Frequently Asked Questions

Many resources and recommendations are available to you right on this website. You may also make an appointment to meet with your First Year Advisor for general guidance and referrals. 

No. The college does not have the capacity to offer students two business majors. Business courses outside your major may be taken with departmental approval on a space-available basis.  All business students are also eligible for the minors in Real Estate and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.  For more information, see the majors page of this website.

Although the College has imposed major enrollment limits in the past, as of Fall 2019, all business students are free to select their preferred business major without exception. Students may also subsequently change their business major so long as they can complete the requirements within the standard eight semester limit. We encourage students to utilize the discernment resources available to them, to ensure they make informed and intentional major selections. 

Yes, students may change their business major at any time so long as they can reasonably complete the major requirements without exceeding eight semesters at Notre Dame. We recommend you meet with an advisor in 101 Mendoza for assistance in revising your plan of study and ensuring you understand all the implications of the change under consideration. The advisor will then submit the required form to effect the change. 

In addition to choosing one of the five business majors, Mendoza students may elect to minor in Real Estate, Innovation & Entrepreneurship or Business Technology. Students should keep in mind that pursuing a business-oriented minor may result in coursework beyond the standard graduation requirements due to the rule that 21 of your elective credits must be in non-business courses.  For additional clarification, please meet with an advisor to review your plan of study.

Students are encouraged to first research the requirements of such an addition by running a What If? audit on your GPS and meeting with an advisor in the secondary department. If your reason for adding the second credential is job related, you might also wish to speak to a Career Center Counselor about the opportunities available to those majors and strategies to maximize your options. After doing this legwork, we recommend that you sit down with an MCOB advisor to determine how the course requirements will fit into your business curriculum.

See this page for additional guidance on choosing and declaring a second major or minor. 

Students majoring in Marketing may elect to pursue one of four specialized tracks: (1) Marketing Decision Analytics to focus on marketing models and data analytics; (2) Brandscaping to focus on marketing communications, creativity and culture; (3) Market Development to focus on consulting, sales, and sales management; and (4) Graduate Study, appropriate for students interested in graduate school (e.g., PhD, JD, MBA). Each track consists of three recommended elective courses for depth, and a fourth elective selected from one of the other tracks for breadth. More detailed information is available here. Students are not required to pursue any of these tracks, and are thus free to choose elective courses consistent with their academic interests.

The Marketing major prepares students for a wide range of opportunities in business. The Marketing Decision Analytics track prepares students for careers in marketing & data analysis, marketing research, and retail consulting. The Brandscaping track prepares students for careers in brand management, advertising media planning, digital marketing analysis, and social media strategy. The Marketing Development track prepares students for careers in retail account management, digital marketing sales, and B2B technical sales. Each of these tracks also prepare you for a career in consulting. The Graduate School track should be self-designed to lead to a targeted graduate or law school. Marketing majors from each of these tracks are also increasingly employed by nonbusiness and nonprofit organizations—educational or art institutions, charitable organizations, and hospitals—as they realize the critical importance of marketing to their success.

FAQ1: Is taking courses within a track mandatory?
No, it is purely voluntary, and you can mix and match elective courses as you please.

FAQ2: Why do we have a track structure?
The track structure allows students to develop expertise and depth in a specific area.

FAQ3: Are tracks mentioned on the transcript?
No, tracks are not reported on the degree transcript in any fashion.

FAQ4: How will the tracks benefit a marketing student?
If you apply for a job that requires you to have depth in, say, Marketing Decision Analytics, and you have taken the electives within the track, you can list the track and the corresponding courses on your resume. You are more likely to be short-listed for job interviews for specific positions and industries (e.g., Marketing Analytics, Brand Management, Consulting etc.) if you show expertise by taking courses within a track. However, we strongly encourage students to take courses across multiple tracks to develop both breadth and depth in marketing.

FAQ5: Will tracks change?
By design, tracks will be configured to reflect the current trends in the marketplace and placement opportunities for our graduates.