Business is a source of prosperity, identity, purpose, and power. Global business creates opportunities and exciting innovations. People are increasingly taking steps to harness the power of business to solve society's greatest challenges.

Why study Business at Sewanee?

A part of the Wm. Polk Carey Pre-Business Program, the minor in business ("business minor") is anchored in the belief that a liberal arts education offers the best foundation for a business career. Such an education provides a broad understanding of human behavior and institutions, an appreciation of global culture and people around the world, and perspectives for developing personal values and ethical standards. It encourages creativity and flexibility of mind that business leadership demands. 

With courses ranging from statistics, psychology, economic theory, entrepreneurship to financial accounting, the business minor is ideal for mapping your way to a new career in any industry. Sewanee business minors are eligible to apply for the Carey Fellows business honors program, a mark of distinction designed to prepare students for leadership positions in business and finance. 

The business minor offers the opportunity to study economics, accounting, finance, and business ethics and to select complementary courses from disciplines including economics, psychology, politics, computer science, history, forestry, and business. In choosing elective courses, students focus on one of five tracks: managerial, international, finance, environment and sustainability or accounting.

FIRST DESTINATIONS: Business minors

Sewanee graduates secure positions in a variety of fields. Here is a sampling of recent graduates' first jobs. 

  • Environmental, Health, Safety, and Sustainability Associate, GSK, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
  • Development Analyst, Surgical Care Affiliates, Birmingham, Alabama
  • Client Financial Management Analyst, Accenture, Arlington, Virginia
  • Fund Accountant, Alternative Investment Funds, SEI Investment Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Data Scientist, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Dallas, Texas
  • EVS, Valuation Associate, M&A, KPMG, New York, New York
GRADUATE SCHOOL & PRE-PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS: Business Minors

Sewanee graduates enjoy extraordinary acceptance rates to top graduate and pre-professional programs:

  • MBA, Goizueta Business School, Emory University
  • Master of Accountancy, Corporate Valuation, Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University
  • MBA, sports business, Charles H. Lundquist College of Business, University of Oregon
  • MBA, Columbia Business School, Columbia University
  • Masters in Environmental Management, Business and the Environment, and Climate Change Science and Solutions, Yale School of the Environment, Yale University

Featured Student

Sage Cookerly, C'26

"As an economics major, the business minor will supplement the knowledge I will acquire from my economics classes. My interest in gaining valuable business skills will allow me to apply what I have learned to real-world situations and scenarios that I will encounter in the business world during internships and after graduation. As I move toward a professional career, I know the skills learned from the business minor will be helpful in my work and my daily life. A general knowledge of business and business practices is important for everyone, even if they will not necessarily be using it directly in their professional life."

Liberal Arts: The Best Preparation for Success in Business

The Business Minor

The business minor complements a student’s education in the liberal arts. Students in any major may choose to minor in business. To meet the requirements of the business minor, students complete four core courses—in economics, finance, accounting, and ethics—and choose two electives from one of five tracks: managerial, finance, international, accounting, and environment and sustainability.

Babson Center for Global Commerce

The Babson Center for Global Commerce, a key component of the Pre-Business Program, supports Sewanee students aiming for careers in business with skills training, co-curricular and experiential learning opportunities, internships, the Beecken Bridge Scholarships which support Sewanee students for summer programs at some of the nation’s leading business schools, and a varied program of lectures and discussions which brings leaders in global commerce to the University campus.

Business Honors

Students seeking a more intensive pre-business experience may apply to become Carey Fellows, Sewanee's business honors program. Carey Fellows complete requirements beyond the normal coursework—such as a semester-long, paid internship, a pro-seminar, and exposure to cross-cultural businesses—that prepare them for leadership positions in business, consulting, and finance.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

A key component of the Pre-Business Program is that it supports Sewanee students aiming for careers in business. It supports business organizations and offers conference scholarships, skills training, and co-curricular and experiential learning opportunities.

A Sampling of Courses

Business Ethics
Philosophy

An examination of the moral dimensions of business activity, especially within the context of a democratic society. Topics may include social and economic justice, the nature of corporations, corporate accountability, social responsibility, the morality of hiring and firing, employee rights and duties, advertising, product safety, obligations to the environment, and international business.

PHIL 232
Corporate Finance
FINANCE

This course addresses the concepts underlying corporate finance and equity markets. Topics include financial statement analysis, time value of money, security valuation, capital budgeting, capital structure, dividend policy, and working capital management.

