Undergraduate electives
Enhancing your degree with specialized courses
Business majors are encouraged to take additional business courses to serve as their electives. Other courses outside the college may also be useful and may count toward your general education, restricted elective, or minor requirements.
When choosing an elective, ask yourself the following questions:
- Will this course expand my knowledge of business?
- Will this course give me a broader personal or professional perspective?
- Will this course help me develop skills that I can use in the workplace?
- How will this course look on my resume/transcript?
- Would this course be worth discussing in a job interview?
- Does this course really interest me?
- Does this course count toward a minor or some other degree requirement?
Recommended business courses
Ethics in Global Business
BUL 4443
Explores issues involving the role of individuals, citizens, business, and government in promoting profitable but responsible commerce and socially beneficial business activity.
Principles of Entrepreneurship
ENT 3003
Practical, hands-on understanding of the stages of entrepreneurial process. Focus on the decision-making process within a start-up company.
Venture Capital & Private Equity
FIN 4934
Students will learn about venture capital and private equity investing by exercising the skills used by professional firms. Learning activities will include developing and evaluating business plans, valuation and calculating potential investment returns, deal structuring, and developing debt structuring models.
Organizational Leadership
MAN 4930
The art and science of leadership, development of leadership skills, review of leadership literature.
Sales Management
MAR 4403
Principles, methods and problems relating to the management of a sales force; selection/training, organization, compensation/stimulation, and control.
Real Estate Analysis
REE 3043
Principles of real estate decision making within the context of our economic, social, legal and political-governmental systems.
Real Estate Investment Decision Making
REE 4303
Explores real estate investment and the demands, skills and challenges of decision-making for those who make such investments.
Business electives for general studies majors
General Studies (BABA-GBA) majors must take 11-12 credits of required business electives from the Heavener School of Business or Fisher School of Accounting. These courses must be 3,000-4,000 level courses.
Only one GEB professional communication course (GEB3213 or GEB3218) can be used as a business elective. Additionally, you must complete both courses (GEB3213 or GEB3218) to have one of them count towards the business electives requirement. Internship courses, independent study, or assistantship credit will not count toward this requirement. Business electives must be taken at UF or through an approved study abroad program. Courses taken as S/U option will not count toward this requirement.
Business Administration – General
Leading Organizations
GEB 3017
Provides a strategic foundation for leadership practice in a variety of professions. Increases the capacity to lead with and without authority, across boundaries, and from any political or organization positions
Effective Career Management
GEB 3035
Systematically designed course based on the cognitive information processing theory for career problem solving and decision-making. The course is delivered via modularized multi-media instructional materials. The course is designed to inform students about career planning and management interventions and to accommodate students at different levels of decidedness about their career aspirations.
Professional Writing in Business
GEB 3231
Designed to teach business students fundamental written communication skills focusing on those areas central to professional writing in business.
Professional Speaking in Business
GEB 3218
Designed to teach business students the fundamental communication skills necessary for succeeding in a business setting, including presentations and speeches, interpersonal skills, and interviewing.
Entrepreneurship
Principles of Entrepreneurship
ENT 3003
Practical, hands-on understanding of the stages of entrepreneurial process. Focus on the decision-making process within a start-up company.
Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship
ENT 3503
Social entrepreneurship involves using the skills and strategies of business to innovatively and sustainably solve social, environmental, and economic problems. The ventures created by social entrepreneurs can be non-profits, for-profits, or innovative hybrid models. This course aims to educate, inspire, and empower students to become change makers.
Creativity and Innovation in the Business Environment
ENT 4616
Examination of the creativity process and the organizational environment of several organizations recognized as creative and innovative. Course is organized around class discussions, workshops, projects, both individual and team-based, cases, a field trip and visiting experts. The course is very interactive and is based in experiential learning.
Special Topics
FIN 4934
Special topics in entrepreneurship-related fields of study. Past topics have included Business Plan Lab, Small and Family Business, Entrepreneurship Post Mortem, and Dilemmas & Debates.
Finance
Debt & Money Markets
FIN 4243
Financial markets; institutions & instruments associated with debt funds; determinants of the general level & structure of interest rates.
Financial Management
FIN 4414
An integrative examination of theory and practice of managerial finance, financing and investing decisions as affected by risk, timing and financial markets.
Equity & Capital Markets
FIN 4504
Financial markets; institutions & instruments associated with equity funds; the mechanics & mathematics of stock prices; security analysis & factors influencing stock values.
Special Topics
FIN 4934
Special topics in finance-related fields of study. One of previous special topics discussed investment management.
Introduction to Financial Planning & Wealth Management
FIN 3124
An examination of the financial planning process, professional conduct and regulation, and education planning. Students analyze personal financial information, construct financial statements, develop financial strategies, and understand the components of a written financial plan.
Estate & Tax Planning
FIN 4132
A focus on the fundamentals of estate planning, including the transfers of wealth by gift or at death. Trusts, guardianships and post mortem planning are covered. Also covers the taxation of income by federal government, focusing on the planning and preparation of federal tax returns around estate planning.
Financial Plan Development
FIN 4128
Covers retirement needs, individual, corporate, and government retirement plans, plus group benefits plans. Examines professional issues in financial planning, including ethical considerations, regulation and certification requirements, written and oral communication skills, and professional responsibility.
