<p>Hello,
I'm currently a freshmen at Georgia State University. During my first semester here, I managed to do very well (3.89 GPA) and I received A's in CALC and CHEM. I'm planning to transfer to either Georgia Tech or UGA. For the past several months I've been trying to decide whether I'd want to do Industrial Engineering at Tech OR Economics at UGA. I've done a lot of research. However, I need some different perspectives to help me make my decision.</p>
<p>The reason I want to do Industrial Engineering at Tech is because engineering in general is a great field to major in looking at the job outlook and opportunities. I'm pretty good at Math and I like it (most of the times), so I feel like engineering might be good for me. The reason I choose IE over other engineering majors was due to IE's relations with business and management. But I'm also considering EE, not as much as IE, because it might be way too hard. Is it?. My problems with doing IE at Georgia Tech is that I always hear from people that Georgia Tech is ridiculously difficult. So I'm afraid I might go and receive a not so good GPA, which would limit my Graduate School and Career options.</p>
<p>The reason I want to get a BBA of Economics at UGA is because I believe that Economics is a great major. I've heard people call it the best non-engineering major. I'm pretty interested in Economics because it includes some math (and I like that). I also like Economics because it gives you a lot of options (Law, MBA, etc...). If I do Economics I'm most likely planning to get an MBA. And with my study habits, I feel like I could get into a really good business school (not trying to be cocky). My problems with Economics at UGA is that Economics is not that well known at UGA. And I feel like that MAYBE engineering will make me more successful.</p>
<p>So please help me make the better decision by giving some guidance, advice, and putting your own perspective on my choices.</p>
<p>THANKS IN ADVANCE!</p>
<p>If you come out of UGA with a degree in economics, you’ll earn about $40,000/year (if you can find a job) and will have graduated from an unranked Econ program at a 2nd tier college. With an IE from GT, you’ll earn around $60,000/year with a degree from the #1 program in the world at a 1st tier college. The program ranking will make a big difference in MBA admissions.</p>
<p>Is GT harder than UGA? Of course. But that’s to be expected from two non-comparable schools. But think of it this way: in high school would it have been better to take all remedial courses and earn a 4.0 UW GPA or take all AP courses and earn a 3.5 UWGPA? That’s basically what you are asking.</p>
<p>Thanks for the answer. I realize that with a degree in economics, I’ll earn about $40,000/year and with an IE from GT I’ll earn around $60,000/year. But what if these degrees where combined with an MBA. Would [Economics BBA from UGA + MBA at top biz school] be better or [IE at Tech + MBA from pretty good but not top school] be better in terms of job prospects, income, and opportunities. </p>
<p>Also, I learned from a Georgia Tech professor that an Economics degree + an MBA would be better and more marketable because you have a wider view and more broad knowledge. Versus an IE + an MBA. What is your take on that?</p>
<p>What are the other graduate school options for IE besides MBA?</p>
<p>So I’m basically asking whether IE or Econ would be better in the long run (with MBA or other graduate degrees); not looking at the STARTING salary. </p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>MBAs are commonly done after some post-bachelor’s degree work experience, so a degree that will help you get better work experience will likely help you toward an MBA better (good work experience may help you get into a better MBA school, a better company may subsidize your MBA studies, and/or a higher paying job will let you save more money to pay for MBA tuition and other costs).</p>
<p>Note that [industrial</a> engineering at Georgia Tech](<a href=“http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/colleges/coe/isye/ugrad/bsie/bsie.php]industrial”>http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/colleges/coe/isye/ugrad/bsie/bsie.php) does have some free elective and social studies electives in its suggested course of study, with which you can take some economics courses. Additionally, some of the [major</a> clusters](<a href=“http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/colleges/coe/isye/ugrad/bsie/electives.php]major”>http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/colleges/coe/isye/ugrad/bsie/electives.php) include some economics courses as possible major electives.</p>
<p>Of course, if you bring [AP</a> credit to Georgia Tech](<a href=“http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/students/ugrad/geninfo/advplacement.php]AP”>http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/students/ugrad/geninfo/advplacement.php) or otherwise are more advanced than the “normal” student is in some of the courses (e.g. math and physics), you may be able to free up more schedule space for free electives to take additional economics courses.</p>
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<p>That’s not a very fair setup. What makes you think that UGa will get you into a top MBA program while Tech won’t?</p>
<p>If you want to get into a top program, you need to be near the top of your class from a top school. GT’s IE program is a top school. UGA’s Econ program is not. In addition, MBA admission strongly considers the quality of your 3-5 years of work experience. Coming out of GT IE, you will have much, much better career options than UGA Econ and will be much better positioned for an MBA. Coming out of UGA Econ, you’ll be lucky to find a job.</p>
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<p>There’s no “maybe” in that statement. The only people that will tell you otherwise are the people that go to UGA, and their arguments fall apart when you question them.</p>
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<p>I could see the argument of Econ+MBA vs. ME+MBA specifically for finance positions (I would take the engineer for operations, IT, or strategy), but IE has enough econometrics and econ built in that it will not be substantially different. Either way, if you look at the top programs, there’s usually 30% or so of the class from engineering.</p>
<p>In my opinion IE is a good fondation for business school. If in business school you want to focus on operations management then IE courses in production and inventory management will apply. In you are interested in finance then courses in IE in probability, statistics, optimization, and (if GT offers it) finantial engineering. If you are interesting in marketing then again the courses in probablity and statistics will help.</p>
<p>IE from GT will lead to many more opportunities than econ from UGA. This isn’t even close.</p>
<p>Would a really good GPA in the Economics BBA program be comparable to an average GPA at GT?</p>
<p>If you like math, then the Economics program at Georgia will likely be a disappointment compared to Economics at other schools which incorporate more math in their Economics courses (e.g. MIT, UC Berkeley), or Industrial Engineering at Georgia Tech.</p>
<p>I’m pretty convinced that a GT IE degree will be better. But I wanted to know whether a Economics BBA from UGA + MBA will eventually be as good as IE from Tech (say in about 5 or 6 years after graduation).</p>
<p>If my primary goal/interest isn’t manufacturing, would it still be worth doing Industrial Engineering considering that there are many other options than manufacturing with IE.</p>
<p>Eventually, my goal is to go into the business world or finance and be in management positions. So would it be better to do Industrial Engineering + MBA or Economics/Business + MBA?</p>
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<p>If you are going into finance, you probably want to do something with more math.</p>
<p>Wouldn’t IE be good since it has a lot of applied math?</p>
<p>Yes, GT IE would be better than UGA Economics in terms of having more math.</p>
<p>An IE degree plus an MBA would probably be a better combo than even Economics/MBA. You would be an extremely attractive candidate for many jobs with an IE/MBA combo.</p>
<p>^I am going to shoot for exactly that. I have always loved IE for the business and economics side of engineering it offers. IE is good for fields other than engineering, too.</p>