Colangelo College of Business: Empowering Future Leaders

The Colangelo College of Business (CCOB) at Grand Canyon University (GCU) is dedicated to providing students with a comprehensive business education rooted in Christian principles. With a strong emphasis on core business values, CCOB aims to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to drive organizational success while positively impacting society.

A Thriving Hub for Business Education

Located on GCU's Phoenix campus, the Colangelo College of Business stands as one of the largest business schools in the country. The college has experienced significant growth, mirroring the overall enrollment spike at GCU. This growth reflects the increasing demand for private Christian education that is both affordable and of high quality.

The college is housed in a new, state-of-the-art 150,000-square-foot facility featuring 81 offices and 61 classrooms. This modern facility provides students with a collaborative and technologically advanced learning environment.

A Legacy of Leadership: Jerry Colangelo

In 2014, GCU's business college was named after Jerry Colangelo, an influential figure in Arizona's sports and business landscape. Colangelo's career spans over five decades, marked by his leadership roles with the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks, and USA Basketball.

Colangelo's involvement with GCU extends beyond the naming of the college. He serves as a consultant for faculty and staff, providing guidance and insights to help evolve the college. As the leader of the CCOB Advisory Board, comprised of Phoenix valley business leaders, Colangelo plays a vital role in ensuring that the college's curriculum remains current and relevant to industry needs.

Academic Programs: Cultivating Entrepreneurial Spirit and Ethical Practices

The Colangelo College of Business offers a wide array of business and management degree programs designed to address the needs of contemporary business environments. Whether students are interested in economics, business law, marketing, accounting, or management, CCOB's programs can nurture their entrepreneurial spirit and teach them ethical business practices.

The college offers multiple degree levels of management and leadership degrees, both on campus and online, providing students with flexibility and accessibility. These programs aim to develop students' business skills, leadership experiences, and critical thinking abilities.

CCOB offers bachelor's degrees and master’s programs with a wide range of emphases. Our business school programs encompass specializations that can help you achieve personal or professional goals in your area of interest. Choose from our bachelor's, master's and minor degrees to find a program that is right for you.

Curriculum and Learning Environment

As a student of GCU’s Colangelo College of Business, you’ll experience a combination of collaborative community and specialized knowledge while embracing the student-centric culture and faith integrated education.

The Colangelo College of Business emphasizes core business values. Learn to Strategize, Execute and Lead in Business. Earn your business degree from Grand Canyon University and work to become a servant leader by studying the business skills needed to drive organizational success while positively impacting society.

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GCU’s business college is proud to offer the Colangelo Scholarship. Available to incoming freshmen, this scholarship recognizes students who have dedicated themselves in service to others through volunteering and entrepreneurship, while meeting ethical and academic standards.

With a depth of on-campus and online college business degree options, our strong Christian identity informs the education you receive, preparing you to apply faith-integrated principles within the business arena.

Accreditation and Quality Assurance

GCU is an institutionally accredited university. Additionally, many of our business degrees have attained accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools & Programs (ACBSP).

The Colangelo College of Business is committed to maintaining high academic standards and continuous improvement. The college undergoes regular evaluations to ensure that its programs meet the needs of students and the demands of the business community.

The leader of the CCOB (Dean Gibb) is a big part of the business unit's ability to be flexible, current, and connected to the business community. The CCOB has a fully engaged and active advisory board who partners closely with the college to ensure that curriculum is current with industry expectations.

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There are numerous means of evaluating faculty carried out at the university and CCOB levels. GCU does not have a system for tenure, but does focus on supporting faculty efforts and fostering continuous improvement. Feedback loops are imbedded in each type of evaluation.

Opportunities for Growth and Development

The Colangelo College of Business provides students with numerous opportunities to enhance their learning experience and prepare for their future careers.

Extracurricular Activities and Clubs

Many schools offer degree emphases or business clubs to cater to the various interests of their students. Take advantage of every opportunity to pursue your purpose to get the most out of your degree.

CCOB faculty are also involved in many aspects of the DBA program without necessarily serving on committees.

Internships and Work Experience

Your classes in business and club involvement will help build your resume, but work experience in aspects of the business industry that complement your degree is also important. It’s equally as helpful to discover what you do not want as much as what you do want. Get a part-time job or an internship with a company that aligns with your business values. Or, simply start by shadowing someone who works in a business and area that appeals to your own interests. The bottom line is that getting started today can potentially make you more competitive and informed for tomorrow.

Focus on Christian Values

We remain committed to providing students with a biblically rooted college education centered on Christian principles, known as One Foundation.

How does the Colangelo College of Business faculty integrate GCU’s Christian identity and mission into the curriculum? How does a CCOB student directly benefit from GCU’s mission? How do they contribute to GCU’s mission while a student? What is the student experience like in the Colangelo College of Business as it relates to One Foundation? How does the Colangelo College of Business uniquely promote the principles of human flourishing?

Addressing Challenges and Striving for Excellence

While the Colangelo College of Business has achieved significant success, it also faces challenges that it is actively working to address.

Faculty Qualifications

While the CCOB is experiencing increased enrollments and developing new programs, including a revised DBA, the ACBSP Criterion 5.3.2.b. which expects 40 percent of undergraduate credit hours and 70 percent of graduate credit hours to be taught be academically-qualified faculty is currently not met. A letter from the Dean does layout a commitment to increasing faculty qualifications as soon as possible and progress has already been made toward meeting the expectation.

When the foundational courses are removed, the CCOB meets the criterion for academically and professionally qualified faculty coverage.

Faculty Workload

Standard teaching load is set at 16 credit hours per semester for all full-time on-ground faculty. Full-time online faculty are assigned the number of course sections needed to meet a minimum to maximum range of student enrollments. Both these practices exceed the ACBSP Criterion 5.5.1 with regard to teaching load and release time.

The CCOB did not report on the number of course preparations taught, perhaps incorrectly interpreting this category as part of teaching load, and does not have a policy in place to compensate for overloads or release time. Some faculty do seem to receive course release time or overload compensation, but it is difficult to tell if this is an equitable distribution.

Curriculum Coverage

While most CPCs receive adequate coverage, the Information Systems CPCs do not meet the required 30 hours of coverage (Business Administration with an emphasis in Business Intelligence meets the 30 requirement for Information Systems coverage).

General Education Requirements

While the CCOB has general education requirements that account for 28% to 33% of their program degree plans, these percentages do not rise to the ACBSP recommended 40%. However, the general education percentages do meet the HLC standard of 30%.

Adjunct Instructor Spaces

While there are many spaces for students to gather to work together, there is an opportunity for the CCOB and CDS to create permanent spaces (such as designated offices) for adjunct instructors to work with students.

GCU's Commitment to Affordable Education

GCU offers a competitive tuition rate and valuable resources to help with paying for college. Learn more about how GCU can help make your college journey affordable.

Grand Canyon University makes the registration process for admission as simple as possible. Visit our Admission Requirements page to find out more about the process and requirements for acceptance.

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