<p>I have been searching the web, unsuccessfully, for forums with an answer to the question: which engineering major would be best in combination with an MBA? I am not interested in biomedical or any biological engineering so count those out. I'm looking really for the major+MBA that would put me into the best/most lucrative management position.</p>
<p>It really should not matter. I have an ME undergrad with and MBA. What it does is allow me to function as a technical project manager. To put that another way, it lets me do a job I am interested in. I wont address the “lucrative” aspect, as it is more important to me that I like what I do. If you want to be an engineering manager, then by all means get the MBA. Don’t get the MBA simply to make more money.</p>
<p>Do you think that having an engineering major compared to a business major would help me get into a good MBA program? And does the undergraduate school’s ranking affect my getting into grad school?I ask this because I would like to go to Clemson for engineering rather than Georgia tech(won’t be as fun), and georgia tech is more highly regarded. Also, do you know any finance majors that chose to get an MBA? I am also considering going to chapel hill for that reason, as it’s business program is very highly regarded.</p>
<p>Most MBA programs won’t let you in anyway until you have several years of experience in industry, so think less about money and more about the industry you want to get into. You aren’t going to get named manager of anything until you have experience anyway.</p>
<p>You also seem to have just a terrible outlook on things in general. You want a career based entirely on how much money you will make, yet you are choosing schools based on fun rather than where you think you will be set up for that success. You need to reevaluate your priorities here.</p>
<p>OP - There is an MBA forum that can probably better answer your questions:</p>
<p>[Business</a> School - MBA - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/business-school-mba/]Business”>Business School - MBA - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>Getting an MBA can do two things for you: </p>
<p>If you have experience, it can help you move into the business/management side of your current industry, in which case your undergrad degree will determine (to some extent) the type of work you will continue to do. There is no big financial disparity between engineering disciplines at this point, although I would argue that “wide” fields like EE and ME probably have higher peaks than some of the narrower disciplines. Probably.</p>
<p>If you do NOT have experience or do not want to stay in industry, the MBA lets you transition into sales or finance… in which case the undergrad does not matter at all. This can be very lucrative for a select few coming out of elite programs, for the rest it is a crap shoot.</p>
<p>If I were you, I would think really hard about how you want the rest of your life to go, and decide what you are willing to do to make that happen. As boneh3ad notes, your short term and long term goals seem mismatched.</p>
<p>Every field needs managers and executives.</p>
<p>Get an engineering degree in whatever field interests you and work in the trenches for 5-6 years before getting your MBA (and ideally have you employer pay for your MBA since they can be pricy).</p>
<p>Truthfully, the most effective managers and executives have working experience in the field they are managing. And it shows, and they are the ones that are constantly moving up the ladder (at least at my company) compared to the managers who were business undergrad straight to MBA.</p>
<p>Nothing wrong with his/her priorities, fun and money! I think they are looking to balance the two…GT and (maybe) less fun, or Clemson and more fun while still making around the same money…</p>
<p>I like making money…money…sorry got side tracked.</p>
<p>Industrial Engineering is a typical degree for folks that want to go to MBA School, right out of an undergraduate program. I know the University of Florida has a program that offers up to 5 IE’s full paid scholarships(merit based) and entrance into the MBA program. My roommate in college got his IE degree at UF, and then went straight into the MBA program at Rutgers.</p>
<p>However, most folks do work a few years before going into an MBA program (paid by their company)…That’s the case for most CEOs, CIO’s, etc…MBA programs are pricey…and now we’re back to money….money…sorry, side tracked again!</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>
In life there are extremely few instances where a single person in a single field can really vary the amount of fun and still make around the same money. At the end of the day, however much you work is the amount you can expect to be rewarded - why would an employer pay the “fun” guy as much as the “hard-working” guy?</p>
<p>
Has he graduated yet? If so, what did he do with that MBA upon graduation?</p>
<p>Young people these days have a very interesting outlook on life, they want a “fun” school with very “interesting” classes that will get them to a high paying job, with little or no effort</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the world does not work that way.</p>
