Selecting a Major

Back in the day my husband’s company paid for his MBA at NYU, he did it in two years while working full time, we had 3 little ones at home, and he finished 2 weeks before our twins were born (#4 and #5). He knew he’d have to get it done before then.

Philosophy demonstrates both humanistic understanding and logical thinking, a combination that is not necessarily that common but demonstrates future adaptability, although only some employers are looking for someone more for growth potential rather than skills known right now that seems to be favored by most employers these days.

It depends on the subject as to whether a master’s degree requires a specific undergraduate major or course work. MBA programs usually have few or no such requirements beyond having a bachelor’s degree (with good academic performance). Your bachelor’s degree major could influence what kind of post-graduation job you get that is a consideration for MBA program admission.

Interesting, my oldest is a CPA, the next majored in finance and works as a valuations analyst, my 19 year old will be applying to grad school this summer for a DPT program, one high school senior wants to go into actuarial science, and my other senior is unsure so is applying to business school. Since they will all have loans they were strongly encouraged to major in something they could at least tolerate and get employment (which my oldest 2 did before graduation). I assume my 22 year old will get his MBA at some point.

Well the idea on flexibility is apparently outdated, but I still think it holds. Majoring in philosophy demonstrates high level academic skills (reading, writing, analyzing, research as well as depth of interest and difficulty of material) which are respected by many employers and grad schools. Of course, more so if you go to a top college (where job connections are also more accessible.)

Yes you can go to grad school in a different area of study, and you can major in anything to go to professional schools like business, medical, nursing, social work or law school. I know people who did CS undergrad and music grad, music undergrad and Medieval Studies for grad, English major who went to med school and so on.

You do have to cover prerequisites. There are certain post-baccalaureate programs to cover those if you don’t get them done during undergrad.

Of course, that assumes one can pay for additional post-bacc or masters programs, which tend to be rather expensive with limited financial aid, usually in the form of loans.

Would this be an Executive MBA? I think if an employer would pay anything for a MBA, it would be this option because usually the Executive ones are either more part-time and/or offered during times–such as weekends–where the students would still be able to maintain their job.

You mentioned that one may get a MBA. The CPA or the valuations analyst would get the MBA? Why do you feel it would be necessary?

This was just a regular, he worked in Manhattan and attended classes after work, this was 18 years ago and at the time, his company was a great place to work with a lot of perks. I’m sure the MBA option (and free restaurant) are long gone. He still works for the company (they moved their headquarters out of Manhattan soon after).

The CPA is fine with school! She has her masters in accounting and CPA, and claims she never wants to take another class again (she’s 24 and banged it all out).

@roycroft mom not making any assumptions. The formal post-bacc programs I know of are premed and mostly financed with loans. I know of one for CS as well.

For covering prerequisites for other fields, students can take classes as electives or gen eds if they can fit them in If taken post-grad, and not part of a degree, classes would not be covered by financial aid.

My spouse majored in classics but got an MBA in his 30’s. He didn’t have any prerequisites but had work experience.

Here is what I found:

"However, non-business majors are sometimes conditionally admitted pending completion of certain undergraduate courses. Examples of undergraduate classes you may be expected to take, before or just after entering the program, include accounting, statistics, calculus, information technology, marketing, finance or microeconomics. The specific prerequisites required, if any, will depend on your intended area of specialization within the MBA program.

You can find schools that waive MBA prerequisites such as GMAT scores or undergraduate prerequisite business courses if you can show that you already possess this knowledge through on-the-job training or successful entrepreneurial endeavors."

I think that getting an MBA is a good thing.

You might want to check this year’s job placement stats for MBAs first. The website Poets & Quants has a lot of data.

It’s expensive so I’m asking if it would be better to just get an undergraduate degree in business or if an undergraduate degree in business often requires a MBA?

It really depends upon what field you go into. For example, accounting would not need an MBA, management consulting dies expect an MBA to move up.

Are you majoring in business now? If you’re halfway to a business degree it may be expensive to change majors. What are your career goals?

As someone stated… It depends. What people did 30 years ago isn’t today…lol… Lots has changed.

Personally, meet with a counselor, look at things like Indeed, Glassdoor and Linkin… Look at potential jobs and what’s required. This might give you a better clue of the path to take.

Job listings often just specify that they like prior experience in a similar job.

Not really… Check it out. Sometimes they are very specific or will hint to other trainings they are looking for. Worth a look.

Entry level job listings often list which majors will be considered

For MBAs, I know that usually top ranked programs usually require a break in between the Bachelors Degree and MBA.

For schools not ranked high, some offer an option where it’s possible to take a couple MBA courses prior to finishing the Bachelors Degree and then earning the MBA the following year. For these programs, no break is required.

Is it better to try and work full-time or to go to a lower ranked school and then earn a MBA quicker?