One of the most common questions I am asked when speaking with prospective Tufts applicants is, “what is Tufts’ business program like?” This can be a rather complicated question to answer because, at first glance, the easiest response is that we don’t have a business major or business school at Tufts. But to answer the underlying question of whether Tufts offers academic programs to prepare students for a career in business, finance, or consulting, the answer is a resounding “yes!” Read on to learn more about the many ways Tufts supports students pursuing business careers, both as undergraduates and alumni.
Academics
For students interested in building skills for a career in business, we are excited to recommend a brand new minor in Business, Management, and Leadership (BML) through Tufts’ Gordon Institute. This minor uniquely interweaves personal discovery with professional preparation. Every course connects inner development with outer impact, preparing you to lead with both purpose and practical skills. Such courses include Living Life with a Purpose, exploring holistic approaches to life and leadership, and Mastering Money: Developing Financial Literacy, tackling fundamental personal and business-related accounting principles.
But of course, a minor doesn’t alone earn you a degree. Many students interested in business-related pathways will choose to major within the Department of Economics. There are two majors available here: economics and quantitative economics. Both majors carry STEM certification and require courses in economic principles, micro and macro economic theory, math, and statistics. There are also elective courses in business law, game theory, health economics, economics of energy markets, economics of sports, and plenty more. However, the standard economics major is a more flexible choice of courses, while the quantitative economics major follows a more mathematical approach and provides the background recommended for those contemplating graduate study in economics or the more quantitative areas of business and finance. Economics is one of the most popular majors at Tufts and is commonly paired with minors including in Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Entrepreneurship for Social Impact. Both of the entrepreneurship minors, as well as the business minor, come from a great resource center on campus (keep reading!).
For those interested in furthering their studies in business at the graduate level, Tufts’ very own Fletcher School offers a master’s degree in International Business, as well as a new Graduate Certificate in Business for current juniors and seniors to add to their degree before graduation. Students will complete four courses for the certificate: three courses focused on problem solving fundamentals plus one elective. These courses count toward the total credits required for an undergraduate degree and come with no additional tuition cost.
The Gordon Institute and Derby Entrepreneurship Center
The Derby Entrepreneurship Center, colloquially known as the DEC, is the hub for entrepreneurial learning experiences at Tufts. The DEC offers a breathtaking array of opportunities for students interested in entrepreneurship and business broadly. The entrepreneurship minors are two of the most popular at Tufts, providing a learning experience that students can tailor to their interests. The DEC also hosts five entrepreneurial competitions, including the prominent New Ventures Competition, for which Tufts undergraduates can pitch their venture ideas and win cash and other prizes valued at over $250,000. They also host workshops and a speaker series, support an internship program and an accelerator program, as well as host a pre-college summer bootcamp. The Gordon Institute oversees the DEC, but also offers programs of its own, including the BML minor and engineering management minor. Additionally, it provides opportunities for mentorship from business-driven alumni partners and professional faculty advisors to help you carve your path. With TGI’s focus on allowing students to explore applied business and build skills alongside the entire spectrum of Tufts academics, you’ll discover how a business mindset and skillset combines with your passion to equip you to contribute meaningfully in any setting.
Career Center
Tufts’ Career Center is an incredible resource for students at all points in their academic journey, whether you’re stepping in for drop-in advising, virtual and in-person workshops for resumes and cover letters, or multiple career fairs each year. Almost 90% of Tufts students will complete at least one internship before they graduate, and nearly two thirds will complete two or more. Recent Tufts graduates interned at companies like Bloomberg, Amex, and all Big 4 accounting firms. This is in no small part due to the incredible work that our Career Center does to support Jumbos. They work in what we refer to as Career Communities, or collections of similar fields, dedicated to providing students with a wide array of resources from job postings to professional development workshops and masterclass type talks. One such Career Community is Finance, Consulting, Entrepreneurship, & Business. Alumni can also use these resources at any point after graduation, whether by joining as an alumni mentor to current undergraduates or getting help with a career shift down the road. Over the past few years our Jumbos have found their professional home at companies such as McKinsey, EY-Parthenon, and J.P Morgan Chase.
Student Organizations
Many Tufts students find their closest friends through student organizations, and those interested in business have a lot available to them. There is Jumbo Ventures for entrepreneurial-minded students, 180Degrees Consulting for Jumbos who want hands-on experience with one of the most popular fields for recent graduates, and the Investment Club for those looking to hone their stock market chops, among many others. With over 350 organizations to choose from and a straightforward process for creating your own, there is always room to explore your interests and share them with the rest of the Tufts community.
Hopefully by now you can understand how so many students at Tufts find success in business-related fields after graduation, even without a formal business major to declare. Ranked as one of LinkedIn’s Top Colleges, Tufts is one of the nation’s universities that “best sets up its graduates for long-term career success.” No matter how you choose to shape your path, Tufts is here to prepare you, every step of the way.