Dartmouth will begin offering Tuck School of Business classes exclusively for undergraduates this Spring term, along with a new international studies minor, Dean of the Faculty Carol Folt announced today. The minor will be offered to members of the Class of 2010 and later.
The new Tuck classes, which will be taught by business school professors, will count towards the undergraduate degree, Tuck Dean Paul Danos said, although students cannot receive major or minor credit for the courses.
Tuck will offer a financial accounting course this spring. A class on the principles of marketing and another on business management and strategy will be introduced gradually over the next two years, Danos said, explaining that there are tentative plans for two sections of 60 students for each course, and priority will be given to seniors.
Tuck began offering a supplementary summer program, Tuck Bridge, for undergraduates from all universities in 1999, but the new undergraduate courses will be the first to count for credit, Danos said.
The College developed the new classes over several years, beginning with administrative discussion about collaborative programs, Danos said.
Faculty at Tuck and the undergraduate college agreed on the importance of the new program, he added.
Students will learn how businesses organize themselves fiscally, report results and make decisions, among other concepts, he said.
"[The program] allows students who are interested in finance careers or who want to do internships in business to at least get the basic language of business down," Danos said. "It's helpful in a career-planning sense."
The initiatives will also benefit students who wish to gain a broader understanding of society, he said.
Taking classes in business will not only help students who plan to major in economics or go to law school, but also those who want to learn life skills, including how to manage personal taxes, he said.
Tuck professors will also teach the critical thinking and learning skills necessary for all academic disciplines, said Mike Mastanduno, associate dean for the social sciences.
"I think it would behoove people in a lot of different categories to take these courses," Danos said.
Faculty have responded positively to the Tuck programs, Mastanduno said. Tuck faculty developed the courses with input from professors at the undergraduate level, although the classes are not affiliated with any specific undergraduate department, Mastanduno added.
The College's upcoming budget cuts will not affect the new program, Danos said.
"The last thing we will do is reduce the kinds and varieties of courses available to students," he said.
The economic situation will be reflected in class materials, Danos said.
Professors might use lessons from the financial crisis as examples of accounting and marketing issues, he explained.
"Students will get much more insight into what caused the crisis and how new rules and regulations will be implemented," Danos said. "It's hard to understand these issues without having any background."
Several liberal arts colleges and Ivy League schools have similar programs that allow students to take business classes, either from special undergraduate departments or affiliated graduate schools, Danos said.
Unlike at other programs, though, Tuck professors, rather than teaching assistants, will be the instructors, he added.
The new initiatives will likely not lead to an undergraduate major or minor in business, Danos said.
"We'd like to concentrate more on a broad education and not specialize too much," Danos said. "The basic spirit at Dartmouth of a broad liberal arts-based undergraduate experience will be maintained."
Folt today also announced the availability of a new international studies minor, which the Committee of Chairs of the Arts and Sciences faculty approved with "enthusiastic support" last November, according to Lindsay Whaley, associate dean for international and interdisciplinary programs.
The minor, which will be overseen by the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, will consolidate previously existing courses into a more focused program, Whaley said.
Since no new courses will be created, the budget cuts should not affect the program's implementation, he said.
Students pursuing the minor will take six courses, including four interdisciplinary courses focusing on international issues, one advanced language course and one elective, according to a statement from Folt. The courses will span a variety of topics, including international security, economics, global health care and culture, Whaley said.
The idea of an international studies minor was introduced a decade ago and has since garnered broad faculty support, Whaley said.
"[The minor] is well-suited to students from any disciplinary perspective who want to think about their major in a broader, global context," he explained.
Both the new Tuck initiative and the international studies minor are directly supported in part by alumni donations.
