<p>I am currently planning to attend SUA and thinking to major in International Relations.</p>
<p>I would like to know what are the potential careers for me in the future. Is it possible for me to complete graduate studies in either Business or Economics with this undergrad degree?</p>
<p>I am hoping to work in the business field later. Either in oil or hotel industry.</p>
<p>Would it be wiser to attend other business school and get a MBA?</p>
<p>I lived in Japan for many, many years and had an offer to attend Soka Daigaku in Japan but opted for a secular university instead. Are you aware that this university has a strong religious affiliation to Soka Gakkai? If you are a practitioner of this religion and believe in its teachings, then you are in the right place. If you are not aware of the affiliation, then please get educated so you can make an informed choice. It is not a decision to be taken lightly.</p>
<p>For those that wish to go into international business, I suggest that you do several things: (1) Go to a school that has an undergraduate business major; (2) Study and become fluent in at least one foreign language that is appropriate for business; (3) Take classes in international relations, foreign studies, and cross-cultural communications. If the school offers an international business minor dive into it.</p>
<p>Then if you wish go get an MBA at one of these schools: <a href=“http://www.thunderbird.edu/sites/default/files/pdfs/rankings.pdf[/url]”>http://www.thunderbird.edu/sites/default/files/pdfs/rankings.pdf</a></p>
<p>If you want to go into Oil, then consider a degree in petroleum engineering and then an MBA.</p>
<p>Hotel management? Then get a business degree in hospitality from the UNLV, Cal Poly Pomona, Cornell or another school with that great specialty.</p>
<p>Yes, if business is your goal – go to business school and get an MBA later if needed.</p>
<p>Hello NobleFlaire,</p>
<p>I’m happy to hear that you are interested in attending SUA. As a current senior in the International Studies (IS) concentration, I’d like to take a stab at addressing the points which you and OsakaDad brought up. </p>
<p>Soka is great at preparing students for graduate schools, and I would estimate that around half go straight to grad school after graduating. One of my classmates was offered a full ride to Stanford a few weeks ago, and acceptances to Oxford and UWash and other schools have been in my news feed the past month or so. The Soka website should have more complete information on these kinds of things. </p>
<p>Unfortunately I don’t know of any students here with an interest in the oil or hotel industries, so I can’t refer you to any of my classmates. From what I understand, however, MBA programs often prefer liberal arts applicants over business applicants, because they have a more well-rounded education and advanced levels of communication and critical analysis. Soka offers plenty of economics courses to prepare you for B-school, including intro, macro, micro, and int’l, as well as country- and region-specific economics courses (for example, East Asian Economies and China’s Economic Dev&Reform).</p>
<p>With regards to OsakaDad’s comment about Soka’s religious affiliation, I must emphasize that SUA is non-sectarian (though I’m not sure about SUJ). I am a practicing Roman Catholic, and have attended here for over 3.5 years without feeling excluded or uncomfortable even once. I resonate personally with the mission of the university, which stems directly from the Soka Gakkai’s teachings, and that is why I chose to attend Soka. The SGI is sometimes described as a cult in Japan, because of its political clout. This, however, has not affected my experience or quality of education at SUA.</p>
<p>With its mandatory study abroad, Soka does provide you with the opportunity to attain fluency in a foreign language. This is very useful for work in a number of industries, including oil and hotel. Personally interested in international business with China and greentech, I chose to study Chinese at Soka and to study abroad in Beijing. I will be returning to Beijing this June on a Fulbright scholarship to continue my language studies, and plan to work in Shanghai for a few years before applying for an MBA program. Coincidentally, one of these programs will be the Thunderbird Global MBA that OsakaDad mentioned. I visited their Glendale campus last summer, and it seems like a solid program. Though, it requires 2-5 years of work experience, which is why I’ll be working in Shanghai for a few years before applying. </p>
<p>I know that’s a lot to absorb—if you have any further questions feel free to contact me at <a href=“mailto:ckerhin@soka.edu”>ckerhin@soka.edu</a>. My last piece of advice would be to at least APPLY to Soka, even if you have doubts or concerns. You will have opportunities to visit campus after acceptance to determine fit, and you may be surprised to find how generous our admissions office is with financial aid. </p>
<p>Best,
Charlie</p>
<p>Hi NobleFlaire,</p>
<p>Thank you for your interest in Soka University of America. Please allow me to say a little about my experiences here thus far in terms of preparing for a career in business. </p>
<p>Like Charlie, I am also a senior year at SUA. Prior to coming here, I attended St. John’s University’s Peter J. Tobin College of Business where I planned to remain until I received my M.B.A. Long story short, I appreciated the exceptional business education I was receiving there, but I felt the program was too rigid and did not allow me to explore other areas in addition to my business studies. By a stroke of luck I was introduced to Soka University of America and it immediately struck my interest with its study abroad opportunities, mission statement, and generous financial support.</p>
<p>Not wanting to give up learning about business, I decided to take all the economics courses offered. As Charlie mentioned, Soka offers a plethora of economics courses that meet the requirement to enter a M.B.A. program. In addition to these courses, I also enjoyed learning about philosophy and humanism which greatly changed the way I viewed business. Business was no longer a just vehicle to generate profit, but rather can act as a catalyst for great change when infused with values and broad minded thinking. My capstone (senior thesis) is on corporate social responsibility and as I shared it with business employees in companies I hope to work for, they expressed great interest in my approach with this progressive education pedagogy. </p>
<p>I have done my share of looking into M.B.A. programs, and the consensus is they require a few years of working experience. Then what are businesses looking for? Businesses, such as management consulting firms, have become increasingly interested in hiring recent graduates of liberal arts programs because, as Charlie also stated, they possess higher levels of critical analysis and communication. Soka emphasizes its mission to produce global citizens, who can create positive change all around the world, not just in their own backyard. In this period of globalization, where interaction with different countries is also a given in business, firms are looking for individuals exactly like us. Charlie is a great example of an asset firms would be lining up to hire.</p>
<p>Charlie has addressed most of what I wanted to, so I support his post 100%. I’m sure you have other questions and I would like to offer my time to you to answer any questions. Please feel free to contact me as well at my e-mail <a href=“mailto:eng@soka.edu”>eng@soka.edu</a>. In the meantime, best of luck on your search and please do not hesitate to contact us. </p>
<p>Warmest regards,
Eddie</p>