Robert W. Plaster College of Business
The mission of the Robert W. Plaster College of Business is to equip students to pursue academic excellence through professional programs with a biblical worldview in a caring environment committed to the principles of free enterprise.
SBU's accounting degrees prepare graduates for diversified careers in the practice of public accounting, not-for-profit accounting, internal auditing, federal taxation, and general accounting management, all with a Christ-centered worldview in order to prepare the graduates to be servant leaders in a global society. This area offers two majors:
SBU's business administration degrees provide students with a broad curriculum of study in business-related courses with a Christ-centered worldview, preparing them for diverse, ever-changing, global careers, and equipping them for continued education and service. This area offers eight undergraduate majors:
SBU's Robert W. Plaster College of Business also offers a Master of Business Administration (MBA) graduate degree. The MBA program has been established to enhance the professional and personal development of the students, and provide the foundation necessary for occupational advancement.
The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) has accredited the following programs within the Robert W. Plaster College of Business:
The traditional business administration programs that are accredited include Management, Marketing, Economics/Finance, Public Relations, and International Business.
Programs not accredited by ACBSP include the Business Administration (Non-Traditional), B.S. which comprises the General Business major offered on the Salem and Mountain View Campuses. Furthermore, the following majors have been recent additions to the College and as a result are not currently accredited by ACBSP: Computational Finance, Cybersecurity Management, Digital Marketing, and Sport Business. All programs are covered by SBU's overall accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
There are several different reporting measures the College utilizes in order to identify what our graduates obtain as a result of their educational experience at SBU. While the pursuit of a Christian higher education has a number of intangible experiences, the items that follow will help to convey the educational significance our graduates have gained.
The Major Field Test is a test given to students pursuing a bachelor’s degree by the ETS organization (the same company that administers the SAT test). 560 colleges and universities utilize this instrument to evaluate the capabilities of their soon-to-be graduates.
According the ETS website, “the ETS® Major Field Tests are … outcomes assessments designed to measure the critical knowledge and understanding obtained by students in a major field of study. The Major Field Tests go beyond the measurement of factual knowledge by helping you evaluate students’ ability to analyze and solve problems, understand relationships and interpret material from their major field of study.” The areas of study considered on the Major Field Test are:
The ETS website goes on to say that, “ETS offers comprehensive national comparative data for the Major Field Tests, enabling you to evaluate your students' performance and compare your program's effectiveness to programs at similar institutions nationwide.”
The data is presented in percentiles with 99% being the highest ranking of those taking the test and 1% being the lowest. Here is how Southwest Baptist University students have performed over the last several semesters.
| Date | SBU Overall Percentile |
| 2020-21 year | 88th percentile |
| 2019-20 year | 88th percentile |
| 2018-19 year | 81st percentile |
| 2017-18 year | 98th percentile |
| 2016-17 year | 84th percentile |
| Spring 2016 | 99th percentile |
| Fall 2015 | 78th percentile |
| Spring 2015 | 85th percentile |
| Fall 2014 | 42nd percentile |
| Spring 2014 | 97th percentile |
| Fall 2013 | 94th percentile |
| Spring 2013 | 98th percentile |
| Fall 2012 | 85th percentile |
| Spring 2012 | 86th percentile |
| Fall 2011 | 99th percentile |
| Spring 2011 | 99th percentile |
| Fall 2010 | 99th percentile |
| Spring 2010 | 95th percentile |
| Fall 2009 | 85th percentile |
| Spring 2009 | 95th percentile |
| Fall 2008 | 80th percentile |
| Spring 2008 | 95th percentile |
| Fall 2007 | 90th percentile |
| Spring 2007 | 70th percentile |
| Fall 2006 | 70th percentile |
| Spring 2006 | 95th percentile |
| Fall 2005 | 90th percentile |
| Spring 2005 | 90th percentile |
| Fall 2004 | 90th percentile |
| Spring 2004 | 90th percentile |
| Fall 2003 | 35th percentile |
| Spring 2003 | 81st percentile |
| Fall 2002 | 76th percentile |
| Spring 2002 | 81st percentile |
| Fall 2001 | 95th percentile |
| Spring 2001 | 91st percentile |
| Fall 2000 | 98th percentile |
| Spring 2000 | 82nd percentile |
The CPA is administered by the American Institute of CPAs. The test is administered in four different sections. These are:
SBU Accounting graduates over a five-year average (2016-2020 graduates) have passed CPA exam at a 69% first time, per-part rate versus a 58% national average. While almost one-third of our accounting graduates do not attempt the CPA exam for various reasons, approximately 50% of all SBU Accounting graduates are CPAs today.
