The Science-Business major, an interdisciplinary program that includes all aspects of the Mendoza School of Business and Science programs, will no longer be offered to students who have not started the major in fall 2023.
Interdisciplinary majors are designed to allow students to benefit from studying at one of Notre Dame’s six universities. The University has been offering science business majors for about 40 years, allowing students to delve into the business world while also preparing them for careers in healthcare.
This major is designed to qualify students for entry into MBA programs, as well as medical professional education such as medical school, dental school, public health or healthcare administration. The professional curriculum is diverse, allowing students to gain a complete experience of interdisciplinary learning.
“This major serves a group of students seeking careers in STEM-related fields such as consulting, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries, and healthcare management. It also serves students in a number of majors who wish to pursue a career in Gain valuable expertise in running your own practice business,” Dan Gezelter, associate dean for undergraduate studies, said in an email. “Our science graduates also go into law school, graduate school, the nonprofit sector, go straight into industry, and even start their own businesses.”
John Nash, a junior in science business, said the program matched his interests in both areas.
“I really like this major, and I think it’s the perfect combination of two things I really care about,” Nash said. “And I want to have experience in both cases because I feel like it’s always good to have a multidisciplinary program.”
Instead, the Business School will offer a minor in five business foundation courses open to Science students. The minor will provide students with a basic education in business while allowing them to pursue careers in healthcare.
“The Science Business major provides a good foundational education in business, but the reorganization into a major science major plus a new minor will make this education more widely available to students with a primary interest in one of the major science disciplines,” Gezelter said in said in an email.
Nash said he does not believe the minor will develop the same sense of community as the major.
“There are no classes for kids in the business of science. You take science classes, you take business classes, so I know where they come from,” Nash said. “I don’t necessarily think it’s going to be much different, but it’s nice to meet other kids in the science business program and know that we all have similar interests. So I definitely think this kind of community is going to disappear.”
Geltzer said the change will address the management challenges of cross-faculty programs.
“It’s always a challenge to rely on two different universities to provide the courses required for a major,” Gezelter said in an email. “Business schools want to oversee their own academic programs and their own curriculum, and want to provide a solid foundation for Notre Dame’s programs. Students provide unique credentials.”
The program’s interdisciplinary recruiting potential doesn’t end with majors, Gezelter said.
“The science and business designation helps recruiters find students with broad interdisciplinary training in science as well as a solid business foundation,” Gezelter said in an email. “Future courses may lack this recruiting advantage, but For students combining one of the new minors with a science major, top-notch training in science and business will remain.”
Nash said he has been able to advance his career through his science business major.
“I’m actually interning next summer at DaVita Healthcare, a healthcare consulting firm that does kidney care,” Nash said. “They said my major, science business, really stood out to them because it’s not something a lot of other universities offer, and they thought it was super unique and really played into what their company was all about.”
Students once knew that a science business major was unlikely to return to Notre Dame, but Gezelter said there was hope for a new major with similar principles.
“Once we approve the removal of the major, it is unlikely to come back,” Gezelter said in an email. “The Office of the Dean of Sciences is currently looking for options for a new interdisciplinary science major that will share the science-business major. many advantages.”
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