Bachelor of Business Administration
Overview
The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree completion program aims to offer students with previous undergraduate coursework the opportunity to finish their bachelor’s degree online with Agora University. This program is ideal for working professionals, transfer students, or individuals seeking a flexible and efficient pathway to achieving their educational and career goals. Students pursuing the BBA degree will have acquired appropriate coursework that can be completed at Agora. Students may transfer up to 84 credit hours into Agora toward the completion of their BBA degree.
The program builds on prior academic and professional experience, offering a streamlined curriculum that emphasizes practical business knowledge, leadership skills, and strategic thinking. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of core business disciplines, preparing them to make social impact and contribute meaningfully to their communities.
Outcomes
- Analyze and solve complex business problems using critical thinking and data-driven approaches.
- Synthesize ideas and concepts from multiple perspectives, integrate knowledge across disciplines, and propose actionable solutions.
- Cultivate entrepreneurial skills to identify business opportunities, develop innovative solutions, and launch or grow a business.
- Develop skills in team dynamics, conflict resolution, and effective collaboration to achieve shared business objectives.
- Apply ethical reasoning and sustainability practices to business decisions.
- Communicate effectively in professional contexts.
Courses
| Course Name | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Business Law and Ethics | 3 | Core |
| Principles of Marketing | 3 | Core |
| Financial Accounting | 3 | Core |
| Managerial Accounting | 3 | Core |
| Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship | 3 | Core |
| Management Information Systems | 3 | Core |
| Strategic Management | 3 | Core |
| Business and Social Impact | 3 | Core |
| Capstone | 3 | Core |
| Course Name | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Microeconomics | 3 | Elective |
| Macroeconomics | 3 | Elective |
| Business Analytics | 3 | Elective |
| Human Resource Management | 3 | Elective |
| Performance Marketing | 3 | Elective |
| Digital Transformation | 3 | Elective |
| Business Finance | 3 | Elective |
| Negotiations & Conflict Resolution | 3 | Elective |
| Business Communication | 3 | Elective |
Students will take the elective modules in the order they are made available. The modules listed here are indicative, and there is no guarantee that they will run for the current academic year.
The Two Ways of Knowing
This course explores the two types of knowledge in Orthodox Christianity: Knowledge of the mind (ἐπιστήμη) and knowledge of the heart (γνῶσις). The course will discuss the essence of Orthodox Christian knowledge through true encounter, and the expression of such experience in the diverse human epistemological and philosophical frames of mind. The course will also highlight the importance of establishing a priority for using a specific order of epistemological questions to accurately express the encounter. The course will then highlight Orthodox methodologies and their foundational dependence on a lifestyle of a ‘change of mind’ (μετάνοια) and the necessity of this change for a true Orthodox conversion, not just in form but also in essence.
Theological Anthropology
This course aims to explore the historical, scriptural, and patristic sources to engage with contemporary issues in theological anthropology. The course will examine theological anthropology as outlined in Pauline literature. It will also examine the theology of the Cappadocian and Syriac Fathers, particularly Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory the Theologian, Ambrose of Milan, Basil the Great, Ephrem the Syrian, and Jacob of Serug to examine the diversity of interpretation and breadth of meaning for the mystery of humanity. The course will shed emphasis on establishing methodologies to address modern issues surrounding the origin of humanity.
Orthodoxy in the Modern World
This module intends to familiarize students with the thought of some of the most important modern Orthodox theologians, as well as the challenges Orthodoxy faces today. To this end, the work of key theologians such as Sergei Bulgakov, Georges Florovsky, Paul Florensky, Vladimir Lossky, John Zizioulas, Christos Yannaras, Alexander Schmemann, and Dumitru Staniloae will be examined, as well as critical assessments of their work and contribution. Several challenges and problems of the Orthodox Church in the contemporary world will also be examined, such as the renewed importance to the Patristic legacy; the collapse and restoration of Mt Athos in the 20th century; the challenge of ecumenism.
Advanced Seminar in Christology
The question Christ posed to His disciples, “who do people say I am?” has been answered in different ways since the earliest times of Christianity. Using Christ’s query as a point of departure, this seminar investigates and presents a comprehensive synthesis of the Christological controversies that arose in both the Eastern and Western part of Christendom. Through a close reading of the writings of the Church fathers, the course also helps the students understand the mystery of the Incarnation of the Logos (Word of God) as the indispensable part of the divine plan of salvation.
