Core Curriculum
A major in the Undergraduate Business Program at the Mason School of Business provides the breadth and depth of knowledge needed to work confidently and effectively in a business environment.
Through our core curriculum, you will first be introduced to the various fields of business. This will give you a broad understanding of the form and function of each field and how the fields integrate. The core curriculum covers prerequisites, the Integrated Foundation Semester, and the upper-level core courses.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite courses must be completed prior to entry into the Undergraduate Business Program. Because students typically enter the business program at the beginning of their junior year at William & Mary, it is necessary to take the following courses during freshman and sophomore years.
Coursework (16 credits total)
Principles of Accounting (BUAD 203*)
Microeconomics (ECON 101 or ECON 151)
Macroeconomics (ECON 102 or ECON 152)
Calculus (MATH 108, MATH 111, MATH 112, MATH 131, or MATH 132)
Statistics (BUAD 231*, MATH 106, ECON 307, PSYC 301, SOCL 353, MATH 351, or
KINE 394)
Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate credit from high school is accepted if transferred successfully to William & Mary. Transfer students who received MATH elective credit for a previously taken calculus course should consult with an academic advisor in the Undergraduate Business Program Office.
* Registration preferences for BUAD 203 Principles of Accounting and BUAD 231 Statistics will be given to those students who are preparing to enter into the business school the following semester.
Integrated Foundation Semester
The first semester in the Mason School of Business, the Integrated Foundation Semester, begins your business education through immersion. We pride ourselves on bringing you real world business experience which demonstrates and teaches you how to work within a business atmosphere. You will work in small group teams across each of the foundation courses. From simulations to presentations, corporate memorandum to business strategies, students experience collaboration and an integrated experience which pulls together knowledge from each business discipline.
Coursework (11 credits total)
BUAD 300 Business Perspectives &
Applications - 1 credit
BUAD 311 Principles of Marketing - 3 credits
BUAD 323 Financial Management - 3 credit
BUAD 330 Computer Skills for Business - 1 credit
BUAD 362 Introduction to Information Technology - 3 credits
Upper-Level Core Courses
The upper-level core curriculum for majors strengthens and fine-tunes the skills learned in prior business courses. These courses will provide students with a broader expanse of knowledge from which to draw. Students learn about behavior within organizations, strategic decision making, and the legal environment in which businesses operate. The courses are taken in conjunction with coursework for the major.
Coursework (9 credits total)
BUAD
317 Organizational Behavior & Management - 2 credits
BUAD 361 Introduction to Operations Technology - 3 credits
BUAD 343 Legal Environment of Business - 2 credits
BUAD 432 Strategic Management (Strategy Requirement*) - 2 credits
*Process management & consulting majors/concentrators and entrepreneurship concentrators: Students pursuing a process management & consulting major/concentration who choose to take BUAD 431 Strategic Analysis & Consulting (3 credits) will fulfill the Strategy Requirement. Students pursuing an entrepreneurship concentration are required to take BUAD 433 Strategies of Entrepreneurship (3 credits), which fulfills the Strategy Requirement. Students may not apply both BUAD 432 and BUAD 431/433 towards the 120 hour degree requirement. Students may, however, apply both BUAD 431 and BUAD 433 towards the 120 hour degree requirement.
