My son is sophomore in HS and is equally interested in Computer Science and Finance as a major. I am not sure which path is good-- 1) undergrad in CS then MBA in finance 2) combination of both in undergrad
His ultimate goal is to work in Finance for a technology related company 
I am not sure of colleges that offer #2 option or what other options are offered.
Any suggestions?
If he can do both majors during undergraduate school, he will be highly sought after. Get a few years work experience after undergraduate school to determine what, if any, masters is needed. Also, once working, his employer may pay or reimburse for a part-time masters degree earned while working fulltime.
It sounds like a combined program would be a good call. Here are some good examples of combined programs:
Lehigh:
http://www.lehigh.edu/engineering/academics/undergraduate/majors/compscibus.html
Northeastern:
https://www.ccis.northeastern.edu/program/bs-combined-major-for-computer-science-and-business/
USC:
https://www.cs.usc.edu/undergrad/computer-science-business-administration/
While less common, they certainly exist!
If the main goal is to work in finance, a CS minor may be sufficient. You don’t need CS knowledge technically to work in finance, even for a tech company.
Yes, and there are CS+business/management/finance degrees in the UK as well.
BTW, why does he want to work in finance at a tech company?
Finance at a tech company isn’t going to be terribly different from finance at a company in another industry.
What exactly does he intend to use the CS major for? Not every job that touches a computer is going to require a CS degree. If he intends to be on the business side of things, he may be better off taking information systems classes offered by many business departments.
I suggest you also look at schools that are strong in both areas of study. Then see if the university offers a minor or other opportunities that matches your son’s goals.
For instance UIUC (my son is there) offers CS and Business minors. So your son could major in one and minor in the other. However, be aware that admission to the university is by major and transferring later, between the Engineering and Business Colleges, is difficult.
There’s also the Technology and Management Program. It is a 22-hour program/minor for a select group of engineering and business students. https://techmgmt.illinois.edu
Lastly, schools will often have organizations on campus for motivated students. Here are a few links to give you an idea of extra-curricular offerings.
OTCR Consulting: otcr.illinois.edu:8080/#/about
Enactus: https://www.illinoisenactus.com
IBC (Illinois Business Consulting): http://www.ibc.illinois.edu
Consulting work ?
You could look for degrees like financial engineering or quantitative finance.
Working in finance for a tech company doesn’t sound that exciting. I’ve worked at lots of tech companies, and most of the finance people spend their time staring at spreadsheets on a computer. There’s nothing glamorous about the work.
On the other hand, I have a CS degree, and sitting on a Wall Street trading floor and writing trading software was one of the most fun jobs I ever had.
Too early for a HS sophomore to think about college major. Let him explore his interests in other areas too.
I agree with coolweather. I think these goals are way too specific for a sophomore, and he should probably not even be thinking about college yet. He should be enjoying high school and developing all of his potential interests. A lot can change.
Also it is important for kids to know that they don’t have to think about career in neat categories. The adult world gives them that idea with all the career tests and so on. Life proceeds in zigs and zags. My son did CS but ended up doing a lot of management.
And if he ends up doing “what he loves” for undergrad, he can always do something else in grad school. I will say though that many CS grads don’t seem to need a master’s or doctorate unless they want to teach, and if their employer wants a master’s it will often be paid for by the employer.
Anyway, I am a firm believer in the idea that too much planning done prematurely not only doesn’t enhance possibilities, but hinders them. Encourage your son to stay open to many options for a bit longer
Thank you for so much inight!
@compmom-- you stated the reason why I am exploring both the options. He has been doing Robotics and Stock portfolio since middle school. In second grade, he told us he wants to invest in properties and manage a bank…lol…am just trying to show him the path to best of my capabilities…what he decides to do is his choice…i think as parents, we do want them to make educated choices and encourage them develop in the area of their interest…he still has the right to change his mind…who knows in college/ career/ 20 years from now…but at this time, this seems to be the path he is potentially thinking of taking…
As a parent my confusion is to guide him which of these major/ minor will not box him into either of these fields and keep his options open…I hope you understand.
He is currently taking - AP CS, AP Calc BC, Intro to Finance (that’s all is offered at his school), started Finance & investment club, competes in stock market game, paticipates in robotics, CS club.
I will look into each combination courses suggested in the post and keep watching his interest!
Both new technogies and managing finance facinate him…
Not that I’m an expert, but I think Finance and “stock picking” are pretty different things. He may end up making loads of money in IT and doing his investments on his off time
If OP’s son is a strong candidate he can consider UC Berkeley’s MET program. This is an undergrad combo-degree from Berkeley’s top CS program and Haas business school. Its arguably the most competitive public school undergrad program to get into with only 1.6% acceptance rate. And UPenn’s M&T offers private school version of that with a 2.7% acceptance rate.
He took Intro to Finance to determine if he likes other aspects of finance or not apart from just playing on stock market. So far, he hasn’t complained.
M&T and MET are the only ones, I knew about. Given the acceptance rate, noone ever knows how much is enough to get acceptated. But like suggested above, there are other options too. I think, I will keep researching and when he gets to a point to make a decision, we will probably be ready with some options. Thank you all for helping.
One possible career path is in fintech, which will likely disrupt the financial service sector in the next 5 to 10 years, if not sooner. Skills in technology is more critical than in finance, but financial knowledge and expertise would certainly be helpful. So I would suggest to focus on technology (and finance could be a second major or a minor).
@1NJParent that’s what I was also thinking…he has an option to take finance as minor and then do an MBA Finance…that will not pigeon holed into one field till he decides his career path…What exactly do you mean by fintech?
@Supermom74 Fintech stands for financial technology. All sort of technologies that can be applied to finance to improve its efficiency belong to this category.
Seems like the best position would be a consulting position with Deloitte or PwC right after college. Try to get an internship while still in college.