Business Minors Policies and FAQs

Cornell credit requirement: ALL business minors have a Cornell credit requirement of 9 credits. This means (at least) 9 of the total business minor credits must be taken at Cornell.

JCB credit requirement: ALL business minors have an in-house (JCB) credit requirement of either 9 credits or 7.5 credits (depending on minor). This means 9 or 7.5 (depending on minor) of the total business minor credits must be taken within the SC Johnson College of Business (course codes include: AEM, HADM, NCC, NBA).

*Please 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, whereas ECON 1110: Introductory Microeconomics will only satisfy 3 credits of the Cornell requirement).

Transfer students are allowed any/all foundation courses and one core course to be reviewed and applied toward a minor, which leaves enough remaining credits to fulfill both requirements.

*Exception* In addition to your transfer credits, you are allowed one substitution (i.e. to study abroad) and so your Cornell/JCB credit requirements may be reduced (pending approval). Please reach out to the minors office to discuss options.

The minors office will still consider/review transfer courses that were completed online at a prior University, before Fall 2023.

SCE courses that match minors courses (include the same course code, course name, and # of credits) may be applied toward your minor. Below are the most popular SCE courses taken by minors students:

AEM 1200: Introduction to Business Management
AEM 2210: Financial Accounting
AEM 2400: Marketing
ECON 1110: Introductory Microeconomics
ILRST 2100: Introductory Statistics

Per University guidelines, double counting courses between majors/minors is prohibited. We realize the overlap of foundation courses (microeconomics; macroeconomics; statistics) is inevitable and so we will allow those pre-approved overlaps. Students with extenuating circumstances may be eligible for one core course overlap, and should reach out to the business minors office regarding a potential exception – no guarantees.

*Econ Majors – please note that cross-listed ECON course codes will NOT satisfy requirements for the various topics category in the Applied Economics Minor and the International Trade & Development minor.

Per University guidelines, double counting courses between minors is prohibited. We realize the overlap of foundation courses (microeconomics; macroeconomics; statistics) is inevitable and so we will allow those pre-approved overlaps. Students with extenuating circumstances may be eligible for one core course overlap, and should reach out to the business minors office regarding a potential exception – no guarantees.

Core requirements and transfer/substitution policies vary across minors. Make sure to carefully read the requirements for your minor’s core courses.

Course transfer and substitution requests must be submitted for review PRIOR to taking the course. The request will be reviewed by the curriculum committee to determine if the course will meet your minor’s requirements. When you submit your transfer and/or substitution petition (via link located in dashboard), a copy of the proposed course’s syllabus with the following information is required: mode of instruction, institution, instructor, number of credits, meeting times/hours, exam schedule, and list of topics covered.
*Note: we will NOT accept course descriptions or overviews.

Any/all foundation courses that have been accepted by your home college at Cornell are eligible for review to be applied toward your minor. Additionally, one core course can be submitted for review. All transfer credit requests (with the exception of AP/IB) must be submitted via the “Transfer Credit Petition” link located in your Minors Dashboard. The minors office will then consult with the faculty director and/or review committee to verify course content, to ensure it is equivalent to the Cornell course.

The following HADM/AEM courses may be used to fulfill foundation and/or core categories. Please contact the business minors office to have these courses added to your dashboard. *Please note there is no equivalent to the management requirement in the Nolan curriculum, as well as no equivalent to microeconomics in the Dyson curriculum. Students will need to take one of the courses offered in the business minor curriculum to fulfill those requirements.

Foundation Courses

Core Courses

No. All transfer and substitution requests for your minor must be reviewed and approved by the minors office regardless of what has been approved by your home college advisor/registrar for your major (and vice versa).

Courses needed to meet requirements for a Cornell program must be listed on the student’s record for the required amount of earned credits.

The minors office will NOT accept courses listed with a lesser amount of required earned credits (i.e. an accounting course transferred in as 1 credit). Students who have reached the limit of transfer credits should speak with their home college registrar to assist in making course swaps to fulfill program requirements.

Only one substitution is allowed per minor, whether for foundation or core courses.

Cornell course substitutions and study abroad courses may be submitted for review via a substitution petition.

All requests must be made in advance of course enrollment. A petition is not an automatic approval – we need to evaluate course content.  When submitting your substitution petition, a current version of the course syllabus is required.

In addition to transfer credits, students are allowed one substitution (i.e. to study abroad) and so your Cornell/JCB credit requirements may be reduced (pending approval). Please reach out to the minors office to discuss options.

The minors office will accept any/all foundation courses that have been accepted by your home college as long as they have been accepted/transferred in as the equivalent required minors course (example below).

