The science-business major, an interdisciplinary program that incorporates curriculum elements from the Mendoza College of Business and the College of Science, will no longer be offered to those who have not declared the major in Fall 2023.
Interdisciplinary majors allow students to study more than one of Notre Dame’s six colleges. The science-business major has been offered at the university for nearly 40 years, allowing students to enter the business world and prepare them for a career in health care.
The major is intended to enable the student to enter an MBA program, as well as a health care professional course such as medical school, dental school, public health, or health care administration. The core curriculum was diverse, allowing students to gain a full experience of interdisciplinary study.
“The major serves a group of students seeking careers in STEM-related fields such as consulting, the petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries, and health care management. It also serves some pre-professional students who want to gain valuable knowledge in business through self-directed experience after completing their medical or dental education,” says Graduate Studies. “Our science-business graduates have gone on to law school, graduate school, the nonprofit sector, directly into industry and even built their own businesses,” associate dean Dan Gezelter said in an email.
John Nash, a junior science-business major, said the program met his needs in both areas.
“I really like the original, I think it’s a great combination of two things that I really enjoy,” Nash said. “And since I always feel it’s good to load a versatile course, I wanted to practice with both.”
In its place, the College of Business offers five courses on a business basis open to students in the College of Science. Minors provide basic education in business while still allowing them to pursue careers in health care.
“The science-business major provides a good education with a business foundation, but restructuring it as an elementary science major and a new minor makes this education more accessible to students with an elementary interest in one of the science majors.” he said in an email.
Nash said he doesn’t believe the minors foster the same sense of community as the majors.
“There is no course for science-business kids. You take science classes and you take business classes, so I understand where they’re coming from,” Nash said. “I don’t think it’s going to be very different, but it’s nice to meet the kids in the science-business program and know that we all have the same interests. So I think that kind of society will disappear. “
Geltzer also said the change will solve the administrative challenges of the cross-collegiate program.
“Relying on two different colleges to provide the required classes for a major is always a challenge,” Gezelter said in an email. “The College of Business wants to control their own academic programs and their own departments, and they want to give Notre Dame students a separate certificate.”
Gezelter said the program’s versatile recruiting potential doesn’t end with the majors.
“The science-business reputation has helped employers find students with broad interdisciplinary training in science and a strong foundation in business,” Gezelter said in an email. “This recruiting edge may be lacking for future classes, but high-level training in science and business remains for students who combine one of the new majors with a science major.”
Nash said he was able to advance his career with his science-business major.
“Next summer I will be at DaVita Healthcare, which is a healthcare consulting firm working in kidney care,” Nash said. “And my science-business major really stood out to them because it wasn’t something that a lot of other universities were offering, and they thought it was super unique, and it played into everything about their company,” he said.
While science-business majors once knew they were unlikely to return to Notre Dame, Gezelter said there is hope for a new major with similar principles.
“Once we get approval for the main sunset, it can’t come back,” Gezelter said in an email. “The Science Dean’s Office is currently seeking new interdisciplinary science major options that share the strengths of the science-business major.”
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