Cornell University Registrar

Program Description

The Dyson Business Minor for Life Sciences (DBMLS) prepares you for a successful career at the intersection of science and business. The minor's curriculum focuses on basic business fundamentals and courses that complement life science topics. You will learn not only about entrepreneurship, marketing, management, finance, and economics, but also how these subjects are applied to life sciences career paths.

This minor is popular among pre-med, pre-dental, and pre-vet students. The coursework provides a grounding in business principles that can help you understand the economic environment in which you'll eventually practice.

The DBMLS was established by way of a generous gift from Dr. Jonathan Levine '76 and Stacey Levine, and Dr. David Levine '88 and Davena Levine '88.

Academic Standards

Grade Requirements

• All courses must be taken for a letter grade. Grades of S/U or SX/UX will not be accepted.
• Each course must be completed with a grade of C or better to count toward the minor. 
• A minimum of 12 unique credits (outside of major's core requirements) must be taken to complete any/all minors. Some majors may be required to take an additional course to satisfy this requirement.  

Eligibility

The DBMLS is open to students majoring in certain life sciences subjects within Cornell's colleges/schools listed below. Students are eligible to sign up for the minor as early as their first year and no later than their sixth semester.

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

• Agricultural Sciences
• Animal Science
• Atmospheric Science
• Biological Engineering
• Biological Sciences
• Biology and Society
• Biometry and Statistics
• Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
• Entomology
• Environment and Sustainability
• Food Science
• Global and Public Health Sciences
• Interdisciplinary Studies
• International Agriculture and Rural Development
• Nutritional Sciences
• Plant Sciences
• Viticulture and Enology

College of Arts and Sciences

• Biology and Society
• Biological Sciences
• Environment and Sustainability

College of Engineering

• Biological Engineering

College of Human Ecology

• Global and Public Health Sciences
• Human Biology, Health, and Society
• Human Development
• Nutritional Sciences

School of Public Policy

• Health Care Policy

Program Information

• Minimum Credits for Minor: 16.5

Minor Requirements

This minor requires 3 foundation credits and 13.5 core credits. From the total credits, 9 must be taken at Cornell University, and 7.5 must be SC Johnson College of Business (JCB) courses, which include any course code of AEM, HADM, NBA, or NCC.

Note: in many cases, the Cornell and JCB requirements will overlap (e.g. AEM 2241 Finance is a JCB course and a Cornell course, so it will satisfy 3 credits for each requirement).

Foundation Courses

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Introductory Microeconomics 1		3
Select one of the following:
ECON 1110	Introductory Microeconomics
ECON 3030	Intermediate Microeconomic Theory
PUBPOL 2000	Intermediate Microeconomics

¹

We recommend taking this course before taking the minor's core courses and require it to be completed by your sixth semester. 

Core Requirements

The remaining 13.5 credits must be fulfilled by taking courses in the five areas listed below, which includes 3 credits that are related to your career goals.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Management/Marketing		3
Select one of the following:
AEM 1200	Introduction to Business Management
AEM 2400	Marketing
HADM 1810	Introduction to Management
HADM 2410	Marketing Principles
ILRID 1700	Introduction to Organizations and Management
NCC 4530	Marketing Management
NCC 5530	Marketing Management
NCC 5540	Managing and Leading in Organizations

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Financial Accounting		3
Select one of the following:
AEM 2210	Financial Accounting
HADM 2230	Financial Accounting Principles
NCC 5500	Financial Accounting

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Finance		3
Select one of the following:
AEM 2241	Finance
AEM 5241	Finance
HADM 2250	Finance
NCC 5560	Managerial Finance

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Capstone Course
AEM 4661	Business Simulation Capstone for Business Minors in Life Sciences	1.5

Career Goals (3 Credits)

3 credits from the following list of courses is required. You may find the categories below helpful in selecting your courses to align with your post-graduation plans.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Entrepreneurship
AEM 2220	Dilemmas in Entrepreneurship	3
AEM 3110	Design and Innovation	3
AEM 3249	Entrepreneurial Marketing and Strategy	3
AEM 3251	The Business Laboratory and New Venture Management	3
AEM 4355	Healthcare Entrepreneurship: Perspectives and Controversies	1.5
NBA 5070	Entrepreneurship for Scientists and Engineers	3
NBA 6650	The Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation	3

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Life Sciences Business and Human/Veterinary Medicine
AEM 1600	The Business of Modern Medicine	1.5
AEM 4485	Economics of Food and Malnutrition	3
PUBPOL 2350	The U.S. Health Care System	3
PUBPOL 3110	Pharmaceutical Management and Policy	3
PUBPOL 3280	Fundamentals of Population Health	3
or GDEV 3280	Fundamentals of Population Health
PUBPOL 3870	Economic Evaluations in Health Care	3
or PUBPOL 5870	Economic Evaluations in Health Care
PUBPOL 5630	Health Care Financial Management II	3

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Management, Marketing, Accounting, and Finance
AEM 3205	Ethics in Business and Organizations	3
AEM 3230	Managerial Accounting	3
NBA 6720	Family Enterprise Management and Governance	1.5
NCC 5540	Managing and Leading in Organizations	3

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Tools and Frameworks for Entrepreneurs and Practitioners
AEM 2011	Spreadsheet Modeling for Non-Dyson Majors	3
AEM 3310	Introduction to Business Regulation	3
AEM 4190	Strategic Thinking	3