Incoming Course (from University of Connecticut) – ECON 1201: Principles of Microeconomics

Transferred to Term Spring 2023 (Cornell University) – ECON 1110 Transfer Credit 

The minors office will NOT accept any core courses that have been transferred in as a lesser amount of credits than the Cornell requirement.

*Note – this often happens with institutions that use the quarter system (10-week sessions).

No. Any/all foundation courses are eligible for review, in addition to one core course. No exceptions.

No. A copy of the syllabus (including: mode of instruction, institution, instructor, number of credits, meeting times/hours, exam schedule, and list of topics) is required in order to determine whether the course meets the necessary requirements of your minor. *Note: we will NOT accept course descriptions or overviews.

Plan ahead. Review each minor’s eligibility and course requirements on our website to determine if you will be able to complete the minor during your time as an undergraduate. Plan a course of study that will help you complete the requirements. Reach out to the Minors office to discuss your course plan and feasibility of completing the minor during your time at Cornell.

You may sign up for your chosen minor as early as your first year. This will give you enough time to plan out your courses and take any required foundation courses should they fit into your schedule. You will be eligible to enroll in the core courses starting your sophomore year.  The latest you may enroll in a minor is by your sixth semester at Cornell, typically the fall of your junior year. Please use the Business Minors Dashboard to sign up. You are not officially pursuing one of the minors until you are enrolled in our system.

Your course plan is a proposed set of courses you plan to take to complete your minor. Using your dashboard, enter in your planned courses and semesters under each category (leave grade blank – can update later) to map out your minor.

You will not be penalized if your actual course of study deviates from your plan. We realize things change, but it is helpful to plan ahead and have a viable course plan during your time at Cornell.

All requirements must be completed with a grade of C or better. Effective with the Summer 2021 term, S/U grades will NOT be accepted.

A course is typically marked as “rejected” for one of three reasons:

1) You did not meet the grade minimum of a C, or you selected the S/U option.

2) You entered the wrong information. The dashboard auto-verifies course #, grades, etc. via your student record. If the information does not match, the course will show as rejected (i.e. AEM 2241 versus HADM 2250, both are finance courses with different course codes).

3) You took a course outside of Cornell and tried to enter it as a Cornell course in the dashboard. All courses taken outside of your minor’s curriculum must be submitted as a transfer or substitution petition (links located in dashboard).

You are required to report your own courses and grades via your dashboard. All completed courses and grades are verified against your student record.

Once all coursework has been completed and your final grades are entered, you are ready to confirm completion! You will be prompted to attest you have met all requirements and you will complete a short survey. The minors office will then be notified to verify your minor completion and submit the minor to be listed on your transcript—this will not happen until you confirm completion.

We do not limit the number of business minors that you can pursue. However, some minors cannot be taken together due to curriculum overlap. The important rule to remember is that students may not “double count” core courses that overlap with the other business minors – courses may only count toward one minor, with the exception of foundation courses.

Of the JCB minors, students may pursue only one of the business minors (Business, DBME, DBMLS) in combination with a specialty minor. Students may pursue more than one specialty minor, keeping in mind the double counting rule.

You may drop your minor at any time without penalty. To drop the minor, simply select “Drop Minor” from your profile on the Business Minors Dashboard.

Once you’ve confirmed completion, the minors office will be notified to review and submit your minor (to be added to your transcript). Once the minors office has confirmed your minor, you will receive a notification (via email) that your minor is complete, and your dashboard will read “Congratulations, you have completed the minor!” You will see your minor listed on your transcript AFTER your degree is conferred.

If you have submitted your confirm completion, please be patient while your minor is being reviewed. If there is an issue with your minor, you will receive an email explaining what changes need to be made to complete your minor.

We recommend to begin with the foundation courses. For the business minors, students tend to start with a management, marketing or accounting course and then follow with a finance course.

Capstone courses are taken last and are intended to bring together all of your coursework in a practical application.

**Please note** some courses are offered only in fall or spring. As you are planning your minor, look ahead to see when the courses are offered to ensure that it will fit with the plan you’ve chosen.

Policies on retaking courses varies across colleges.  We recommend you check with your home college registrar’s office.

All courses must be completed with a letter grade of C or better.  Effective with the Summer 2021 term, S/U grades will NOT be accepted.

Yes, AP/IB credit will be accepted as long as the credit has been accepted by your home college at Cornell (listed on your transcript), and you’ve met the score requirement (based on Cornell enrollment date – visit the Courses of Study website to confirm). To add to your dashboard, you should select the AP course option and enter “S” as the grade.