Why don’t top schools have business majors

[Anonymous]

I never went to college so I apologize if this is naive. My kid wants to major in business administration (goal is accounting or investment banking) and wants to go to a top university.

They’re looking at schools like Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, etc. and see that they don’t have business majors. How could this be? It’s the most popular college major and some of these have business schools!

[Anonymous]

For an undergraduate education, a business major is completely useless. I don't know why people waste time with a degree in business.

[Anonymous]

You don’t need to go to a school like that to be a business major and have a great career.

[Anonymous]

Because top schools are interested in students eager and able to engage with ideas. They do not want to be purely vocational schools for students who have no ambitions or interests beyond making money.

If your son is interested in top schools, he needs to think about what big questions he wants to study/ponder for the next four years. He'll learn how to read, write, and think critically and then can get his MBA if he wants.

[Anonymous]

Business major is best for students at middling schools who need social mobility. If you're already at the top, there's no reason to major in something your parents could teach you one night at family dinner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because top schools are interested in students eager and able to engage with ideas. They do not want to be purely vocational schools for students who have no ambitions or interests beyond making money.

If your son is interested in top schools, he needs to think about what big questions he wants to study/ponder for the next four years. He'll learn how to read, write, and think critically and then can get his MBA if he wants.

So then explain the ballooning issue of students majoring in economics at all of these top schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I never went to college so I apologize if this is naive. My kid wants to major in business administration (goal is accounting or investment banking) and wants to go to a top university.

They’re looking at schools like Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, etc. and see that they don’t have business majors. How could this be? It’s the most popular college major and some of these have business schools!

They have Econ. That is the equivalent. Or go to the ivy with undergrad business: UPenn's Wharton school(the undergrad degree is actually Bachelor of Science in Economics, NOT a "business major" see the trend?), or go to MIT Sloan and get one of their undergrad business-equivalents. Other than these two top schools, and maybe UCB ,Michigan and UVA, undergrad business is not considered as impressive as an Econ degree from a T20.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because top schools are interested in students eager and able to engage with ideas. They do not want to be purely vocational schools for students who have no ambitions or interests beyond making money.

If your son is interested in top schools, he needs to think about what big questions he wants to study/ponder for the next four years. He'll learn how to read, write, and think critically and then can get his MBA if he wants.

So then explain the ballooning issue of students majoring in economics at all of these top schools.

Agree PP is spouting BS. Ivies and Duke are filled with Econ majors who want to go into business especially finance. Outside that major, top consulting(MBB) and IB hire from many majors at these schools, from Engineering to CS to humanities.
The students there who do not want those careers are working hard to get into MD or law, or working to get top phD for industry Research and Development jobs. Some want phD for other reasons. Almost all students are "preprofessional", aimed at career goals. Why shouldn't they be? It was the same at my ivy 25 years ago, though we had a higher percent premed compared to finance-bro types.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For an undergraduate education, a business major is completely useless. I don't know why people waste time with a degree in business.

to make big bucks - i know someone went to Wharton and got really nice internship and later a nice paying jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For an undergraduate education, a business major is completely useless. I don't know why people waste time with a degree in business.

to make big bucks - i know someone went to Wharton and got really nice internship and later a nice paying jobs.

Make bigger bucks in math and economics. Business is a complete waste.

[Anonymous]

Something tells me your kid is not getting into those schools.

[Anonymous]

Many top schools have business undergraduate majors. It may be called something else like BBA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because top schools are interested in students eager and able to engage with ideas. They do not want to be purely vocational schools for students who have no ambitions or interests beyond making money.

If your son is interested in top schools, he needs to think about what big questions he wants to study/ponder for the next four years. He'll learn how to read, write, and think critically and then can get his MBA if he wants.

So then explain the ballooning issue of students majoring in economics at all of these top schools.

Econ is an academic discipline where you engage with ideas and learn to read, write, and think critically, just like PP said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Business major is best for students at middling schools who need social mobility. If you're already at the top, there's no reason to major in something your parents could teach you one night at family dinner.

This made me laugh so hard. Who is this buffoon who keeps trolling the thread?

[Anonymous]

Students at MIT can major in economics, math, political science or whatever. The idea is they have skills to apply in context of managing. They go to Sloan or another business school to get the MBA.

In low ranked schools business is some bookkeeping, maybe some OR, whatever. Not impressive.