Business Studies

What if you could...

What if you could explore Wall Street’s financial markets—on Wall Street...

Business Studies gives
students the knowledge to
help organizations succeed

Here’s the bottom line

Imagine a trillion-dollar asset manager sitting down with you, explaining what he does and answering your questions. That’s what happens at Drew. The sweet part is that he happens to be a Drew alum, and part of your circle when you graduate.
What business wants are people who can think clearly in situations of uncertainty. And you’ll be able to persuasively and powerfully present solutions so people can implement them right away. That’s full-impact learning, rooted in the liberal arts and deployed to propel business forward.
We’re 29 miles from New York City and our Wall Street Semester puts you in the heart of it twice a week. You’ll connect with working professionals and our ever-expanding network of alumni.
Our History of Work course is taught by historians. Our Business Ethics course is taught by specialists in ethics and comparative religions. We want you to work directly with experts in all the topics we cover. That’s what gives such depth to our major.

**Business Idol**
At our annual competition, students pitch their business proposals to a panel of judges,
including the head of the racing team for BMW of North America and a senior VP of Wells Fargo.

Careers Made easy

It’s Who You Know

Our students intern at the biggest names in business, from JPMorgan Chase and UBS to Goldman Sachs and Johnson & Johnson.

We host frequent events where students get to meet alumni working in Manhattan and throughout the tri-state region. Our alums are there when you need them.

Many of our graduates head to Wall Street and major brokerage investment, securities or underwriting firms.

Full-Impact Students

Zack Mower

I interned at BNY Mellon in Manhattan as a wealth management analyst. There, I was exposed to techniques for allocating assets, such as investment-based programs that help clients secure their financial future. It taught me to be as proactive as possible and to always ask questions.

Full-Impact Students

William Shanks

A course called Corporations in Context launched my interest in how businesses work. Around the same time my buddies and I thought it’d be a cool idea to start a business of our own, and the professor, Fred Curtis, introduced me to other students and teachers who were of great help.

Passionate Faculty

Miao Chi

Assistant professor

My research involves labor and demographic economics and applied microeconomics, and I teach econometrics, labor economics and microeconomics. I also happen to be a former Tai Chi instructor.

Ph.D., University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

Passionate Faculty

Fred Curtis

Professor of economics

I’m working on a long-term project connecting oil depletion and climate change to global trade and local economies. I’d call myself an ecological economist, and in my spare time, I meditate.

Ph.D., University of Massachusetts

Passionate Faculty

Jennifer Kohn

Assistant professor & director

My work in health economics is focused on modeling the demand for medical care in order to design financial tools to better manage risk. I love when I hear students repeating catchphrases I use in class, like “All models are wrong, but some are useful.”

Ph.D., Rutgers University

Passionate Faculty

Jennifer Olmsted

Associate professor

My research interests include gender and labor markets/poverty in the Middle East, time-use issues and the impact of religion on economic institutions.

Ph.D., University of California–Davis

Passionate Faculty

Maliha Safri

Assistant Professor

My specialties include political economy, migration, subjectivity, alternative economies, with a research focus on the economics of immigration. On top of that, I recently started swimming. I realized it’s never too late to fall in love with something.

Ph.D., University of Massachusetts

Passionate Faculty

Giandomenico Sarolli

Assistant professor

When you arrive at Drew, ask me about an article I’m writing titled, “Investor Impatience and Returns: A Laboratory Experiment.” Or about my family’s vineyard in Italy, where I work when I visit my father.

Ph.D., University of Virginia

Passionate Faculty

Bernard Smith

Associate professor

I’m an economic historian who researches late 19th-century industrial history and labor relations, with a particular interest in the garment industry. If I attempt to regale my wife and kid with tales of the old “schmatta” business, they roll their eyes and yell, “Zip it, Dad!”

