Getting Down to Business: Professors Explain State Exams vs Senior Projects

On Monday evening, Feb. 13, the Investment Management Club (IMC) organized an event called “Business Administration: State Exams or Senior Project?'' in the Aspire Hub of AUBG. The info session was targeted toward students majoring in Business Administration to clear their confusion and choose the right path for completing their degrees. 

IMC invited three professors from the Business Department, Ali Termos, Carter Mandrik, and Daniel Adsett, as panelists to explain the difference between each option and answer pressing questions from the audience.

Before thinking about choosing projects over state exams, professor distribution must be factored; a professor can only properly oversee 1-2 students with their senior project/thesis, or else faculty members would be overwhelmed and lack the mentorship expected to guide the student’s work. With this and the prerequisites to consider, not everyone will have the opportunity to try for a senior project. Mandrik jokingly said, “we don’t get paid to supervise,” and, regarding state exams and senior projects, deciding is a question of “empirical versus theoretical.”

The alternative to the default state exams is the senior project and senior thesis. State exams are substituted if you choose a project or thesis, but can still be taken regardless of the project’s outcome. The project lasts for one semester and is three credits while the thesis lasts two semesters worth six credits. Both options require students to have a cumulative GPA of 3.66 in the major and an overall GPA of 3.5, but the thesis also requires a minimum grade of A- in Business Ethics, a class currently taught by Professor Adsett.

The professors warned that the senior project and thesis are drastically more laborious. They urged students to not be too ambitious when choosing these options. If they do pursue it, students should find something they’re deeply interested in, and submit their idea before the respective semester begins.

Projects and theses are very time-conscious processes that test the focus and intentions of students. Adsett said, “I need to see a plan and all the methods employed before agreeing to a senior project idea.” With the accepted idea, a rubric and syllabus with the necessary criteria are created for the student to follow and stay on track. The standard of a thesis is more rigorous, with students expected to produce dozens of pages of documentation, with a “publishable” quality.

After all the work and documentation is finished, the senior project/thesis is defended by the student before a jury of Business professors from different departments. Afterward, the professors decide on a letter grade for the student’s efforts and presentation.

Although projects and theses can be good choices for students with a well-developed idea or on the track to graduate school, they shouldn’t be thought of as a way to avoid taking state exams. 

Termos gave background information on the state exams. The two-hour exam is meant to evaluate the basics of Business Administration and contains four sections regarding finance, marketing, accounting, and management/strategy. Each section is designed to be finished in 30 minutes, but students can work at their own pace. Sections like finance and marketing contain multiple-choice questions while other sections are open-ended or essays.

The questions are made by a committee of four in the Business Department and are reflective of the coursework present throughout the major, so there are no surprises. Mandrik said, “If you’ve taken my course, you’re well enough prepared.” The committee chooses the simplest questions that test the “regular vocabulary of a Business Administration student.” According to the professors, they have no recollection of a student ever failing the exam. 

The state exams are offered after the end of both semesters. The exams are proctored, and likely to be held in the auditorium of AUBG Main Building. Previous tests, guidelines, and study guides can be found online on AUBG’s website or the Canvas portal for declared Business Administration majors. The grading scale has a minimum of two and a maximum of six, with the final score presented on transcripts. The state exam is the default option for students that don’t do senior projects.

A student asked if they are capable of combining a senior thesis for two majors, such as Business Administration and Economics, and the panel responded that it was up for consideration. Further discussion with the relevant department is needed to give a clear answer.

Most of the information we know about state exams or projects is stowed away in academic catalogs or awaiting to be shared by professors or experienced students. IMC positioned itself as a medium for this necessary information by organizing the event. On Feb. 21, IMC held another info session regarding the Economics major’s state exam and senior thesis.