Your launchpad for business success
Business Essentials empowers students to ignite their potential by building a strong foundation of practical skills that lead to success at VCU, in business and throughout life. As the foundation of your business education, Business Essentials equips you with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed across all majors. Faculty teach courses that develop the core business and professional skills essential for success in the classroom and beyond. These courses are part of the shared undergraduate business curriculum.
Learning Goals
Business Essentials courses are designed to support your major by helping you:
- Build strong communication skills
- Understand key business functions and processes
- Develop confidence with quantitative tools
- Strengthen critical thinking and problem-solving
- Make responsible and ethical business decisions
Student learning outcomes
After completing the shared business curriculum, you’ll be able to:
- Communicate effectively in professional settings
- Explain the core functions of a business
- Use data to support decision-making
- Lead and collaborate in teams
- Solve business problems creatively
- Apply ethical principles to your decisions
For details about School of Business admission requirements, declaring your major and academic policies, visit the Academic Policies Bulletin.
Business Essentials courses
The BUSN 16X Digital Literacy Series offers one-credit, self-paced courses designed to build essential technology skills for academic and professional success. Topics include computer concepts, internet and device security, word processing, spreadsheets, databases and presentation tools. Each course is delivered fully online and graded pass/fail.
This course explores the core functions of business and the environments in which they operate. Students are introduced to concepts such as corporate social responsibility and ethical decision-making while developing analytical skills and a strong foundation for future business coursework and careers.
This course examines how private enterprise functions within the global economy. Students study key areas including management, marketing and accounting while practicing decision-making, addressing ethical challenges and building cross-cultural awareness. The course also supports the development of professional habits, job and internship readiness and effective teamwork skills.
Apply algebra and introductory calculus to real-world business problems. The course covers functions, linear programming and core calculus concepts such as limits, differentiation and integration with a focus on business applications. Spreadsheets are used for modeling, analysis and data visualization.
Examine the elements of effective presentations and how to deliver them with confidence. Students develop skills in building presence, leading a room and pitching ideas while learning to connect with diverse audiences. Emphasis is placed on understanding oneself, the subject matter and the audience to communicate clearly and persuasively.
This one-credit course prepares students to enter and succeed in today’s business world. Students will explore workplace expectations, develop a personal professional style, create a career plan and learn how to effectively market themselves for internships or jobs.
Explore key legal concepts that impact business operations, including contracts, employment law, sales, bailments and commercial paper. The course also examines ethical considerations and the broader social and political factors that influence business law.
Examine interpersonal, team and organizational communication in today’s dynamic and virtual work environments. Topics include written business messages, reports, job-search communication, nonverbal cues, presentations and intercultural communication. The course blends theory with hands-on skill development.
Learn the foundations of effective communication across cultures. This course introduces key concepts and skills for improving verbal and nonverbal communication with people from different cultural backgrounds. Topics include the meaning of culture, communication barriers and the verbal and nonverbal processes that shape intercultural interactions.
Designed to complement students’ real-world experiences gained in business internships, this course contributes to their development of knowledge, skills and abilities in a real-world context, supplementing and enriching their business education.