Ph.D., Yale University

Passionate Faculty

Marc Tomljanovich

Associate professor

I once had a grateful student tell me that he was able to recognize and then go over to talk with Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke at a restaurant after taking my intermediate macroeconomics course. As for me, I’m investigating how stock traders act, in real time, on monetary policy information released during trading hours.

Ph.D., Cornell University

Successful Alumni

Financial software consultant,
BL Nickerson & Associates, Mendham, N.J.
Engineering consultant,
Robert Half International, Princeton, N.J.
Research associate,
Kessler Research Foundation Center, West Orange, N.J.

Learn more about when you graduate

**Good Morning!**
We bring you together with Drew alumni and local business people
for breakfast—and a little career advice.

My Favorite Course

“Ironically, there are no actual tests in this course. You’re tested on problems that anyone who wants to run or manage a sustainable business will face.”

William Shanks on Management

View the catalog for major & minor details

Major
Minor

Major

Requirements for the Major (58 Credits)

The Business Studies major comprises a set of introductory courses, a set of core courses, a choice of electives drawn from Business, Society and Culture and economics courses, and a capstone that integrates concepts students have been exposed to in the major. The introductory and core courses include five economics courses so that majors will have a thorough understanding of the operation of markets and the economy, with special attention to financial markets. Accounting and statistics round out the introductory courses. The other core courses include key business courses in ethics, history and management. There are four required electives for the major; students must select two courses from the current Business, Society and Culture offerings, and two courses from Economics electives. Two of these courses must be upper-level or advanced courses.

Finally, a one-credit capstone course must be taken to complete the major during the senior year. This course is designed to pull together previous work that students have done in prior courses, and will have students present their research to each other and faculty members throughout the term.

I. Introductory (16 credits)

BST 115 - Fundamentals of Financial Accounting (4)

This introductory course exposes students to the accounting principles and practices used by decision-makers associated with a business or governmental entity. Major topics include the accounting cycle, preparation and analysis of financial statements, standards and procedures for assets and liabilities, and the roles of corporate communication and responsibilities with respect to the accounting process.

Offered: fall semester.

Prerequisite: Sophomore or higher standing.

ECON 101 - Economic Principles: Microeconomics (4)

An introduction to basic microeconomic analysis and institutions, with special emphasis on the roles markets play in an economy and the ways in which government can alter market activity. Includes such topics as consumer and firm behavior, competition and monopoly, poverty and justice, the environment, health care, and international trade.

Offered: every semester.

ECON 102 - Economic Principles: Macroeconomics (4)

An introduction to basic macroeconomic analysis with special emphasis on problems of unemployment, inflation, and economic growth. Topics include national income determination; money, financial markets, and monetary policy; fiscal policy and the economic role of government; the United States and the world economy.

Offered: every semester.

MATH 117 - Introductory Statistics (4) (Same as: MAT+861.)

This course is designed to enable you to use statistics for data analysis and to understand the use of statistics in the media. The course makes use of SPSS, a widely-used statistics package for the computer. Course topics include graphical and tabular presentation of data, measures of central tendency, dispersion, and shape, linear transformations of data, correlation, regression, basic probability and the normal probability model, sampling, t-tests, and one-way analysis of variance.

Offered: every semester.

II. Core (24 credits)

BST 310 - Management (4)

This course explores theories and practices in the fields of management and organizational behavior. The course will explore how businesses, the government, and non-profit groups are organized, and why. The course will also examine the behavior of firms concerning issues of governance. Examining the relationship between strategy, market structure and the corporate environment, the course will enhance the knowledge of students of how managers function in both the domestic and global business environments.

Offered: every semester.

Prerequisite: ECON 301 or permission of instructor.

BST 321 - Corporate Finance (4)

A study of selected problems and issues in the field of finance. Topics include the use of financial statements, ratio analysis and the valuation of assets, especially derivatives (e.g., futures and options).

Same as: ECON 321.

Offered: annually.

Prerequisite: ECON+25.

