Undergraduate Business Major Requirements
Course Requirements for Completing a Major in Business
For general university requirements, see Graduation Requirements. Students pursuing the undergraduate degree with a major in business must complete:
- A minimum of 16 courses (48-51 credit hours, depending on course selection) to satisfy major requirements.
- A minimum of 120 hours to satisfy degree requirements.
- A minimum of 11 courses (35-36 credit hours, depending on course selection) taken at the 300-level or above.
- A maximum of 3 courses (9 credit hours) from study abroad or transfer credit.
- Plus specific course requirements for the finance or management concentration. When students declare the major in Business, students must also declare either a finance or a management concentration.
Because of the common core requirements, it is possible for students to change their major concentration at any time, even after initially declaring the major. To do so, please contact the Office of the Registrar.
The Impact of the Undergraduate Curriculum
Summary
| Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Business and a Major Concentration in Finance | 48-51 |
| Total Credit Hours Required for the BA Degree with a Major in Business | 120 |
Degree Requirements
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
Core Requirements | ||
| Foundation | ||
| BUSI 395 or STAT 310/ECON 307 or STAT 315/DSCI 301 | DATA ANALYTICS or PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS or PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS FOR DATA SCIENCE | 3-4 |
| ECON 100 or BUSI 150 | PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS 1 or ECONOMICS FOR BUSINESS | 3 |
| MATH 101 or MATH 105 | SINGLE VARIABLE CALCULUS I or AP/OTH CREDIT IN CALCULUS I | 3 |
| Business Core and Major Concentration | ||
| Select 1 from the following Major Concentrations (see below for Major Concentration requirements) | 36-38 | |
| Finance | ||
| Management | ||
| Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Business | 48-51 | |
| Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements * | 38-41 | |
| University Graduation Requirements * | 31 | |
Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
Business Major Today, Business Leader Tomorrow
Finance Concentration
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
Required Courses for the Major Concentration in Finance | ||
| Business Core Requirements | ||
| BUSI 305 | FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING | 3 |
| BUSI 310 | LEADING PEOPLE IN ORGANIZATIONS | 3 |
| BUSI 343 or ECON 343 | FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT or CORPORATE FINANCE | 3 |
| BUSI 396 | BUSINESS COMMUNICATION | 3 |
| Select 4 courses from the following: | 12-13 | |
| BUSI 374 | OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| BUSI 380 | MARKETING | 3 |
| BUSI 390 | STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| BUSI 430 | MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING | 3 |
| ECON 200 | MICROECONOMICS | 4 |
| Major Concentration (Finance) Core Requirements | ||
| BUSI 401 | FINANCIAL STATEMENT ANALYSIS | 3 |
| BUSI 447 | ADVANCED CORPORATE FINANCE | 3 |
| BUSI 448 | INVESTMENTS | 3 |
| BUSI 450 | DERIVATIVES | 3 |
| Elective Requirement | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| BUSI 420 | LEADERSHIP AND TEAMS | 3 |
| BUSI 421 | POWER, INFLUENCE AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE | 3 |
| BUSI 422 | NEGOTIATIONS AND DECISION MAKING | 3 |
| BUSI 431 | ADVANCED STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| BUSI 432 | BUSINESS AND SOCIETY | 3 |
| BUSI 433 | TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION STRATEGY | 3 |
| BUSI 480 | MARKETING ANALYTICS | 3 |
| ECON 203 | MACROECONOMICS | 3 |
| ECON 209 | APPLIED ECONOMETRICS | 4 |
| ECON 300 | GAME THEORY AND OTHER MICRO TOPICS FOR ECON MAJORS | 3 |
| ECON 305 | GAME THEORY AND OTHER MICRO TOPICS FOR MTEC MAJORS | 3 |
Total Credit Hours | 36-38 | |
Management Concentration
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
Required Courses for the Major Concentration in Management | ||
| Business Core Requirements | ||
| BUSI 305 | FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING | 3 |
| BUSI 310 | LEADING PEOPLE IN ORGANIZATIONS | 3 |
| BUSI 343 or ECON 343 | FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT or CORPORATE FINANCE | 3 |
| BUSI 374 | OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| BUSI 380 | MARKETING | 3 |
| BUSI 390 | STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| BUSI 396 | BUSINESS COMMUNICATION | 3 |
| BUSI 430 | MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING | 3 |
| Major Concentration (Management) Core Requirements | ||
| BUSI 420 | LEADERSHIP AND TEAMS | 3 |
| BUSI 431 | ADVANCED STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| Select 2 courses from the following: | 6 | |
| BUSI 421 | POWER, INFLUENCE AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE | 3 |
| BUSI 422 | NEGOTIATIONS AND DECISION MAKING | 3 |
| BUSI 432 | BUSINESS AND SOCIETY | 3 |
| BUSI 433 | TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION STRATEGY | 3 |
| BUSI 480 | MARKETING ANALYTICS | 3 |
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| BUSI 215 | LEADING ACROSS SOCIAL DIVIDES | 3 |
| BUSI 401 | FINANCIAL STATEMENT ANALYSIS | 3 |
| BUSI 421 | POWER, INFLUENCE AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE | 3 |
| BUSI 422 | NEGOTIATIONS AND DECISION MAKING | 3 |
| BUSI 423 | EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE FOR LEADERS | 3 |
| BUSI 432 | BUSINESS AND SOCIETY | 3 |
| BUSI 433 | TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION STRATEGY | 3 |
| BUSI 447 | ADVANCED CORPORATE FINANCE | 3 |
| BUSI 448 | INVESTMENTS | 3 |
| BUSI 450 | DERIVATIVES | 3 |
| BUSI 480 | MARKETING ANALYTICS | 3 |
Total Credit Hours | 36 | |
Additional notes:
- University Graduation Requirements include 31 credit hours, comprised of Distribution Requirements (Groups I, II, and III), FWIS, and LPAP coursework. In some instances, courses satisfying major requirements may additionally meet distribution requirements. Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements include general electives, coursework completed as upper-level, residency (hours taken at Rice), and/or any other additional academic program requirements.
- No more than 3 courses (9 credit hours) of transfer credit from U.S. or international universities of similar standing as Rice may apply towards the major.
- Requests for transfer credit will be considered by the program’s official transfer credit advisor on an individual case-by-case basis.
- No substitution or transfer credit (including exam (AP/IB/A-Levels) credit) is allowed for ECON 100. It must be taken at Rice.
