Double Major?

College Majors Business Major
1

<p>Ok, I have decided to go to SDSU for accounting. Should I double major in mathematical finance and accounting? I say accounting because SDSU's finance major blows. If I get into the Big 4, right out of undergrad (which should be easy), I'd still get about as much as an engineer and experience coming up with financial statements and junk. Accounting majors seem to be able to go on the finance side while finance majors can't go on the accounting side. Also, the double major will be enough for me to be eligible to seat for the CPA exam and I'll get the SMART grant.</p>

<p>It's 39 units of upper division for math finance plus 50 units upper division for accounting. I think one or two classes over lap in upper division. I won't be able to transfer in the spring of 2009 (won't have enough units and they're thinking of cutting transfers in the spring because of the budget.) Might as well add some more units and I already took a computer class. A lot of overlap in lower division. The math is just like 5 classes more.</p>

<p>I plan to just stay around in the Big 4 for 3 years and then start a masters in quantitative finance.</p>

2

<p>No. There is absolutely no reason for you to double major. Pick one and you'll be okay. Regardless of which one you pick you are going to take a few courses in the other. If your main goal is the big 4 then I would just major in accounting.</p>

3

<p>I agree with not double majoring--although I suppose my reasoning might me a little different than wolfpack12's, even though I'm not sure what his reasoning is. A good accounting program is hard, and the first few years in a big four is really, really difficult if you're trying to advance quickly and even get an MBA out of it (which you appear to not be overly interested in). I'd recommend you spend your electives on subjects you find interesting, and other subjects SDSU is strong in, because it's likely, if you're trying to excel and set yourself up to move into finance, that for the first several years of your life after college you won't see the sun. Have something good to remember to get you through :P</p>

4

<p>I guess I didn't explain my reasoning at all. The double major is not necessarily going to make you more marketable to employers(if that is why you wanted to do it). Accounting and Mathematical Finance are both hard majors and it will take a lot of time to complete both. I would recommend majoring in accounting but you will still probably take at least one basic finance class as a requirement for your major. From there, if you want you can take a few more Finance classes as electives and you will leave yourself more open for your schedule.</p>

5

<p>
[quote]
A good accounting program is hard, and the first few years in a big four is really, really difficult if you're trying to advance quickly and even get an MBA out of it (which you appear to not be overly interested in). I'd recommend you spend your electives on subjects you find interesting, and other subjects SDSU is strong in, because it's likely, if you're trying to excel and set yourself up to move into finance, that for the first several years of your life after college you won't see the sun. Have something good to remember to get you through :P

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<p>I never said I'd tried to advance in the Big 4. Most people get out in 3 years and go somewhere else.</p>

<p>SDSU isn't really good in any subject except math, financial services, teaching, engineering (cause where you get the degree doesn't really matter), international business, entrepreneurship, and accounting (Big 4 recruit so that's good enough for me).</p>

<p>
[quote]
The double major is not necessarily going to make you more marketable to employers(if that is why you wanted to do it). Accounting and Mathematical Finance are both hard majors and it will take a lot of time to complete both.

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<p>How so? I'm getting the degree from SDSU so even if I get a high grade, later on, any employer or graduate school (GRE and GMAT though offset it a little) will think I had it easy. Since I wouldn't have the 150 units to sit for the CPA, I might as well do something. I rather not apply for the masters in accounting because it's just filler. I can pass the CPA without it. Look at UCSB. Very little accounting courses yet they pass.</p>

<p>Accounting can't even be compared to math, and SDSU offers business calculus to help the slow people in math. Yes, accounting does have a ton of material to learn but an A at SDSU is mostly likely a B somewhere else (such as UCSD). Also, it's business administration so there's several classes that aren't accounting and probably are easy. If the accounting classes are anything like the first economics course I took at the cc, I'm going to do good. A D turned into an A in that class (not that I got that grade lol) and the instructor said it's equivalent to the economics class at SDSU.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I would recommend majoring in accounting but you will still probably take at least one basic finance class as a requirement for your major. From there, if you want you can take a few more Finance classes as electives and you will leave yourself more open for your schedule.

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<p>You can't take more finance courses because the electives (9 units) at SDSU are in history and the life sciences. The biology department at SDSU pushes the other departments around. For instance, the electrical engineering degree consist of taking physics A (mechanics and heat) and B (electromagnetism) but not modern physics (which would be the most useful for them) and then they also take the 9 electives (nothing to do with engineering).</p>