UC Davis Undergraduate Business Programs: A New Era of STEM-Focused Business Education

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) is set to launch its first-ever undergraduate business major in Fall 2025, marking a significant step in the evolution of business education. This new Bachelor of Science in Business is a STEM-designated degree, uniquely combining a deep foundation in math, statistics, and economics with practical business education. The program leverages UC Davis’s strengths in economics and quantitative methods while introducing a business curriculum anchored in core areas of business, such as finance, marketing, and strategy.

Introduction

For students hoping to study business at UC Davis, a solid grounding in science and math will be essential. The new undergraduate business degree is designed with concentrations in accounting, finance, marketing and business analytics, and strategy and management. Each concentration combines instruction in economics with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). This approach reflects a belief that a conventional liberal arts education is no longer sufficient for navigating the complexities of the modern business world.

A STEM-Designated Business Degree

The UC Davis Bachelor of Science in Business stands out as a STEM-designated degree, thanks in part to its emphasis on economics. While most undergraduate business programs require two, maybe three, econ courses, UC Davis requires six. Beyond micro and macro economics courses, the program requires Intermediate Microeconomics 1 and 2, Econometrics, and Intermediate Macroeconomics. This rigorous economics treatment is uncommon in many degree programs, and the analytical nature of the program may make it one of the few undergraduate business degrees to receive a STEM designation.

Focus on Fundamentals: Economics and Quantitative Skills

Economics is a “fundamental discipline,” according to UC Davis Graduate School of Management Dean H. Rao Unnava. The university believes that a strong understanding of economics is crucial for grasping how the market works and how people behave within it. The new business degree will have six economics courses with a heavy focus on real-world, applied instruction. Students will learn how to create mathematical and statistical models with regard to business ideas and concepts.

The program also emphasizes intensive quantitative and data instruction, setting it apart from other programs. This includes instruction in key areas of interest to students and businesses alike, including sustainability. UC Davis already has a major in managerial economics with a heavy focus on how to apply economic theory to business, building students’ quantitative and problem-solving skills.

Concentrations and Specializations

After completing core business classes, business majors choose to specialize in one or two of the following areas:

Accounting
Finance
Marketing and Business Analytics
Management and Strategy

These specializations allow students to tailor their education to their specific interests and career goals, providing them with in-depth knowledge and skills in their chosen fields.

Curriculum and Instruction

The UC Davis undergraduate business degree will combine the humanities with relevant, high-demand business concepts to prepare students with a broad and versatile skill set. The curriculum will also include sustainability instruction options for students, and sustainability will be touched on within the degree’s core classes.

STEM Instruction and Real-World Learning

Students in the undergraduate business program will also have access to current certifications in high-demand tech skill sets. That could include programming in languages like Python, in blockchain, and in machine learning. Certifications will also cover managerial and leadership areas, like project management and the Six Sigma business improvement methodologies. These certifications enhance students' resumes and make them more competitive in the job market.

The Student Experience

UC Davis is committed to providing a supportive and engaging learning environment for its undergraduate business students.

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Connection and Support

The university has designed connection and support into the student experience. All students will take a course in their first quarter, “Thriving at UC Davis - College Survival Skills Through the Lens of Business,” to foster community-building and a sense of belonging within the major. Every student will also be matched with a dedicated advisor who stays with their cohort from start to finish-a rare level of continuity at a large research university.

Career Services

Because the program is being built from the ground up, UC Davis has the unique opportunity to design career services with today’s students in mind. That continuity fosters a deeper sense of connection and coordination, ensuring students get personalized guidance throughout their time at Davis. Undergraduate business majors will also be invited to appropriate Graduate School of Management events.

Faculty and Resources

Many of the upper-division and business specialization courses will be taught by top research faculty from the Graduate School of Management. The major is a first-of-its-kind campus partnership between the Graduate School of Management, the College of Letters and Science, and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The degree is housed in the Graduate School of Management that supports student advising and career services as well as confers the Bachelor of Science in Business degree.

The Broader Business Ecosystem at UC Davis

UC Davis offers three paths for those interested in the broader field of business: Business, Economics, and Managerial Economics. These three STEM-designated majors comprise the Business Economics Cluster, a partnership between the Graduate School of Management, the College of Letters and Science, and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Graduate Programs at UC Davis

In addition to the new undergraduate program, UC Davis offers a range of graduate business programs, including full-time and part-time MBA options. The full-time MBA program features a general management focus, with opportunities to concentrate in areas such as health care administration, human resources management, and marketing. The program also requires an international trip as part of the academic coursework.

The cost of the full-time MBA program includes tuition and fees, as well as expenses for food, housing, books, and miscellaneous items. Financial aid is available to help students finance their education.

Differentiators

What are the two biggest differentiators from other top undergraduate business programs? First, the program uniquely combines a deep foundation in math, statistics, and economics with practical business education, ensuring students can both function within firms and understand the broader market forces shaping them. Second, the program’s cross-college structure draws on top faculty from three departments, exposing students to diverse perspectives and rigorous analytical tools. UC Davis undergraduate business graduates will possess unusually strong training in quantitative analysis, microeconomic and macroeconomic theory and econometrics-alongside business fundamentals.

A Collaborative Effort

In 2021, a working group composed of faculty in the Graduate School of Management, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and the College of Letters and Science was tasked with continuing previous work to make the business major a reality. Members of the Joint Working Group for the Creation of a Business Major - Stephen Boucher, Joseph Chen, Giovanni Peri, Hollis Skaife, Derek Stimel and Jeffrey Williams - collaborated across departments and dedicated countless hours toward review, deliberation and thoughtful discussion with colleagues across campus. The result is a major built on pillars of math, statistics and economics, which draws from courses in the Departments of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Economics and GSM. The rigorous academic program was approved by the Davis Division of the Academic Senate this year.

Launch and Enrollment

The degree program will launch in fall 2025 and include 175 first-year students and another 75 transfer students, bringing the total cohort size to 250 to start. The university expects a minimum of 250 students in its first cohort. Fall 2025 marks the first cohort of this selective major, which has drawn strong interest from both in-state and out-of-state students.

Alumni Network

The business major graduates will join a global network of more than 314,000 UC Davis alumni and more than 5,500 Graduate School of Management alumni, many of whom volunteer as mentors, hire students for internships and career roles, and provide financial and other support.

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