Anonymous
11/12/2023 18:07
Subject: Going into a business career from an undergraduate business program vs a liberal arts program.
My kid has no idea what he wants to major in (11th grade) and I’m trying to understand what sorts of jobs kids get after college. It sounds like people are talking about investment banking, finance (but not becoming an accountant?) and management consulting. Is that right? That is not the path my kid will want. I think he may end up starting/owning/running a sports-related business, if I had to guess.
There simply aren’t that many jobs on walls street etc to justify all these business majors, right? What to these kids do when they graduate?
There simply aren’t that many jobs on walls street etc to justify all these business majors, right? What to these kids do when they graduate?
Anonymous
11/12/2023 18:02
Subject: Re:Going into a business career from an undergraduate business program vs a liberal arts program.
Anonymous wrote:Traditionally, a Business Administration degree has always been looked down upon. But these days, there are quite a few very desirable undergraduate business schools - Penn, NYU, Michigan, Berkeley, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Indiana and a few others. I would not get a business degree from a random school. Typically, people will study Econ with maybe a minor in something else that's relevant. But be mindful that Econ is very math heavy. Most schools, regardless of major, will require a liberal arts core of classes.
Except that at a random school, business degree especially accounting, finance, analytics, MIS are still much better than history psychology English communications. etc. or even econ
Anonymous
11/12/2023 17:58
Subject: Going into a business career from an undergraduate business program vs a liberal arts program.
Anonymous wrote:BS in Econ from a top liberal arts college will include accounting and is typically much more rigorous than a BS in Business Admin. The difference is in amount of calculus required. Econ majors at my DC's school go straight to Wall Street and major banks. Unless you're studying at Wharton, I recommend an Econ degree over one in Business Admin in almost every scenario.
You are totally wrong.
If the school has undergrad business program, it's usually more difficult to get in and more valuable.
Anonymous
11/12/2023 17:37
Subject: Going into a business career from an undergraduate business program vs a liberal arts program.
BS in Econ from a top liberal arts college will include accounting and is typically much more rigorous than a BS in Business Admin. The difference is in amount of calculus required. Econ majors at my DC's school go straight to Wall Street and major banks. Unless you're studying at Wharton, I recommend an Econ degree over one in Business Admin in almost every scenario.
Anonymous
11/12/2023 17:36
Subject: Re:Going into a business career from an undergraduate business program vs a liberal arts program.
Traditionally, a Business Administration degree has always been looked down upon. But these days, there are quite a few very desirable undergraduate business schools - Penn, NYU, Michigan, Berkeley, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Indiana and a few others. I would not get a business degree from a random school. Typically, people will study Econ with maybe a minor in something else that's relevant. But be mindful that Econ is very math heavy. Most schools, regardless of major, will require a liberal arts core of classes.
Anonymous
11/12/2023 17:32
Subject: Going into a business career from an undergraduate business program vs a liberal arts program.
Almost every university requires a liberal arts distribution for all majors.
Anonymous
11/12/2023 17:11
Subject: Re:Going into a business career from an undergraduate business program vs a liberal arts program.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Liberal Arts is such a broad term.Applied math or CS can also be considered liberal arts majors.
If you can, go ahead, they are great majors lol
If schools have undergrad business programs, they are usually harder to get in and more valuable.Econ is commonly an equivalent major where there's no undergrad business program.
You need to look at each school and majors.
I don't think you have a good understanding of what you are asking yet.
Good luck.
CS is not considered LA. Seriously?
CS started as a part of math and it's all about logic which is one of the major cores of liberal arts.
Many colleges have the major under college of arts and science.
Anonymous
11/12/2023 16:51
Subject: Going into a business career from an undergraduate business program vs a liberal arts program.
MBA here. There were business undergrads in my MBA class, I’d say about 1/2 the class. Another 1/4 were engineers.
Those of us with liberal arts undergrads had an uphill battle learning stats, accounting, finance etc for essentially the first time, while those with a business undergrad major had a much easier time.
