Business Major Policy
Notre Dame First-Year Applicants Interested in Majoring in Business
Upon application to Notre Dame, all students are asked to make a non-binding indication of the college or school and specific major or discipline in which they intend to major.
Applicants who indicate an intent to enroll into the Mendoza College of Business will be informed at the time of admission, whether they are “preapproved” to do so at the end of their first year. If admitted but not preapproved, students will be advised that they will be free to enroll in any other college or school, but that the chances of being approved to major in business after the first year will be limited. If a student who is preapproved to major in business later decides not to do so, she or he will be free to choose a major in any other college or school at Notre Dame (assuming they have completed the appropriate prerequisite courses).
Notre Dame is the first choice college for most of our applicants, and we anticipate that many who indicate a business intent on their applications will opt to enroll here without the preapproved status and seek other majors.
After the first year, a small number of students who were not preapproved to major in business, will be allowed to do so. This number will include both students currently matriculated at Notre Dame as well as some students applying to Notre Dame as transfer applicants from other universities.
The management of the size of the business college is important to ensure that our students, faculty, and employers continue to reap the benefits of one of the top business education programs worldwide.
Notre Dame offers many programs in addition to the BBA degree that afford students the opportunity to learn about business principles.
School of Architecture
Architectural Practice and Enterprise (APE)
Allows a small number of architecture students (8) to concentrate in business by taking core classes in accounting, management, statistics, finance, and economics, to name a few of the courses.
College of Arts and Letters
Economics Major
The program provides students with the insights of scientific analysis and social perspective to deepen their understanding of the complex economic forces at work in society.
International Economics Major
Linguistic and cultural fluency is an increasingly important asset in business; students in the College of Arts and Letters can achieve both with a major in International Economics.
Business Economics Minor (MBEC)
Students earn a business economics minor, which allows them to become literate in basic business principles in conjunction with a degree from the College of Arts and Letters.
Computing and Digital Technologies Minor
The College of Arts and Letters and the College of Engineering have partnered to offer an interdisciplinary Computing & Digital Technologies (CDT) minor that allows students to blend programming and technology skills with the liberal arts in a wide variety of ways.
College of Science
Actuarial Science
The minor in actuarial science is a new course of study tailored to the needs of students interested in actuarial careers, especially in business.
Joint Five-Year MBA/Science Program
This dual-degree five-year program is available to Notre Dame undergraduates in the College of Science and allows them to simultaneously earn Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees.
College of Engineering
Integrated Engineering and Business Practices Program
This course of study increases the effectiveness of engineering graduates by developing an understanding of the dynamics associated in business operations.
Minor in Engineering Corporate Practice (MECP)
This course of study allows engineering students to earn credits in accounting, finance, and economics toward a corporate practice minor.
Joint Five-Year MBA/Engineering Program
The dual-degree five-year program is available to Notre Dame undergraduates in the College of Engineering and allows them to simultaneously earn Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Business Administration degrees.
ESTEEM Program
This 11-month professional master’s program is designed to surround individuals with STEM backgrounds an entrepreneurial ecosystem allowing them to take university technologies from concept to market.
Mendoza College of Business Offerings for All Students
Master of Science in Management
A 10-month graduate program for non-business (major or minor) undergraduates that aims to bridge a student’s undergraduate work with its application in a business context by providing fundamental business knowledge and skills, all within the ethics-based approach to business education.
The minor is designed for non-business majors who are interested in complementing their course of study with a foundation in accounting.
The minor is open to non-business majors and exposes students to this essential component of modern marketing, which includes applied digital marketing and social media marketing.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Minor
In this minor that is open to all undergraduates, students develop their business skills, gain real-world experience and learn first-hand what it takes to bring their ideas to life.
As an applied area of study, the minor exposes both business and non-business majors to various disciplines related to real estate, including accounting, architecture, engineering, economics, finance, and law.