Business
The Mendelson Center:
Department website: The Mendelson Center
Faculty Director: Amir Ziv
Program Manager: Jocelyn McArthur-Chouloute
email contact address: MendelsonCenter@gsb.columbia.edu
The collaboration between the faculty of Arts and Sciences and Columbia Business School offers students access to the ideas and expertise of the faculty of a top-ranked professional school recognized for its excellence in graduate business education through a series of elective courses. These courses, designed by Business School faculty specifically for undergraduates, build upon the strong liberal arts education at Columbia. Students learn how finance is directly connected to the fundamental principles of economics; that marketing utilizes concepts from psychology; and how management depends upon principles developed in psychology and sociology.
Students can take advantage of the opportunity to enhance their experience by participating in co-curricular activities, such as Business School faculty lecture series, industry panels, informal mentoring/networking activities with MBA students and alumni, in addition to research opportunities with Business School faculty.
This curricular and co-curricular programming capitalizes on the Business School’s ability to connect academic theory with real-world practice, providing students with the opportunity to develop key leadership skills, an entrepreneurial mindset, and the ability to innovate.
Eligibility:
- To be eligible to earn a Special Concentration in Business Management, students must apply to the program in the spring semester of their sophomore or junior years, and they must be accepted through a process governed by the Columbia Business School. Beginning with the Special Concentration cohort of 2017-2018 (i.e., students accepted via the application process of Spring 2017), the program will accept up to 45 qualified candidates each year. The size of the program may be reviewed from time to time by Columbia College and Columbia Business School and adjusted, if desired by both schools.
- For students who entered Columbia College or General Studies in, or before, Fall 2016: Students who have not been accepted into the Special Concentration program may have the option to “shadow” the Special Concentration in Business Management by taking the required courses if space is available in those courses. Students who “shadow” the program will not be given priority registration in any courses that count toward the Special Concentration. If a student is able to take all of the courses and earns a 3.0 or higher grade-point average in the prerequisite, core, and elective courses, she or he will be allowed to declare retroactively the Special Concentration and have the program noted on their transcript.
- The shadowing option is no longer available for students who entered Columbia College or General Studies in, or after, Fall 2017.
Application Requirements
To apply for the special concentration in business management, students must meet these three requirements:
- Sophomore or junior standing;
- Have a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or higher;
- Have received a B+ or better in at least one, but preferably two, of the following three prerequisite courses, i.e. in statistics, economics, and psychology. Students who completed only one prerequisite at the time of application must be currently enrolled in at least one other; acceptance is conditional on achieving a grade of B+ or higher in the second course.
Course List Code Title Points Statistics Prerequisite Select one of the following: INTRO TO STATISTICAL REASONING INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS CALC-BASED INTRO TO STATISTICS STATISTCS-BEHAVIORL SCIENTISTS Social Statistics Economics Prerequisite PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS Psychology/Sociology Prerequisite Select one of the following: THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY Mind, Brain and Behavior THE SOCIAL WORLD
Application Components
- Application form
- Current class schedule, including a brief description of how all concentration requirements will be completed
- Official transcript
- Resume
Benefits for Admitted Students
The following benefits are available to students admitted through the application process:
- Guaranteed enrollment in popular undergraduate business courses (must reserve in advance through program manager);
- Access to special guest speaker presentations at the Business School, including business leader or faculty presentations exclusively for admitted students;
- Formal and informal networking opportunities with Business School students, faculty, and alumni.
Guidance for Undergraduate Students in the Department
Program Planning for all Students
Eligibility
To apply for the Special Concentration in Business Management, students must meet three requirements:
-
Be of sophomore or junior standing
-
Have a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or higher
-
Have received a B+ or better in at least one, but preferably two, prerequisite program courses in the following three required areas: statistics, economics, and psychology. Students who have completed only one prerequisite at the time of application must be currently enrolled in at least one other; acceptance is conditional on achieving a grade of B+ or higher in the second course.
Guidelines for all Business Management Special Concentrators
The business management special concentration is not a stand-alone concentration: it is intended to complement the disciplinary specialization and methodological training inherent in a major. In addition to the special concentration requirements, students must complete a major or a full concentration.
The business management special concentration is not a stand-alone concentration: it is intended to complement the disciplinary specialization and methodological training inherent in a major. In addition to the special concentration requirements, students must complete a major.
Students who matriculated at Columbia in Fall 2012 and beyond must earn a minimum GPA of 3.0 in prerequisite, core, and elective courses. Students who matriculated before Fall 2012 must either adhere to the above requirement or previous requirement of B+ or better in at least two of the prerequisites and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in core and elective classes.
Students who do not meet course prerequisites or who do not receive a passing grade do not receive credit for that course towards the special concentration. All courses must be taken for a letter grade. Only prerequisites may be double counted for other majors or concentrations. The core classes cannot be double counted. Electives may be double counted if a student's major allows double counting.
