The Minor

The Business minor provides an opportunity for non-Isenberg majors to complement their academic and professional interests. This interdisciplinary minor will provide students with a foundation in the areas of accounting, finance, management, marketing, and operations & information management. Students will acquire skills in decision making, organizational behavior, strategy, project management, and supply-chain management.

Requirements

• The Business Minor is a 15 credit program; however, statistics is a prerequisite to enrollment in OIM 301 - see list of qualifying statistics courses below. To complete the Business Minor, students must complete a statistics course plus the 15 credits of business foundations courses.
• Required courses:
• ACCOUNTNG 233: Financial and Managerial Accounting Principles
• FINANCE 301: Fundamentals of Finance (Must have completed ACCOUNTNG 233 or take it concurrently)
• MANAGMNT 301: Principles of Management
• MARKETNG 301: Fundamentals of Marketing
• OIM 301: Introduction to Operations Management (Required prerequisite is Statistics. Use the list of statistics class options below that will best align with your major.)
• CE-ENGIN 260: Probability & Statistics in Civil Engineering
• COMPSCI 240: Reasoning Under Uncertainty
• EC-ENG 214 Probability & Statistics
• EDUC 240: Introduction to Educational Statistics
• M&I-ENG 273: Probability and Statistic
• PUBHLTH 223: Introduction to Biostatistics for Public Health
• PUBHLTH 490R: Introduction to Statistical Computing
• PSYCH 240: Statistics in Psychology
• RES-ECON 212: Intro Stats/Soc Sci
• RES-ECON 213: Intermediate Statistics for Business and Economics
• SOCIOL 212: Elementary Statistics
• SPP 204: Statistical Models for Public Policy
• STATISTC 240: Intro to Statistics
• STATISTC 297F: Special Topics - Fundamental Concepts of Statistics
• STATISTC 515: Statistics
• STATISTC 516: Statistics
• STATISTC 525: Regression & Analysis of Variance

How to Sign-up for the Minor

Students may indicate their intent to pursue the business minor in the fall or spring terms via a lottery system. The lottery system is intended to provide an opportunity for all majors across campus to submit their intent to pursue the business minor. Rising seniors are unlikely to be selected due to the shortened timeframe to fulfill the business minor requirements. Capacity is limited. The lottery system is live for two weeks approximately one month prior to course registration for fall and spring terms.

Four Ways to Complete the Business Minor

1. On-campus During Regular Academic Year (Fall & Spring)
   • The Business Minor courses are offered on campus during the fall and spring semesters.
   • Plan to take the minor courses over the span of multiple semesters.
2. Online Through University+
   • All of the Business Minor courses are offered online through University+. Courses taken through University+ apply toward its completion.
   • NOTE: Courses taken through University+ are not included in your on-campus tuition and fees.
   • Consult the University+ web site for information about the schedule of course offerings (fall, winter, spring and summer sessions) and associated costs.
3. Study Abroad for Business Minor Students
• In partnership with the UMass Amherst Office of Global Affairs and CIS Abroad, Isenberg is thrilled to announce the Fall 2025 launch of our Barcelona program specifically designed for Business Minor students!
• Business Minor students can fulfill two business minor requirements (MANAGMNT 301 and MARKETNG 301) and fill the rest of their schedule with business electives or major requirements.
• If you would like to learn more about this opportunity, please click here. You can also contact Bridget McMahon, Isenberg Program Coordinator, or Ilene Tillman, Education Abroad Advisor, with any questions.
4. Complete the Program Combining On-Campus & Online Classes
• Take advantage of both on-campus and online classes to best meet your scheduling needs and preferences.
• On-campus classes fall under on-campus tuition and fees.
• Online classes fall under University+ tuition and fees.

Students need to have a 2.0 cumulative GPA in Business Minor coursework.

FAQ

As a Business Minor student, am I subject to the additional student fee paid by Isenberg undergraduate students?
No. Only students enrolled in an Isenberg major are subject to the additional fee.

Where can I go for career advice and assistance?
For career advice and assistance, consult with career staff for your major to learn about resources and opportunities in your field.  In addition, the campus - wide office of Career Development & Professional Connections is available to all students regardless of major.

Can I take any of the courses at another university and transfer them into the minor?
At least three of the five required courses must be completed through the Isenberg School of Management either on-campus or through University+. With prior approval, up to two of the required courses may be transferred in from another institution.

Can I fulfill business minor requirements while studying abroad?
Please submit a completed ICAF, and course descriptions, to undergrad@isenberg.umass.edu for review. At least three of the five required courses must be completed through the Isenberg School of Management either on-campus or through University+. With prior approval, up to two of the required courses may be transferred in from another institution.

I completed the Intent to Pursue the Business Minor form, but the minor does not appear in Spire.
If you received confirmation that you have been selected from the lottery, and the Business Minor does not appear in the academic area of your Student Center in Spire, please email us at undergrad@isenberg.umass.edu.

If I'm having difficulty enrolling in OIM 301 even though I fulfilled the appropriate statistics requirement, what do I do?
If you successfully completed an approved statistics course for the Business Minor, please contact us at undergrad@isenberg.umass.edu. Please include your 8-digit Spire ID in your email along with the section number and course number of the OIM 301 course and we will assist with your enrollment on a space-available basis.

Can classes in the minor be taken Pass/Fail?
No. The five required classes cannot be taken Pass/Fail.

Restrictions

Business Minors will not have access to Isenberg academic advisors, Isenberg Office of Career Success, or IConnect.

Questions

Please contact the Isenberg Undergraduate Programs Office at undergrad@isenberg.umass.edu or 413-545-5610.