The combined major with business administration and economics is our most popular combined major, combining the underlying economic theories and models and their business applications. After satisfying the core courses in economics, there are over 40 electives from which to choose to complete this combined major. 

What is a Combined Major?

A combined major combines two majors in a way that allows a student to fulfill all requirements within the standard 8 academic semesters. For details, see the BS in Business Administration and Economics program requirements.

This degree can be accomplished using either the four- or five-year co-op plan. There are also business concentrations and business minors to help you customize your unique Northeastern educational experience.

BS in Business Administration and Economics Curriculum

The curriculum below is an abbreviated sample of the business administration academic requirements for the Business Administration and Economics degree. Please refer to the program information in the Registrar's Undergraduate Catalog for the full curriculum appropriate to your class year. Course numbers and titles are subject to change.

Required Courses

Complete one of the following introductory courses:

BUSN 1102. Personal Skill Development for Business. 1 Hour.

Offers first-year students in the D'Amore-McKim School of Business (DMSB) an opportunity to achieve a better understanding of themselves as students and as future professionals. Explores self-analysis, leadership traits and styles, diversity and cultural awareness, professionalism, emotional intelligence, and ethics. Encourages students to draw connections among classroom education, extracurricular activities, and practical experiences and to identify how each component fits into the pursuit of their individual goals.

ECON 1000. Economics at Northeastern. 1 Hour.

Intended for freshmen in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities. Introduces freshmen to the liberal arts in general; familiarizes them with their major; helps them develop the academic skills necessary to succeed (analytical ability and critical thinking); provides grounding in the culture and values of the University community; and helps them develop interpersonal skills—in short, familiarizes students with all skills needed to become a successful university student.

Complete one of the following capstone courses:

ECON 4692. Senior Economics Seminar. 4 Hours.

Incorporates aspects of real-world and academic experiences of students into an analytical context, enabling students to demonstrate their ability to apply economic concepts, methodology, and data to economic issues and problems of personal and philosophical significance.

STRT 4501. Strategy in Action. 4 Hours.

Provides for the integration and application of administrative theory, knowledge, skills, and experiences for effective strategic performance in an organization. Offers students an opportunity to acquire a better understanding of the relevance and limitations of business and management concepts and techniques when making and implementing strategic decisions.

Business Administration Requirements

ACCT 1201. Financial Accounting and Reporting. 4 Hours.

Covers the basic concepts underlying financial statements and the accounting principles followed in the preparation of the balance sheet, the income statement, and the statement of cash flows. Offers students an opportunity to become familiar with accounting terminology and methods designed to enable them to interpret, analyze, and evaluate published corporate financial reports. Wherever appropriate, the course relates current economic, business, and global events to accounting issues. Analyzes how financial reporting concepts affect the behavior of investors, creditors, and other external users. Emphasizes the importance of ethics in financial reporting. Requires second-semester-freshman standing or above.

ACCT 2301. Managerial Accounting. 4 Hours.

Focuses on the development and use of information—especially financial information—for managerial decisions within the firm. Introduces managerial accounting concepts, analyses, and practices that support business decisions through class discussions, exercises, and case analysis. Topics include budgeting, cost management and behavior, cost-volume-profit analysis, relevant costs for decision making, cost allocation issues, and performance evaluation. Emphasizes the importance of ethics.

FINA 2201. Financial Management. 4 Hours.

Designed to develop the financial skills and logical thought processes necessary to understand and discuss financial policy decisions in a global economy. Specific objectives include developing an understanding of the time value of money; using financial statements in decision making; and understanding the nature of financial markets, the cost of capital, valuation of stocks and bonds, management of short-term assets, short-term and long-term financing, capital markets, and multinational financial management. Addresses the impact of legal, social, technological, and ethical considerations on efficient economic outcomes. Requires a financial calculator and provides an opportunity to develop computer spreadsheet skills.

MKTG 2201. Introduction to Marketing. 4 Hours.

Provides an overview of the role of marketing in business and society. Considers the planning, implementation, and evaluation of marketing efforts in consumer and business-to-business companies, in service and goods companies, and in for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Also examines contemporary issues in marketing that can affect organizational success. A term project is used to enable students to apply their learning about the fundamentals of marketing.

ORGB 3201. Organizational Behavior. 4 Hours.

Provides an overview of the actions and behaviors of people in organizations. Uses case studies, videos, experiential exercises, lectures, and discussions to explore the effects of individual, interpersonal, group, organizational, and cross-cultural factors on human behavior. Topics include groups and teams, motivation, leadership, organizational change, organizational culture, structure, conflict resolution, and communication. Both the underlying theories and principles of these topics, as well as their practical applications and implications for organizations, are covered.

INTB 1203. International Business and Global Social Responsibility. 4 Hours.

Introduces the student to forces and issues confronted in our era of rapid globalization. Managers must understand forces from interconnected social, political, and economic national environments that affect their company's operations. At the same time they need to draw on their ethical foundations to address and act on social responsibility imperatives across national borders.

Example Economics Courses

  • Principles of Macroeconomics
  • Microeconomic Theory
  • Statistics
  • Applied Econometrics

Choose a Business Concentration

Note: If the Marketing Analytics concentration is selected, an additional general elective is required.

Calculator and accounting ledger

Undergraduate Concentration in Accounting

Accounting is a dynamic profession that requires people to possess sound technical knowledge, critical thinking skills, superior interpersonal skills, and the ability to communicate effectively.
Marketing game board

Undergraduate Concentration in Marketing

Product design, research, pricing, packaging, transportation, advertising, selling, and servicing: marketing impacts every one of these essential aspects of business.

Experiential Learning

Note: One six-month co-op experience is required for this program.

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Business Minors

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Undergraduate Minor in Consulting

A minor designed to provide students with a solid foundation in the skills and concepts needed to succeed in a consulting-oriented environment.
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Undergraduate Minor in Emerging Markets

The minor in emerging markets introduces students to the challenges and opportunities that face companies in countries that are rapidly developing into more developed world economies.
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Undergraduate Minor in Marketing

Northeastern students outside of D'Amore-McKim can gain a deeper understanding of brands, current markets trends, and consumers.
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Undergraduate Minor in Marketing Analytics

Northeastern students outside of D'Amore-McKim can learn the cutting-edge skills necessary to harness, process, and analyze data to address modern marketing challenges.
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Undergraduate Minor in Strategy

D'Amore-McKim business majors assume the role of a leader and focus the direction of an organization with strategy in mind.