<p>I'm looking to major in Civil Engineering and I also considering majoring in possibly Business or Economics. I live in Alabama so I guess primarily I'm looking at Auburn University or The University of Alabama since those are the big two schools that have good programs. So which over which?</p>
<p>Auburn is the traditional engineering school, and Alabama is the traditional business school. Academically there’s not going to be a huge difference either way, so I would recommend choosing based on other factors (campus, location, financial, etc.) If you qualify for the honors college at one but not the other, I would definitely let that tip the scale.</p>
<p>Auburn VS Alabama? Being a Gator, I feel completely qualified to make a ruling! :)</p>
<p>Overall, Alabama is ranked slightly ahead of Auburn.</p>
<p>Auburn undergrad Engineering is ranked higher than Alabama’s (though Alabama’s is improving) and is one of the better engineering schools in the south.</p>
<p>All things being equal, if you’re looking at Civil Engineering, Auburns the better school. However, if you choose Alabama due to merit aid, or just because it’s a better “Fit”, you will not be making a mistake.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>Yes, traditionally, Auburn was known as the eng’g school and Bama was known as the business school, but that has been changing due to the mega millions the feds thru at Bama to expand and build it’s eng’g program. </p>
<p>BTW…Bama is one of 5 schools in the country that was first to offer engineering, so although it’s program used to be small, it has a long history. </p>
<p>Bama’s Col of Eng’g isn’t small anymore. It now has 4,000 students. </p>
<p>Alabama has the STEM to MBA program which might interest you.</p>
<p>Bama also has the brand new mega sized Science and Engineering Research Complex. 900,000 square feet of new academic STEM space. So, now Bama has over 1.5 million square feet of STEM space.</p>
<p>The extra benefit for the STEM to MBA program is if you have a scholarship (say free tuition), then you’ll also get free tuition to finish your MBA (the Bschool pays for the MBA part). </p>
<p>Have you visited both schools?</p>
<p>What benefit would an MBA immediately after an undergraduate degree provide to the degree holder? I was told by the bschool rep at my former school that going to an MBA program immediately after UG is a terrible idea. She claimed that an MBA after UG leaves the degree holder overqualified for entry level work, but under qualified for managerial tasks owing to the lack of relevant work experience prior to the conferral of the degree. For that reason, most of the better MBA programs don’t allow people with fewer than two years of full time work to get admitted regardless of how high their GMAT scores are.</p>
<p>*most of the better MBA programs don’t allow people with fewer than two years of full time work to get admitted regardless of how high their GMAT scores are *</p>
<p>Most “don’t allow”? I doubt that. Where are you getting that stat?</p>
<p>krispy remember to look at UAH also… best known for its engineering programs</p>
<p>M2CK, we can both agree that Harvard’s MBA is one of the best, right? Harvard’s MBA only admitted 4 students with less than 1 year out of undergrad, and I suspect that these were students who worked full time prior to coming to college. [From</a> the Admissions Director - MBA - Harvard Business School](<a href=“http://www.hbs.edu/mba/admissions/Pages/from-the-admissions-director.aspx]From”>Direct from the Director - MBA - Harvard Business School)</p>
<p>Additionally, the average Stanford MBA student worked for four years between undergrad and time of admissions [Facts</a> and Figures | Stanford Graduate School of Business](<a href=“http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/about/facts.html]Facts”>http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/about/facts.html) Wharton
However, the average time between UG and MBA is 5 years which likely indicates that direct admission is an incredibly rare thing. [Admissions</a> FAQs | The Wharton MBA Program](<a href=“http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/mba/admissions/admission-faqs.cfm]Admissions”>http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/mba/admissions/admission-faqs.cfm)</p>
<p>So yes, you’re right that some students without work experience were admitted, although I suspect that these were, in college admission terms, “hooked” applicants. The overwhelming majority did not continue onto an MBA directly after UG which makes sense. </p>
<p>Btw, I heard it from the Goizueta (Emory’s top 20 bschool) rep at my school who warned against MBA programs that directly admit undergrads. She thinks of them as worse than useless and stated that the better MBA programs will not accept students without full time work experience. Given that a trivial percentage of students at top MBA programs were admitted directly after UG, she wasn’t entirely correct, but the number is small enough to indicate a heavy preference for those with a couple of years of full time employment. </p>
<p>What’s the benefit of earning an MBA right after UG anyways? Would any employer see the MBA on an applicant’s resume and immediately decide that rather than putting them through the entry level engineering work, he’ll move them up to a managerial position despite having no relevant work experience?</p>
<p>One final note, engineers are over represented at all of the top MBA programs, so it’s not as though getting an engineering degree eventually precludes someone from getting an MBA.</p>
<p>We have this discussion (Engineering UG + MBA) all the time in the engineering forum. Most engineers do work (as an engineer) for several years, before having the company (if they decide to move out of engineering into a management track) pay to send the engineer to a MBA program. A few engineering majors have good synergies with an MBA program, such as Industrial Engineers (who do a lot of project management). However, for most engineers, it’s not a benefit when trying to land that first entry level engineering job.</p>
<p>Most of those that go STEM+MBA are looking for jobs at technical companies, doing technical sales, consulting, marketing or even finance (and to then move up in the management track). A chemist that wants to do research, doesn’t go into an MBA program, they go to grad school and do research.</p>
<p>Of course, those STEM majors that plan on running a startup, after school, may also enter the MBA program.</p>
<p>Overall, it’s only a small percentage of STEM majors that go straight into an MBA program, but there are reasons for doing so. If you’re a STEM major, that wants to work in the STEM field, then in most cases, you should get your masters in STEM and not an MBA.</p>