Genocide in the Early 20th Century Middle East
How did Christianity in Turkey decrease from 25% of its population to just 0.4% today? This doctoral seminar is designed to introduce students to the critical study of human genocide through an in depth examination of the Turkish driven genocide against its Christian minority communities. Students taking this course will examine the antecedents of genocide and the Christian response. Questions investigated in this course address religious and national identity, persecution, martyrdom, and the legacy of victimhood. The experience of Armenians and Assyrians (i.e., Syriac-speaking Christians) will especially be highlighted.
Comparative Translations of Scripture in Late Antiquity
How do the various ancient translations of the Bible convey the same meaning in essence but diverge in form? This doctoral seminar is designed to introduce students to the critical study of the Sacred Scriptures through an examination of the various languages traditions through which these writings are conveyed. Students will participate in weekly seminars of scripture reading with attention to issues in comparative translation. Students taking this seminar are expected to be proficient in Hebrew and Greek. Proficiency in one or more languages of Christian and Jewish antiquity are highly encouraged: Aramaic (Targumic and Syriac) Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopic (Ge’ez), Georgian, and Latin.
The Book of Daniel
The book of Daniel is a unique document within the literature of the Old Testament, intersecting with history, prophecy, apocalypse, and wisdom literature, in three different languages. Like all books of the scripture, the book of Daniel can be read entirely on its own as well as in concert with the entirety of scriptural tradition. In this course, we will be plunging deeply into the book of Daniel in order to better understand inner-biblical exegesis, the reception of the text within the tradition of the Church, and its place in modern biblical scholarship.
This course proceeds under the assumption that students previously have read the Old Testament in its entirety. Doctoral students are required to read the text in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, (and are encouraged to bring translations reflecting the the liturgical language of their tradition to our seminar).
Scripture in its Ancient Near Eastern Context
This doctoral seminar is designed to introduce students to the critical study of the religions of ancient Israel and Judah during the Iron Age and their development in relation to the ontological encounter of divine inspiration prior to the incarnation. In large part, the course is motivated by the question of how the image and likeness of God is imprinted upon those inside and outside the faith community of ancient Israel, and what this means for understanding the emergence of scripture and tradition before the dawn of Christianity. Engaging both the primary texts of scripture and the ancient near East, the course prepares students to analyze the similarities and differences between the beliefs and praxis of ancient Israel with those of their neighbors. An examination of the prominent secondary literature introduces students to the major theories of the nature and diachronic changes in Israelite religion. Research beginning with these primary and secondary texts will be measured against the concerns of Orthodox Christian theological anthropology. Students taking this course will be proficient in Classical Hebrew and ideally one other scriptural language from antiquity, such as: Greek, Targumic Aramaic, Syriac, Latin, Coptic, Armenian, or Ethiopic.
The Christian Doctrine of God and Diversity
The Christian faith confesses a Trinitarian God who is a diversity of persons in unity. This doctrine must present Christians with a model of appreciating diversity while also being rooted in a unity. This course traces the development of the Christian doctrine of God and related themes from Scripture to the 20th century. The course pays close attention to significant texts in the Christian tradition to discussions of the doctrine of the trinity and its relationship to diversity. We explore how our Trinitarian faith should be lived daily by reflecting on contemporary challenges surrounding diversity of religion, sexuality, culture, and biodiversity.
History and Memory
History begets memory and memory begets history. Different groups of people hold differing historical narratives based on their communal memories. Communal memory creates historical narrative that ultimately intentionally seeks to forget, erase, and exclude events that are historically preserved. This class seeks to explore the history of the Oriental Orthodox tradition and how this history is shaped, remembered and forgotten, and preserved in communal memory.
Death in the Christian Tradition
In this module students will engage with a range of biblical, classical and contemporary texts to explore how the Christian tradition has thought about death and what, if anything, might come ‘after’ it. Students will acquire a thorough grounding in the biblical perspectives on death and
hope, noting how this develops and changes through the history of Israel and the early Christian era.
This will lay the foundation for the investigation of classic theological questions such as the relationship between sin and mortality, and the relationship of body and soul in Christian anthropology and hope. We will explore the increasing complexity of the ways in which Christians came to understand the possible post-mortem states of the person, and the debates which have circled around each of these: eternal bliss, eternal damnation (whether understood as conscious eternal torment or otherwise), and the various conceptions of Purgatory. Much of what the Christian tradition has to say about death is mediated through liturgy, and we will spend time investigating the significance of classic and contemporary funeral rites from diverse traditions. The willing embrace of death, whether through martyrdom or suicide (of course the distinction can be a blurred one), features much in contemporary cultural and political discourse. The course ends with a look at how the Christian tradition has approached both topics historically and in the present day.
