college. This intricacy is how you could apply in your Freshman year.
To have Sophomore Standing, you need 25 credits. If you came in with college credit (through AP, IB, etc), check to see how many credits you need to get to 25 credits. Take those your first semester Freshman year so you can apply in the Winter semester.
I’d recommend taking the BSI program prerequisites (SI 110, SI 106 OR EECS 183, STATS 250 or STATS 280, ENG 124 or ENG 125) during your first semester. However, you can still take these courses during the winter semester of your application and be eligible to apply.
Take BSI Courses Early
Regardless of if you apply your Freshman or Sophomore year, it’s a good idea to start taking BSI courses early (before your Junior year like most students) so you can complete the requirements for both programs in 4 years.
The BSI program requirements can be found here. You need 45 SI credits to complete the program, and you can start taking some courses without being in the program. Note that you may have to ask the professor for an override if classes fill up before your registration date.
Courses that you could take before getting into the program, which I mentioned in my post, Top Courses at the University of Michigan, include EDUC 333, SI 360, and SI 339. Other courses to look into are SI 206, SI 301, SI 482, and more described in the course catalog here.
Decide which path you want to complete (Information Analysis or User Experience Design) and take your courses accordingly so that you can complete both BBA and BSI path specific requirements. I did the User Experience Design path because that was the only way I could complete both degrees in 4 years.
Note that not all BSI courses are offered every semester as it’s a smaller program. Although this may change down the years, it’s really important to keep this in mind and check what is offered while making your course plan.
BSI Internship Credit (SI 390)
If you enroll in SI 390, you can get 3 SI credits for your summer internship after getting accepted into the BSI program. Typically students get credit for their Junior summer internship.
If you apply and get accepted to the BSI program as a Freshman, you can take this course twice (Sophomore summer internship & Junior summer internship) and get 6 total SI credits, which is what I did.
These credits can get added on to the Winter or Fall semester to minimize the chances of having to pay extra tuition. When I took the course, there was a form for students to choose which semester you want the credits to be applied to.
The course requirements are really easy to complete (3 reflections and a short Learning Portfolio presentation), so I highly recommend all BBA and BSI dual degrees take advantage of this opportunity.
Video Games & Learning (EDUC 333)
This is the only course that gives you distribution (Social Science) and SI credit, helping you finish requirements for both BBA and BSI degrees.
See a detailed review of this course in my post, Top Courses at the University of Michigan.
Ross & UMSI Summer Courses
Participating in summer opportunities for credit can help you complete both degrees in 4 years. Below I mention some of the opportunities Ross and UMSI offer that you should keep on your radar.
Magnify (MO 355 | 6 credits): This is a selective 7-week on-campus summer experience (open to all undergraduate students) focused on Positive Organizational Scholarship where students learn how to empower people to create positive work environments and improve workplace culture.
Maymester (1.5-3 credits): A few courses BE 300, MKT 310, MKT 313, and TO 420 are offered May 5 - May 29 for all undergraduate juniors and seniors. These courses end before summer internships start, unlike many other spring semester courses that finish near the end of June.
UMSI Spring and Summer Courses (3-4 credits): Students can take SI 110 (spring or summer) and SI 350 (3 weeks in May) outside of the fall and winter semesters.
UMSI Short-term Summer Global Experience (3 credits): Design Thinking in Barcelona is offered in May.
Ross Short-term and Summer Global Experiences (3 credits): These experiences are usually offered for ~3 weeks in May or August.
Carson’s Scholar (BL 488 | 3 credits): This opportunity is for second semester BBA juniors. It consists of 6 on-campuses classes during the Winter B semester and a week-long immersive experience in Washington DC. Applications are usually due in early October, so keep an eye out.
ACC 300 & ACC 301
You may be able to take ACC 300 and ACC 301 your freshman year (first and second semester respectively) through the non-BBA section instead of your sophomore year like most BBA students. This will free up your schedule for the second semester sophomore year so you can take other BBA/BSI classes to complete degree requirements.
I took ACC 301 my second semester Freshman year after I learned that I could register for it through the non-BBA section. Taking ACC 301 without ACC 300 was difficult but still doable. If you’re able to take both your freshman year I’d recommend doing that.
With the new 4 year BBA program, I don’t know if the system will still allow you to take these a year early. However, you can try. If you ask your advisor about this, they’ll likely say it’s not possible.
Community College Credits
During your 4-5 years as a University of Michigan student, you’re allowed to transfer credits from community colleges. These credits can help you finish distribution (social science, humanities, natural science/mathematical and symbolic systems, foreign language) or prerequisite requirements (eg. ECON 101/102).
This website lets you check transfer eligibility from a variety of different colleges around the country. To get credit, some courses are required to be taken in person while others can be taken online.
Your Freshman and Sophomore summers are a good time to take some of these. You can also take a course or two during the school year if you feel comfortable balancing course loads. Washtenaw Community College is a great option near campus if you’re looking to take an in-person course during the school year.
Course Plans:
I’ve outlined a few students’ course plans below with BUS credits highlighted in blue & SI credits highlighted in yellow.
Avantika Bagri (4 Year Plan | Admitted 2017 - some requirements have changed now)
Katie Xu (4 Year Plan | Admitted 2019)
Minnie Sun (4 Year Plan | Admitted 2020)
If you have any questions or would like to create your plan with me, feel free to reach out - abagri@umich.edu! If this was helpful, subscribe above to receive future articles straight to your inbox.