For information about this special concentration, including the application process, visit Undergraduate Concentration | Columbia Business School Academics
Special Concentration in Business Management
Please read Guidelines for all Business Management Special Concentrators above.
The requirements for the special concentration in business management are as follows:
Code | Title | Points |
---|---|---|
Prerequisites | ||
Select one of the following Statistics courses: | ||
INTRO TO STATISTICAL REASONING | ||
INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS | ||
CALC-BASED INTRO TO STATISTICS | ||
STATISTCS-BEHAVIORL SCIENTISTS | ||
Social Statistics | ||
Select the following Economics course: | ||
PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS | ||
Select one of the following Psychology/Sociology courses: | ||
THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY | ||
Mind, Brain and Behavior | ||
THE SOCIAL WORLD | ||
Core | ||
Select one of the following Financial Core courses: | ||
CORPORATE FINANCE | ||
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING | ||
Select two of the following Managerial Core courses: | ||
STRATEGY FORMULATION | ||
MARKETING MANAGEMENT | ||
LEADERSHIP IN ORGANIZATION | ||
Electives | ||
Select two of the following courses: | ||
VENTURING TO CHANGE THE WORLD | ||
Making History Through Venturing | ||
THE GLOBAL ECONOMY | ||
FINANCIAL ECONOMICS | ||
MONEY AND BANKING | ||
GAME THEORY | ||
The Economics of Gender | ||
Economic History of the United States | ||
Globalization and International Politics | ||
THINKING AND DECISION MAKING | ||
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
INTRO TO SOCIAL COGNITION | ||
INTRO TO CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
Social Psychology | ||
Social Psychology | ||
ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
ECONOMY & SOCIETY | ||
SOCIAL THEORY | ||
SOCIOLOGY OF WORK & GENDER | ||
MISTAKE, MISCONDUCT, DISASTER | ||
Culture, Markets, and Consumption | ||
The Organization of Diversity | ||
Organizing Innovation | ||
Sociology of Labor Markets | ||
SEM-BIOTECH DEVPT & REGULATION | ||
HISTORY OF CAPITALISM | ||
DISCRETE TIME MODELS IN FINANC | ||
ECON & FIN MTHDS FOR SDEV | ||
Community Building and Economic Development |
NOTE: Students may not receive credit for two or more of PSYC BC1136 Social Psychology, PSYC BC1138 Social Psychology, and PSYC UN2630 SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY.
BUSI UN3013 FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING. 3.00 points.
Enables students to become informed users of financial information by understanding the language of accounting and financial reporting. Focuses on the three major financial statements that companies prepare for use of management and external parties--the balance sheet, the income statement, and the statement of cash flows. Examines the underlying concepts that go into the preparation of these financial statements as well as specific accounting rules that apply when preparing financial statements. Also looks at approaches to analyze the financial strength and operations of an entity. Uses actual financial statements to understand how financial information is presented and to apply analysis techniques
Fall 2024: BUSI UN3013
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Course Number | Section/Call Number | Times/Location | Instructor | Points | Enrollment |
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BUSI 3013 | 001/11057 | T 1:10pm - 3:40pm 390 Geffen Hall |
Wei Cai | 3.00 | 65/74 |
Spring 2025: BUSI UN3013
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Course Number | Section/Call Number | Times/Location | Instructor | Points | Enrollment |
BUSI 3013 | 001/10756 | T 1:10pm - 3:40pm 390 Geffen Hall |
Edward Li | 3.00 | 74/74 |
BUSI UN3021 MARKETING MANAGEMENT. 3.00 points.
Designed to provide students with an understanding of the fundamental marketing concepts and their application by business and non-business organizations. The goal is to expose students to these concepts as they are used in a wide variety of settings, including consumer goods firms, manufacturing and service industries, and small and large businesses. The course gives an overview of marketing strategy issues, elements of a market (company, customers, and competition), as well as the fundamental elements of the marketing mix (product, price, placement/distribution, and promotion)
Fall 2024: BUSI UN3021
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Course Number | Section/Call Number | Times/Location | Instructor | Points | Enrollment |
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BUSI 3021 | 001/11058 | W 4:10pm - 6:40pm 390 Geffen Hall |
Thomas K Hafen | 3.00 | 73/74 |
Spring 2025: BUSI UN3021
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Course Number | Section/Call Number | Times/Location | Instructor | Points | Enrollment |
BUSI 3021 | 001/10757 | W 4:10pm - 6:40pm 390 Geffen Hall |
Jenny Fernandez | 3.00 | 74/74 |
BUSI UN3701 STRATEGY FORMULATION. 3.00 points.
