VSB '12 student here; ask me anything

vsbstudent12
Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:17:53 +0000

Good question. You might want to email the registrar about that.

There are differences in the core for VSB and A&S students. The core for liberal arts [is here](COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES | Villanova University), and business [is here](VILLANOVA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS | Villanova University). There’s some overlap, but there are also some differences.

I am 99% sure that double dipping applies across colleges. You see, if you double major within business (e.g. finance and management), there may be a course that counts for both. Taking it once would fulfill both a management elective AND a finance elective. Now, across schools, from what I understand you could dip some of the liberal arts requirements against your 15 general free elective credit hours for business.

I know this is the case within business - some of my electives for my second major are double dipping against my free credit hours, and one course is double dipping for both of my majors.

However, I’m not sure of the exact specifics- which is why I’d email the registrar and ask. I know a student who died of unknown causes recently (pretty tragic; he was a Junior) was the first engineering/French double major here at Villanova ever. Engineers have barely any choice over free electives and a fairly locked courseload otherwise, so I’d say if that’s possible, it’s definitely possible to do lib arts/business. You may need to bring in credits via APs/IBs and/or overload (summer semester courses, 6 course semesters, extra year, etc.) to do so.

Business professors recommended to me that I may wish to combine my business major with a liberal arts major. I had my sights set elsewhere, but I can’t imagine them recommending it to me without it being very feasible.

On which school to go into:
I have known several students in liberal arts who wanted to go to business or get a business minor, and several students who were interested in the other way. Transferring into or getting approval for a minor in VSB as a libarts student is tough. I have a very intelligent friend in libarts who tried to get approval for a business minor for two years before giving up, great academic record too. Transferring out of the school of business (or getting libarts approval) is, from what I have been told, extremely easy. Leaving the school of business (if you decide its not for you) to libarts is apparently as easy as signing a sheet of paper.

If you’re considering business at 'nova, apply to the school of business. It is harder than lib arts (from what I understand with admissions), but it’s much, much, much harder once you’re here.