<p>Posted this in the Employment section, haven't gotten any responses actually</p>
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<p>I have a pretty specific question about the Econ vs Business major debate. My grades aren't top notch so I won't be applying to Top colleges (Most likely will end up at those "A+ Schools for B Students" list US News puts out). So say I go to a place like Maryland (UMD-CP), would getting an Econ major hurt over majoring in Business when I look for a job?</p>
<p>I'm from Asia (well living in America for over 5 years), so I'm not that familiar with the job market for a non-Medical or non-Engineering degree. If I get a degree in Econ (or Business even) from a non-top university (like between 50-100 in the rankings - no I'm not gonna apply just based on rankings), would I get a decent-ish job?</p>
<p>And I understand the difference between Econ and Business, I'm not interested in going into the Public Sector (so I dunno how credible the flexibility argument for me is)</p>
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I have a question about the benefits of an Econ major over a Business major. I've actually searched this forum pretty thoroughly and the general consensus that emerges is that an Econ major is "better" if you're planning on getting a MBA later on and that unless the Business degree is from an elite school (Wharton, UVA etc), it's not worth much.
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This is neither true, nor a consensus.
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<p>So, it doesn't matter? I've read several posts talking about how Harvard etc prefer that they learn Business from the MBA granting institutions themselves rather than places like UMD etc</p>
<p>HBS, like every other top program is looking for students that will be highly successful.<br>
The undergrad major isn't all that important in that regard. </p>
<p>You need to consider which undergrad major will give you the best opportunity to land a good job and gain valuable work experience. Economics is probably the top undergrad major of MBA students but not by some great margin. There are also a lot of students from various engineering and business majors.</p>
<p>Here is the breakdown at HBS:</p>
<p>Humanities/Social Sciences 42%
Engineering/Natural Sciences 32%
Business Administration 23%
Other 4%</p>
<p>You need to consider which undergrad major will give you the best opportunity to land a good job and gain valuable work experience. Economics is probably the top undergrad major of MBA students but not by some great margin. There are also a lot of students from various engineering and business majors.</p>
<p>Here is the breakdown at HBS:</p>
<p>Humanities/Social Sciences 42%
Engineering/Natural Sciences 32%
Business Administration 23%
Other 4%
</p>
<p>Thanks...I'm not quite sure what would offer me the better job opportunities...I'm probably not gonna go for a job in the Public Sector (so the "Econ -> More Diverse Jobs" argument is kind of moot). I'd want to get the same jobs that Business majors get, so I dunno, like...there's no difference, right? The reason I was concerned about the whole MBA thing was because someone said that places like HBS prefer students learn about business at Harvard and not at their undergrad school...so I'm pretty stumped :(</p>
<p>And I actually like Econ (just like I like courses offered in a Business major), but I don't wanna put myself at a disadvantage majoring in one over the other</p>
<p>I would check with your school's career services and find placement statistics for the majors you are considering. They should have information on starting salaries, positions, and employers. This may even be located on the school's website.</p>