I am planning on applying to UCSD as a transfer and picked my major to be Management science. For my alt I was suggested by the counselors at UCSD to go with international studies.
What is the difference between business admin, management science, international business, and international studies economics? Which has better job opportunities? I planned on going to business school afterwards. Can you get the same type of jobs with all four? Which is more recommended?
A few comments:
- You should be able to look up the curriculum for the two programs (classes required for the major) at the two schools online and discern the differences.
- Job opportunities will depend at least in part on your GPA, how you interview etc.
- Most top MBA programs require that applicants work 2-5 years before applying.
^ Good points by @happy1 particularly the importance of a high GPA for jobs and later MBA admissions. I think that is much more important than the major as UCSD is a great school and the majors are not that different.
Also, have a look at the UCSD course catalogue and try and figure out what are the required courses and electives that you would like to take. Then you can reverse your major by figuring out which major fits your desired courses better.
“international” is a field. If you are going the business route it’s best to pick up a skill set (finance, accounting, supply-chain, marketing, IS, etc.) and then if you want to supplement with knowledge of international business or economics that’s fine. What we were hearing when we toured Carlson School of Management (at U of MN) is that skill sets apply to many fields and you don’t exactly know what field you will end up in. If international opportunities decline for some reason you don’t want to be specialized in “international”; however, finance or accounting skills can be applied to a wide range of businesses, industries, etc.
Economics vs. “business” - there’s going to be overlap. Business is in many ways applied economic theory. You also learn about how businesses run, what the legal/ethical issues are, etc. And you pick up great management training. These practical things aren’t necessarily part of an econ. degree; however, what you DO learn with econ. is macro and micro economic theory and modeling. (Macro training can help you articulate why we had the financial crisis of 2008; micro training can help you articulate why raising the minimum wage has an impact on the unemployment rate). Economics is considered a rigorous social science so a great major to be in - but you have to do well, of course. Pick the major that you think is a better fit for you at this point and then run with it.
Stuff like “business admin” or “management science” majors are going to have very specific curriculum or college requirements, and perhaps even specific degree requirements (i.e. BS vs. BA). So check out the course catalog as @happy1 has advised. Keep in mind that a BS degree is going to be more math-y and quantitative than a BA (but the latter may allow you to double major).
Good luck!
I haven’t heard the term “management science” for 20 years.
Well I was going to apply as a Management Science major to UCSD but in case I don’t get in as that major I was suggested to do International Business major. I know my GPA will matter but who would have better job opportunities with a high GPA? Would it be good to have a minor in accounting with either major?
From what I’m reading about the management science major, it’s highly quantitative so if you can handle that level of math and stats, you will pick up a great set of skills for various analyst jobs, etc.
International business is probably recommended as a backup because it’s an easier program to get into. Isn’t it described as “international studies/Int’l business”? It’s not going to be as rigorous. However, you might gain more overall exposure to a variety of topics that can help you on the job market. Looks like you will need to take foreign language as well.
A minor in accounting for either is a great idea. Accounting is a useful skill set to have for business.
In the end you should go with what you are drawn to, get the best grades you can and prepare early for the job market by pursuing internships, etc. Use the college placement office shamelessly, sign up for some mock interview and a resume workshop, and bug the counselors there about job opportunities. That’s what’s going to get you a job.
Just to clarify about “management science” - It’s pretty much what the econ. department is calling it’s quant. Econ. major. So you get a BS (not a BA) and you do heavy duty empirical modeling. Sounds thrilling to me but then I’m more of a quant geek and have had graduate training in both economics and business. In college, however, I got a BA in Economics and loved the experience - it set me up quite nicely to do further economics work at the grad level. One of my profs, by the way, got her PhD at SD - it has a decent economics program. What’s wrong with just the Econ. BA? That will also give you great skills for the job market and you will be plenty prepared for an MBA down the road.
I thought about getting a BA in Econ as well. I know management science is highly quantitative and usually do well in math. They both interest me and know international business would be easier. Is the job market for international business majors good?