83% of our graduates are employed in accounting positions prior to graduation. Many of them have job offers before the end of their junior year.
Students graduating from colleges and universities across the United States tend to fall into one of the five following situations:
The Robert W. Plaster College of Business rarely sees individuals which would fall into the fifth category discussed above. This is partially related to the rigor and quality of the programs offered. The programs provided at SBU simply do not appeal to that type of student. However, we do have students which would fall into the first four categories which leads to the employment rates provided below.
Since 2013, we have actively tracked continuing education or job placement of our graduates. We want to know when our graduates accepted employment offers or have been accepted into an additional educational program such as an MBA, PhD, etc. We evaluate this information at three different points of time: graduation day, three months after graduation, and six months after graduation. The following chart communicates the percentage of our graduates that accept employment or are admitted into an educational program.
| Time Period | At Graduation | 3 Months From Graduation | 6 Months From Graduation | Of those employed, how many are utilizing their degrees? |
| Spring 2021 | 87% | 100% | not yet available | 87% |
| Fall 2020 | 75% | 93% | 100% | 83% |
| Spring 2020 | 91% | 100% | 100% | 87% |
| Fall 2019 | 80% | 100% | 100% | 80% |
| Spring 2019 | 84% | 96% | 100% | 92% |
| Fall 2018 | 88% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Spring 2018 | 68% | 91% | 94% | 65% |
| Fall 2017 | 64% | 79% | 86% | 86% |
| Spring 2017 | 66% | 79% | 85% | 75% |
| Fall 2016 | 76% | 88% | 94% | 88% |
| Spring 2016 | 67% | 91% | 98% | 90% |
| Fall 2015 | 75% | 94% | 100% | 94% |
| Spring 2015 | 81% | 94% | 100% | 86% |
| Fall 2014 | 57% | 100% | 100% | 71% |
| Spring 2014 | 70% | 95% | 97% | 79% |
| Fall 2013 | 36% | 64% | 82% | 67% |
| Spring 2013 | 49% | 77% | 86% | 81% |
| Time Period | At Graduation | 3 Months From Graduation | 6 Months From Graduation | Of those employed, how many are utilizing their degrees? |
| Spring 2021 | 81% | 81% | not yet available | 85% |
| Spring 2020 | 37% | 47% | 58% | 90% |
| Spring 2019 | 85% | 95% | 95% | 89% |
| Spring 2018 | 50% | 83% | 100% | 100% |
| Spring 2017 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
What follows is a non-comprehensive list of organizations that employ our graduates. It has been segmented according to each academic discipline area.
The rates for retaining students from their first to their second year within the College is as follows:
| Fall 2020 to Fall 2021 | 67.30% |
| Fall 2019 to Fall 2020 | 64.20% |
| Fall 2018 to Fall 2019 | 71.80% |
| Fall 2017 to Fall 2018 | 77.50% |
| Fall 2016 to Fall 2017 | 68.40% |
The graduation rates for first-year, first-time degree-seeking students within the College is as follows:
| Fall 2015 first-year students that graduated by 2021 | 62.90% |
| Fall 2014 first-year students that graduated by 2020 | 41.00% |
| Fall 2013 first-year students that graduated by 2019 | 52.20% |
| Fall 2012 first-year students that graduated by 2018 | 55.60% |
| Fall 2011 first-year students that graduated by 2017 | 60.70% |
Master of Business Administration
Business Administration Report