<p>Why are so many Pratties doing engineering+econ. I have seen that the most popular here are ECE+Econ and BME+Econ. Are these strong combinations, and what career fields are these students entering? Thanks in advance</p>
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<p>Because top firms covet this combination. These people are typically seeking to enter consulting, finance, or banking. The engineering + econ double major is considered the “holy grail” by top firms by most accounts. It’s not easy though, so you better be prepared. But if you do well, top finance/consulting companies will want you. Off the top of my head, I know seven people who did this double where I know where they’re at now. Three are working for MBB (top three management consulting firms), three work in New York City in finance/banking for top banks, and one is getting his PhD in economics at UPenn. Again, not an easy combination and you will have no flexibility in your curriculum whatsoever. But if you like both subjects and succeed in the courses, top firms WILL notice and you’ll get a nice job offer.</p>
<p>Yes, that’s correct. It’s also not beyond comprehension that one may enjoy those two subjects. The strong math background benefits both. I’m in consulting and people who know I studied engineering will come to me for certain technical questions. They’re majors that will not only give you knowledge, but will shape how you think.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m planning on a BME major with a finance minor instead of doing the full econ double</p>
<p>Well, unfortunately Duke doesn’t offer finance majors or minors… :(</p>
<p>^They just added it for the Class of 2012 and beyond. Your options are finance minor or econ major with a finance concentration.</p>
<p>oh wow that’s great. currently most all of the finance-related courses require econ 105 and 110, which of course require 51/55, so there is (was) little point to trying to take the finance courses without just completing the econ major. I wonder if some of those pre-reqs are being relaxed.</p>
<p>I can definitely see how ECE+Econ is a strong combo, the “holy grail” as bluedog quoted. But some people doing BME+Econ want to get the same thing, but it is different isn’t it. BME is more into the medical field, so I do not see how BME/Econ would be strong on wallstreet. What do you guys say?</p>
<p>I say, with near total confidence having gone through the finance/consulting process several times as an engineer, that at the undergraduate level all engineering majors are viewed equally. The only exceptions to that rule are if you’re applying to engineering grad school, or are applying to a firm that specializes in your area, like Medtronic for example for BMEs. Wallstreet doesn’t care if you’re mechanical or biomedical or environmental, all engineering majors have the same quantitative foundation, it’s not about the specializations (your senior year intermediate heat transfer elective just isn’t all that useful on the bond desk. who knew).</p>
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<p>I agree completely. Except Civil since we all know that’s really a major in Trinity. 
Half kidding…There are only like 10 civils a year, I believe.</p>
<p>Is Civil Engineering at Duke really not respectable? Why is that?</p>
<p>How would a mathematics major fare compared to an engineer?</p>
<p>For banking/finance/consulting, it’s just important to show some sort of quantitative competence. Last time I checked, mathematics should cover that just fine. I don’t like to engage in discussions about some majors “faring” better than others, because they just don’t. The guy sitting next to me at the consulting office was an English major, the guy next to him was sociology. If you’re cut out for a job, there will be ways of demonstrating that regardless of your major.</p>
<p>So, for finance the main idea here is that the engineering major does not matter (civil can be an exception). Doesn’t electrical engineering have more mathematics involved than biomedical? I know BME is math obviously, but I view electrical as more math intense, so I am not sure if BME+Econ would look good during the Goldman Sachs interview. </p>
<p>BME+Econ can help you get an administrative position at like Baxter or medical companies, but I don’t see how the two majors of BME and Econ really relate still on wall street. And another thing, if someone does BME+Econ and decides not to go into banking, he or she can only get jobs in the medical area. For electrical engineering, these people can get jobs at microsoft and any companies including the medical companies because electrical eng are needed everywhere. So yeah, what do you guys think of all this?</p>
<p>To be frank, I think you’ve disregarded everything we’ve said and have no idea what you’re talking about. You may feel free to disagree, but your naiveness will simply render itself even more apparent. </p>
