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Business, Entrepreneurship and Organizations

Business, Entrepreneurship and Organizations (BEO) is a multidisciplinary concentration that provides a rigorous and synergistic program in the study of commercial activity grounded in economics, sociology and engineering. BEO focuses on the formation, growth, and organization of new ventures, innovation in commercial applications, financial markets and the marketplace, and management and organizational theory. Concentrators seek to understand the basic principles, approaches and vocabulary relevant to the study of entrepreneurship from the disciplines of economics, organizational sociology and engineering. Building on this multidisciplinary base, students develop specialized expertise in one of the three disciplinary approaches, with special emphasis on critical reasoning and quantitative research methods. In senior year capstone projects, students apply and integrate multi-disciplinary learning by working in groups on real world projects, including the creation of new ventures. BEO students interested in the theory and practice of addressing social challenges might consider the Engaged Scholars Program

The Business, Entrepreneurship, and Organizations concentration is open only to students admitted in the fall of 2019 or prior.

The three tracks of the concentration are as follows:

  1. Business Economics
  2. Organizational Studies
  3. Entrepreneurship and Technology Management

Upon completion of all concentration requirements, students receive the Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree in Business, Entrepreneurship and Organizations.

The Curriculum

Business Economics Track

Foundation Requirements (foundation requirements must be completed before taking the capstone in fall of senior year)
ECON 0110Principles of Economics1
ECON 1110Intermediate Microeconomics1
Any two of the following three courses:2
Organizations and Society
Micro-Organizational Theory: Social Behavior in Organizations
Macro-Organizational Theory: Organizations in Social Context
ENGN 0020Transforming Society-Technology and Choices for the Future1
or ENGN 0030 Introduction to Engineering
ENGN 1010The Entrepreneurial Process1
Math and Statistics Requirements
MATH 0100Single Variable Calculus, Part II1
or MATH 0170 Single Variable Calculus, Part II (Accelerated)
or ECON 0170 Essential Mathematics for Economics
Or AP BC Calculus score of 4 or higher
Or IB High-level Math minimum score of 5 (IB Standard-level not accepted)
ECON 1620Introduction to Econometrics1
Track Requirements
ECON 0710Financial Accounting1
ECON 1210Intermediate Macroeconomics1
ECON 1629Applied Research Methods for Economists1
ECON 1710Investments I1
ECON 1720Corporate Finance1
One 1000-level economics course.1
Capstone: one-semester required (must be taken fall of senior year) 11
BEO Capstone I: Business Economics Track
Total Credits15

Organizational Studies Track

Foundation Requirements (foundation requirements must be completed before taking the capstone in fall of senior year)
ECON 0110Principles of Economics1
ECON 1110Intermediate Microeconomics1
ENGN 0020Transforming Society-Technology and Choices for the Future1
or ENGN 0030 Introduction to Engineering
ENGN 1010The Entrepreneurial Process1
Any two of the following three courses:2
Organizations and Society
Micro-Organizational Theory: Social Behavior in Organizations
Macro-Organizational Theory: Organizations in Social Context
Math and Statistics Requirements
MATH 0100Single Variable Calculus, Part II1
or MATH 0170 Single Variable Calculus, Part II (Accelerated)
or ECON 0170 Essential Mathematics for Economics
Or AP BC Calculus with a score of 4 or higher
Or IB High-level Math with a minumum score of 5 (IB Standard-level is not accepted)
SOC 1100Introductory Statistics for Social Research1
or APMA 0650 Essential Statistics
or ECON 1620 Introduction to Econometrics
Track Requirements
One Introduction to Research Methods course (selected from the following):1
Methods of Social Research
Two Organization-Relevant Electives (OREs) Not all of the courses listed here will be offered in any given semester, and others are sometimes added. The following are approved examples-please consult with Courses@Brown/Brown.edu/BEO website for current offerings: 2
ORE courses allow students to deepen and/or broaden their exposure to topics and settings that are either strongly determined by, or strongly determining of, organizational activities and outcomes. An ORE course will have a clear linkage to commerce, organizations and/or entrepreneurship, and it will incorporate organizational phenomena and perspectives in a significant portion of its coursework.
Any from the Advanced Research Methods or Advanced Organization-Studies lists; or
American Advertising: History and Consequences
Human Factors
csciStartup
Industrial Organization
Economic Organizations and Economic Systems
Financial Institutions
Sociology of Education
The American Teacher: How Policy Shapes the Profession
Education, the Economy and School Reform
Entrepreneurship Practicum: Starting, Running, and Scaling Ventures
Social Entrepreneurship
Prosperity: The Ethics and Economics of Wealth Creation
Law and Society
Eco-Entrepreneurship
The Real Estate Development Process: An Entrepreneurial Lens
One Advanced Organization Studies course (AOS). Not all of the courses listed here will be offered in any given semester, and others are sometimes added. The following are approved EXAMPLES-please consult with the Courses@Brown and the Brown.edu/BEO website for current offerings: 1
AOS courses directly employ and extend the theories and perspectives introduced by the foundational Organizational Studies courses. They are either taught by core Organization Studies faculty or vetted on a regular basis by the Organization Studies track advisor, to ensure that they thoroughly incorporate Organization Studies perspectives and focus primarily on organizational processes and phenomena.
Psychology in Business and Economics
Health Policy Challenges
Nonprofit Organizations
Leadership in Organizations
Migrants, Refugees and the Mediterranean
Investing in Social Change
Law, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Sociology of FIRE: Finance, Insurance, + Real Estate
One Advanced Research Methods course (ARM). Not all of the courses listed here will be offered in any given semester, and others are sometimes added. The following are approved examples-please consult with Courses@Brown and the brown.edu/BEO website for current offerings: 1
ARM courses allow students to deepen and/or broaden their expertise in one or more methods of empirical inquiry.
Ethnographic Research Methods
Mathematical Econometrics I
Applied Statistics for Ed Research and Policy Analysis
Focus Groups for Market and Social Research
Context Research for Innovation
Market Research in Public and Private Sectors
Principles and Methods of Geographic Information Systems
Capstone: two-semesters required 12
BEO Capstone I: Organizational Studies Track
and BEO Capstone II: Organizational Studies Track
Total Credits15

Entrepreneurship and Technology Management Track

Foundation Requirements (foundation requirements must be completed before taking the capstone in fall of senior year)
ECON 0110Principles of Economics1
ECON 1110Intermediate Microeconomics1
Any two of the following three courses:2
SOC 0300
Organizations and Society
Micro-Organizational Theory: Social Behavior in Organizations
Macro-Organizational Theory: Organizations in Social Context
ENGN 0030Introduction to Engineering1
ENGN 1010The Entrepreneurial Process1
Math and Statistics Requirements
MATH 0200Multivariable Calculus (Physics/Engineering)1
or APMA 0330 Methods of Applied Mathematics I
SOC 1100Introductory Statistics for Social Research1
or APMA 0650 Essential Statistics
or ECON 1620 Introduction to Econometrics
Track Requirements
One gateway course in Engineering or another physical science 11
Five courses that develop expertise in a technical subfield 1, 25
Capstone: two-semesters required (must be taken in fall and spring of senior year)2
BEO Capstone I: Entrepreneurship and Technology Management Track
BEO Capstone II: Entrepreneurship and Technology Management Track
Total Credits16