FINC 201
International Political Economy
Politics

This course examines the dynamics of international political and economic relations. Issues of trade, monetary and financial networks, investment, North-South relations, and the international system will be explored. The international context of development will receive particular attention.

POLS 366
Fundamentals of Financial Accounting
Business

The instructional objective is to provide students with an understanding of the concepts that are fundamental to the use of accounting. Students will focus on the accounting cycle and the preparation of financial statements, including balance sheets, income statements, and statements of cash flows, as well as on the use of financial ratios. A decision-making approach is employed which involves critical evaluation and analysis of information presented. Analytical tools are integrated throughout the course. 

BUS 215
Dynamics of Asian Business
Business

This 2-part course examines business trends and business structures in Asian emerging markets. It discusses the evolution of conglomerate enterprises and business networks during recent decades that have seen rapid economic growth in Asia. The 2023 version of this course focused on India, India's political economy, and the dynamics of its firm formation in the country.  It examined the policies and case examples of new start-up business development and entrepreneurship and saw how India is adapting structures to shape an innovation economy and spur social entrepreneurship. Following work in the classroom, the second component of the course includes three weeks of travel to Asian cities to meet with business and non-profit leaders and develop a group research project that provides students with an understanding of business culture and business customs. International travel also incorporates cultural experiences.

BUSI 350 & BUSI 351
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Business

Programs of Study & Related Programs

Students select one of five minor tracks in Business:

  • Managerial
  • International
  • Finance
  • Environment and Sustainability
  • Accounting

Requirements for the Major and the Minor in Economics | Website

Requirements for the Major in Finance | Website

Meet Some Professors

Eric Zinn
ejzinn@sewanee.edu

Eric Zinn is a lecturer and the director of the business minor program. He teaches courses in financial accounting, managerial accounting, business law, and taxation. Mr. Zinn earned a juris doctorate degree from the University of Florida; received master's degrees in taxation, accounting, business administration, finance, and information systems from the University of Florida and the University of Colorado, Denver; and has a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of the South. Mr. Zinn is also Of Counsel to the national law firm of Kutak Rock LLP and practices in the areas of federal taxation and corporate law.

Instructor of Business & Director of the Business Minor Program
Myles Elledge
mfelledg@sewanee.edu

Myles Elledge is the director of the Babson Center for Global Commerce and teaches leadership, strategy, and international business. He serves as a coach and mentor to students interested in charting their path to a range of business sectors or pursuing social impact careers. Prior to joining the Babson Center, Mr. Elledge served in executive roles with a technology start-up, as a global business director with a large non-profit applied research organization, and as a staff economist with a leading international consulting firm. He has served in international roles in Tokyo, Japan, and lead public and private sector consulting projects in 34 emerging market countries. 

   Mr. Elledge holds a master's degree in public and international affairs, with a certificate in international political economy from the University of Pittsburgh. He completed his bachelor's degree in global studies from the University of the South. 

Director, Babson Center for Global Commerce
Huarui Jing
hujing@sewanee.edu

Dr. Huarui Jing is an assistant professor of economics. She teaches courses in investment finance, real estate finance, and financial econometrics (derivatives & fixed income securities, financial modeling, and financial engineering).

Dr. Jing received her Ph.D. education in economics from the University of Connecticut and her M.S. in Policy Economics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She holds a B.A. in Public Economics and Administration and B.S. in Statistics from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

Her current research is focused on machine learning-based macro finance projects: distributional robust optimization (DRO) in asset pricing models, robustness study on nonparametric recursive utility asset pricing model, and high dimensional asset pricing model DRO problems.

 

Assistant Professor of Economics
Aaron Elrod
aaelrod@sewanee.edu

Aaron Elrod's primary field of specialization is environmental and natural resource economics, with secondary fields in public economics and industrial organization. Prior to joining the Department of Economics, Elrod worked as an economist for the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. There he received a Bronze Medal Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce for superior federal service. He also conducted research as a Special Sworn Status researcher at the U.S. Census Bureau’s Center for Economic Studies. Elrod’s teaching interests include environmental and natural resource economics, energy economics, and public economics.

Assistant Professor of Economics
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Contact

Eric Zinn
Director, The Business Minor

ejzinn@sewanee.edu
Carnegie Hall 217, Ext. 1822

Myles elledge
Director, The Babson Center

Myles.Elledge@sewanee.edu
Babson Center for Global Commerce, Carnegie Hall 107, Ext. 1307

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