The School of Foreign Service is exploring the possibility of offering more business classes within its curriculum due to student interest.

The potential decision to incorporate more business classes was catalyzed by student feedback SFSAcademic Council President Lucas Stratmann (SFS ’12) personally received from peers.

The council emailed a survey to all SFS undergraduates Wednesday in order to gauge opinions on the addition of the business courses. The results will be compiled after this coming Wednesday.

“I can’t say how realistic the chances are,” Stratmann said. “If there’s a certain demand, there’s a good chance that there will be business classes.”

The administration has yet to formulate a timeline for the inclusion of business classes in its programs. It also has not decided whether it would offer business classes specific to SFS students or incorporate McDonough School of Business classes into the curriculum.

One concern with the addition of business classes is a possible overlap with the International Business Diplomacy certificate. The certificate combines the political and economic focus of the SFS with more business-oriented coursework, including accounting and finance, and emphasizes the role of business in international relations.

Stratmann said that the popularity of the certificate was a major reason for the decision to potentially add a wider array of business coursework to the SFS.

“It makes sense,” he said. “A lot of SFS alumni are going into business or investment banking, and many students are also interested in seeing how business interacts with international relations.”

Jerrod MacFarlane (SFS ’15) shares Stratmann’s sentiment that business classes will add a new dimension to the SFS curriculum.

“I think it’s a really good idea,” MacFarlane said. “Business classes in the SFS will help us to see both the political and economic ties throughout the world.”