From Cult to Culture
This doctoral seminar examines the fundamental elements of Eastern Christian worship as it developed in the early centuries of the Church, in order to historically ground subsequent theological discussion of contemporary renewal. After several weeks exploring the common repository of Orthodox liturgical tradition, we consider examples of current scholarship on the extant Rites in use among the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches: Armenian, West Syrian, Coptic, Ethiopian, East Syrian and Byzantine. The selected readings showcase key scholars in the field, highlight the value of comparative and interdisciplinary methodologies, and illustrate the challenges of integrating history and theology with pastoral practice. The final weeks invite students to synthesize what they have learned by means of reflection on their own identity as worshippers in the modern world—with all its challenges: how does the beauty of the lex orandi (“rule of prayer”) relate to the truth of the lex credendi (“rule of belief”), while also cultivating the goodness of an authentic spirituality, that is, a faithful and fruitful Christian lex vivendi (“rule of living”)?
The Gospel of John
The course, The Gospel of John, involves an in-depth exploration of a particular theme or area in the study of theology. In this stream of the theology, we shall read the entire text of the Gospel according to John, chapter by chapter, in the context of modern historical research, but also with an eye to the Patristic commentaries and the spiritual reading of this text. The several strands of the text will be studied in a seminar form. The class will take into account several Biblical hermeneutic methodologies, but ultimately will concentrate on the text itself and the way it was understood and received in the early Christian communities.
A focus will lie on independent study on the part of the students to explore particular themes, texts, figures, or areas around the subject, which will be based in contemporary scholarly resources. Students will be required to take initiative on devising their assessment projects, and to exhibit strong communication in the delivery of their findings.
Transfer Admission
For students who did not finish all their general education requirements or who wish to acquire elective coursework to qualify for transfer into the Degree Completion at Agora University can finish these courses through our partner Sophia Learning. Please visit https://agora.edu/general-edu/ for more information.
Students transferring into the BAT degree completion program must fulfill the following general education coursework as measured in semester units to graduate whether at Sophia Learning or any other accredited community college or university. The following list of relevant courses available through Sophia Learning will satisfy these requirements:
General Education and Electives Core
Years 1 and 2 - TransferWritten & Oral Communication - 6 Units
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENG 101 | English Composition I | 3 |
| ENG 102 | English Composition II | 3 |
Quantitative Principles - 6 Units
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 101 | College Algebra | 3 |
| MATH 102 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
Natural and Physical Sciences - 6 Units
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HLTH 110 | Introduction to Nutrition | 3 |
| ENVS 101 | Environmental Science | 3 |
Social and Behavioral Sciences - 6 Units
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SOC 110 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| PSY 110 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
Humanities and Fine Arts - 6 Units
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ARTS 101 | Art History I | 3 |
| PHIL 105 | Critical Thinking | 3 |
Foreign Languages - 6 Units
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SPAN 101 | Spanish I | 3 |
| SPAN 102 | Spanish II | 3 |
Civics - 6 Units
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 120 | US Government | 3 |
| HIST 101 | US History I | 3 |
| HIST 102 | US History II | 3 |
Five (5) additional 3 credit hour Elective Courses from the list below in any of the above categories.
List of General Electives
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| COM 101 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| HLTH 111 | Health, Fitness, and Wellness | 3 |
| HLTH 120 | Lifespan Development | 3 |
| SCIE 150 | Anatomy and Physiology I | 3 |
| SCIE 151 | Anatomy and Physiology I Lab | 1 |
| SCIE 155 | Anatomy and Physiology II | 3 |
| SCIE 156 | Anatomy and Physiology II Lab | 1 |
| SCIE 160 | Human Biology | 3 |
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SCIE 161 | Human Biology Lab | 1 |
| SCIE 165 | Introduction to Chemistry | 3 |
| SCIE 166 | Introduction to Chemistry Lab | 1 |
| SCIE 170 | Microbiology | 3 |
| SCIE 171 | Microbiology Lab | 1 |
| ARTS 102 | Art History II | 3 |
| MATH 120 | Introduction to College Mathematics | 3 |
| FREN 101 | French I | 3 |
