AEM degree requirements

Dive deeper into the issues and topics that matter most to you. As part of the interdisciplinary Applied Economics and Management (AEM) curriculum at the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, you’ll select at least one concentration to shape your academic path. Guided by faculty with expertise across a wide range of industries, Dyson’s concentrations help you build specialized knowledge and practical, real-world skills you can carry forward into your career.

Dyson degree requirements

To earn the Bachelor of Science degree in AEM from Dyson, you must complete at least 120 credit hours from the four categories.

AEM course requirements

Dyson core courses lay the groundwork for your applied economics and management major Courses in macroeconomics, microeconomics, accounting and business management provide a solid foundation, while classes like the Ethics in Business and Organization class help you put theory into practice.

AEM concentration requirements

All Dyson students choose at least one concentration. Each concentration, from accounting to strategy, has specific requirements and, often, the ability to select from a broader list of AEM courses (and relevant classes from other schools and colleges).

College distribution requirements

As a student in both the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business and the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), you’ll fulfill a range of distribution requirements in the physical, life, and social sciences, as well as in the humanities and writing.

Grand Challenges requirements

Collaborate with your peers, faculty members, and community partners to tackle real-world issues in our region and around the globe related to the 17 sustainable goals of the United Nations. The 7.5-credit, three-part Dyson Grand Challenges program begins with an engaging course your first year and ends with an immersive capstone. These three courses are intentionally designed for you to take in order, starting as a first-year. See more about Grand Challenges.

Free electives

There’s so much to explore at Cornell. In addition to your required applied economics and management courses, you’ll round out your schedule with free electives from across the university. Let your curiosity lead the way!

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AEM course requirements

Dyson core

Dyson’s rigorous academic experience begins with our core curriculum, which includes coursework in management and economics, quantitative methods, and applied economics. Thanks to a broad course selection, you can even align your core requirements with your professional interests.

Some of your core classes also serve as AEM prerequisites for upper-level applied economics and management courses.

See course requirements

Explore AEM concentrations

For the most up-to-date information, refer to the Dyson Office of Student Services and Advising.

Accounting

Today, the boundaries between accounting, finance, and management are blurred — and technology has dramatically shifted the skills demanded of accounting professionals. In the Dyson School’s accounting concentration, you’ll learn about innovative financial statement analysis, applied tax strategies, cutting-edge tools and other approaches to accounting.

Applied economics

Applied economics and management is the cornerstone of the Dyson School. This applied economics concentration strengthens your foundation in macroeconomics, microeconomics and econometrics. With strong critical thinking skills and data analysis proficiency, you’ll be ready to apply economic theory to real-world problems in industries and markets of all kinds.

Sampling of classes:

ECON 3040 – Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory
AEM 4140 – Behavioral Economics
AEM 4300 – International Trade Policy
AEM 4515 – Business and Economics of Energy

Business analytics

The ability to extract useful and actionable insights from big data is one of the most desirable business skills today. Analyst positions of all kinds — from management analyst to data analyst — are on the rise across sectors and industries. With a wide range of courses, you’ll have the chance to enhance your schedule with areas of analytics that interest you the most. Perhaps you’ll pursue additional programming classes or maybe you’ll dive deeper into marketing strategy or risk management.

Entrepreneurship

The most flexible of all Dyson School concentrations, this path is all about turning ideas into action — and solving societal and economic problems through business endeavors. Whether you’re interested in tech start-ups, social enterprises or small businesses, the entrepreneurship concentration will prepare you to launch a venture of your own or contribute to one as an early employee.

Sampling of classes:

AEM 2220 – Dilemmas in Entrepreneurship
AEM 3249 – Entrepreneurial Marketing & Strategy
AEM 3251 – The Business Laboratory & New Venture Mgmt.
HADM 4800 – Law for Entrepreneurs

Finance

Finance careers are in demand. Year after year, positions like finance manager and financial analyst rank high on U.S. News & World Report Best Jobs in America lists. This Dyson School concentration prepares you for high-level finance careers in investment banking, asset management, equity research, management consulting and more.

Sampling of classes:

AEM 4570 – Corporate Finance
AEM 4670 – Investments

AEM 4230 – Behavioral Finance
AEM 4590 – Financial Markets & Institutions

Food business management

Cornell’s agricultural history and the Dyson School’s expertise in consumer packaged goods come together in our Food Business Management concentration. Whether you’re interested in food production, restaurant management, product marketing or retailing, you’ll get a taste of leading-edge theory and industry best practices. Classes and activities related to this concentration also offer opportunities to meet experts through guest lectures and conferences.