ECON 301 - Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (4)

A theoretical analysis of resource allocation in a market economy. Topics include the theory of consumer behavior, production, and costs; decision making under various market conditions; general equilibrium and welfare economics.

Offered: Every semester.

Prerequisite: ECON 101 or equivalent.

ECON 302 - Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis (4)

A study of the determinants of the level of income, employment, and prices as seen in competing theoretical frameworks. Includes an analysis of inflation and unemployment, their causes, costs, and policy options; the sources of instability in a market economy; debates on policy activism; prospects for the control of aggregate demand.

Offered: Every semester.

Prerequisite: ECON 102 or equivalent.

ECON 321 - Corporate Finance (4) (Same as: BST 321.)

Offered: annually.

Prerequisite: ECON 301.

HIST 318 - A History of Business in America (4)

A study of the role of business in American history, emphasizing the significance of the corporation and "big business. Focuses on the corporation between the Civil War and the First World War as the formative period in the development of modern business values, techniques, and institutions. Offered fall semester in alternate years.

HIST 319 - The History of Work in America (4)

This course discusses fundamental shifts in the nature of work in America from the 17th through the 20th centuries, alongside the social, cultural and political changes that invested work with different meanings over time. Topics covered include the origins of a slave labor system, the impact of the industrial revolution on both men and women's work, the evolving relationship between workers and the state, the development and impact of an organized labor movement, as well as the "new economy" in postwar America.

Offered: spring semester in odd-numbered years.

REL 214 - Business Ethics (4) (Same as: RLSOC+127.)

A philosophical and theological study of those ethical, religious, and social issues that play an important role in thinking morally about economic and business practices. Attention is paid to practical ethical problems arising out of the functional areas of management and the wider areas of business and social responsibility in relation to the community, ecology, minorities, the role of multinationals and public safety.

Offered: spring semester.

SOC 249 - Sociology of Work (4)

A sociological examination of the varieties of work and the ways in which the changing nature of work affects the well-being of the workers. Topics include different types of jobs, occupations and professions, low-wage work and poverty, worker health and safety, work and family, race, class and gender in the workplace, and collectives' responses to work.

Offered: annually.

Prerequisite: SOC 101.

III. Electives (16 credits)

Students must complete at least 8 credits in each of the following two areas. INTC 200 - Internship project may be substituted for one of these courses if the specific internship project is approved for the major by the Chair of the Economics and Business Studies Department.

A. Business, Society and Culture (8 credits)

ANTH 203 - Cultures, Economies, and Globalization (4)

In this course students learn about the relationships between systems of production and distribution and the social and cultural contexts in which they occur. After discussing some important theoretical approaches that have influenced economic anthropologists over the years, we consider various ethnographic case studies that provide a more nuanced understanding of both the material and symbolic aspects of economic processes. Throughout the course, we pay close attention to the ways in which global economic processes are articulated, and made meaningful, at the local level. We also contemplate the relationships between global capitalism and pressing social problems, including hunger, gender inequities, poverty, war, and environmental degradation.

Offered: Spring semester in even numbered years.

BST 111 - Corporations in Context (4)

This course examines the institution of the for-profit business corporation in its economic, legal, political, and social contexts. The course will develop critical perspectives on the corporation and use case studies to illustrate key issues such as competition, cooperation, corporate culture, shareholder value, employee motivation, community relations, public relations, labor relations, lobbying and political influence, and corporate governance, leadership, information management, finance, retail, and manufacturing operations, environmental impact, globalization, corporate philantropy, and business ethics.

CSCI 270 - Computing Technology, Society and Culture (4)

This course will survey the principal computing technologies that are in use today or on the horizon, then investigate individual topics in more technical and cultural depth. Topics will vary in light of new developments, and could include blogging, RFID, intelligent systems, GPS, data mining, Google, and eBay. Other aspects of computing technology, society, and culture to be addressed will include legal and political issues such as regulation, jurisdiction, internationalization, and standardization, and broader questions such as how and why new computing technologies are developed and accepted.