<p>I would take issue with nearly your entire post if I had the will power, but by far your most absurd statement is that BME+Econ majors can “only get jobs in the medical area.” When you get to college you will learn that your major, whether it be engineering or East Asian studies, has very little baring on your career, so long as you have performed well. That’s about as clear as I can be, I think.</p>
<p>^I think these viewpoints are misguided. You’re analyzing nuances that just don’t exist. First of all, I was kidding about civil engineering not being respected. Firms hold it in high esteem; just students in Pratt like to get civil engineers a hard time because there are so few of them and the classes are seen as a bit easier.</p>
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<p>False. BME+Econ or ECE+Econ will look the same for a Goldman Sachs interview. I know two BME+Econs at Goldman off the top of my head (one actually just started his MBA at Wharton). Also, I wouldn’t say ECE courses are more math intensive; there are more circuits courses, etc. so perhaps differential equations come up more often, but there is plenty of math in BME and firms won’t care. </p>
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<p>I’m sorry, but again this is misguided. I’m going to break something to you that might surprise you - most people don’t use the knowledge/information/hard facts they learned in college. I don’t. What people do use are the critical thinking skills developed in college as well as the ability to break down problems by careful evaluation, devising a solution, and then putting that solution into action. What Wall Street firms want to see from you is that you have strong analytical skills, can learn quickly, and have the ability to THINK and SOLVE. Engineering really teaches you how to come up with practical solutions to problems as well as demonstrating proficiency in complex topics. While you probably won’t use those exact some complex topics in you career, you’ll have to learn new ones, so demonstrating success in this skill is something firms covet. </p>
<p>By the way, the BME curriculum is quite broad. People hear the term and assume it’s super specialized, but it’s really not. While there are some that get jobs at Baxter, Medtronic, Stryker, etc. from BME at Duke (and those are the people that WILL use the knowledge they gained in courses; I didn’t say nobody uses it), the vast majority don’t. It’s also not true that BME+econ only can get jobs in banking or the medical area. Heck, BMEs on the own go into a super wide spectrum of industries. It’s funny that the only two people I know from Duke who work for Microsoft were BME - not ECE. Other BMEs work for the government, do public policy, teach, non-profits, and CONSULTING. Again, companies just want to see that you are smart and have proven that you are a successful thinker and problem solver.</p>
<p>While certain engineering schools DO cater to more of a industry-specific job at graduation (almost like a trade school), Duke engineering is not like that. It’s quite broad and teaches you HOW TO THINK. So, while you do gain core knowledge that will allow you to springboard into a engineering-specific field, the majority of Pratt grads utilize their problem solving and analytical skills in other industries. Companies care that you’re 1.) smart, 2.) can think, 3.) can solve, and 4.) are efficient. They don’t care AS much about what you already know, because if you exhibit those four attributes, they know they can teach you what you need to know. At least, that is the case for entry level positions by and large. I hope this helps and didn’t come off as a diatribe, but either ECE or BME will be an equal springboard into finance/banking/consulting. Very specific engineering firms might look for specific major, but the majority of grads don’t end up pursuing such firms. Even a company like Microsoft has jobs for BMEs and ECEs as long as you have demonstrated proficiency in the requisite skills. In the end, major in what you ENJOY and not what you think will impress a firm.</p>
<p>Edit: Just saw the response from biomed6, which was much more concise. The theme was the same as mine and I agree with it completely.</p>
<p>@biomed6</p>
<p>hahahahahahahhahahahaha well spoken</p>
<p>i’m just impressed bluedog took the time to go through all that with him/her, kudos</p>
<p>Well biomed, I asked a question because I did not know the answer to it, and I still did not understand completely despite the responses. People come here to chance and ask questions, so I am not sure why you are such a sour apple, and how you ATTEMPTED to flaunt your vocabulary and insulting “skills,” it showed you just may be insecure about your intellect. I’ll leave it at that.</p>
<p>For bluedog, thank you for clarifying it up. biomed was rather puzzled (as he usually is) about why you took the time, and the answer is simply because there was a fellow CC member who had some questions, and you explained it very well and detailed to me. So I thank you very much for your time. We need more people like you, less people like biomed here. Over and out.</p>