The Leighton School's minors can help you diversify your undergraduate degree with additional business skills—giving you a competitive edge and adding value to your degree. Most of the new minors require only 15-18 credits, and you can gain a solid business background to complement your major. It's a great way to add marketable business skills to your resume.
The general business minor is designed for non-business majors who also want exposure to general business concepts. This minor has the most breadth, providing the flexibility to select courses within the minor that fit students' career interests.
It's a great opportunity for you to gain an understanding of key business concepts, enhancing your future in either business or non-business organizations. Regardless of the major, most students will graduate and work in an entity that directly or indirectly will require knowledge of business concepts. Students studying in the sciences, arts, or liberal arts, who would like to work for a private business, not-for-profit organization, or government will gain marketable business skills with a general business minor.
The new accounting minor introduces students to all the major areas in accounting, except auditing.
Combined with any major, accounting provides students with a good background in financial reporting, opening employment options such as a fundraiser in a non-profit organization, a communications specialist in a government entity, or a sales professional in a business setting. Computer science majors, who minor in accounting, might land a job as an entry level programmer in a financial organization or corporation.
An accounting minor also offers the basic skills needed to work as a bookkeeper, or succeed in an entry-level position in an organization's accounting department.
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Earning a minor in Finance prepares students to manage their financial futures as well as broadens their understanding of corporate finance, investments and financial institutions and markets.
A finance minor is a strong complement to computer science, mathematics, philosophy or any analytical discipline. Adding a finance minor creates value for students seeking careers in any type of business, not-for profit, or government organization.
This minor allows students to develop expertise in health services management issues—one of the fastest growing industries in the nation. Students will gain a foundation in the health services delivery system, opening opportunities for careers in healthcare institutions.
Combined with majors in the liberal arts such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, English, language studies, and computer science; or majors in the arts such as communications studies or integrated new media studies; or the sciences, students acquire skills that prepare them to work in healthcare organizations in communications, patient advocacy, laboratories, and information technology.
Human resource management is about managing employees in the labor force.
Most majors, and especially those that focus on people such as psychology, anthropology, or sociology, combined with a human resources management minor can prepare students for a career in human resources. The combination opens opportunities to work as employment, recruitment, placement, or employee relations specialists for non-profit, government, or business organizations. A computer science major who adds a human resources management minor can succeed at an entry-level human resources information systems or technical recruiting position.
Effective management of people and projects is essential for private, public, and non-profit organizations in all fields.
Regardless of their major, students who aspire to leadership roles in their work life will need strong managerial skills in order to advance.
Computer science majors who choose the minor can gain the management skills necessary to lead technical teams in their organizations. Science majors with this minor are prepared to manage a science-based organization or lab, and a math major may find an entry level position as an actuary or business statistician in an insurance or other business organization.
The Management Information Systems (MIS) minor focuses on exploring, analyzing, integrating, and reporting data to inform decision-making in business organizations. Students study basic concepts, principles, and methods for data analysis to align IT-supported analytics with business strategy.
The MIS minor complements computer science, math, actuarial science, and science majors requiring strong analytical skills. The minor provides students with the business knowledge and analytical skills to perform as data analysts in business, non-profit and government organizations.
The marketing minor enhances other programs of study and provides career flexibility. Students with a marketing minor benefit from enhanced employment opportunities, develop an understanding of the marketing and customer issues applicable to all businesses, and learn communication skills that will facilitate relationships with marketing personnel.
An English major paired with a marketing minor can gain the entry level skills to begin a career in communications and marketing in a business or not-for-profit organization. Combined with a science major, the student can market technical and scientific products to consumers. Arts majors can gain the skills needed to promote arts organizations or other business entities focused on the arts.
Small businesses hire people who can play many roles, so the small business and entrepreneurship minor can provide the skills and knowledge students need to be the versatile employees small businesses want to hire. All businesses, small or large, require individuals who think entrepreneurially to take advantage of new opportunities and develop creative strategies to deal with challenges.
Theatre or art majors, who are often self-employed, will have the skills to market and grow their own businesses. Communications and media majors who add the small business and entrepreneurship minor to their degree can choose to work in a small communications and marketing department or open their own businesses.
