<p>I want to be a Mechanical Engineer. Marshall University is in the process of adding a B.S program in Mechanical Engineering and all should be done in a couple of years. I'll be going into that program when the time comes.</p>
<p>For now, I'm at a community college and I'm currently enrolled in the Industrial Management program. I would like to be in a leadership role of some kind in the future as an engineer, and I also think I'll enjoy learning about the business side of things, thus my decision to get an associate degree in Industrial Management. I've been looking at the Business Administration program that this school has, and since it's still not to late to switch (as the two programs have a lot of overlap; I'll show that in a moment) I've been wondering which program would be most beneficial to me. So, that's my question. Since I'm going to be an engineer one day who would like a role of leadership and would enjoy also learning about the business side of things, which degree would be most beneficial? Below this I will show the classes that overlap into both programs and I will also show the classes that each individual program contains that the other doesn't:</p>
<p>OVERLAP FOR BOTH:
Intro To Accounting
Written Communication
Fundamentals of Computers
Intro to Business
Financial Accounting
Records Management
Oral Communication
Statistics for Business and Industry
Managerial Accounting
Business Organization and Management
Business Finance
Commercial Papers & Transactions
Integrated Business Stategies</p>
<p>BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ONLY:
Business Mathematics
Fundamentals of Microeconomics
Computerized Accounting
Fundamentals of Macroeconomics
Written Communication 2
Fundamentals of Marketing
Taxation
Retailing</p>
<p>INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT ONLY:
Applications in Algebra
Intro to Manual Machining
Blueprint Reading
Technical Report Writing
Computer Aided Design
Social Science Requirement (Already taken Psychology)</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I’d like to add a few things, because I’ve asked this on one other site and I keep getting answers that seem to be attempts at persuading me to change my mind about my planned route:</p>
<p>I don’t plan on changing my mind about getting an associate degree before going into engineering. It’s what I want to do and I know that it will help me in many ways in the future. I’m sure a lot of people would choose to do things differently, but this is it for me. Also, I know it will take 6+ years to get both the BS and AAS degree.</p>
<p>I’d also like to add that the engineering curriculum will have an engineering economics class in it; I’m not exactly sure what will be covered in that class, but I’ll apparently be exposed to some sort of Econ class even if I stick with industrial management which contains no Econ classes.</p>
<p>Lastly, I dont want to go straight to mechanical engineering and go to grad school to get an MBA. If I ever go to grad school, I’d probably go for mechanical or electrical engineering. I say this because I got a lot of answers like that on the other site. Again, others may do things differently, but this is what I want to do.</p>
<p>The only question I have (as seen in the original post) is if I should stick with industrial management or go with business administration. Personally, I feel like industrial management is geared more toward ME that BA is, but I’ve been wrong before.</p>
<p>I don’t think either program will really be beneficial… but if I had to pick, I’d say Industrial Management.</p>
<p>Specifically:</p>
<p>Manual Machining
Technical Report Writing
CAD</p>
<p>And out of those, I’d say the technical report writing is something a lot of engineering students don’t do very well.</p>
<p>I agree both programs are useless and I seriously doubt IMO that any engineering firm would consider you management material because of AA at a CC… You will probably get there but not because of that degree, any who you seem stubborn enough so good luck and industrial management sounds a bit more interesting… But this is coming from an industrial engineering student so take it for what is worth.</p>
<p>Industrial management does sound more interesting to me, too. Almost all of the classes that it has that BA lacks is what I look forward to the most.</p>
<p>Even if this degree doesn’t land me a management position, at least I’ll have learned a lot from it. It’s all free when you consider that I get enough grants to cover 6 years of undergrad coursework and I’m only 19 so I don’t mind giving up the time.</p>
<p>I should also add that some (certainly not all) of the classes I’ll be taking/already have taken at the CC will transfer over to the Universty as core classes.</p>
<p>Well, it isn’t completely free if you consider the lost salary for two years. I believe you will cover that in one of your economics courses.</p>
<p>No Econ in industrial management. Lol. :P</p>
<p>I guess I’ll have two extra years to build up work experience and a resume.</p>