Undergraduate Business Minor

BUSI 296 Business Communications (3) Fall and Spring Semesters
Provides an introduction to business, focusing on the strategy and practice of effective communications in business situations. The course includes individual communication skills assessment and development as well as team-based oral and written communication instruction. No pre-requisites.

BUSI 305 Financial Accounting (3) Fall and Spring Semesters
Covers the preparation, analysis, and use of corporate financial statements; asset and liability valuation and income determination; receivables, inventories, present values, tangible and intangible fixed assets, bonds, leases, shareholder equity, intercorporate investments, consolidations and cash flow accounting. Not open to entering Freshmen. No pre-requisites.

BUSI 310 Leading People in Organizations (3) Fall Semesters
Introduces the sociological and social psychological processes underlying individual and group behavior in organizations and how they can be effectively managed. Topics include leadership effectiveness, team processes, organizational change and innovation, job-related attitudes, work motivation, organizational culture and climate, and cross-cultural issues in management. Not open to Freshmen. Pre-requisite(s): STAT 280 and ECON 301

BUSI 343 Financial Management (3) Fall and Spring Semesters 
Develops the basic concepts of corporate financial management and introduces a set of analytical tools to evaluate financial decisions. Employs concepts of time value of money, risk and return, and market efficiency to examine how capital market investors value risky assets. Develops a framework for evaluating corporate investment and financing decisions. Pre-requisite(s): STAT 280, BUSI 305, and ECON 301

BUSI 380 Marketing (3) Spring Semesters
Introduces the role of marketing in organizations and the principal marketing decisions facing management. Topics include marketing planning and strategy; buyer behavior; development and management of products and services; branding; channels of distribution; sales, advertising and promotional methods; pricing strategy; and the development of integrated marketing strategies and programs. Not open to Freshmen. Pre-requisite(s): STAT 280 and ECON 301

BUSI 471 Strategic Management (3) Spring Semesters
Capstone course for the business minor. Examines the strategic management of businesses in market and non-market environments. Key topics include competitive and industry analysis, strategy formulation and implementation, and strategic planning. Case discussions of real companies are combined with readings concerning the key topics. Pre-requisite(s): Students must have completed at least three (3) of the courses required for the business minor to enroll.   

Who can enroll in Business Minor courses? 
The courses below are open to any Rice undergraduate who meets enrollment requirements, not just to students who have declared an intention to complete the minor. Most of the courses have prerequisites in statistics and microeconomics.

Do students need the prerequisites?
Yes. Microeconomics and statistics are required because these courses provide the foundation for many of the concepts developed in the business courses. The statistics requirement can be fulfilled by receiving AP credit for STAT 280, completing STAT 280 or an approved alternative (see below). The economics requirement can be fulfilled by completing ECON 301 (formerly 370) or ECON 201 (formerly 211) completed at Rice. The Program Director will not approve requests to waive the prerequisites for BUSI 343 or BUSI 471.

Which courses are approved alternatives to STAT 280?
The following courses are approved: STAT 305, STAT 310, STAT 331, STAT 339, ELEC 303, PSYC 339, SOCI 298, plus any courses cross-listed with these STAT courses (e.g. ECON 382, ELEC 331.).

Are the course enrollments capped? 
Due to classroom space and the nature of the courses, enrollments in all BUSI sections are capped. All students who have fulfilled the relevant prerequisites can register for courses during the registration period. If a given course is oversubscribed, the Jones School will conduct a weighted lottery to determine which students will be admitted to the course. The lottery will give advantage to students who have successfully completed a greater number of courses in the program and/or are closer to graduation. 

Do the BUSI courses count for distribution credit?
BUSI 296, BUSI 305, and BUSI 380 count for distribution credit. It is possible that other courses will count for distribution credit in the future.

Is there a necessary sequence for courses?
No. Students do not have to take BUSI 296 before taking other BUSI courses, as it is not a prerequisite.

For further information, please contact Rick Schell, Director, Undergraduate Business Minor, at (713) 348-3321.