New minor for non-business students to launch

Beginning next fall, students from across the university will have a new, more convenient way to acquire a foundation in business.

The Freeman Business Minor is a new offering designed to introduce non-business majors to the fundamentals of business. The six-course, 16.5-credit-hour curriculum combines core classes in accounting, business computing and statistical analysis with electives spanning a wide range of business areas, from marketing, analytics and finance to management, energy and business law.

“With demand for business education at an all-time high, this new minor gives students in Liberal Arts, Science & Engineering, Architecture and Public Health the option to integrate a coherent business curriculum into their program of study,” said Paulo Goes, dean of the Freeman School. “Business minor students will learn key theoretical concepts and gain the tools and frameworks needed to operate in financial, organizational and strategic contexts, and, significantly, they’ll be able to do it during the regular academic year and within their regular tuition structure.”

Previously, non-business majors could earn a business minor only through the Business Minor Summer Institute (BMSI), an intensive, cohort-based 10-week program offered only in the summer. The new minor streamlines the BMSI curriculum and introduces new classes exclusively for non-business majors, enabling students to complete the program’s requirements as part of their regular coarse load.

“What excites me the most about this minor is the very intentional way it was structured so that students from all majors across campus can take part in it,” said Myke Yest, associate dean of undergraduate education at the Freeman School and co-chair of the Business Minor Task Force. 

Another key benefit of the minor is facilitating entry into one of Freeman’s 4+1 programs, which enable undergraduate students to earn a master’s degree in finance, business analytics or energy with just one additional year of study. By pursuing the minor, non-business students can satisfy the requirements for entry into a 4+1, enabling them to take full advantage of the program's cost and time savings.  

“If non-business majors start planning early enough, they can use the new business minor to realize a significant savings in graduate tuition,” said Michael Burke, professor of management and co-chair of the task force. “It gives them early exposure to business knowledge needed to pursue our 4+1 offerings, which is a big advantage of this new curriculum.”

For students not interested in a 4+1 program, the minor offers even greater flexibility, enabling them to tailor the curriculum to meet their personal and professional goals.

“Whether you’d like to be an artist, an engineer or anything in between, there’s value in being able to apply the concepts of finance, marketing and management to your role,” said Yest. “The business minor is designed to complement the learning you do in your major and give you tools you can draw on for the rest of your life.”

For more information about the program, visit the Freeman Business Minor webpage.