Major/Minor Requirements

The  Business and Entrepreneurship (BUEN) major harnesses the power of liberal arts education to prepare students for thoughtful leadership of and engagement with for-profit businesses, non-profit organizations, and start-up ventures.   Broadly speaking, “business” refers to the various aspects of managing the people and resources of an organization to meet the goals of the organization within a market framework, while "entrepreneurship" refers to taking initiative and creating positive change in the world through a start-up or in an existing entity. 

The BUEN major allows students to understand the role of business within society, develop depth within a chosen focus area related to business, and better prepare them for their lives after Lawrence.  The BUEN major is for students who plan to continue into careers in for-profit businesses and not-for-profit organizations, both in the United States and globally.

Students begin the BUEN major with three introductory courses: 1) Business and Society (BUEN 100);  2) Introductory Economics (ECON 100); and 3) Fundamentals of Accounting (BUEN 120).   Students then move on to an intermediate group of core courses that add breadth of both perspective and skills in accounting and financial management, marketing, and entrepreneurship.

In addition, students take a course that helps them to understand business "for the greater good,"  a class that focuses on the ethical, environmental, and/or societal aspects of business in both theory and practice. This requirement  ask students to think critically about the choices that confront businesses today and how businesses have, or have failed to, or could contribute to the greater good of our society.

The BUEN major further  requires students to select a focus area (four additional courses) that provides their major with a deeper level of engagement and understanding. Students may currently select from: 1) Entrepreneurship; 2) Business Analytics; 3) Arts Entrepreneurship; 4) Natural Resource and Energy Management. Students may also self-design their own focus area, with approval of their advisor and the I & E director. Each focus area requires some courses that bridge business topics and skills from relevant disciplines.

The Experiential Learning requirement of the BUEN major helps  to "learn by doing" in a non-classroom setting.  There are a number of ways to fulfill this requirement (see below), but many students will opt for an off-campus internship between their junior and senior years. 

The BUEN Senior Experience seminar (BUEN 600) emphasizes the benefits of blending the tools of business disciplines with multiple liberal arts perspectives on understanding business and its place, history, challenges, and promise in society.  It furthers integrates the Experiential Learning requirement of the major so that students have both an understanding of business and entrepreneurship in theory and in practice. 

 

 

The major in Business & Entrepreneurship requires the following courses:

Introductory level (3 courses):

BUEN 100:  Business and Society

BUEN 120/I & E 120: Fundamentals of Accounting

ECON 100: Introductory Economics

Intermediate core  (4 courses for breadth):

I & E 100, In Pursuit of Innovation or I & E 245/GOVT 248, Social Entrepreneurship

BUEN 220/I & E 220  Foundations of Financial Management 

BUEN 250/I & E 250: Introduction to Marketing

Business and the Greater Good –– select one course from this list of options: 

• HIST 307/BUEN 307, History of Black Business in 20th Century America
• ENST/ECON/GOVT 151, Introduction to Environmental Policy
• ENST 470/GOVT 465,  Environmental Politics
• ENST/GOVT 270/GLST 271, Global Environmental Politics
• BUEN 365, Ethical Issues in Business Today
• ETST 342/BUEN 342, Workplace Diversity and Equity

Additional courses, including courses taken during off-campus study, may meet this requirement with approval of the advisor and Director of I & E. 

Focus area  (4 courses for depth) - select one area only:

Note:  Students should consult their academic advisor for the BUEN major or the Director of I & E for a full list of approved electives for each focus area.

Entrepreneurship

     a. I & E 300, Entrepreneurial Ventures

     b. 12-units of Entrepreneurship electives

     c. 6-units of  BUEN elective 

Arts Entrepreneurship

     a. BUEN 150/MUEP 150, Introduction to Arts Management

     b. I & E 280/MUSI 280, Entrepreneurial Musician 

     c. 6-units in  Arts Entrepreneurship electives 

    d. 6-units of  BUEN elective 

Business Analytics

     a. ECON 223, Quantitative Decision Making

     b. STAT 255, Statistics for Data Science (calculus required as a prereq)

     c. 6-units in Business Analytics electives

     d. 6-units of BUEN elective

Natural Resource and Energy Management

     a.  Environmental, Social, and Governance Issues in Business (new course to be added)

     b. ECON 285, Natural Resource and Energy Economics

     c. 6-units of Natural Resource and Energy Management electives

     d. 6-units of BUEN elective 

Self-designed Focus Area: students have the option of working with their advisor to propose a set of courses with an explanation of how these courses would result in a coherent focus area in the BUEN major. Students interested in doing this should plan with their advisor and consult the chair of I & E before beginning their junior year at Lawrence or, for transfer students, in their first year at Lawrence. The Self-designed focus area must be approved both by the advisor and the Director of I & E.  

Experiential Learning Requirement:

BUEN 594: Experiential Learning and Professional Preparation

In addition to BUEN 594, All students must take an experiential learning component, which can be fulfilled in one of the following ways:  

     a. not-for-credit internship, usually taken in the summer after the junior year

     b. for-credit internship during the academic year

     c. I & E 395, I & E practicum, currently offerings include the Rabbit Gallery, KidsGive, and Start-up Theatre.  Other practicum options may be accepted with the approval of the chair of I & E. 

     d. Internship completed during an off-campus student program

     e.  BUEN 401/I & E 401 Field Experience  (included two, 3-unit courses plus a travel component) 

     f. Shadowing experience with a business organization (requires advisor approval).

Senior Experience: 

BUEN 600, Senior Experience seminar (3 units) 

 

Additional information:

Transfer students planning to major in BUEN should consult their advisor at an early date to develop a program for completing the major in a timely fashion.

The BUEN major encourages its students to make full use of the programs and opportunities offered by Lawrence University, including study abroad exploration.  Students should consult the office of Off-Campus programs, their advisor, or the Director of I & E for more information on the programs best suited for their interests and needs. 

All BUEN majors complete an experiential learning requirement which enables them to "learn by doing."  Students have the opportunity to complete this requirement in a number of ways, including:  1) a not-for credit internship, typically taken in the summer between the junior and senior academic years; 2) a for-credit internship taking during the academic year, typically in the junior or senior year; 3) participation in a practicum sponsored by the I & E program.  Currently these practicums include Rabbit Gallery, Start-up Theatre, and KidsGive.

Students may also complete an internship as part of an off-campus study abroad program, such as that offered by the Lawrence London Centre. Other ways to fulfill the requirement include completing a field experience project, or through an approved “shadowing” experience with a business organization.

In addition, all BUEN majors take BUEN 594: Experiential Learning and Professional Preparation, a 2-unit course that is taught in conjunction with a career service professional.  This course prepares and facilitates the experiential option selected by the student, and supports students pursuing a variety of career paths.    

The Senior Experience seminar (BUEN 600) provides a bookend to the introductory Business and Society course. Through readings, discussions, and guest speakers, students will reflect on their learning inside and outside the classroom. The seminar also features a reflection assignment that involves students connecting their experiential learning to their coursework and career plans. The Senior Experience seminar thus provides a structure for students to reflect on their learning in the major, including the experiential component, and to connect those experiences to their future career plans, goals, and aspirations.