Accounting and Finance
Regulation, tax, and fiduciary duty are the daily environment of both fields.
Business Law Minor
Every business decision has a legal shape. Contracts, liability, property, regulation, and ethics sit underneath the ordinary work of running an organization, and the people who can see that layer make better decisions than the people who cannot. The Business Law minor gives you a working foundation in the legal principles that govern business, and the critical thinking to apply them in whatever profession you end up in.
Why Study Business Law
This minor is not pre-law by another name, though it works well alongside it. It is built for students who will spend their careers making business decisions rather than practicing law: managers who need to read a contract, entrepreneurs structuring a venture, accountants navigating tax and regulation, real estate professionals working with property law. You develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills while building an appreciation for the role law and ethics play in your chosen profession. The coursework is taught in an AACSB-accredited business school, an accreditation held by fewer than six percent of business programs worldwide.
Pairs Well With
A minor's value is in how it complements your major. Business Law pairs naturally with:
Business Administration and Management
Read the contracts you sign and spot the risk before it becomes a problem.
Criminology and Political Science
Approach law from the commercial side rather than the criminal or governmental side.
Entrepreneurship
Structure a venture, protect intellectual property, and write agreements that hold.
Communication
Pair legal literacy with the writing and risk-management skills the minor's core course teaches directly.
What You’ll Study
The Business Law minor is 20 to 22 credit hours: three required courses plus 10 to 12 hours you choose from a set of five.
Required Courses — 10 Hours
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| BUS 3311 | Legal Environment of Business |
| BUS 3312 | Commercial Law |
| BUS 4430 | Business Ethics, Communication, and Risk Management |
Electives, Choose 10 to 12 Hours
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| ACC 4411 | Federal Taxation |
| BUS 4110 | Law in Film I: Legal Issues and Procedures |
| BUS 4120 | Law in Film II: Ethics and Perceptions |
| BUS 3311 | Legal Environment of Business 4 |
| BUS 4460 | Environmental, Property, and Contract Law |
| ECO 4100 | Law and Economics |
- Start with BUS 3311. Legal Environment of Business is the prerequisite for BUS 3312, BUS 4430, BUS 4460, and both Law in Film courses. Four of the eight courses in this minor depend on it, and the fifth depends on it indirectly.
- You will need at least two four-hour electives. The elective pool holds three four-hour courses and two two-hour courses. Because the two-hour courses total only four hours between them, there is no combination that reaches the 10-hour minimum without at least two of ACC 4411, BUS 4460, and ECO 4100. Plan your electives around those three, not around the Law in Film pair.
- Junior standing is required for three of the courses. BUS 4430, BUS 4110, and BUS 4120 all require junior standing. This is a minor you complete in the second half of your degree.
- Earn a 2.0 in the minor: All minors at Florida Southern must be completed with a 2.0 grade point average.
- Complete half the minor here. Complete at least 50 percent of the minor requirements at Florida Southern College.
Beyond The Classroom
The minor is built on applied legal analysis rather than abstract theory. Legal Environment of Business has you evaluating and applying legal doctrines to real business and personal situations. Commercial Law works through sales, contracts, secured transactions, business organizations, and trusts and estates with heavy emphasis on applying principles to problems. Business Ethics, Communication, and Risk Management integrates legal research, writing, and document creation, preparing you to address the legal and ethical challenges of day-to-day operations before they escalate.
Where It Can Lead
Legal literacy is a differentiator in nearly every business function. The minor prepares you to work in compliance, contract administration, risk management, human resources, procurement, real estate, and regulatory affairs, and it strengthens the judgment of anyone who will manage people, sign agreements, or run an organization. For students considering law school, it also builds a commercial law foundation that pairs directly with the Pre-Law minor's focus on reasoning, argument, and the judicial system.
How To Declare This Minor
Skip to next section- 1
Meet with the Business Law coordinator to review the minor and map your prerequisites.
- 2
Return it to the Office of the Registrar on the second floor of the Buckner Building, or email it to registrar@flsouthern.edu. Entrepreneurship requires no departmental signature.
- 3
Requests are reviewed and updated in the FSC Portal within three to five business days, and you will receive an email confirmation at your FSC Mocs email.
Get in Touch
Questions about the Business Law minor, or ready to declare?
Cindy Hardin, J.D
Business Administration Department Chair, Professor of Business Administration
- 863.680.4287
- 863.680.4355
- chardin@flsouthern.edu
- Becker Business - 335
Take the Next Step
This is a big decision, and we’re here to help you make the choice that’s right for the future you’re imagining. Choose a next step to explore the possibilities at FSC!