beyond your textbook

Business Studies

Drew believes the next generation of business leaders needs more than a basic business education. Our new business studies major combines the best of a traditional business education with the best of the liberal arts tradition. Students go beyond the balance sheet to consider the history of work, the business of sustainability and the economic theory that underpins it all.

business imageWhat is learned in the classroom is applied in the real world. Students have the opportunity to engage in one of the most integral parts of a Drew education—experiential learning that turns theory into practice. Study financial markets up close as part of Drew’s Wall Street Semester. Consider the international impact of economic policies in Brussels as part of Drew’s European Semester. Intern in New York City or right in Drew’s backyard, which boasts one of the highest concentrations of corporate headquarters in the country.

And, like all Drew students, those who study business at Drew benefit from the excellent teaching and mentoring that are the hallmarks of a Drew education.

Thinking beyond the bottom line requires an education that considers not just the "how," but also the "why." That’s what business at Drew is all about.

Program Overview

The business major is comprised of a set of introductory courses, a set of core courses, a choice of electives drawn from Business, Society and Culture and economics courses and a capstone that integrate concepts students have been exposed to in the major.

The introductory and core courses include five economics courses so that majors have a thorough understanding of the operation of markets and the economy, with special attention to financial markets. Accounting and statistics round out the introductory courses. The other core courses include key business courses in ethics, history and management. There are four required electives for the major; students must select two courses from the current Business, Society and Culture offerings, and two courses from Economics electives. Two of these courses must be upper-level or advanced courses.

Finally, a one-credit capstone course must be taken during the senior year to complete the major. This course is designed to pull together previous work that students have done in prior courses, and has students present their research to each other and faculty members throughout the term.

Requirements for the Major (57 Credits)

I. Introductory Courses (4 courses, 16 credits)

  • Principles of Microeconomics
  • Principles of Macroeconomics
  • Introduction to Statistics
  • Introduction to Financial Accounting

II. Required Core Courses (6 courses, 24 credits)

  • Management
  • Intermediate Microeconomic Theory
  • Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis
  • Corporate Finance
  • Business Ethics

    One of the following two classes:

  • A History of Business in America
  • History of Work

III. Elective Courses (4 courses, 16 credits)
Students must complete at least eight credits in each of the following two areas. An internship may be substituted for one of these courses if the specific project is approved for the major by the chair of the economics and business studies department.

    Business, Society and Culture electives:

  • Corporations in Context
  • Business Writing
  • Pan-African Studies Seminar (when topic is appropriate)
  • Public Policy and Administration
  • Doing Business in the Hispanic World
  • Sociology of Communications
  • Sociology of Management
  • Show: Business
  • Culture and Exchange

    Applied Economics Courses:

  • Economics of Labor and Trade Unions
  • Global Economy
  • International Business
  • Economics of Business and Environmental Sustainability
  • Wall Street Semester Program (by application only)
  • Industrial Organization and Public Policy towards Business
  • Money and Banking
  • Political Economy of Race, Class and Gender (4 credits) alternate years

IV. Capstone Course (1 credit)
All students take this in their senior year.