Course may be repeated.

Offered: fall semester.

Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

ENGL 215 - Writing For and About Business (4)

Concentrates on the development of a clear, precise writing style and practice in dealing with specific types of business writing problems. Students complete writing projects, individually and in teams, in the context of hypothetical business situations, such as preparing and presenting a report, preparing and presenting a project proposal, applying for a job, and reviewing a report or project proposal.

Offered: every semester.

Prerequisite: Satisfaction of the College writing requirement.

FREN 334 - International Business French (4)

France is the second largest economy in the European Union which is the most important trading block of the United States. Given this context and the use of French in various other business situations in Francophone countries, this course aims at enhancing French oral and written skills related to the world of business, economics and finance. A cross-cultural training prepares students for a week-long mid-semester trip to Québec where they practice their French and meet with representatives of the French-speaking Canadian business community. (Extra-costs borne by the students are room and board at off-campus site). Assignments include oral presentations of articles and short response papers on topics discussed in class. Final projects include the simulation of a French job interview and case studies of social entrepreneurship in French-speaking Africa. Prerequisite FREN 310 [old FREN 104a/b] or Instructor’s Signature.

HUM 201 - Culture and Exchange (4)

This course introduces students to the idea of exchange as the basis for all human interaction by comparing ideas about and principles of exchange through different disciplinary lenses: exchange in the arts (patronage, sales, publication, criticism), economics (barter and money economics, credit), anthropology (gift-giving, marriage, ritual) and linguistics (language per se) are all possible avenues of investigation and comparison.

Offered: Offering to be determined.

LING 101 - Language, Communication, and Culture (4)

An introduction to the role of language and its various forms of transmission in the construction of individual and cultural identity. Topics include language and gender, language and ethnicity, language and social structures.

Offered: annually.

PAST 400 - Pan African Studies Seminar (4)

Using the classroom as a forum for the discussion of methods, theories, arguments, and data on Pan African topics, students produce a major research paper. The course seeks to facilitate learning among students through research and discussion. Faculty representing the several disciplines within the Pan African studies program and guest lecturers participate in class discussions.

Offered: spring semester.

Prerequisite: PAST 101 and four additional courses satisfying the Pan African Studies Major or minor.

PSCI 212 - Public Policy and Administration (4)

An examination of the public policy process in the United States, including agenda setting, program adoption, and program implementation. Emphasizes how national political institutions-Congress, the presidency, the federal judiciary, and the bureaucracy-shape policy outcomes.

Offered: Annually.

PSYC 369 - Seminar in Industrial Organizational Psychology (4)

A review of psychological theory and methodology as it applies to human behavior in the workplace. Topics include basic measurement theory, testing and assessment, personnel selection, job satisfaction, work motivation, leadership, and organization theory.

Signature of instructor required for registration.

Course may be repeated.

Prerequisite: PSYC 101, third-year or higher standing.

SOC 217 - The Sociology of Management (4)

A presentation of the main themes involved in the management of corporations and other business organizations. The themes examined are communication, decision making, innovation, leadership, strategy, and politics.

Offered: annually.

Prerequisite: SOC 101 or permission of instructor.

SOC 309 - Sociology of Mass Communications (4) (Same as: BKHIS+810.)

An overview of how the mass media and American cultural, political and economic institutions mutually affect each other. Systems of mass communication examined include books, the Internet, magazines, movies, newspapers, and television. Two topics to be emphasized are: 1) the production, control, and consumption of various forms of information in the mass media; 2) comparative analyses of the uses of mass media in different countries.

Offered: fall semester.

Prerequisite: SOC 101 or permission of instructor.

SOC 315 - Political Sociology (4) (Same as: RLSOC+115.)

A presentation of the main themes and the dominant theoretical perspectives involved in the study of political processes and political institutions. Topics include politics, elections, nation building, national elites and public policy making, parties, and social movements.

