Your major may be the foundation of your degree, but it does not have to be the only area you explore. Adding a minor can help you build practical skills, explore another interest, or prepare for parts of your future career that may fall outside your primary field of study. 

At Lindenwood University, the Robert W. Plaster College of Business and Entrepreneurship offers a wide range of business minors that can complement degrees both inside and outside of business. Whether you want to better understand finances, strengthen your communication skills, prepare to lead a team, or learn how businesses operate, there may be a minor that fits your goals. 

Build a Foundation in Business 

If you are majoring outside of business but want a better understanding of how organizations operate, a business-focused minor can give you a useful foundation. 

The Business Administration Minor is designed specifically for students who are not majoring in a Plaster College of Business and Entrepreneurship program. Its 15 credit hours introduce topics including finance, marketing, human resource management, statistics, and leadership. 

Other options, including the Management Minor, Economics Minor, International Business Minor, and Business Law Minor, can help students explore areas that apply across industries. These subjects can be especially useful for students who see themselves managing projects, working with organizations, leading teams, or moving into leadership roles later in their careers. 

Strengthen Your Financial and Analytical Skills 

You do not have to pursue a career in finance to benefit from stronger financial literacy. 

Lindenwood offers minors in Accounting, Finance, and Investments for students interested in developing financial and analytical skills. A Finance Minor, for example, includes coursework in areas such as accounting, economics, investments, and statistics and can complement both business and non-business majors. 

Students who want a more specialized understanding of financial markets may also consider the Investments Minor, which includes coursework in finance, microeconomics, and econometrics. 

These skills can be valuable well beyond traditional finance careers. Professionals in fields ranging from technology and healthcare to communications and nonprofit work may eventually need to understand budgets, financial decisions, risk, or the financial health of an organization. 

Learn How To Reach and Connect With People 

Nearly every organization needs people who understand how to communicate with an audience. 

The Marketing Minor, Advertising Minor, and Public Relations Minor can add another layer to majors in areas like communications, design, media, sport, entrepreneurship, and many others. 

Lindenwood’s Marketing Minor requires 15 credit hours and combines marketing with broader business topics to help students develop a working understanding of the marketplace. 

For students whose future careers may involve promoting ideas, building brands, communicating with customers, or growing an audience, these minors can provide skills that support the work they are already preparing to do. 

Prepare To Lead People and Organizations 

Technical knowledge can help you enter a field, but many careers eventually involve working with people, managing teams, or taking on greater responsibility. 

Students interested in those areas may consider minors such as Human Resource Management, Management, or Business Administration. 

These options can help students better understand topics such as leadership, employee relations, organizational decision-making, and the people side of business. That makes them relevant not only to business majors, but also to students who may eventually supervise others or move into management within their own industries. 

Add Business Knowledge to a Specific Industry 

A minor can also help connect your major to the business side of a particular field. 

Lindenwood offers options including the Health Management Minor, Sport Management Minor, and Supply Chain Management Minor, allowing students to develop business knowledge that can support careers within more specialized industries. 

For example, a student preparing for a career in healthcare may want to understand how healthcare organizations are managed. A student interested in sports may benefit from learning more about the business behind teams, events, and athletic organizations. Someone entering manufacturing, retail, logistics, or another operations-focused field may find value in understanding supply chains. 

The goal is not necessarily to change your career direction. Instead, the right minor can help you understand another side of the industry you already plan to enter. 

Turn Your Ideas Into Opportunities 

Some students may be less interested in joining an existing organization and more interested in creating something of their own. 

Lindenwood’s Entrepreneurial Studies Minor requires 12 credit hours and focuses on areas including developing ideas for products and services, creating business plans, and managing a company. 

That can be useful for students who hope to start a business, freelance, turn a creative skill into a source of income, or simply become more comfortable in developing and pursuing new ideas. 

Find a Minor That Adds Something New to Your Degree 

Your minor does not have to closely match your major. In fact, choosing an area that adds a different skill set can make your education more versatile. 

Think about what your primary degree may not cover. Would it help to better understand finances? Do you expect to manage people someday? Could marketing skills help you promote your work? Are you interested in starting a business? Do you want to understand the business side of your industry? 

Those questions can help you identify a minor that supports both your interests and your long-term goals. 

The Robert W. Plaster College of Business and Entrepreneurship offers minors in Accounting, Advertising, Aerospace Studies, Business Administration, Business Law, Economics, Entrepreneurial Studies, Finance, Health Management, Human Resource Management, International Business, Investments, Management, Marketing, Military Science, Public Relations, Sport Management, and Supply Chain Management. Lindenwood also offers an undergraduate Marketing Certificate. 

Explore Lindenwood University’s business minors and talk with your academic advisor about which options may fit into your degree plan.