Why is undergrad business considered "hard" but MBAs considered "easy"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And the multiple stats classes that are required.

Yup, and they're not just "jump through the hoop" math classes like in sociology and psych majors, where you just take one or two dreaded stats classes and then go back to your easy major. Upper-level marketing classes are VERY math-heavy. The "dumb sorority girl" stereotype is dead wrong, these "dumb sorority girls" are actually doing a pretty tough quantitative degree.

That's the funniest thing I've heard all day. Look up the graduation requirements for a marketing major. Outside of the core degree requirements, the required classes for the major are NOT 'tough quantitative' by any stretch of the imagination. As an example, the following is from Notre Dame and while I'm not saying the classes are fluff, they are not hard-core math/science either.

Requirements:
Business Administration Core Courses + 21 credits in the
following courses:
BU 301 Consumer Behavior
BU 375 Marketing Research
BU 380 Sales Management
BU 385 Marketing Management
BU 390 Advertising
BU 450 Global Marketing

Including one of the following courses:
AR 209 Black and White Photography I
AR 223 Graphic Design I
CA 220 Newswriting
CA 323 Media Writing
CA 403 Public Relations
IS 243 Multimedia Development
IS 245 Website Design and Development

Yes, this. Please post a link to an undergrad program in marketing that requires complex, upper-level math. I'll believe it when I see it.

[Anonymous]

Decent schools don't even offer a business undergraduate major.

[Anonymous]

Monte Carlo simulations involve quite complex math.

[Anonymous]

Wharton undergrad prerequisites:
https://undergrad-inside.wharton.upenn.edu/curriculum/requirements/

9 required courses: ACCT 101 & 102, STAT 101 & 102, FNCE 100 & 101, MGMT 101, MKTG 101, OIDD 101

Math
Any 1 of these 2 courses: MATH 104 or MATH 110

Economics
2 required courses: ECON 010 and BEPP 250

I like to see those posters ragging on undergrad business actually take those courses and pass with good grades. Sore Losers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wharton undergrad prerequisites:
https://undergrad-inside.wharton.upenn.edu/curriculum/requirements/

9 required courses: ACCT 101 & 102, STAT 101 & 102, FNCE 100 & 101, MGMT 101, MKTG 101, OIDD 101

Math
Any 1 of these 2 courses: MATH 104 or MATH 110

Economics
2 required courses: ECON 010 and BEPP 250

I like to see those posters ragging on undergrad business actually take those courses and pass with good grades. Sore Losers.

Requirements for a chem degree from Penn (my degree in undergrad):

Chemistry majors normally complete the following introductory sequences by the end of the sophomore year:
CHEM 101 (or 001 or 115), 102 (or 116) General Chemistry (2 c.u.)
CHEM 053, 054 General Chemistry Laboratories (1 c.u.)
CHEM 241, 242 or 243, 245 Organic Chemistry and Laboratory (3 c.u.)
MATH 104, 114 Calculus (formerly Math 140, 141) (2 c.u.)
PHYS 150, 151 Physics (3 c.u.)
Completion of the major requires:
CHEM 261 Inorganic Chemistry (1 c.u.)
CHEM 221, 222, 223 Physical Chemistry and Laboratory (3 c.u.)
CHEM 251 Biochemistry (1 c.u.)
CHEM 246 Advanced Laboratory (1 c.u.)

I graduated summa cum laude.

Can confirm: business undergrad majors are a joke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wharton undergrad prerequisites:
https://undergrad-inside.wharton.upenn.edu/curriculum/requirements/

9 required courses: ACCT 101 & 102, STAT 101 & 102, FNCE 100 & 101, MGMT 101, MKTG 101, OIDD 101

Math
Any 1 of these 2 courses: MATH 104 or MATH 110

Economics
2 required courses: ECON 010 and BEPP 250

I like to see those posters ragging on undergrad business actually take those courses and pass with good grades. Sore Losers.

Requirements for a chem degree from Penn (my degree in undergrad):

Chemistry majors normally complete the following introductory sequences by the end of the sophomore year:
CHEM 101 (or 001 or 115), 102 (or 116) General Chemistry (2 c.u.)
CHEM 053, 054 General Chemistry Laboratories (1 c.u.)
CHEM 241, 242 or 243, 245 Organic Chemistry and Laboratory (3 c.u.)
MATH 104, 114 Calculus (formerly Math 140, 141) (2 c.u.)
PHYS 150, 151 Physics (3 c.u.)
Completion of the major requires:
CHEM 261 Inorganic Chemistry (1 c.u.)
CHEM 221, 222, 223 Physical Chemistry and Laboratory (3 c.u.)
CHEM 251 Biochemistry (1 c.u.)
CHEM 246 Advanced Laboratory (1 c.u.)

