Cornell offers an accredited general undergraduate business degree program as well as world-renowned business-related programs in five other colleges and schools. Because the choices are so broad, students are encouraged to explore the offerings carefully to identify the program that best matches their business career goals. (Graduate study is available in the Johnson Graduate School of Management as well as in graduate fields associated with each of the undergraduate options.)
Applied Economics and Management The Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management (AEM) in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is home to Cornell’s only undergraduate degree that is accredited by AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The Dyson School’s undergraduate program offers a broad, flexible curriculum that reflects its analytical, applied economics approach. Students choose among 10 specializations: finance, marketing, strategy, accounting, entrepreneurship, agribusiness management, food industry management, environmental and resource economics, international trade and development, and applied economics (dyson.cornell.edu).
Arts and Sciences Many of the liberal arts majors offered by the College of Arts and Sciences provide students with a background for a successful business career. In particular are majors in economics, mathematics, sociology, and psychology. Economics focuses on the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services; monetary systems; and economic theories. Students interested in the human dimensions of business can choose sociology or psychology. Mathematics majors can choose concentrations in computer science, operations research, statistics, or economics to prepare for careers in areas such as actuarial science or finance (as.cornell.edu).
Engineering Many of today’s business executives hold engineering degrees. Each of the College of Engineering’s 13 majors prepares students for business careers. Operations research and engineering, and information science, systems and technology are the most business-oriented engineering majors that prepare graduates for careers in areas such as investment banking and process engineering. Engineering students in any major can take a business-oriented minor in areas such as industrial systems and information technology, and operations research and management science. A new business minor for engineering majors is also offered by the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management (www.engineering.cornell.edu).
Hotel Administration The School of Hotel Administration offers the world’s premier hospitality management program. Its rigorous core business curriculum includes courses in finance and accounting; real estate development; facilities management; planning and design; food and beverage management; marketing, tourism, and strategy; information systems; operations; managerial and organizational behavior; human resource management; managerial communication; and law. The school’s conference hotel gives students the opportunity to apply what they learn in a real-world business and its Practice Credit requirement further ensures a balance between theory and practical experience (www.hotelschool.cornell.edu).
Human Ecology The College of Human Ecology offers three business-oriented majors. The fashion design management concentration in the fiber science and apparel design major prepares students for careers in the fashion industry, for example, as a retail executive or merchandise buyer. Students majoring in design and environmental analysis can choose the facility planning and management option to prepare for careers as facility planners and workplace strategists in consulting and real estate firms and large corporations. The policy analysis and management major focuses on health policy, consumer policy, and family and social welfare policy, and its graduates pursue careers as policy makers, analysts, and managers in both the public and private sectors (www.human.cornell.edu).
Industrial and Labor Relations The School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) focuses on the “people” side of business. Its professional-level curriculum provides a strong social science foundation in organizational behavior; human resource studies; labor relations, law, and history; economics; international and comparative labor; and social statistics. ILR prepares graduates for careers in business, law, public policy, labor relations, government, and many other fields; about 15-20 percent go on to law school (www.ilr.cornell.edu).
Related Areas
Continuing Education and Summer Sessions The School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions offers a wide variety of opportunities for business studies and professional development, ranging from precollege programs to executive education. Summer College’s three-week precollege program, The Business World, acquaints high school students with the principles of business management. For college students, Campus-to-Career programs such as the Cornell University Prelaw Program in New York City, Summer in Washington, and the Investment Management Program pair internship opportunities with courses taught by distinguished experts. The Cornell/Dyson School Business Management Certificate Program is a 7 1/2 week, 9-credit summer program for current students that combines classroom-based study with real-world experiences. College graduates interested in health care may apply for the Cornell/Division of Nutritional Sciences Post-baccalaureate Program in Health Studies. For business professionals, seminars and trainings such as the Administrative Management Institute, the Cornell University Viticulture and Enology Experience, and the Institute for Computer Policy and Law provide opportunities to hone skills, increase effectiveness, stay abreast of changes in the work world, and network with colleagues (www.sce.cornell.edu).
Entrepreneurship@Cornell This university-wide program is open to all Cornell students interested in eventually starting their own businesses or working for venture capital firms. Entrepreneurship-related courses are offered by all seven of Cornell’s undergraduate colleges and schools as well as by the Johnson Graduate School of Management and the Cornell Law School (entrepreneurship.cornell.edu).
International Programs Several additional programs allow business students to focus on a particular geographic area. Majors and minors are offered in Latino Studies, Latin American Studies, French Studies, German Studies, Italian Studies, European Studies, Asian American Studies, China and Asia-Pacific Studies, Asian Studies, East Asia Studies, Southeast Asia Studies, South Asia Studies, Near Eastern Studies, and Africana Studies (all in the College of Arts and Sciences). The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences offers an interdepartmental program in international agriculture and rural development.