Offered: spring semester.

Prerequisite: SOC 101 or permission of instructor.

SPAN 379 - Doing Business in the Hispanic World (4)

This course is designed to give students of Spanish a foundation in business vocabulary, basic business and cultural concepts as well as an in-depth reflection of what it means to do business in a variety of culturally diverse Hispanic countries. This perspective is conducted through literary readings, contemporary and historical comparisons, mass media analysis, and linguistic descriptions of products or brand names.

Prerequisite: SPAN 310 or concurrent registration with SPAN 310 or special permission.

THEA 264 - Show: Business (2)

A dramatic literature seminar exploring how modern theatre looks at ways of doing business, from Naturalism (Hauptman's The Weavers) through Expressionism (Treadwell's Machinal), Epic theatre (Brecht's Mother Courage) and Realism (Ibsen's An Enemy of the People). The intersection of race, gender and economy will be examined in works ranging from Shaw's Major Barbara to Anna Deveare Smith's Twilight. Videos may include such work as The Cradle Will Rock, Death of a Salesman and Raisin in the Sun. Students will examine readings through written analysis and group discussion.

Signature of instructor required for registration.

Offered: in alternate years.

B. Applied Economics (8 credits)

ECON 238 - Economics of Labor and Trade Unions (4)

An analysis of labor markets, including determination of wage levels, compensation and working conditions, the impact of international trade and foreign investment, investment in human capital, differential wages, labor migration and unions, strikes and collective bargaining. Examines current issues facing employees and unions.

Offered: spring semester.

Prerequisite: ECON 101.

ECON 241 - Global Economy (4)

An examination of the global economy focusing on economic geography, international trade in primary commodities, manufactures and services, foreign investment and transnational corporations, and the impact of regional economic blocs (such as the North American Free Trade Area) and treaties (such as the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs). The course covers theory and institutions of international economic activity and current issues of economic globalization.

Offered: alternate years.

Prerequisite: ECON 101 or permission of instructor.

ECON 242 - International Business (4)

An introduction to international business and economics for students who are interested in applying their skills as an economist to the business world. Examines the decision-making process confronting businesses operating on an international level. Explores international trade and investment along with economic development as related to business. Also focuses on international agencies (government and private) that affect international business along with the international monetary systems within which business operates.

Offered: alternate years.

Prerequisite: ECON 101 and ECON 102 or permission of instructor.

ECON 247 - Economics of Business and Sustainability (4)

This course considers the environmental challenges facing business. It will examine business responses to environmental regulation, competitive advantages of "green" business, consumer demand for green products, product life cycle analysis, industrial ecology, environmental partnerships between business and non-governmental organizations, natural capitalism, and business education. Environmental decision-making of both large corporations and small businesses will be included in the course. The course will include case studies, outside speakers from the business community and student presentations.

Offered: alternate years.

Prerequisite: ECON 101.

ECON 281 - Wall Street and the Economy (8)

The operations and institutions of financial markets; their role in financing new investments, pensions, etc. ; their impact on local, national, and global economies. The economic history and ethical dimensions of Wall Street and its relation to macroeconomic policy.

Signature of instructor required for registration.

Offered: spring semester.

Prerequisite: ECON 101 and ECON 102 and acceptance into the Wall Street Semester.

ECON 315 - Political Economy of Race, Class, and Gender (4)

A study of race, class, and gender using the political economic approach to the study of economics. The course will investigate the impact of introducing the categories of race, class, and gender into political economic theory and will also undertake some empirical analyses of the roles of race, class, and gender in producing economic outcomes for minorities and majorities in the U.S.

Signature of instructor required for registration.

Offered: alternate years.

Prerequisite: Sophomore or higher standing and one course in Economics.

ECON 320 - Money and Banking (4)

An introduction to the theory of money and banking. Special consideration is given to the structure and functioning of the commercial banking system and the effectiveness of monetary policy.

