All first-year students must take Business Dynamics (VSB 1015) their first semester at Villanova. This course provides a high-level overview of all of the functions of a business. A wide variety of professors who teach this course have experience in an array of professional fields including marketing, finance, accounting, supply chain, and ethics. Students often give presentations; pitch ideas through the Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship Challenge; and draft professional emails. Business Dynamics is also the center of VSB’s Read to Lead program, where all first-year students read a book the summer before their Villanova journey begins, connecting highly relevant business topics presented in the book to classroom concepts.

The VSB 2000 Courses are designed for students to gain exposure to other courses within each of VSB’s majors. These courses are typically taken during the student’s sophomore year, during the early stages of declaring a major. Courses include Financial Accounting (VSB 2004), Strategic Information Technology (VSB 2006), Corporate Responsibility and Regulation (VSB 2007), Business Analytics (VSB 2008), Principles of Finance (VSB 2009), and Competitive Effectiveness (VSB 2020).

The Backpack to Briefcase curriculum prepares students for professional development throughout their time at Villanova. Through a combination of one-credit courses, case competitions, and a senior capstone class; students are offered an immense amount of professional development opportunities. There is plenty of semester-long networking events, guest speakers, resume and LinkedIn workshops organized by VSB’s Clay Center and O'Donnell Center for Professional Development. Click here to learn more about Backpack to Briefcase

As part of VSB’s liberal arts core curriculum, there are several required classes that are required outside of VSB:

• Ancients (ACS 1000) and Moderns (ACS 1001) - Taken during freshman year. These courses are seminar-style classes that incorporate Augustinian values into reading and writing exercises.

• The Good Life: Ethics and Contemporary Moral Problems (ETH 2050) - a Discussion and Writing Based class that focuses on several key ethical theories and applying them to modern issues.

• Faith, Reason, and Culture (THL 1000) and Upper-level Theology - VSB students take an introduction to theological practices and spirituality class before taking one theology elective, to explore how spirituality can apply to different areas of life and society.