Political Science + Economics or Finance...?

College Majors
1

Hello! I am an incoming freshman in university, and in one month I will have to pick my first set of classes/ a tentative major. Although I do know it is subject to change, I would like to start with a double major just to get myself on the right track and try out a few things. I have enough AP and IB credits to cancel a lot of my general education requirements at my school, and because of that I have the freedom to double major with little to no additional stress.

I already know I want to major in Political Science for one, because I would like to become a Foreign Service Officer. However, it is extremely competitive and because I cannot rely on that, I would like to have a second major that compliments my interests and serves as a sufficient Plan B.

Currently, I am deciding between a double major in Economics (BA- College of Liberal Arts) or a dual degree in Finance (BS- College of Business). What would you recommend? Is it better to have a BS vs a BA? The other business majors offered at my school are Accounting, Management, Information Systems and Marketing.

Thanks for the help! If you need any additional information please comment/ask :slight_smile:

2

I am also open to other suggestions for a double major that aren’t what I said in the first post, if you think that they would be complimentary. Any input would be valuable and appreciated!

3

When looking at both those majors, economics would compliment a political science degree better. There is a great deal of overlap when looking at how political and economic systems interact with things such as trade, the economy, fiscal policies, and more. Economics also tends to be more theoretical and looking at the bigger picture. Finance, from what I understand, is more specific and will prepare you well if you intend to go into business because it tends to be more vocational. Both will be able to help you go where you need to go. Take classes in each and see which one you like better.

4

@shawnspencer Thank you for your response! I will definitely try to take classes in both.

5

  1. You don’t have to go in as a double major to try out a few things; you can try them out without declaring a double major (or any major at all).

  2. BS vs. BA doesn’t matter.

  3. You don’t have to major in political science to be a foreign service officer. There are [many tracks](https://careers.state.gov/work/foreign-service/officer/career-tracks) to being a FSO, including in economics and management. The other three tracks don’t require any specific major. In fact, political science is probably the most popular major for vying to be in the FSO, and you may have better chances with a different major (not sure though! You’d have to check it out.)

  4. Finance and economics are both great choices and it kind of doesn’t matter which one you choose. Economics is a social science, and finance is a branch of business; finance has more direct vocational applications but with the appropriate coursework and internship experience in economics you can be open to a wide range of potential careers. Any of the other majors could work, too.