Those of us with liberal arts undergrads had an uphill battle learning stats, accounting, finance etc for essentially the first time, while those with a business undergrad major had a much easier time.
Anonymous
11/12/2023 16:14
Subject: Going into a business career from an undergraduate business program vs a liberal arts program.
OP, many small liberal arts colleges offer business majors these days. Look into those. Skidmore, Dickinson, Gettysburg, Puget Sound, Union, Claremont McKenna, Beloit, Bucknell, W&L, Rollins, F&M, etc. No need to apply to one specific program, he’ll get a grounding in the liberal arts with room to change his mind, but he can also major (or in many cases minor) in business.
Anonymous
11/12/2023 15:38
Subject: Re:Going into a business career from an undergraduate business program vs a liberal arts program.
Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks to all the PPs who responded.
- I don't want to helicopter too much, but business school for undergrad seems like a big commitment. I would say DC is undecided but curious about business - what if they change their mind!
- Helping DC think through this as they put together their list of where to apply (current junior and not "white male").
- It was helpful to see what majors are listed in business internship listings.
- If DC doesn't go straight into a business program, they will probably look into econ as a major.
- If they can find a program that is a mix of liberal arts plus business classes, that could be a viable choice.
All majors require taking liberal arts classes - history, language, arts, etc., including a business major. But, I think if your DC wants more liberal arts classes, they should major in Econ. It is less focused on Business.
What if they major in English and change their minds? What if they graduate with liberal arts degree and can't find a job? What if .. what if.. what if. Life is what ifs.
Anonymous
11/12/2023 15:37
Subject: Re:Going into a business career from an undergraduate business program vs a liberal arts program.
Check out some schools that will allow DC to study both business and the liberal arts. Plenty of the smaller LACs in new england will offer both LA and pre professional programs (and merit aid). My niece just graduated from Assumption U in Massachusetts and enjoyed the liberal arts core as a supplement to her professional studies. Her BF graduated with a business degree and had the same experience.
Anonymous
11/12/2023 15:32
Subject: Re:Going into a business career from an undergraduate business program vs a liberal arts program.
Anonymous wrote:Liberal Arts is such a broad term.Applied math or CS can also be considered liberal arts majors.
If you can, go ahead, they are great majors lol
If schools have undergrad business programs, they are usually harder to get in and more valuable.Econ is commonly an equivalent major where there's no undergrad business program.
You need to look at each school and majors.
I don't think you have a good understanding of what you are asking yet.
Good luck.
CS is not considered LA. Seriously?
Anonymous
11/12/2023 15:30
Subject: Going into a business career from an undergraduate business program vs a liberal arts program.
Anonymous wrote:DC is interested in going into business down the road. They are looking at some colleges that offer business undergraduate degrees. I would really prefer that they receive a more well-rounded liberal arts education. If they're not going into something specific like accounting, are they at a disadvantage in getting hired if they have a liberal arts education (think mid-tier, not Ivy League)? My thinking is that in the long-run the skills you gain with a liberal arts education are beneficial but maybe sometimes not in the short run. My concern would be that it would be harder for DC to get business-oriented summer internships and a first job.
You are wrong.
A friend of mine got a LA degree from a much better school than I did, but I was a BBA major. They had a really hard time finding a job after graduation, whereas I got an internship that turned into a job right after graduation.
They eventually had to go get an MBA to get a job in business. Did well for themselves eventually, but if you get a LA degree, and you want to go into business, expect to get an MBA, especially now a days.
Anonymous
11/12/2023 15:00
Subject: Re:Going into a business career from an undergraduate business program vs a liberal arts program.
Anonymous wrote:The other option is to find a college that offers a business minor. The SLAC’s wont have this. Look at state flagships, and larger colleges.
Do it the other way around.
Business major and minor in something else
Anonymous
11/12/2023 14:29
Subject: Re:Going into a business career from an undergraduate business program vs a liberal arts program.
Anonymous wrote:How about a liberal arts college? It's the best of both worlds. Two years of core classes and then two years of business classes.
+1
Or a business degree and a minor in something LA. or a jesuit university where they have well rounded core curriculums.