Advice: Engineering or Business?

<p>Reposted from Business thread to get both sides!</p>

<p>Okay, well as the title says I'm somewhat on the fence! I've been accepted to (and will be attending) Northeastern University in Boston. Both the College of Engineering and College of Business Administration schools are great, albeit the business school is ranked higher. </p>

<p>Here's the trouble. I'm entering as an engineering major, undeclared what program, but I'm not sure if that's what I want to study for 4/5 years and further on in life. I also have an interest in business/finance and commerce in today's world. Right now, I'm just finishing up my International Baccalaureate exams (in fact I finished physics today), and I have a feeling that I just don't want to continue Physics anymore, even though I do love it. </p>

<p>Naturally I am math orientated, so both engineering and business are applicable majors for myself, and I want to do something math orientated. </p>

<p>To throw another wrench into it, my parents are by far more interested in seeing me go to college and study engineering, rather than opting out of that and doing something (they believe) is more general.</p>

<p>Basically those are my options right now, I feel like I should be done with physics now that my exams are over, but I'm not sure if Business is right for me either. Any advice?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>if you can handle engineering, go for it. even business employers, believe it or not, like engineering majors over business majors. you might close yourself off to some business “specialist” roles like accounting but you would not be hurting your chances at a general biz role.</p>

<p>I’m under the same category, except I chose RPI over Northeastern. I plan to do both, major in engineering and minor/dual major in business. Why don’t you just do that?</p>

<p>Dual majoring wouldn’t be very useful. Plenty of engineering majors get hired into business roles starting at the bottom all the way up to the top. The fact is, many companies like engineering majors because of their critical thinking and problem solving skills that traditional business majors don’t get as much of. Doing a business minor may help some, but rather than getting a dual major, you are better off just doing the BS in engineering and then getting an MBA a couple years after you graduate. That is the winning combination if your goal is business.</p>

<p>A dual major with Engineering and Business is like strapping a lawnmower engine onto a scramjet, absolutely 100% useless.</p>

<p>If you get a degree in engineering you’ll be more desirable for business jobs than business majors, so if you like engineering and think you could get through it you should go engineering. You’ll have a lot more flexibility later.</p>

<p>Does your school have Industrial Systems Engineering? It’s kind of like business engineering from what I’ve heard.</p>

<p>I’m exaclty like you and am an IE at Northeastern… I would definitely recommend doing IE if you feel you can do it! If you’re math skills are decent, you’ll do fine in the IE here at NU! Target getting an MBA and you should be all set! Thats my plan and have been pretty happy so far with my decision! </p>

<p>Btw, other than taking Physics 1 and 2, there is not much physics involved at all in IE at NU! Its mostly stats and math!</p>

<p>Soo I shouldn’t dual major in Comp Engineering/Management and Technology? Maybe I’ll go for the minor and then go for a 5 year master’s program. Out of curiousity, what is IE? If it has more to do with business is it better to dual major in that? I’m not trying to hyjack the thread I was just curious >.> lol</p>

<p>It isn’t really ever useful to dual major in two forms of engineering. Minoring in Management and Technology would be pretty useful though. Majoring in it probably wouldn’t be a ton better than minoring in it since you already have the engineering degree, though.</p>

<p>IE = Industrial Engineering. Taken from bls.gov:
Industrial Engineers determine the most effective ways to use the basic factors of production—people, machines, materials, information, and energy—to make a product or provide a service. They are concerned primarily with increasing productivity through the management of people, methods of business organization, and technology. To maximize efficiency, industrial engineers study product requirements carefully and then design manufacturing and information systems to meet those requirements with the help of mathematical methods and models. They develop management control systems to aid in financial planning and cost analysis, and they design production planning and control systems to coordinate activities and ensure product quality. They also design or improve systems for the physical distribution of goods and services and determine the most efficient plant locations. Industrial engineers develop wage and salary administration systems and job evaluation programs. Many industrial engineers move into management positions because the work is closely related to the work of managers.</p>

<p>I can concur that minoring in business might be a good way for you to get into business later. It can only make you more attractive and may provide some preparation for an MBA later on, which you will certainly want to do in any event (regardless of your undergraduate major) if you plan on pursuing business.</p>

<p>If you want to get into business all you need is an engineering degree. If it’s an ISE degree then all the better.</p>

<p>I am an engineering student, however I have just as much friends whom are business graduates as engineering graduates. I can tell you that, most of my business friends have steady jobs. However, most of my engineering friends do not. (And now that I think about it, I also have as much friends whom did not go to college or went but did not finish a degree. Many of whom are now homeowners, while my engineering friends are looking for employment. Just a thought.)</p>

<p>^ Yet another reason why you should look at studies instead of anecdotes. Not saying you’re not telling the truth, just saying that your experience is not representative of the greater reality.</p>

<p>lol yeah. I go to a school that has a Top 10 Undergraduate business school and many of my business major friends couldn’t find a job and went home after graduation.</p>

<p>Engineering.</p>

<p>Because with an engineering degree, you can easily get into business. With a business degree you will have a hard time getting into engineering.</p>

<p>But why would you do engineering if your ultimate goal is business? If you want business do business, if you are not sure go for engineering</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>That is a fair question. The answer is simple. For many business positions (excluding accounting), companies would rather have an engineer instead of someone who majored in something nearly useless like business administration. Business administration is only really useful when it is in MBA form. I know people from the business honors program at my undergrad school who majored in business administration who are little more than salesmen. Quite a few of them actually. On the other hand, I know more than a few engineers who are already working in management after only 2 to 3 years of experience.</p>

<p>Anecdotal? Yes. Still, its something to consider.</p>

<p>BS Engineering</p>

<p>then</p>

<p>MBA</p>

<p>You will be much more marketable with more types of companies and fields.</p>

<p>Engineering teaches you problem solving and allows you to understand the technical aspects of fields that you might work in after getting your MBA</p>

<p>example:</p>

<p>Working in the Corporate Planning Department of a major energy company you will understanding refining and chemical manufacturing projects a lot better if your undergraduate degree was in Chemical Engineering. You will also get more respect and credibility from senior management, many of whom might only have a Chemical Engineering degree.</p>

<p>from a ChE and MBA whose first job out of business school was in the Corporate Planning department of a major energy company.</p>

<p>^What about B.S Science -> M.E in Engineering -> work for few years -> MBA? Does this plan make sense?</p>

<p>Yes, because a lot of the time your company will want you to get an MBA so they will pay for all/part of your MBA.</p>