Why are DCUM parents less inclined to have their child major in business?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Business majors may get ok jobs out of school but have foregone the opportunity to develop the analytical thinking skills that other, more critically focused, courses foster--which leads to worse career options down the road. Non-business majors (in English, Philosophy, Anthropology--just about anything) are favored for higher level business jobs for just this reason.

The most popular major of CEOs by far is a business major. It's usually Finance or Accounting...not generic Business Administration which I agree is worthless.

I believe it's over 60% of all CEOs.

Business Administration is still better than things like English, communications, anthropology, sociology, etc.

Is it though? You can't major in Business Administration at any top 50 undergraduate business school.

You may receive a BBA, but you have to actually have a real major/concentration.

This is NOT true, I was at an admissions presentation at University of Michigan Ross for my son just last week and they very explicitly stated they do not offer majors like finance, marketing, etc. You can orient your business electives around a certain track- for example, if you want to get into finance you can/should load up on the finance classes, and could talk about that in a job interview, but officially you are majoring in Business Administration and no where official would list your major as "finance" or even list "concentration in finance."

We've also looked into the programs at UNC Kenan-Flagler and UC Berkeley Haas and my understanding is that these universities also only offer a generalized business degree. Emphases/specializations are optional at USC, but you can (and many do) "just" major in business administration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Business majors may get ok jobs out of school but have foregone the opportunity to develop the analytical thinking skills that other, more critically focused, courses foster--which leads to worse career options down the road. Non-business majors (in English, Philosophy, Anthropology--just about anything) are favored for higher level business jobs for just this reason.

The most popular major of CEOs by far is a business major. It's usually Finance or Accounting...not generic Business Administration which I agree is worthless.

I believe it's over 60% of all CEOs.

Business Administration is still better than things like English, communications, anthropology, sociology, etc.

Is it though? You can't major in Business Administration at any top 50 undergraduate business school.

You may receive a BBA, but you have to actually have a real major/concentration.

This is NOT true, I was at an admissions presentation at University of Michigan Ross for my son just last week and they very explicitly stated they do not offer majors like finance, marketing, etc. You can orient your business electives around a certain track- for example, if you want to get into finance you can/should load up on the finance classes, and could talk about that in a job interview, but officially you are majoring in Business Administration and no where official would list your major as "finance" or even list "concentration in finance."

We've also looked into the programs at UNC Kenan-Flagler and UC Berkeley Haas and my understanding is that these universities also only offer a generalized business degree. Emphases/specializations are optional at USC, but you can (and many do) "just" major in business administration.

I think this is semantics. You graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Wharton, but your only economics requirements are intro Micro and Macro. So, almost no Wharton grads take that many advanced Econ classes and almost nobody would say they majored in Economics.

You take concentrations in fields like Finance, Accounting, Analytics, etc. That's what everyone says they majored in...even if technically they didn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school?166027-Harvard-University&fos_code=2301&fos_credential=3

https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school?164924-Boston-College&fos_code=5202&fos_credential=3

Harvard English = $64,155

Boston College Business = $103,937

We have data in the 21st century.

Boston College Economics = $112,774

Boston College Finance = $135,373

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Business majors may get ok jobs out of school but have foregone the opportunity to develop the analytical thinking skills that other, more critically focused, courses foster--which leads to worse career options down the road. Non-business majors (in English, Philosophy, Anthropology--just about anything) are favored for higher level business jobs for just this reason.

The most popular major of CEOs by far is a business major. It's usually Finance or Accounting...not generic Business Administration which I agree is worthless.

I believe it's over 60% of all CEOs.

Business Administration is still better than things like English, communications, anthropology, sociology, etc.

Is it though? You can't major in Business Administration at any top 50 undergraduate business school.

You may receive a BBA, but you have to actually have a real major/concentration.

This is NOT true, I was at an admissions presentation at University of Michigan Ross for my son just last week and they very explicitly stated they do not offer majors like finance, marketing, etc. You can orient your business electives around a certain track- for example, if you want to get into finance you can/should load up on the finance classes, and could talk about that in a job interview, but officially you are majoring in Business Administration and no where official would list your major as "finance" or even list "concentration in finance."

We've also looked into the programs at UNC Kenan-Flagler and UC Berkeley Haas and my understanding is that these universities also only offer a generalized business degree. Emphases/specializations are optional at USC, but you can (and many do) "just" major in business administration.

I think this is semantics. You graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Wharton, but your only economics requirements are intro Micro and Macro. So, almost no Wharton grads take that many advanced Econ classes and almost nobody would say they majored in Economics.

You take concentrations in fields like Finance, Accounting, Analytics, etc. That's what everyone says they majored in...even if technically they didn't.

NP. Not at Michigan.

[Anonymous]

Most DC area parents know most general business programs are super easy party majors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For my DS who has switched interest from Engineering to Business, during this application season.

I have highly encouraged him to target either Finance or Accounting, and/or for the schools that don't offer Finance or Accounting or those majors are in the elite business school at a particular university, to consider Economics, in those cases...

As opposed pursuing a generic Business degree.

Same for my son, minus the engineering part!

[Anonymous]

A little confused about this since many business degrees have ample finance and accounting built into them? Does it really matter if it's called Finance v. Business?