Facebook Skip to main content


Business Minor

Open to all non-business undergraduate students, the Foster School’s Business Minor offers students the opportunity to build a diverse set of career and life skills. Students completing the Business Minor will learn from excellent Foster faculty members in courses related to financial literacy, accounting, management, entrepreneurship, marketing, sales, and information systems. Coursework for the Business Minor will be delivered largely online with in-person events periodically.

The Business Minor consists of 5 core courses and 1-2 approved electives for a minimum of 27 credits.

  • A minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA is required in courses applied to the minor.
  • A minimum of 15 credits must be at the 300- and/or 400-level.
  • A minimum of 15 credits applied to the minor must be completed in residence at the UW-Seattle.

Core Courses:

FIN 205: Personal Financial Literacy (4 CR)
ACCTG 219: Essentials of Accounting (4 CR); or ACCTG 225: Fundamentals of Managerial Accounting (5 CR)
MGMT 305: Essentials of Management and Entrepreneurship (5 CR)
MKTG 305: Essentials of Marketing and Sales (5 CR)
I S 305: Essentials of Business Finance and Information Systems (5 CR; prerequisites: FIN 205, ACCTG 219 or 225)

Elective Courses:

R E 250: Introduction to Real Estate (3 CR)
ECON 200: Introduction to Microeconomics (5 CR)
ENTRE 370: Introduction to Entrepreneurship (4 CR)
ENTRE 440: Business Plan Practicum (2 CR)
ENTRE 443: Environmental Innovation Practicum (2 CR)
ENTRE 445: Health Innovation Challenge Practicum (2 CR)
I BUS 490: Foster Exploration Seminar (*study abroad course by application only)
MKTG 315: The Business of Personal Branding and Athletics (4 CR)
MKTG 370: Retailing (4 CR; prerequisite: MKTG 305)
MKTG 445/MGMT 445: Multicultural Marketing and Business Development (4 CR; prerequisite: MKTG 305)
MKTG 456: Advertising (4 CR; prerequisite: MKTG 305)
MGMT 400: Corporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (4 CR; prerequisite MGMT 305)
MGMT 401: Leadership Development (4 CR)
MGMT 402: Negotiations (4 CR)
MGMT 403: Developing High Performing Individuals, Teams, and Organizations (4 CR)
MGMT 404: Organization Development and Change (4 CR)

Course Forecast

Anticipated course times for Winter 2024 and Spring 2024

The below table indicates when to expect courses to be offered for the 2023-2024 academic year. Please note this schedule is subject to change.

Summer 2023 Autumn 2023 Winter 2024 Spring 2024
ACCTG 219 ACCTG 219 ACCTG 219
FIN 205 FIN 205 FIN 205 FIN 205
I S 305 I S 305 I S 305
MGMT 305 MGMT 305 MGMT 305
MKTG 305 MKTG 305 MKTG 305

To declare the Business Minor, students must have a declared major and at least 45 credits completed. The Business Minor is an open minor and can be declared with your major advisor.

Students will register on their own for business minor coursework.
Foster does not overload courses, we will not provide add codes for any courses.
You do not need to be declared in the minor to register for the coursework.
You must meet course prerequisites to register; we will not allow students to take course prerequisites concurrently.

Registration for Business Minor courses opens for students as follows:

Period 1

FIN 205, ACCTG 219, MKTG 305, I S 305, MGMT 305, ECON 200

Period 2

MGMT 401, MGMT 402, MGMT 403, MGMT 404, MKTG/MGMT 445, RE 250

2 Weeks Before First Day of the Quarter

ENTRE 370, ENTRE 440, ENTRE 443, ENTRE 445, MKTG 370, MKTG 456

If you have questions about the Business Minor, Foster School advising offers the following resources:

Students who wish to try out business coursework before committing to the Business Minor or who do not have enough space in their schedule to complete the full minor have the option of completing the Business for Life digital badge.

a facimile of the Foster Business for Life badgeDigital badges are verifiable micro-credentials that can be shared on social media such as LinkedIn and used in e-portfolios or digital resumes. To earn the Foster School Business for Life badge, students need to take FIN 205 or ACCTG 219, plus two of any additional Business Minor core courses (MGMT 305, MKTG 305, or I S 305).

Upon completion of the required 3 Business courses, submit the Badge Completion Request Form. The Foster School will award students the digital badge at the end of each quarter which students can share on LinkedIn.

