i know many schools do not have a finance major, and Vanderbilt is one of them.
However, I do see that Vanderbilt offers a minor in Managerial Studies with courses in “Financial Economics.”
Is this financial economics offering Vanderbilt’s answer to the person interested in a finance degree? (a sort of finance degree in academic sheep’s clothing?)
I was curious how good this financial economics offering would be to prepare someone for a CFA career?
I saw a few older threads circa 2008 critical of finance preparation / financial Econ at Vandy, but I wonder if anyone has more current info on this?
The vast majority of students interested in finance just major in Economics. I believe that’s pretty common at most top universities.
The Managerial department does just that, provides a little more direction towards a specific career path in business or finance. All three minors in the managerial department are extremely popular; the exact statistic seems to have disappeared from the department’s page, but I believe more than half of the student body picks up one of the minors. The website does say that students from 49 majors completed the program last year. The course requirements are very flexible, the classes tend to be fairly easy and good for a student’s GPA, and the professors are fantastic.
I am told that the department (or perhaps a different department, not entirely sure) will be adding a pure “business” minor shortly.
If pursuing a career in accounting, I’m not quite sure how an Econ major compares to an Accounting major, but that’s just an opportunity you sacrifice when choosing a liberal-arts centered education.
I will comment because our Duke grad son was an Econ major. In general, people with top grades in Econ have a shot at employment in consulting and financial management. There is a definite prejudice towards students with high Calculus performance and with proven quantitative talent. Finding a job is important if you want an MBA for instance because they want you to work 4-6 years first. In 2008-9, jobs were only going to top grades earners but things may have lightened up. Another pathway that is rewarded in the consultant companies is majoring in engineering and doing fairly well. Regarding the cluster deals in Econ that many students avail themselves of in undergrad, these courses can be positives in a tight job market. Duke son is now working full time and going to get an MBA at night. I would say that in hindsight, he wouldn’t give up his history minor which he took for love of the subject matter. But he does hold some regrets that he didn’t bother taking on any accounting or skill based subjects that Duke also offered to undergrads in clusters. He is taking these subjects now at night on his own dime. If you have quantitative talent, I advise you to pursue it in college in some form or another. Many jobs require agile minds in quantitative ability and the ability to at least interact with engineers. Try to practice law these days and depose and engineer! Please examine Vanderbilt’s one year post grad business offerings. Last time I looked I believe there was a fifth year that put you in the position to pass those exams. This is different from going to a straight out business school because you are still going to get a broader education at Vandy. Duke also provided graduates with a one year post grad business program (not an MBA) to help recent grads add on skills that were being sought in the marketplace after the recession of 2008. Of the liberal arts schools in the south, I know that Wake Forest does a strong accounting program with exam prep. I also know kids who finished that fifth year at Virginia Tech and LeHigh who knocked out the requirements very quickly with a minimum of hours post grad.