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Business Minor

Whatever your chosen field, chances are good that you'll be working in some type of business, agency or practice, responsible for budgets, working with clients or customers, managing employees and selling your services. If your career dreams involve running your own show, it's even more important that you leave school with a set of skills to help you translate your passion into a sustainable career that offers you financial as well as professional rewards.

That's why the 24-credit business minor may be a good fit for you.

Drawing on the School of Business Administration's deep connections to the Portland-area business community, courses that apply to the business minor are taught by working professionals who emphasize real world application of business. No theory. Just the day-to-day basics, including:

  • How to balance the books
  • How to write a marketing plan
  • What to look for when hiring employees
  • Tips for working on a small team and in a large organization
  • Knowing when you need an accountant or a lawyer
  • How to build a database and use it to leverage your work
  • Where and when to advertise
  • Understanding financial documents, from rental agreements to loan papers

For more information, visit the Business Minor FAQ page.

The Curriculum

The minor is structured so students may complete the entire minor in one year if they choose by taking two 4-credit classes per term. All classes except BA 101 are open to minors only, so students are a diverse mix of future music teachers, artists, counselors, health professionals, writers, performers, lawyers, engineers, non-profit managers, and more.  Students may complete the program over the course of one year or several years

Note: Business majors may not use any of these classes, with the exception of BA 101, as business credit.

BA 101 - Introduction to Business (4) - offered Fall, Winter, Spring & Summer terms
The initial course in both the major and the minor, BA 101 uses a functional approach to introduce students to the basic foundations of business: finance, management, accounting and marketing.

BA 306 - Working with Money for Business Minors (4) - offered Fall & Spring terms
Essential topics in accounting and finance for business minors. Reading and interpreting income statements and balance sheets, especially for small businesses. Forecasting to determine financing requirements. The use of techniques in time value of money to determine present values, loan payments, etc. Sources of business financing. Co-requisite: BA 101.

BA 316 - Working with Customers for Business Minors (4) - offered Winter & Spring terms
Essential topics in marketing for business minors. Students will be introduced to the basic concepts of marketing and customer satisfaction. Students will explore primary considerations of the market environment and marketing practices including price, promotion, distribution and product in an applied setting. Co-requisite or Pre-requisite: BA 101.

BA 326 - Working with People for Business Minors (4) - offered Fall & Winter terms
Essential topics in management and business communications. Focuses on the management of business organizations in an applied setting. Key topics include motivating and leading individuals and groups, working effectively in teams and conflict management. In addition, students will learn to collect, organize and present information in a business setting. Co-requisite or Pre-requisite: BA 101.

BA 336 - Working with Information for Business Minors (4) - offered Winter & Spring terms
This course develops the ability to use quantitative and qualitative information in support of analysis, decision-making, and communication. Key areas of focus include interpretation of everyday statistics, effective thinking skills, and examples of applications in the workplace. This course is a survey course. Co-requisite or Pre-requisite: BA 101.

BA 346 - Working as an Entrepreneur for Business Minors (4) - offered Spring term only
This is the capstone course in the business minor. This course will provide the student an opportunity to link previous coursework in the development of business plans and organizations, with specific emphasis on the challenges of small emerging organizations. This course will be a project-based course that will provide the students with a toolbox of applied skills. Pre-requisite: BA 101, this course is recommended to be taken last.

Contact Information

For more information about the Business Minor, contact:

Becky Sanchez
SBA Academic Advisor
503-725-4745
sanchez.sba@pdx.edu

Students currently following the previous Business Minor should contact Becky Sanchez to discuss the option of converting to the new minor or completing the requirements for the old Business Minor.

 

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