Advice on Starting the Business Administration Major

The structure of the major follows a developmental progression. Students first gain knowledge of markets, accounting, and data. They then build skills in communication, teamwork, and decision-making. As they advance, they develop broader perspective on the economic, ethical, and social contexts in which business operates. The goal is for students to be able to make thoughtful, well-supported, and successful decisions in complex and pressured situations.

Major declarations for the business major happen winter term of students’ sophomore year. Students will have business advisors for the remaining two years.

NOTE: W&L is converting from 3-digit course codes to 4-digit codes in Fall 2026. The new numbers (e.g., 2002) for the old numbers (e.g., 202) will be used here.

The First Two Years of the Business Major

For students considering a business major, we strongly encourage them to take the following courses by the end of their first two years:

• ECON 1001 – Principles of Microeconomics
• BUS 2002 – Fundamentals of Business Analytics
• BUS 2100 – Foundations of Business Communication
• BUS 2200 – Management & Organizational Behavior
• ACCT 1000 – Introduction to Accounting
• FIN 2000 – Managerial Finance
  • Students should take ACCT 1000 (the pre-requisite for FIN 2000) either Winter term of their first year or Fall term of their sophomore year. Be aware the Accounting & Finance department gives registration priority for FIN 2000 to sophomores. Therefore FIN 2000 should be taken by the end of sophomore year.

Example Two-Year Schedule

Below is a possible schedule of courses for students interested in the Business Administration major in their first two years. This is just an example and is obviously subject to availability and the needs of the individual student to graduate (e.g., if you need to take FIN 2000 Winter term of your sophomore year. As a reminder, students need 120 credits to graduate.

More Notes on Timing

• If there is space in the course and the student’s schedule allows, student may consider taking BUS 2300 – Marketing Management their sophomore year.
• Look at the courses offered each term that would count towards the non-business requirement. As you see courses that are of interest to you or would count towards another requirement (e.g., GenEds, another major or minor), please feel free to take those across any of your four years.