Business Course Selection Guide

Sample Fall Semester Schedule

Course 1 | First-Year Writing Requirement

Choose: Writing and Rhetoric or University Seminar

You must take a University Seminar (USEM) in your first year. If you do not have Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) credit for Writing and Rhetoric, you must also take Writing and Rhetoric in your first year. 

If you need to take both a USEM and Writing and Rhetoric in your first year, you will take one in the fall semester and the other in the spring semester. You can take the USEM and Writing and Rhetoric in either order. You cannot take them both in the same semester.

If you have AP or IB credit for Writing and Rhetoric, you should take a USEM, an additional Business requirement, a Core course, or an elective in the fall semester as described below. You can discuss your options with your first-year advisor. 

Students are only allowed to take one USEM while at Notre Dame.

Course 2 | Business Requirement

Choose: MATH 10250: Elements of Calculus or ECON 10010: Principles of Microeconomics

All Mendoza students must take a calculus-level math course and a microeconomics course in their first year. 

AP or IB credit can fulfill these requirements, so if you have credit for one of these courses you should take the other in the fall semester, if possible. If you have AP or IB credit for both courses, you can take an additional Business requirement, a Core course, or elective instead. Those options are explained in more detail below. 

Note: Are you considering a second major in Economics?

• You should instead take the two-semester calculus sequence required for the economics major, MATH 10350: Calculus A and MATH 10360: Calculus B. Follow the steps on the Calculus Requirements by Major page to select the course and corequisite tutorial you need. AP or IB credit can be used to fulfill this requirement. 
• If you have AP or IB credit for Principles of Microeconomics, you can take ECON 10020: Principles of Macroeconomics as required for the economics major. If you have AP or IB credit for both ECON courses, you might consider ECON 30340: Statistics for Economics or ECON 30100: Intermediate Microeconomics. You can discuss appropriate options with your first-year advisor. 

Note: Are you considering a second major in Applied and Computational Math and Statistics (ACMS), Math, or Physics?

• You should instead take the two-semester calculus sequence required for these majors, MATH 10550: Calculus I and MATH 10560: Calculus II. Follow the steps on the Calculus Requirements by Major page to select the course and corequisite tutorial you need. AP or IB credit can be used to fulfill this requirement. 

• If you have AP or IB credit for both Calculus I and II, you might consider MATH 20550: Calculus III, ACMS 20550: Introduction to Applied Math Methods I, or ACMS 20620: Applied Linear Algebra, depending on your planned second major. You can discuss appropriate options with your first-year advisor. 

Course 3 | Business Requirement 

Choose: 3 credits of Business Core (one 3-credit course or two 1.5-credit courses)

Mendoza expects you to complete at least 3 credits of the Business Core in the fall semester of your first year, 9 total credits by the end of the spring semester, and all of the Business Core by the end of sophomore year. 

Choose 3 credits from the list of Business Core requirements:

• ACCT 20100: Foundations of Accountancy (3 credits)
• FIN 20150: Foundations of Finance (3 credits) 
• MARK 20100: Foundations of Marketing (3 credits) 
• ITAO 20210: Foundations of Coding (3 credits) 
  • If you are considering a second major in ACMS, you should not take this course. You will take a coding course for the ACMS major that will satisfy this requirement.
• ITAO 20200: Foundations of Statistics (3 credits) 
  • If you are considering a second major in economics, ACMS, or math, you should not take this course. You will take statistics courses for these majors that will satisfy this requirement.
• MGTO 20000: Foundations of Leadership (1.5 credits)
• MGTO 20300: Foundations of Strategy (1.5 credits) 
• MGTO 20700: Foundations of Ethical Behavior (1.5 credits)
  • If you are interested in applying to the Business Honors Program, you should not take this course. You have the opportunity to apply to the Business Honors Program during the spring semester and, if admitted, you will instead take an Honors ethics course during sophomore year. If you apply and are not admitted, you can take MGTO 20700 during sophomore year. 

Course 4 | Core Course or Elective

Choose: A course for the Core Curriculum or an elective

Liberal Arts 1, 3, and 5 requirements of the Core are generally satisfied by courses in the Mendoza curriculum, so your best options are to search for Liberal Arts 2, 4, or 6 courses; Foundational Theology courses; or Introductory Philosophy courses. Review this video for instructions on how to search for these categories using PATH Class Search. 

Electives are courses you choose to take for any number of reasons: to discern a second major or minor, to explore an area of interest outside of business, or to continue a subject you enjoyed in high school. Mendoza does not have a language requirement, so students interested in language courses can take them as electives. 

Course 5 | Additional Business Requirement or Core Course or Elective

Choose: An additional Business course or a Core course or an elective

You can select an additional course from one of the options explained above: another Business requirement, Core Curriculum course, or elective. 

Course 6 | Moreau First Year Experience

Choose: A section of FYS 10101: Moreau First Year Experience based on your assigned campus neighborhood. Read the instructions for selecting a section of FYS 10101 here.

