BA vs BS/A&S vs C&BA Advice

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
1

<p>Hello all!</p>

<p>I’m a sophomore at Alabama hoping for some advice on my programs of study based on experiences UA students/alumni have had in Arts & Sciences and Commerce & Business Administration.</p>

<p>Currently my majors are American studies/Management/Marketing, which means I’m in both colleges and working on both a BA and BS.</p>

<p>I’m debating whether to change to majors in AMS/MGT with a minor in Public Relations. Any thoughts on differences between a MKT major and a PR minor? I think my particular interests (in writing, speaking, outreach type stuff) align better with the PR program, and Alabama’s is one of the best.</p>

<p>But then I think, if I switched to that, why not just make my life easier and major in AMS with minors in both MGT and PR? Is the actual degree in MGT that big of a deal?</p>

<p>The answers might be obvious to everyone else, but not to me, and I really need to make this decision ASAP. Advisors have been very helpful in letting me study whatever I want, but my problem is I don’t really know what I want to do career-wise, so I’m not sure what’s best here.</p>

<p>Any advice from people who have been in these or similar programs?</p>

2

<p>I suggest building a skill set that will prepare you for a variety of careers. During the recent economic downturn, many people who trained for a specific job found themselves without work as they didn’t necessarily have the skills to for other jobs.</p>

<p>Keep in mind that A&S has a policy against double-counting upper division courses, whereas other colleges, particularly CBA, allow and actively encourage it. It seems like you want to major in AMS no matter what. There are jobs that specifically require a degree in PR or Business.</p>

<p>I would also suggest having a more global focus on your studies. The world is becoming increasingly interconnected and it’s important that you prepare yourself to work in the global economy.</p>

3

<p>A C&BA degree is much more marketable.</p>