Undergraduate Programs

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. Selling your services.

And 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 1-year, 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

The Curriculum

The minor is structured so students may complete the entire minor in one year 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.

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

Fall Quarter

BA 101 - Introduction to Business (4)
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)
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.

Winter Quarter

BA 316 - Working with Customers for Business Minors (4)
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. Pre-requisite: BA 101.

BA 326 - Working with People for Business Minors (4)
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. Pre-requisite: BA 101.

Spring Quarter

BA 336 - Working with Information for Business Minors (4)
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. Pre-requisite: BA 101.

BA 346 - Working as an Entrepreneur for Business Minors (4)
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.

Waitlists and Class Attendance

Demand for many SBA classes is high and classes fill quickly. Pay close attention to the directions for getting on a waitlist via the online registration system. Students are admitted from the waitlist in the order in which they registered, and only if there is available room in the class. Students on the waitlist for a class must attend the first class to determine if they are allowed to formally add the class. Only the instructor can make this determination. Note: Students who fail to attend the first day of class and do not notified the instructor risk losing their seat to someone on the waitlist.

Contact

For more information about the new Business Minor, contact:

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

Students currently following the previous Business Minor should make an contact Becky Sanchez to discuss the option of converting to the new minor.

If you are currently following the previous minor requirements and do not wish to convert to the new minor, no problem. See the Previous Business Minor Requirements page.