University of Virginia

What you'll study

The B.S. in Commerce at UVA is organised to build from foundational pre-business coursework into an integrated professional curriculum. In the first years students complete a liberal-arts core and required pre-commerce prerequisites; admitted students then progress into McIntire’s specialised commerce sequence that emphasises applied skills and cross-functional integration.

• Core business disciplines: financial and managerial accounting, corporate finance, marketing strategy, organisational behaviour and operations management.
• Quantitative and analytical skills: business statistics, data analytics for decision making, spreadsheet modelling and introductory econometrics as applied to commercial problems.
• Strategy and integrative work: competitive strategy, business ethics, corporate responsibility and a capstone or integrative project that simulates real client engagements.
• Specialisations: students may concentrate study in areas such as finance, marketing, information technology, commerce analytics, accounting, management and entrepreneurship or pursue elective coursework to customise their pathway.
• Experiential learning: team-based case projects, consulting engagements with organisations, internships, and opportunities for international study or global immersion programmes.

Typical structure

Students spend their early years completing UVA’s liberal-arts requirements and the McIntire pre-commerce prerequisites. Admission to the commerce major is selective; once admitted, students follow an intensive, cohort-based curriculum that blends core courses, electives in chosen specialisations and applied projects that culminate in career-focused outcomes.

Entry requirements

Admission to the University of Virginia is required before entry to the McIntire commerce programme. Prospective students should demonstrate a strong academic record in secondary education and readiness for a broad liberal-arts curriculum. Progression into the commerce major typically requires completion of specified pre-commerce coursework at UVA, a competitive grade point average, and a successful application to McIntire.

• University admission: meet the University of Virginia’s undergraduate entry standards for the relevant school or college.
• Pre-commerce prerequisites: completion of introductory economics, mathematics/quantitative reasoning (calculus or equivalent), and statistics or data-focused coursework as set by McIntire.
• Internal selection: selective admission into the commerce major based on academic performance, submitted application materials and, in some cases, additional assessments or interviews.
• Recommended experience: extracurricular involvement, leadership activities, internships or work experience that demonstrate interest in business and teamwork.

Career prospects

Graduates with a B.S. in Commerce from the University of Virginia pursue careers across the private and public sectors. The programme’s emphasis on analytics, teamwork and applied projects prepares students for roles that require both commercial judgement and technical competence.

• Management consulting and strategy roles
• Investment banking, corporate finance and financial analysis
• Marketing, brand and product management
• Business analytics, data science and information systems roles
• Accounting and audit (with appropriate further qualifications where required)
• Entrepreneurship, venture development and startup roles
• Supply chain, operations and project management

Alumni commonly move into graduate study, professional programmes or industry roles; career services and a strong alumni network support recruiting across consulting, finance, technology and corporate sectors.

Why study at University of Virginia

McIntire’s commerce programme is notable for its cohort-based, experiential approach that integrates classroom learning with real client work and industry-facing projects. Studying at UVA provides access to a broad liberal-arts education alongside specialised commerce training, strong career services, and an active alumni community that supports internships and placements.

• Integrated curriculum: deliberate linkage between quantitative tools, functional business knowledge and strategic thinking.
• Experiential emphasis: team projects, consulting engagements and capstone experiences that mirror workplace challenges.
• Career support and networks: robust employer engagement and alumni connections across finance, consulting, technology and entrepreneurship.
• Campus and community: a residential campus that combines academic resources, research centres and extracurricular opportunities to complement business learning.