This class is an introduction to strategic management and the decisions that firms make in their historical context. We look at the growth of the large multi-product firm in almost all countries in the world and the the process by which they internationalized their activities and, very often, were also forced to retreat from their international positions. We treat strategies as relation to two broad goals of the class: to understand why some companies are financially much more successful than others; and to analyze how managers can devise a set of actions (the strategy) and design processes and structures that allow their company to obtain a competitive advantage. You will learn the analytical tools developed in universities, in consulting and industrial firms, and even in the military. These tools include what companies do to outperform their rivals; to analyze the competitive moves of rival firms by game-theoretic concepts; and when it makes sense for companies to diversify and globalize their business. Applications will be to Walmart and Apple, European firms and to Asian firms, and developing country firms
Spring 2025: BUSI UN3701
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Course Number | Section/Call Number | Times/Location | Instructor | Points | Enrollment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
BUSI 3701 | 001/10758 | Th 10:25am - 12:55pm 390 Geffen Hall |
Len Sherman | 3.00 | 74/74 |
BUSI UN3702 VENTURING TO CHANGE THE WORLD. 3.00 points.
How do founders and their new ventures change the world? Changes in technology and society are increasing the power of small teams to impact everything. Startups, large corporations, social groups and governments are increasingly focused on the power of innovation to solve the world’s hardest problems. The ideas and patterns driving this recent form of change-making build on frameworks defining the development of modern civilizations since the Renaissance. Venturing to Change the World introduces the intellectual foundations and practical aspects of founding a new venture. We explore the entrepreneurial mindset, team formation, idea selection, how ideas become products with markets, and the key steps in building a venture. Our scope is commercial as well as social ventures, and the course is appropriate not only for prospective founders but anyone who will operate in a society increasingly animated by entrepreneurial activity
BUSI UN3703 LEADERSHIP IN ORGANIZATION. 3.00 points.
Initially, the emphasis is on understanding the challenges confronting leaders and developing skills to effectively deal with these obstacles. Beyond intelligence and technical know-how, what separates effective leaders from other team members is a set of social skills (e.g. impression management, self-awareness). This course identifies these critical leadership skills and provides ideas and tools for improving them. Then, the course considers how social intelligence skills fit the needs of managers at different stages of their careers. In early stages, managers need to achieve a good person-job fit, find mentors, and build an effective social network. At the mid-career stage, managers need to lead an effective unit with increasing complexity and responsibilities. Finally, the course examines challenges managers face at later career stages as they become partners, CFOs, CEOs, etc
Fall 2024: BUSI UN3703
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Course Number | Section/Call Number | Times/Location | Instructor | Points | Enrollment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
BUSI 3703 | 001/11059 | W 1:10pm - 4:00pm 390 Geffen Hall |
Rachel McDonald | 3.00 | 72/74 |
BUSI UN3704 Making History Through Venturing. 3 points.
Prerequisites: BUSI UN3702 BUSI UN3702 or equivalent
This course is about making history. Advanced topics in creating successful organizations. In the age of accelerating change, innovation is moving from an accidental, artisanal process to a large-scale societal machinery. Building on Venturing to Change the World’s overview, this course delves into the philosophy, economics, history, sociology, engineering, finance and management topics that animate powerful commercial and social ventures. Technology trends: Deep consideration of two major forces in technology for the next decade (synthetic biology, artificial intelligence). Management strategies for building and leading, as well as personal productivity and conduct. Accessing and managing financial markets and resources. Product creation: Conceptualizing and delivering innovation and products through design and engineering teams. Finance and fundraising: Designing the business model, understanding the economics, and the social science of the financing markets. Keywords: science, technology, innovation, management, finance, fundraising, operations research, organizational behavior, ethics, social impact, leadership, philosophy.
ECON GU4280 CORPORATE FINANCE. 3.00 points.
Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and STAT UN1201 ECON W3211, ECON W3213 and STAT 1201.
Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and STAT UN1201 An introduction to the economics principles underlying the financial decisions of firms. The topics covered include bond and stock valuations, capital budgeting, dividend policy, market efficiency, risk valuation, and risk management. For information regarding REGISTRATION for this course, go to: http://econ.columbia.edu/registration-information
Fall 2024: ECON GU4280
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Course Number | Section/Call Number | Times/Location | Instructor | Points | Enrollment |
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ECON 4280 | 001/10867 | T Th 11:40am - 12:55pm 390 Geffen Hall |
Haran Segram | 3.00 | 80/74 |
ECON 4280 | 002/10930 | T Th 4:10pm - 5:25pm 310 Fayerweather |
Tri Vi Dang | 3.00 | 92/96 |
Spring 2025: ECON GU4280
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Course Number | Section/Call Number | Times/Location | Instructor | Points | Enrollment |
ECON 4280 | 001/13564 | M W 11:40am - 12:55pm 402 Chandler |
Haran Segram | 3.00 | 75/74 |
ECON 4280 | 002/13563 | T Th 4:10pm - 5:25pm 207 Mathematics Building |
Tri Vi Dang | 3.00 | 0/90 |
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