I graduated summa cum laude.

Can confirm: business undergrad majors are a joke.

mic drop

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wharton undergrad prerequisites:
https://undergrad-inside.wharton.upenn.edu/curriculum/requirements/

9 required courses: ACCT 101 & 102, STAT 101 & 102, FNCE 100 & 101, MGMT 101, MKTG 101, OIDD 101

Math
Any 1 of these 2 courses: MATH 104 or MATH 110

Economics
2 required courses: ECON 010 and BEPP 250

I like to see those posters ragging on undergrad business actually take those courses and pass with good grades. Sore Losers.

Requirements for a chem degree from Penn (my degree in undergrad):

Chemistry majors normally complete the following introductory sequences by the end of the sophomore year:
CHEM 101 (or 001 or 115), 102 (or 116) General Chemistry (2 c.u.)
CHEM 053, 054 General Chemistry Laboratories (1 c.u.)
CHEM 241, 242 or 243, 245 Organic Chemistry and Laboratory (3 c.u.)
MATH 104, 114 Calculus (formerly Math 140, 141) (2 c.u.)
PHYS 150, 151 Physics (3 c.u.)
Completion of the major requires:
CHEM 261 Inorganic Chemistry (1 c.u.)
CHEM 221, 222, 223 Physical Chemistry and Laboratory (3 c.u.)
CHEM 251 Biochemistry (1 c.u.)
CHEM 246 Advanced Laboratory (1 c.u.)

I graduated summa cum laude.

Can confirm: business undergrad majors are a joke.

mic drop

And none of them taught you the difference between degree retirements and prerequisites? Congrats on your degree!

[Anonymous]

This is one of the dumbest pissing contests on DCUM. I have an MBA, let's not kid ourselves, in the grand scheme of things, it's not that hard. The hardest class most MBAs take is stats. Finance majors do more math and analysis, but it's not higher level math, nor is accounting, for gods sakes. Accounting is addition and subtraction. But, it doesn't matter, because any MBA from a top school is going to make 5-10x what you hard core STEM people are making and we only went to school for 2 years. So really who's really smarter ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Business isn't quite as tough as engineering, chemistry or physics, but it's tougher than a liberal arts degree which is what the slackers and hippies major in.

This us one of the stupideat things I have ever read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Decent schools don't even offer a business undergraduate major.

I would love to know in what world you live in which schools like MIT, UC-Berkeley, University of Michigan, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Notre Dame, etc. aren't "decent" schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is one of the dumbest pissing contests on DCUM. I have an MBA, let's not kid ourselves, in the grand scheme of things, it's not that hard. The hardest class most MBAs take is stats. Finance majors do more math and analysis, but it's not higher level math, nor is accounting, for gods sakes. Accounting is addition and subtraction. But, it doesn't matter, because any MBA from a top school is going to make 5-10x what you hard core STEM people are making and we only went to school for 2 years. So really who's really smarter ?

Some degrees such as engineering and computer science practically guarantee employment after graduation. Yes, some people will struggle find work but they are far more likely to work in their field than someone with a business degree (BA or MBA). When I used to interview for software engineers, we would automatically dismiss the resumes of people with an MBA or those who were working on an MBA because those people were not interested in the actual work, they were interested into climbing into management and we didn't have any position in management for them to fill. Sure, some people will use their MBA to work up the ladder very far, but most will not. They will find their degree gives them little to no advantage in working their way up the ladder.

[Anonymous]

My FIL has an MBA from UVA and a PhD in Econ from Wharton. I'm not impressed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is one of the dumbest pissing contests on DCUM. I have an MBA, let's not kid ourselves, in the grand scheme of things, it's not that hard. The hardest class most MBAs take is stats. Finance majors do more math and analysis, but it's not higher level math, nor is accounting, for gods sakes. Accounting is addition and subtraction. But, it doesn't matter, because any MBA from a top school is going to make 5-10x what you hard core STEM people are making and we only went to school for 2 years. So really who's really smarter ?

A MBA alone, without relevant and solid work experience, is worth nothing. There's so many MBA's out there, they are expendable labor (at least at my organization).
I don't care where you went to school for your MBA, resumes without applicable experience go to the circular file.
When I see an undergrad major in 'business' or 'economics' I automatically think "couldn't hack anything else."
BTW, my MS in a STEM field earns me just over 500K per year, which is quite a bit more than my MBA colleagues down the hall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Decent schools don't even offer a business undergraduate major.

Oh like Michigan and NYU?