Nelson Rusche College of Business

Degree Programs

The Rusche College of Business has awarded nearly 20,000 degrees since 1940. Combining foundational business classes with a personalized classroom experience and experiential learning, our degree programs give you the tools you need as you launch a career and become a leader in your industry. Select the appropriate degree level below to explore our 20+ areas of study!

Our faculty members educate the leaders of tomorrow to meet the challenges of a dynamic global business environment. At both the undergraduate and graduate level, you'll benefit from our personalized student focus, incredible opportunities for intellectual and professional development, and a career-focused curriculum that prepares you for real-world success.

Why Rusche?

Academics

Rusche Facts

  • $375,000
    SCHOLARSHIPS
    AWARDED
    annually
  • 13
    Business
    Majors
  • $870,000+
    EQUITY
    PORTFOLIO
    MANAGED BY OUR
    STUDENTS
    Portfolio amount as of March 2023

Transformative Experiences

At SFA, we believe students benefit greatly from hands-on learning in and out of the classroom.
Transformative experiences are at the core of our academic philosophy.

Students discussing in classroom
Economics Research
AMA
Jade Mizzell
Melanie Burnell
  • Faculty use experiential learning. In Dr. McKenna’s Information Technology classroom, students specify, design, source data for, build, test, and formally present a system prototype for a national client. Past projects have included the NCAA selection committees for football and basketball.
  • For the first time, SFA economics students from the Rusche College of Business presented research at the 13th Economics Scholars Program Conference for Undergraduate Research, hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
  • Students in the American Marketing Association’s student chapter won second place in best communication of chapter events at the International AMA Conference in New Orleans. The conference brought together more than 1,700 students to compete and network. Attendees enhanced their professional development skills and gained inspiration through marketing and sales practices.
  • Students have the opportunity to interact with business professionals. Jade Mizzell served as a student representative to the Business Communication & Legal Studies Executive Advisory Board. Mizzell made valuable connections and now serves as a professional member of the same board.
  • When participating in research projects, students have the opportunity to present at academic conferences. Through the Honors College, Melanie Burnell presented her study in a poster presentation at the Association for Business Communication – Southwest in San Antonio.

Notable Alumni

Rusche College of Business alumni are making an impact everywhere. Read more about just a few of our notable alumni!

Notable Alumni

Lumberjack Spotlight

  • 2021 Marlin C. Young Teaching Excellence Award
    Stephen Shrewsbury

    Stephen Shrewsbury teaches graduate and undergraduate international and transnational law courses, business law, negotiations and dispute resolution, and business governance and ethics. His research interests include air and aviation law, corporate ethics, and international business ethics.

    “My focus in being a college professor as a second career has always been on employing the most effective teaching methods possible to engage students and help them learn,” Shrewsbury said. “Being recognized by my peers in the College of Business motivates me to press on toward that goal even more.”

    Shrewsbury brought more than 30 years of military experience to the classroom upon his arrival at SFA in 2017. Read more about Shrewsbury's service.

    Stephen Shrewsbury

    Stephen Shrewsbury, assistant professor of legal studies

  • Nicole Phifer
    Five-Year BBA/MPA Program graduate student

    Nicole Phifer, a graduate student in accountancy at the Rusche College of Business, recently received an important windfall – a $10,000 scholarship from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, a nonprofit established through the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to oversee the audits of public companies.

    The agency’s scholarships are funded through fines assessed on accounting firms across the world. For Phifer, a 21-year-old graduate student from Rusk, the scholarship means she can focus on maintaining her 4.0 GPA, finishing out her coursework, and ramping up her CPA prep this spring. Considering that the CPA cycle can cost in excess of $3,000 – in addition to fall and spring tuition – the scholarship is not just an accolade, but an essential, enabling element of Phifer’s five-year Bachelor of Business Administration/Master of Professional Accountancy program at SFA.

    Read more about her accomplishments.

    Nicole Phifer

    Nicole Phifer, recipient of a $10,000 scholarship through the
    Public Company Accounting Oversight Board

  • Sarah Bone
    Marketing Minor

    Sarah Bone, a graphic design major with a minor in marketing from the Rusche College of Business, received a $5,000 Skyline Displays of Houston Graphic Arts Education Scholarship for the 2020 fall semester through the Advertising Education Foundation of Houston. The nonprofit awards scholarships to those working on undergraduate or post-graduate degrees in advertising, communications, interactive marketing, journalism, radio/TV, commercial art, public relations or related fields. Bone also competed on SFA’s team for the National Student Advertising Competition with Adobe as the client, and was on the first-place team at AAF Houston’s ad competition last year. Bone is a senior from Richmond.

    Read more about her accomplishments.

    Sarah Bone

    Sarah Bone, recipient of a $5,000 scholarship through the
    Advertising Education Foundation of Houston

  • McKenna Maxwell
    Economics Major
    Class of 2015

    McKenna Maxwell recently paid a visit to SFA’s campus to meet with current students and impart career wisdom while touting the college’s impact on her education.

    “I got a great education from SFA because of professors who are invested with their students and where they go from there,” Maxwell said. “They keep in contact with graduates after they leave, they’re always willing to help, and they gave me an education that is comparable or better than what I would’ve gotten anywhere else. Being able to count on a close, personal relationship with professors gives SFA students a leg up compared to some of the bigger schools in Texas.”

    McKenna Maxwell

    McKenna Maxwell, manager of data science and analytics at Dallas-based
    MPower Practice Management, with Dr. Mikhail Kouliavtsev, Department Chair and
    Professor, economics and finance

  • Economics professor makes economics fun through experiential learning

    A few years ago, a group of SFA students coined the term “Scanlanomics” in recognition of one of their favorite economics professors, Dr. Mark Scanlan.

    Through an online prediction game, Fredcast, developed by the Federal Reserve Bank, students predict key economic variables. Scanlan designates a day each month for students to discuss their predictions and research. Scanlan has been a member of the SFA faculty since 2005. His goal is to make the material “meaningful, interesting and relevant for students.” He invites banking guest lecturers to visit his class and discuss different topics the students have learned in his money and banking course.

    Mark Scanlan

    Dr. Mark Scanlan, Professor, economics and finance department

    Scanlan was recognized with a Bright Spot award by the SFA Faculty Senate,
    the Center for Teaching and Learning, and the SFA vice presidents.

  • Dr. Stephanie Ross is the inaugural recipient of the Sammie Smith Professorship

    Assistant professor of accounting Dr. Stephanie Ross was awarded the Sammie Smith Professorship, created through an endowment by Professor Emeritus Dr. Sammie Smith. Ross, a Certified Public Accountant, earned her doctorate from the University of Texas at San Antonio after nearly 15 years working as an accountant and controller in the private sector. She also holds a bachelor’s in economics and finance, a master of science in accounting and an MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas. Her research interests include compensation, corporate governance and auditing.​ Read more.

    Dr. Stephanie Ross

    Dr. Stephanie Ross

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