Sample Spring Semester Schedule

Course 1 | First-Year Writing Requirement

Choose: Writing and Rhetoric or University Seminar

If you did not take a USEM in the fall semester, you must take one in the spring semester. 

If you took a USEM in the fall semester and do not have AP or IB credit for Writing and Rhetoric, you must take Writing and Rhetoric in the spring semester.

If you took a USEM in the fall semester and have AP or IB credit for Writing and Rhetoric, you should take an additional Business requirement, a Core course, or an elective in the spring semester as described below. You can discuss your options with your first-year advisor. 

Students are only allowed to take one USEM while at Notre Dame.

Course 2 | Business Requirement

Choose: MATH 10250: Elements of Calculus or ECON 10010: Principles of Microeconomics

All Mendoza students must take a calculus-level math course and a microeconomics course in their first year. AP or IB credit can fulfill these requirements, so if you have credit for one of these courses you should take the other. 

If you have AP or IB credit for both courses or completed both requirements in the fall semester, you should explore options for an additional Business requirement, a Core course, or elective as described below. You can discuss options with your first-year advisor. 

Note: Are you considering a second major in Economics?

• You should instead take the two-semester calculus sequence required for the economics major, MATH 10350: Calculus A and MATH 10360: Calculus B. Follow the steps on the Calculus Requirements by Major page to select the course and corequisite tutorial you need. AP or IB credit can be used to fulfill this requirement. 
• If you have AP or IB credit for Principles of Microeconomics or took ECON 10010 in the fall semester, you can take ECON 10020: Principles of Macroeconomics as required for the economics major. If you have AP or IB credit for both ECON courses or took ECON 10020 in the fall semester, you might consider ECON 30340: Statistics for Economics or ECON 30100: Intermediate Microeconomics. You can discuss appropriate options with your first-year advisor. 

Note: Are you considering a second major in Applied and Computational Math and Statistics (ACMS), Math, or Physics?

• You should instead take the two-semester calculus sequence required for the economics major, MATH 10550: Calculus I and MATH 10560: Calculus II. Follow the steps on the Calculus Requirements by Major page to select the course and corequisite tutorial you need. AP or IB credit can be used to fulfill this requirement. 

• If you have AP or IB credit for Calculus I and II or took MATH 10560 in the fall semester, you might consider MATH 20550: Calculus III, ACMS 20550: Introduction to Applied Math Methods I, or ACMS 20620: Applied Linear Algebra, depending on your planned second major. You can discuss appropriate options with your first-year advisor. 

Course 3 | Business Requirement 

Choose: 3 credits of Business Core (one 3-credit course or two 1.5-credit courses)

Mendoza expects you to complete at least 3 credits of the Business Core in the fall semester of your first year, 9 total credits by the end of the spring semester, and all of the Business Core by the end of sophomore year. 

Choose 3 credits from the list of Business Core requirements:

• ACCT 20100: Foundations of Accountancy (3 credits)
• FIN 20150: Foundations of Finance (3 credits) 
• MARK 20100: Foundations of Marketing (3 credits) 
• ITAO 20210: Foundations of Coding (3 credits) 
  • If you are considering a second major in ACMS, you should not take this course. You will take a coding course for the ACMS major that will satisfy this requirement.
• ITAO 20200: Foundations of Statistics (3 credits) 
  • If you are considering a second major in economics, ACMS, or math, you should not take this course. You will take statistics courses for these majors that will satisfy this requirement.
• MGTO 20000: Foundations of Leadership (1.5 credits)
• MGTO 20300: Foundations of Strategy (1.5 credits) 
• MGTO 20700: Foundations of Ethical Behavior (1.5 credits)
  • If you are interested in applying to the Business Honors Program, you should not take this course. You have the opportunity to apply to the Business Honors Program during the spring semester and, if admitted, you will instead take an Honors ethics course during sophomore year. If you apply and are not admitted, you can take MGTO 20700 during sophomore year. 

Course 4 | Business Requirement or Core Course or Elective

Choose: 3 credits of Business Core or a course for the Core Curriculum or an elective

If you need an additional 3 credits of Business Core to complete 9 total credits in your first year, you should register for those credits as a first choice. 

If you have completed 9 total credits of Business Core based on your fall courses and the courses already chosen for spring, you can register for another Core course or an elective. 

Course 5 | Core Course or Elective

Choose: A course for the Core Curriculum or an elective

Liberal Arts 1, 3, and 5 requirements of the Core are generally satisfied by courses in the Mendoza curriculum, so your best options are to search for Liberal Arts 2, 4, or 6 courses; Foundational Theology courses; or Introductory Philosophy courses. Review this video for instructions on how to search for these categories using PATH Class Search.  

Electives are courses you choose to take for any number of reasons: to discern a second major or minor, to explore an area of interest outside of business, or to continue a subject you enjoyed in high school. Mendoza does not have a language requirement, so students interested in language courses can take them as electives. 

Course 6 | Moreau First Year Experience

Choose: A section of FYS 10102: Moreau First Year Experience 

There are no neighborhoods for Moreau in the spring semester. You can select any section that is available and fits your schedule.