Academic and Student Resources

Student Services

The development and welfare of students are the primary concerns of the School, its faculty, and its staff. Advisors and services are available to assist students with educational, career, or personal decisions and plans.

Undergraduate Program Office

The Undergraduate Program Office (UPO) serves as a supportive environment for more than 2,000 undergraduate students during every stage of their academic careers at the School of Management.

We assist students as they make the transition into the college classroom, support and advise them in their extracurricular activities, and help them chart a path toward their successful graduation.

Students may make an appointment with any of our professional academic advisors to discuss degree requirements, concentration interests, academic performance, and any other student issues.

We foster leadership within the undergraduate student body by providing opportunities to excel both inside and outside the classroom. We also acknowledge the individual and collective success that our students achieve through the recognition events we sponsor each year.

Graduate Programs Office

The Graduate Programs Office (GPO) is located in Room 104, to the left of the main entrance to the School of Management (SMG), and is the administrative hub of graduate business programs, including MSIM, MBA, MS·MBA (MSIS/MBA), and PEMBA.

The School of Management is committed to providing academic advising to all students to help them complete degree requirements successfully and achieve the maximum benefit from their educational opportunities. We encourage you to approach your instructor anytime you have academic concerns. We also offer additional support, including academic advising, through the GPO, which is open 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Monday–Thursday, and 9 a.m.–5 p.m. on Fridays. The GPO hours are subject to change in accordance with the academic calendar.

Please do not hesitate to contact the GPO at 617-353-2673.

Faculty Office Hours

School of Management faculty members pride themselves on being available to advise students on coursework pertaining to concentration, career opportunities, and appropriate academic preparation in their field of interest. In addition, the Dean of the School of Management and the Assistant Dean for the Undergraduate Program hold weekly open-office hours for students.

Faculty Advising Program

The faculty advising program at SMG is critical to the development of our students. Its purpose is to enable students to connect with professors and instructors during their time at SMG, providing an opportunity for students to: establish first professional and mentoring relationships; secure references for student leadership positions, internships, jobs, or graduate school; learn from faculty members’ expertise; identify interests and learn more about the functional areas of management; and identify informational interview contacts.

Faculty advisor(s) can be any member of the SMG faculty, and students should be known by two or more faculty members by commencement time. In order to help students with the faculty advising process, the following list of designated faculty and guidelines is provided:

Freshmen: SM 121 discussion professor

New External Transfer Students: SM 299 discussion professor

Sophomores: SM 121 or SM 299 discussion professor from last year or any professor from the previous year’s teaching team or any professor in a sophomore year course (AC 221, AC 222, LA 245, OB 221, SM 221, SM 222)

Juniors: first semester—any previous SMG faculty advisor or any professor on the student’s SM 323 teaching team; second semester—concentration liaison or any combination of the previous semesters’ faculty advisors

Seniors: Any faculty advisor or concentration liaison from previous years

We understand that students’ needs vary and that individual questions require personalized answers. Therefore, our academic advisors specialize in providing both current and prospective students with one-on-one guidance on the many details that create a successful academic experience.

Advisors assist students in the following areas:

• Course requirements
• Academic performance concerns
• Degree program planning
• Study abroad opportunities
• Course selection and schedules
• Referrals to other University services
• Referrals to on-campus tutoring services
• Adjustment issues

Boston University School of Management
Undergraduate Program Office
595 Commonwealth Avenue, Suite 102
Boston, Massachusetts 02215
phone: 617-353-2650
fax: 617-353-6727
email: smgupo@bu.edu
web: smg.bu.edu/upo

Tutoring

There are a number of tutoring options available to students. Those who are having trouble in courses should make an appointment with the relevant course instructor to get a sense of problematic areas. Students may also meet with their course teaching assistant (TA) for additional help. A very helpful option is to attend the LOCK Honorary Service Society free open tutoring hours in SMG that are held twice weekly (see the UPO for dates and times), or request an individual or group tutor from the Educational Resource Center. ERC tutors are available free of charge for freshman- and sophomore-level courses, as well as for FE 323. One can fill out a tutor request form at the ERC, which is located on the 4th floor of the George Sherman Union. Writing tutors are also available for WR courses at the Writing Center, 730 Commonwealth Avenue, by scheduling an appointment online.

Feld Career Center

The School of Management’s Feld Career Center (FCC) offers a full range of services, including career development and education, training in finding employment, on-campus interviews, interview preparation, and assistance in résumé writing. Sophomores are required to take the career management class, SM 411 Charting Your Career Path, in conjunction with OB 221. The Feld Career Center has relationships with companies from most industries (finance, accounting, marketing, etc.) and usually posts over 1,000 opportunities for SMG students each year. Students are urged to take advantage of all the FCC has to offer throughout their four years at SMG.

Internships are encouraged for School of Management students. One-half of an academic credit, graded on a Pass/Fail basis, is awarded for approved internships. Further information is available from the Undergraduate Program Office.

MBA Career Management Program

The Career Management Program is jointly sponsored by the faculty, the Feld Career Center staff, and student clubs. This professional development program is designed to assist in transforming personal interests into professional goals, and these goals into an MBA-level, candidate-driven internship and job search.

The Career Management Program integrates a set of complementary resources and activities: self-assessment, career management tools, skill-building opportunities, and active involvement in a career development community. As a result, the program has a unique numbering system:

The course sequence occurs as follows:

• ES 740 Career Management—Fall Semester Year 1 (2 cr, Pass/Fail)
• ES 741 Career Community I—Fall Semester Year 1 (0 cr)
• ES 742 Career Community II—Spring Semester Year 1 (0 cr)
• ES 743 Career Community III—Fall Semester Year 2 (1 cr, Pass/Fail)

This course sequence allows students to self-select into their desired career communities starting in their first semester. Students will be permitted to enroll in more than one career community section. Detailed information regarding the MBA Career Management course will be distributed during Pre-Term.

CareerSearch

CareerSearch is an extensive database that includes more than one million companies along with contact names, addresses, phone numbers, and a variety of company background information. The database can be searched according to industry type, location, and keywords, and it  is accessible via a link on the eRecruiting welcome page. Contact the Feld Career Center if you need help conducting a search in this database.

Frederick S. Pardee Management Library

The Frederick S. Pardee Management Library is located on the west end of the second, third, and fourth floors of the Rafik B. Hariri Building of Boston University’s School of Management (595 Commonwealth Avenue). The entrance to the library is on the third floor of the building.

The Pardee Management Library provides information services and electronic and printed resources in management and management-related fields, including accounting, finance, health care management, economics, human resources, and public/nonprofit management. The library’s resources are supported by those of Mugar Memorial Library, the principal library on the Charles River Campus, which maintains an extensive research collection in the social sciences and humanities.

The library offers SMG and GSM students access to:

• Electronic databases like Investex Plus, Wetfeet, and Business Source Premier
• Trade magazines through ABI Inform or Library Periodicals section
• Vault Reports on eRecruiting
• Directories and contacts for career searches