Friday, Oct. 18 at 5:00 p.m. is the deadline for students outside of the Mendoza College of Business to apply for a minor within the business school. Students in any college at Notre Dame may apply for minors in accountancy, innovation and entrepreneurship, marketing and real estate. Students in the College of Arts and Letters, College of Science and the Keough School of Global Affairs may also apply for a minor in foundations of business.
This opportunity to study in Mendoza appeals to students across all majors and disciplines and has proven to be popular. In recent years, statistics from the Office of the Registrar show that five of the top 15 most popular minors at Notre Dame have been in business.
“No matter what you do after graduation, you’re going to be doing it in the context of business,” said Mitch Olsen, assistant chair and director of undergraduate studies in the marketing department.
Olsen stresses that business is a pervasive element of life after college. Regardless of a student’s post-graduation plans, opening a practice, working for a corporation or even making a purchase requires a basic knowledge of business, which the minors offered in Mendoza can help students develop.
“Any business minor can supplement any major — it just depends on how you want to complement your studies at Notre Dame and your life beyond the dome,” Olsen said.
Grace Hayes, a sophomore psychology student, is applying to add a marketing minor to her studies.
“I’m interested in studying and pursuing a career in consumer behavior, which will be a good combination of my psychology and marketing programs,” Hayes said.
She believes that having a marketing minor, along with experience in a business setting, will aid her search for employment and opportunities after college.
According to Dr. Olsen, psychology, ACMS (applied and computational mathematics and statistics), economics and FTT (film, television and theatre) are among the majors frequently combined with a minor in marketing.
Students who pursue a minor in Mendoza will need to complete around 15 credit hours, which includes foundational courses and elective options. These classes cover subjects such as research, strategy and analytics which delve deeper into the business curriculum without placing an excessive burden on students’ primary majors.
The flexibility of adding a minor in Mendoza is one of its key appeals, according to Ellie Beckstoffer, an English major who already has a minor in sustainability but is interested in adding the foundations of business minor.
“I think, and hope, that it will expose me to experiences and opportunities within the business world,” Beckstoffer said. She looks forward to courses in Mendoza, such as business law concepts and accounting, both of which she believes will provide the immersion into business she seeks.
“A foundations of business minor will help me find and build connections that I wouldn’t have developed otherwise,” she said.
