MBA after BS in Nuke Engineering @ West Point?

Graduate School Business School - MBA
1

Hey all,

I’m a second-year West Point cadet and I am currently a nuke engineering major. Picking my major was very complicated and difficult for me because I really do enjoy math and science but I am also highly interested in finance, economics, and getting an MBA later in my career.

I considered economics and still have time to change majors but I need to decide soon. I really see myself doing something with an MBA after I get out of the military but at the same time I don’t want to lose the chance to study engineering. I guess you can say I want the best of both worlds; I enjoy engineering and science but I do not see myself wanted to use them for my whole life. I want to study them here but still have the chance to do something else later in my career.

I currently have a 3.6 cumulative GPA. If I finished my education here at the 3.5-3.7 level as a nuke engineer, would the possibility of me getting into a top-tier business school (i.e Harvard, Wharton?) be out of the question? Please keep in mind I would likely have about 4-5 years of experience as an officer in the active duty military when I applied for the MBA program at one of those aforementioned schools, and the core curriculum at West Point is much more in-depth and broad than most institutions.

Thanks in advance for any comments.

2

I’m not sure how top tier business schools view military experience, but 2+ years of regular work experience is usually required for admissions to these schools. If you really want to study economics I would recommend switching if you want to and really love economics, and work experience should not be hard to come by with good GPA, military experience, economics major, and prestige of West Point degree.

Have you taken any econ classes? How do you enjoy it?

3

Engineering is actually extremely good preparation for an MBA program. In fact, excellence at math is the best predictor for success in a good MBA program (I wish I could remember where I read that, but I can tell you from my experience that an MBA is heavy on math). No need to change majors. However, the Navy would love you to serve on one of its submarines. :slight_smile: