Business is a popular college major for many students – and for good reason. Business management and business administration degrees help to prepare students for management positions across various industries.
Whether you’re pursuing a degree in business, looking into a business minor, or exploring some business courses for your general education requirements, the coursework often covers management, accounting, finance, marketing, and human resources.
Common Business Courses
Business management and business administration are broad majors with a lot of flexibility and several different specializations. The courses can vary from school to school, but they often include introductory courses that cover the basics of business theory and practice.
1. Accounting
Accounting focuses on the financial data in a business and helps to inform business decisions. Accounting courses are crucial to understand principles and tools, such as cash flow and forecasting, and prepare accounting statements like income statements and balance sheets.
2. Economics
Money is a key factor in any business. Business majors must understand the large- and small-scale economic forces that affect business in the real world. Introductory economics courses cover these concepts, including how consumers make decisions, monetary policy, the global economy, and business cycles.
3. Management
Management courses cover both leadership and management principles as an introduction to later course concepts. These may include conflict management, communication, goal setting, and organizational planning.
4. Marketing
All businesses need marketing. Core marketing courses cover marketing theories and strategies, including competitor research, consumer behavior, and marketing analytics. Typically, introductory marketing courses prepare you for more advanced courses later on.
5. Business Communication
Business communication is specific to written and verbal communication that takes place in the workplace, including communication with clients, stockholders, suppliers, partners, and regulatory organizations, and how effective communication impacts organizational goals.
6. Business Ethics
Business ethics is a philosophy course that’s specific to the ethical issues found in contemporary businesses, such as ethical relativism, utilitarianism, and deontology, which inform day-to-day business decisions.
7. Business Law
Business law may be included in the core courses for a business degree, since law is an important aspect of an organization’s daily operations. Business law covers the laws and regulations that apply to nonprofit and private organizations, such as employment law and contract law.
8. Organizational Behavior
Organizational behavior is a foundation for human resources courses. It focuses on how individuals and groups interact within a business and how those interactions can affect performance and goals.
Why Are Business Courses Important?
Whether you’re pursuing a degree in business or taking business courses as electives, they are valuable to develop skills that can be an asset in any industry or role, such as problem solving, teamwork, communication, critical thinking, and leadership.
If you are pursuing a degree in business, business courses provide comprehensive business training and a broad understanding of the major elements of business. If you choose, you can specialize in a specific area of business, such as accounting, marketing, finance, entrepreneurship, international business, and human resources.
In addition, business degrees position you to pursue post-graduate opportunities to master business concepts. Some business students choose to pursue master’s degrees in business, such as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA).
What Is the Hardest Class in Business School?
It depends! What’s hard for you may not be hard for someone else, and vice versa. For example, if you excel at analytical problems, accounting may be a breeze for you. But for someone who struggles with math, that can be a tough hurdle to overcome.
If you’re not sure where you’d excel in the realm of business, it may take a little research and experimentation. Taking a few introductory business courses can unveil a passion for certain aspects of business and guide your decision about your major and specialization.
What Is the Hardest Major in Business?
The hardest major also depends on each student’s strengths and weaknesses. However, one of the widely regarded “hardest” majors in business is accounting. The coursework can be daunting and involves solving numerous business problems.
In addition, accounting majors must prepare for accounting certification exams to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and more. Accounting majors don’t have a lot of variety, either, as most courses stay under the umbrella of accounting and build upon each other.
What to Expect from a Business Class in College
Business courses are multifaceted and cover different aspects of the business environment, so there’s no universal experience. The experience you have will depend more on what aspect of business the class covers, such as accounting, marketing, or management.
For example, accounting courses cover a lot of math while marketing courses cover marketing theory and best practices. A management or organizational communication course will focus more on people, psychology, and effective communication. Business communication involves a lot of writing and presentations.
Get Started with Your Business Degree
Business degrees are highly flexible majors that allow you to learn the core concepts in business and leverage them in virtually any industry. Whether you choose to pursue a degree in business or another field, getting some business courses under your belt equips you with vital skills that you can use in your academic and professional career.
Interested in business but not sure where to start? Sophia has several different business courses available. Start your free trial today – no credit card required!