Sampling of classes:

AEM 2310 – Business and Economics of Food
AEM 2480 – Food and Consumer Packaged Goods Industry Dynamics
AEM 3270 – Supply Chain Strategy and Supermarket Simulation
AEM 3440 – Consumer Behavior

International markets and development

The Dyson School’s International Markets and Development concentration is built on Cornell’s long tradition of leadership in international agriculture. Our faculty and students continue to address pressing questions facing developing countries such as “How do we increase food production without harming the environment?” or “How can we grow the income of small-scale farmers?”

Marketing

Audience is everything. In the Dyson School’s marketing concentration, you’ll explore what makes someone choose one product or service over another through courses in customer strategy, pricing analysis, and market research. The broad array of classes available in this concentration reflects the breadth of career paths in the marketing field, from the theoretical — such as neuroscience and consumer behavior — to the tactical, like sales operations and supply chain strategy.

Strategy

Why are some companies more successful than others? The Dyson School’s Strategy concentration explores that — and many more — questions about how businesses can establish and sustain a competitive edge in an ever-changing market. With a wide range of course options, this concentration allows you to be, well, quite strategic about building a schedule that fits your goals.

Sustainable business and economic policy

The Dyson School’s Sustainable Business and Economic Policy concentration explores how businesses and governments can address environmental challenges through smart policies and financial strategies. Students gain the tools to analyze data, understand markets and drive sustainable change in a global economy.

Our CALS connection

Dyson’s AEM program is part of two colleges: The Cornell SC Johnson College of Business and the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). This connection to CALS expands your scientific knowledge and human understanding in ways that other business schools can’t. Here’s a closer look at the CALS distribution requirements. Note: some distribution requirements may be fulfilled by the Dyson Core course requirements within the major

CALS 2025+ distribution requirement overview

Biological sciences ( 1 course)
Agriculture, food systems & human nutrition (1 course)
Physical sciences (1 course)
Sustainability challenges (1 course)
Data literacy (2 courses)
Written and oral expression (3 courses)
Ethics (1 course)
Human diversity (1 course)
Cultural, social and historical understanding (2 courses)
Engaged, experiential, entrepreneurial (E3) learning milestone

Dyson Grand Challenges Requirements

Using business for good is part of Dyson’s DNA. Guided by faculty mentors, you’ll connect your coursework to complex, real-world issues through our Grand Challenges programming.

Dyson Grand Challenges capstone projects align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative.

You and your team will work toward solutions to SDGs like

No Poverty
Sustainable Cities and Communities
Life Below Water
Decent Work and Economic Growth

Get Grand Challenges details

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University-wide courses

As an AEM major, you’ll get to branch out beyond the Ag Quad by taking electives from across the Cornell course catalog. Use these extra credits to pursue topics you’re passionate about, explore new-to-you disciplines, and meet students and faculty members from across the university.

Year-by-year AEM courses

As you work toward your AEM degree at Dyson, every course and experience will prepare you for the next. You’ll begin with introductory classes that help fulfill your core requirements — and meet AEM prerequisites for more advanced coursework. In your second year and beyond, you’ll add in a concentration, minor, and elective classes and, finally, round things out with your Dyson Grand Challenges capstone project.

While your individual academic plan will vary, here’s a closer look at how core, concentrations and other AEM requirements are typically spread across your four years at Dyson.

Year one

Start Dyson core
Complete writing seminar
Start Grand Challenges

Year two

Finish Dyson core
Start CALS distribution requirements
Declare concentrations

Year three

Complete Grand Challenges: Pre-project immersion
Start concentration/minor requirements
Start free electives

Year four

Complete Grand Challenges Capstone project
Finish concentration/minor requirements
Finish free electives

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Academic advising at Dyson

Helping you reach your goals

You have goals, and we’ll help you get there. Academic advisors at Dyson can assist your short- and long-term course planning, whether it’s helping you determine which semester is best for a study abroad experience, how to incorporate a minor, or finding elective AEM courses that match your professional goals. The Dyson Office of Student Services and Advising is also your connection to additional academic, career, physical and mental health and other support resources across the Cornell campus.

Learn more about student services

Start your application

Prepare for today’s competitive marketplace with the depth of an intense core curriculum — and the breadth of relevant, high-demand AEM concentrations at the Dyson School.