Prelaw Study
Law schools do not prescribe any particular prelaw program, nor do they require any specific undergraduate courses as do medical schools. Law touches nearly every phase of human activity, and there is practically no subject that cannot be considered of value to the lawyer. Therefore, no undergraduate course of study is totally inappropriate. Students contemplating legal careers should be guided by certain principles, however, when selecting college courses.
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Interest encourages scholarship, and students will derive the greatest benefit from those studies that stimulate their interest.
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Of first importance to the lawyer is the ability to express thoughts clearly and cogently in both speech and writing. First-year writing seminars, required of nearly all Cornell first-year students, are designed to develop these skills. English literature and composition, and communication courses, also serve this purpose. Logic and mathematics develop exactness of thought. Also of value are economics, history, government, and sociology, because of their close relation to law and their influence on its development and ethics, and philosophy, because of the influence of philosophic reasoning on legal reasoning and jurisprudence. Psychology and human development lead to an understanding of human nature and mental behavior. Some knowledge of the principles of accounting and of the sciences, such as chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering, is recommended and will prove of practical value to the lawyer in general practice in the modern world.
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Cultural subjects, though they may have no direct bearing on law or a legal career, will expand students’ interests; help cultivate a wider appreciation of literature, art, and music; and make better-educated and more well-rounded persons.
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Certain subjects are especially useful in specialized legal careers. For some, a broad scientific background—for example, in agriculture, chemistry, physics, or engineering—when coupled with training in law, may furnish qualifications necessary for specialized work with the government, for counseling certain types of businesses, or for a career as a patent lawyer. A business background may be helpful for those planning to specialize in corporate or tax practice. Students who anticipate practice involving labor law and legislation might consider undergraduate study in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Whatever course of study is chosen, the important goals are to acquire perspective, social awareness, and a critical cast of mind; to develop the ability to think logically and analytically; and to express thoughts clearly and forcefully. These are the crucial tools for a sound legal education and a successful career.
The presence of the Cornell Law School on campus provides the opportunity for a limited number of highly qualified undergraduates registered in the College of Arts and Sciences at the university to apply and be admitted to the Law School. At the time of entry they must have completed 105 of the 120 credits required for the bachelor of arts degree, including 92 credits of course work in the College of Arts and Sciences. Students considering this option should consult with the prelaw advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences (Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Advising, 172 Goldwin Smith Hall) early in their sophomore year.
It may be possible for exceptionally well-qualified students in other Cornell undergraduate colleges to apply to enter the Law School after three years. In addition, members of the Cornell Law School faculty sometimes offer undergraduate courses such as The Nature, Functions, and Limits of Law, which are open to all undergraduates.
Premedical Study
Medical and dental schools, while not requiring or recommending any particular major course of study, do require that particular undergraduate courses be completed. These courses usually include general chemistry and organic chemistry, biology, and physics, and all must be taken with a lab. A year of English composition (or a first-year writing seminar) is also required. In addition, many medical schools require or recommend mathematics and at least one advanced biological science course, such as biochemistry, genetics, embryology, histology, or physiology.
There is no major that is the best for those considering medical or dental school, and students are therefore encouraged to pursue their own intellectual interests. Students are more likely to succeed at, and benefit from, subjects that interest and stimulate them, and there is no evidence that medical colleges give special consideration to any particular undergraduate training beyond completion of the required courses. In the past, successful Cornell applicants to medical and dental schools have come from the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Agriculture and Life Sciences, Human Ecology, and Engineering. The appropriate choice depends to a great extent on the student’s other interests.
Preveterinary Study
There is no specific preveterinary program at Cornell, and students interested in veterinary medicine as a career should select a major for study that fits their interests while at the same time meeting the entrance requirements for veterinary college as listed below. Most preveterinary students at Cornell are enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, which offers several applied science majors, including animal science, that can lead to related careers if the student does not go to veterinary college. Some enter other divisions of the university, especially the College of Arts and Sciences, because of secondary interests or the desire for a broad liberal arts curriculum.
The college-level prerequisite courses for admission to the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell are English composition, biology or zoology, physics, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and microbiology. All science courses must include a laboratory. These requirements, necessary for admission to the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell, may vary at other veterinary colleges.
For information on additional preparation, including work experience and necessary examinations, students should consult the brochure, Admissions Information, obtained by writing to the Office of D.V.M. Admissions, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, S2–009 Schurman Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853–6401. Information on the Guaranteed Admissions Program is available from the same address.
Qualified students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences may apply for acceptance in a double-registration program arranged between Cornell University and the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell. This program allows registered students to save one year in pursuit of the bachelor’s and D.V.M. degrees. Further information about this program is available from the Office of Multicultural and Diversity Programs, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 140 Roberts Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853. |