Business is an important aspect of one’s education. Whether you are a writer, photographer or future doctor, it is necessary to have a basic understanding of business — even if it’s only to balance a checkbook. This being said, it is understandable that not everyone enjoys more than 60 hours of business classes, which is why more business minors should be made available.

Currently, St. Edward’s University only offers four business minors: accounting, business administration, economics and international business; this is severely limiting.

Every business major should have a minor as well, in an effort for students to really explore whatever area of business interests them. But there are three areas of study that should be minors immediately — entrepreneurship, management and marketing. By adding these minors, students could really transform their education at the university.

A minor in entrepreneurship would allow students the ability to gain skills to start their own business. There are so many students that wish to start a business, but they get degrees that match the industry they want to go in rather than focusing on the necessary skills to start a company.

Having this minor will give students the tool to use their expertise in their field to be successful entrepreneurs and increase their chance of success.

A minor in management firstly makes sense, seeing as it is the School of Management and Business. Besides that, studying management can really help cultivate future leaders in any field.

Management allows one to learn more about how to manage people, and, more importantly, how to work with them. This is a skill that transcends any profession, and it should be accessible to every student on campus.

A minor in marketing makes sense for many majors, but especially communication majors, because they learn how to effectively communicate with people. Marketing teaches students how people act and what people respond to. These two skills together would make amazing salespeople and well-rounded communicators. Not allowing students to minor in marketing is really hindering their knowledge on all aspects of people.

It is easy to see why these specific minors would be beneficial to students at the university, but there are so many more benefits of taking business classes in general.

Business has many stigmas associated with it. People envision either a boring cubicle or a “Wolf of Wall Street.” The truth is that business is simply a study of people. How people operate; how people spend money; how people think are all lessons companies use to generate money and a lot of it, but no course description is going to say “this class is about making money.”

Allowing more business minors will allow more students to learn more about people, and possibly put them on the path towards success later in life.

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