Designing My Ideal Business Degree
I studied business at university from 2009-2012, with a one year work placement in the middle.
Now that I’ve spent the last 10 years working in this field, I have a new appreciation for the subjects that helped, an indifference to the subjects that haven’t, and a grievance for the crucial absences in the business education space.
Rather than complaining about the system, I thought I’d outline the ideal course for a young Isaac.
Business cannot be covered in 24 subjects, it is too broad and too complicated, so every business student gets a high level overview and a specialisation.
These are the 24 subjects that would have been valuable, fascinating and influential for me.
There’s a decent overlap with the subjects I took, some breadth subjects and some modern topics for 2022 onwards.
I don’t believe this program needs to take three years, I think it depends on the student, their circumstances and their drive.
For this reason, I’ll divide the subjects into sets of eight.
First Eight – The Essentials
These eight subjects cover a broad spectrum of the business world, training students in how different companies operate, the main functions of every business, and how to behave like a competent professional.
Introduction To Corporate Business Strategy
Learning how large companies operate, make decisions, thrive and crumble.
Introduction To Startup Strategy
Learning how small and fast growing companies operate, make decisions, thrive and crumble.
Introduction To Marketing
The basic principles behind how customers behave, how brands put forward a compelling message, how modern marketing is measured, and what goes into a proper marketing strategy.
Introduction To Business Law
Obligations, traps and opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs.
Introduction To People, Culture And Team Dynamics
How to assemble, maintain and motivate a team of people over an extended period of time.
Introduction To Financials
Introduces the three basic financial documents (cash flow, profit and loss, balance sheet), common financial scenarios and methods for improving the financial health of a business.
Managing Yourself
Finding and designing ways to get the most out of yourself, setting and hitting targets, and understanding the mindset traps that hold people back.
Fundamentals Of Business Communication
Developing good habits in written communication, business relationships and public speaking.
Second Eight 2 – Hard Things
These second eight subjects are more sophisticated and specific, designed to cover some of the hardest elements of business that ruin most companies.
Understanding Financial Markets
An overview of different financial markets and systems, their purpose and functions, and the roles played by different professions.
Business Ethics
The philosophies and real world practices of making the right decisions for you, your team, your customers and the broader population.
Any prospective student who complains that this is not necessary is automatically yellow-carded.
Understanding Your Customers
Detailed analysis of different types of customers, their pain points, where to acquire them and how to retain them, and how to develop new product and service offerings that suit their needs.
Introduction To Social Enterprise
A high level overview of the emerging Social Enterprise industry, how they function, what makes them successful and what holds them back.
Full disclosure, I deliver a subject just like this one today.
Making Tough Tradeoff Decisions
Role-plays, case studies and scenarios faced by real business leaders throughout history, and their consequential rewards and pitfalls.
Fundamentals Of Professional Services
How various professional service firms operate, what these jobs entail, why they are useful and where they run into trouble.
Personal Finance
How to budget and set helpful goals for yourself and your own money, and understanding your options for different investment strategies.
Corporate Finance
How large companies use money most effectively, and the tools and financial instruments available to them today.
Work Experience Year
Students are encouraged to spend time working in a job they believe they will enjoy.
This is a win-win situation, either they’re right and happy, or they’re wrong and relieved.
This work is paid at a below-market salary, but close to the national median income, so students are comfortable but prioritise experience over money.
Third Eight – Putting It Into Practice
These last eight subjects have a focus on real-world skills, action planning and getting your hands dirty.
Most subjects require students to create their own businesses or participate in realistic scenarios.
Public Relations And Personal Branding
How to use traditional media, social media and personal branding for different types of businesses and industry.
Partnership Brokering
Starting and maintaining effective partnerships, negotiation skills, contracts and creating a sense of trust.
Sales Strategies
How to approach different types of customers, from B2C conversations, through to long term B2B relationships.
Crucial Business Systems
Developing and improving the core systems in every business, including customer acquisition and retention, back-of-house operations, financial processes and staff management.
Startup Ideation
A hands-on project in which each student creates, tests, develops and pitches their own startup idea.
Full disclosure, I deliver a subject just like this one today.
Growth Planning And Execution
Tactics and tools for growing different types of business, covering all facets of growth (hiring, sales, systems, infrastructure, assets and cash flow).
Foundations Of Business Leadership
Principles, mindsets and strategies for leading diverse teams under pressure.
Advocacy And Social Responsibility
Methods and principles for businesses who take a strong social position on important issues, and how businesses can adjust their operations to match their values.
Optional Electives / Alternatives
These might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they are likely to be highly desirable and relevant to different niches.
Foundations Of Cryptocurrencies And Blockchains
Introduction To E-Commerce
Graphic Design For Business Communications
Governance And Boards
Personal Branding And Increasing Your Employability
Advanced Financial Analysis
Format Tweaks
· No textbooks, materials are included in the price of the course and are generally inexpensive.
· A reduced number of group assignments, or work to be done with teams no larger than three.
· No classes before 9am.
· Guest speakers in at least 20% of sessions.
· A strong preference for practitioners over academics.
· Plagiarism is an automatic fail.
· Discontinue traditional reference systems, nobody actually writes like that.
· No student should go two weeks in a row without making some sort of contribution to the conversation.
· An emphasis on modern business tools used in the industry today.
· Each student must approach and meet with one or more mentors each year, minimum of four contact hours per semester.
What’s Your Top 24?
This is a personalised playlist for myself, my taste and my circumstances.
I’d encourage you to think about which of these you would choose for yourself, and which 6-10 subjects you would replace with more relevant coursework.
If your desired subjects don’t exist anywhere, how might you invent or assemble your own personal equivalent?