Offered: annually.

Prerequisite: ECON 302 or equivalent.

ECON 338 - Industrial Organization and Public Policy Toward Business (4)

An analysis of the present structure of industry in the United States, the theory of monopoly, oligopoly, and imperfect competition, and antitrust policy, i.e., government policies to preserve competition. Focuses on recent antitrust cases in the latter half of the course.

Prerequisite: ECON 101, ECON 102, and ECON 301.

IV. Capstone (2 credits)

To be taken in the senior year.

Minor

Requirements for the Minor (24 credits)

I. Core (16 credits)

BST 111 - Corporations in Context (4)

ECON 101 - Economic Principles: Microeconomics (4)

Offered: every semester.

HIST 319 - The History of Work in America (4)

Offered: spring semester in odd-numbered years.

REL 214 - Business Ethics (4) (Same as: RLSOC+127.)

Offered: spring semester.

SOC 217 - The Sociology of Management (4)

Offered: annually.

Prerequisite: SOC 101 or permission of instructor.

II. Electives (8 credits)

ANTH 203 - Cultures, Economies, and Globalization (4)

Offered: Spring semester in even numbered years.

BST 115 - Fundamentals of Financial Accounting (4)

Offered: fall semester.

Prerequisite: Sophomore or higher standing.

BST 310 - Management (4)

Offered: every semester.

Prerequisite: ECON 301 or permission of instructor.

CSCI 270 - Computing Technology, Society and Culture (4)

Course may be repeated.

Offered: fall semester.

Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

ECON 102 - Economic Principles: Macroeconomics (4)

Offered: every semester.

ECON 238 - Economics of Labor and Trade Unions (4)

Offered: spring semester.

Prerequisite: ECON 101.

ECON 242 - International Business (4)

Offered: alternate years.

Prerequisite: ECON 101 and ECON 102 or permission of instructor.

ECON 247 - Economics of Business and Sustainability (4)

Offered: alternate years.

Prerequisite: ECON 101.

ECON 321 - Corporate Finance (4) (Same as: BST 321.)

Offered: annually.

Prerequisite: ECON 301.

ENGL 215 - Writing For and About Business (4)

Offered: every semester.

Prerequisite: Satisfaction of the College writing requirement.

HUM 201 - Culture and Exchange (4)

Offered: Offering to be determined.

LING 101 - Language, Communication, and Culture (4)

Offered: annually.

PAST 201 - Experiential Learning Seminar in Pan African Studies (2-4)

A study of issues, problems, and ideas in Africa or the African diaspora. An experimental learning approach will expose students to people and activities outside of the classroom and off campus; these experiences might include, but would not be limited to, presentations by outside speakers and field trips.

Course may be repeated.

Offered: spring semester.

PSYC 369 - Seminar in Industrial Organizational Psychology (4)

Signature of instructor required for registration.

Course may be repeated.

Prerequisite: PSYC 101, third-year or higher standing.

REL 214 - Business Ethics (4) (Same as: RLSOC+127.)

Offered: spring semester.

SOC 249 - Sociology of Work (4)

Offered: annually.

Prerequisite: SOC 101.

SOC 309 - Sociology of Mass Communications (4) (Same as: BKHIS+810.)

Offered: fall semester.

Prerequisite: SOC 101 or permission of instructor.

SOC 315 - Political Sociology (4) (Same as: RLSOC+115.)

Offered: spring semester.

Prerequisite: SOC 101 or permission of instructor.

THEA 264 - Show: Business (2)

Signature of instructor required for registration.

Offered: in alternate years.

Notes

Core courses can also fulfill an elective requirement if not taken to fulfill a core requirement.

Independent Study Courses, Special Topics Courses, or internships may fulfill a Business Studies elective requirement, if approved by the Business Studies Director.

Economics Majors may not count any ECON-designated class for both the major and the minor.