Students can earn a Sports Business Badge, an enhanced Foster Business for Life Badge specifically for students interested in careers in athletics. To complete the Sports Business Badge, students need to complete MKTG 315: The Business of Personal Branding and Athletics class in addition to the requirements for the Business for Life Badge. MKTG 315 was designed in conjunction with UW Athletics and explores the intersection of athletics and business. Students will cover key name, image and likeness topics such as personal brand development and strategy, business and entrepreneurship, and opportunity evaluation.

Upon completion of the required 3 Business for Life courses and the Sports Business course, submit the Business for Life Badge Completion form and designate the Sports Business Badge. The Foster School will award students the digital badge at the end of each quarter which students can share on LinkedIn.

Can any of the core courses (ACCTG 219, FIN 205, MGMT 305, I S 305, MKTG 305) count toward the business major if I were later admitted to Foster?

No. None of the Business Minor core courses will fulfill degree requirements for the Business Major. If you are planning to apply to the Foster School major, we do not recommend taking any of these core courses.

Can ACCTG 219 replace ACCTG 215 and 225 for applying to the Foster School’s business major?

No, ACCTG 219 will only fulfill requirements for the Business Minor, Entrepreneurship Minor, and the Professional Sales Certificate; it does not fulfill the pre-application requirement to apply to the business major.

Which course are offered online versus in-person?

All the core courses will be offered online, and all of the elective courses will be offered in person.

What is the structure of the online courses?

The online core courses will have synchronous meetings each week combined with recorded video content.

Are the core courses offered every quarter?

ACCTG 219, FIN 205, I S 305, MGMT 305 and MKTG 305 are typically offered Autumn, Winter, and Spring.

If I have already taken MKTG 301, do I still need to take MKTG 305?

If you have taken MKTG 301 Summer 2021 or earlier, MKTG 301 can fulfill the MKTG 305 core requirement by exception. Please contact the Business Minor advisor.

I took ENTRE 372 Winter 2023 or earlier. Can I use it as an elective for the minor?

Yes.

I am in the Sales Program and have taken MKTG 301 and MKTG 335, do I still need to take MKTG 305?

No, students who have completed MKTG 301 and MKTG 335 can receive credit for MKTG 305.

Do the online courses in the minor count as residence credit?

Yes, distance learning courses offered by a student’s home campus count as residence credit.

I am in the Sales Program and have taken MKTG 301 and MKTG 335, do I still need to take MKTG 305?

No, students who have completed MKTG 301 and MKTG 335 can receive credit for MKTG 305.

Do any of the minor courses fulfill general education requirements?

Yes, I S 305 and ACCTG 219 fulfill Qualitative and Symbolic Reasoning (QSR), and FIN 205 fulfills Individuals and Societies (I & S).

Can I use transfer credits from other institutions to fulfill requirements for the business minor?

Yes, approved equivalents from other institutions can be used to fulfill business minor requirements. To get a course approved, start by emailing [email protected].

Can I use Foster’s Career Services if I am declared in the business minor?

Foster Career Coaching is only available to students admitted to the business major, but many of the Foster Career Services events are open to all students including the annual Business Career Fair each October. You can find all events on Handshake.

Can I get credit for an internship and use it to meet the elective requirements of the minor?

No, internship credit does not fulfill elective credit for the business minor.

Can I use study abroad credits to fulfill requirements for the business minor?

Yes. All the Foster School short-term study abroad Exploration Seminars will fulfill an elective. If you took other business courses on a study abroad program, send the course syllabus to [email protected] to review.

Is there a minimum GPA to earn in the business minor?

Students need a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA in all courses applied to the business minor.

Can I take courses for the minor S/NS?

No, all courses for the minor must be completed on the numerical grading basis.

What other ways can I engage with the Foster School of Business?

Many of the Foster School student clubs and organizations are open to all students: https://foster.uw.edu/academics/degree-programs/undergraduate-programs/student-organizations/.

Select Foster School Exploration Seminar study abroad programs are open to all students: https://foster.uw.edu/exploration-seminars/.

If I am in the Foster school of Business major, can I declare the Business Minor or receive the Business for Life badge?

No, these programs are for students who are not admitted to the Business major.

Contact us

Email: [email protected]


The creation of the Foster School’s Business for Life Badge & Minor Program was made possible by the generous support of BECU.