Risk Management and Insurance
RMI 3011
Identification of various types of risks; principles underlying selection of appropriate means of handling risks; introduction to life, health, property, liability and other area of insurance.
Information Systems & Operations Management
Computing in the Business Environment
ISM 3004
Presents fundamental concepts from two perspectives: the individual business computer user and the corporate business computing environment. Introduces common business computing applications; this is not a hands on applications training course. Students use their existing computer skills to complete assignments.
Business Systems 1
ISM 3254
Introduces the basic tools for building business systems using object-oriented and event-driven programming paradigms. Emphasis will be placed on using Java, C# and J# to illustrate these ideas.
Business Systems 2
ISM 3255
Continues developing the basic tools for building business systems using object-oriented and event-driven programming paradigms. Emphasis will be placed on using C++ to illustrate these ideas.
Business Systems Design and Applications
ISM 4133
Conceptual foundations of the process, data and object oriented approaches for the analysis and design of business systems. Systems development life cycle, rapid application design, CASE tools also covered.
Database Management
ISM 4210
Introductory course on database management. Topics covered include various stages in a database development process such as conceptual, logical, application, and physical design.
Business Data Communications 1
ISM 4220
Various aspects of telecommunication systems, the use of local and wide area networks, the Internet, wireless technologies and distributed systems for decision making and strategic management questions relating to business goals, long-range planning and budgeting.
Information Systems and Operations Strategy
ISM 4330
Policy and management issues surrounding information systems and operations management in today’s enterprises.
Managerial Operations Analysis 1
QMB 4701
Introduces the concepts and applications of management science; become more confident in understanding and using deterministic analytic models.
Managerial Operations Analysis 2
QMB 4702
Overview of stochastic applications of Management Science. Students will learn stochastic modeling techniques and introductory visual basic.
Management
Ethics in Global Business
BUL 4443
Explores issues involving the role of individuals, citizens, business, and government in promoting profitable but responsible commerce and socially beneficial business activity.
Organizations: Structure and Behavior
MAN 3240
Individual group & organizational issues that affect & shape businesses. Topics: individual differences, motivation, communication, decision making, leadership, power, organizational structure & design, and change.
Human Resource Management
MAN 4301
Major human resource management functional areas. Topics: organizational employment planning, employment regulation, job analysis, performance assessment, recruitment & selection, training & development, employee/labor relations, and compensation
Integrated Product and Process Design 1
MAN 4538
The first part of a two-course sequence in which multidisciplinary teams of engineering and business students partner with industry sponsors to design and build authentic products and processes-on time and within budget. Working closely with industry liaison engineers and a faculty coach, students gain practical experience in teamwork and communication, problem solving and engineering design, and develop leadership, management and people skills.
Integrated Product and Process Design 2
MAN 4539
Continuation of the two-course sequence in which multidisciplinary teams of engineering and business students partner with industry sponsors to design and build authentic products and processes, on time and within budget.
Strategic Management
MAN 4723
Evaluation of the key functions of organizations & integration of these functions to achieve competitive advantages. Topics: strategic formulation, implementation, and evaluation.
Leadership
MAN 4930
Covers the knowledge, skills, and foundation in leadership necessary to be effective in a variety of settings. Students will develop an understanding of the components that make leadership successful.
Marketing
Introduction to Retailing Systems and Management
MAR 3231
Functions, institutions and activities of retailing goods and services.
Professional Selling
MAR 3400
Basic survey in professional selling. Teaches the importance of the selling role and provides basic professional selling skills; begins the preparation for a future role in sales or sales management.
Consumer Behavior
MAR 3503
Emphasizes both descriptive and conceptual analysis of consumer behavior w/focus on theory and research essential to an understanding of individual choice behavior. Intensive use of contributions from the social and behavioral science literatures.
Sales Management
MAR 4403
Principles, methods and problems relating to the management of a sales force; selection/training, organization, compensation/stimulation, and control.
Marketing Management
MAR 4803
Development and analysis of overall marketing strategies involving product and brand development, channels of distribution, pricing and promotion with consideration of marketplace conditions and related factors affecting implementation and execution.
Real Estate
Real Estate Analysis
REE 3043
Principles of real estate decision making within the context of our economic, social, legal and political- governmental systems.
Real Estate Investment Decision Making
REE 4303
Explores real estate investment and the demands, skills and challenges of decision-making for those who make such investments.
Restricted electives
When choosing electives, be sure to determine if you still need restricted electives. All business students who are not General Studies majors must complete 11 credits of either 3/4000 level courses or any level foreign language. This includes courses from outside of the business school (ex. ADV3008, AEC3030c, SPM3012, etc.). Internship, independent study courses graded S/U, or assistantship credit will not count toward this requirement.
Common restricted electives
- ADV3008 Principles of Advertising
- AEC3030C Effective Oral Communication
- AEC3414 Leadership Development
- EDF3110 Human Growth and Development
- ENT3003 Principles of Entrepreneurship
- FYC3005 Intro to Personal and Family Financial Planning
- SDS3340 Career and Lifespan Planning
- SDS3482 Stress and Anxiety Management
Research electives
The following courses can help you develop research focused skills:
- EDF3423: Educational Research
- EDF4430: Measurement and Evaluation in Education
- EDF4440: Program Evaluation in Educational Settings
- EDF4470: Survey Research Methods in Education
Need help with electives?
Your advising team can guide you through decisions about which electives to take so you stay on track to graduation.