<p>So I am a rising senior interested in business. My other realistic top choice is University of Michigan, which has an undergrad business program. I'm wondering how business at Northwestern compares to University of Michigan Ross (in terms of job placement, the actual education, level of difficulty etc.) Also, I have some questions in general...</p>
<p>I hear there's a certificate program. Can anyone do it, or do you have to be admitted? Is it selective? How much of your schedule does it involve? </p>
<p>What's it like being an economics major? Is it too theory based, and not practical business education -- or are there classes for that too? If I want a practical business education, would being an econ major here not be a good idea? Are there other majors that are typically pursued? </p>
<p>And just in general, I'm kind of unsure how Northwestern compares to UMich Ross in terms of prestige on Wall Street. </p>
<p>Any other knowledge on this topic would be great as well. Thanks!</p>
<p>I’m unfamiliar with the Ross School. Kellogg places people extremely well, but that’s the MBA program–there is no real business course of study at Northwestern, not as a major. The closest thing we have would either be the Kapnick Business Institutions Program or the Kellogg Certificates. BIP is a business minor, with lots of focus on things like accounting and strategy. Kellogg is a lot more quantitative, and involves valuation, mathematical modelling, optimization, and that sort of thing.</p>
<p>The actual program is only 4 courses, but the prereqs can add up to a dozen or so extra courses.</p>
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<p>Economics is probably the closest you’re going to get to a business education, unless you decide to study IEMS in McCormick. Otherwise, I’d suggest doing Econ and BIP, or Econ and Kellogg, or whatever else floats your boat. Economics here is a lot of theory and math for the lower and mid-level courses–the field courses are a lot more varied. You’ll do more analysis of practical situations and learn the theories using real-world examples, of course–industrial economics, international business and international finance, and environmental economics might be of interest to you. Here: [Undergraduate</a> Course Catalog - Department of Economics – Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University](<a href=“http://www.econ.northwestern.edu/classes/undergrad.html]Undergraduate”>http://www.econ.northwestern.edu/classes/undergrad.html)</p>
<p>And just in general, I’m kind of unsure how Northwestern compares to UMich Ross in terms of prestige on Wall Street.</p>
<p>Kellogg is a very highly respected business school, and Northwestern’s pretty respectable, too. UMich is a great school, but it doesn’t quite compare, all other things being equal. Again, I’m not sure about the reputation of the Ross School itself.</p>
<p>The pre-reqs for the certificate are pretty quantitative and the four courses for the certificate are graduate-level courses. So the certificate program is more advanced and focused (either financial economics or managerial analytics). In terms of quantitative skills applicable to business/consulting, certificate grads are found to be more technically prepared than many MBAs . Ross is considered one of the top undergrad business programs but at the end of the day, it’s still just like any other undergrad business - a mile wide but only an inch deep. </p>
<p>Finishing the pre-reqs is no easy task and many people decide not to bother with it. So the pool has been rather self-selected and as a result, the admission rate has been quite high - around 70-80%. I think the advanced technical skills that Kellogg cert grads have make them more unique among undergrads and more marketable but the certificate program requires more work than Ross undergrad program and there’s a risk of not getting admitted.</p>
<p>Kellogg’s top employer is McKinsey. Like holy ****. Mckinsey. THE MCKINSEY. Even though you can’t enroll in Kellogg as an undergrad, you can take advantage of opportunities there though the Kellogg Certificate program.</p>