<p>I think you are missing the point, it’s perfectly reasonable to balance “Money” vs “fun”. It’s not a zero sum game. If he/she wants a bit more “Fun” at the expense of making a bit less “Money”, that’s fine. In fact, for them, it may be for the best, as they could get more out of the college experience (it would/could be a better “fit”).</p>
<p>My roommate graduated in 1988 and went to work for Vistakon (J&J) as a plant QA manager and is now an executive at pharmaceutical company. Many IE’s follow this type of carrier path)…Engineer, Manager, Sr. Manager/Director…and on (hopefully). IE’s are likely to get more out of getting an early MBA, than others, simply due to the business process focus of the major. Though like most engineers that get an MBA, they typically do work a few years before going to business school.</p>
<p>
No one is arguing that, but the OP is trying to get both - maximum fun in college and maximum fun in industry. While that is possible, it is pretty rare and usually requires some additional factor (great connections, exceptional talent, etc.).</p>
<p>The path to engineering management will not ONLY be engineering degree + MBA. There are other important factors.</p>
<p>1) Engineering Expertise
2) Engineering Experience
3) Engineering PROJECT TEAM LEADING Experience</p>
<p>The education background can vary…</p>
<p>1) B.S. Engineering + MBA
2) B.S. Engineering + M.S./M.Eng
3) B.S. Engineering + M.S./M.Eng + Industry Certification (ex: PMP for Project Mgmt)
4) B.S. Engineering + ton of experience + Industry Certification</p>
<p>Also nowadays, it is VERY possible for your very senior engineers or chief engineers to make the same or more salary than your engineering managers. That did not used to be the case years ago. The “managers” that pull in the real money are the “CI’s”…like CIO, CFO, CTO and their immediate deputies right under them.</p>
<p>I am going to give you a real life example. I used to work for John Deere before I decided to go back to school to get a 2nd degree in Industrial Engineering, so here is a real life profile of one of the executives that retired last year</p>
<p>Education: Kansas State University, BS in Industrial Engineering, no MBA
Tenure: 38 years with the company
Last title: President of Agricultural Division - North America Australia and Asia</p>
<p>Last Salary: $624,000 + bonus- Made about $5 million his last year before he retired</p>
<p>Nice guy, not a genius but very good people skills and most importantly, I have no doubt that this guy had to WORK HIS ASS OFF to get to the top.</p>
<p>He probably dealt with all kinds of BS and I have no doubt that he had to be very good at OFFICE POLITICS(which I absolutely hate) and most definitely, LUCK because all it takes is one LAYOFF and your career could be OVER</p>
<p>What I am trying to say is: there is no way to the top without sacrifice, hard work and other things that I really don’t want to get into, all I can say is the corporate environment can be very cutthroat, stressful and just plain depressing sometimes. </p>
<p>If you are expecting a degree to get you to the top, I think you may reconsider your plans for the future.</p>
<p>@Bschoolwiz,</p>
<p>I would not be surprised that the person you mention also brought in money to the company in some capacity (new relationships, new contracts, etc). All of that goes into it too…including office politics (which is why stay technical…they can have the money).</p>
<p>Yes, just a MBA will not do the trick.</p>
<p>I would most certainly expect executives to have connections and to bring in new work to the company. Any one that does not should not be an executive.</p>
<p>Back to Prfsnap’s questions…</p>
<ol>
<li> Which Engineering major would be best in combination with an MBA?</li>
<li> Does engineering majors have better chance than a Business majors in getting into a “good” MBA program?</li>
<li> Does my undergraduate’s school ranking affect my getting into grad school?</li>
<li> Do you know of any finance majors that choose to get an MBA?</li>
</ol>
<p>My only feedback is on question 1, where I think IE’s are more likely to follow up an undergraduate degree with an MBA program, before entering the workplace.</p>
<p>Fine:</p>
<p>
Any. If you are using the MBA to get into the financial sector then it doesn’t matter about your undergrad, and if you are using it to get into management then you will almost certainly manage in a field related to your undergrad so you should pick something you like.</p>
<p>
I believe it is about the same - most “good” MBA programs take about as many engineering majors as they do business majors.</p>
<p>
Yes, although it is not the prime factor. Bear in mind that MS and MBA programs have different admission criteria, but in either case GPA and recommendations will have a much greater weight. Still, it helps, and “better” schools tend to provide more opportunities for the kind of excellence that adcoms like to see.</p>
<p>
Well, I know an economics major who was working in finance who went into Harvard’s MBA program a couple of years ago. But yes, it happens frequently.</p>
<p>And again, most of these questions really belong on the MBA forum.</p>