<p>Exactly how good is it? I want to go to UCLA, but I can't seem to find anything on business economics. The site looks seriously like something a 14 year old web designer tossed together. </p>
<p>Anyways, I would like to know how much an average business economics major earns out of UCLA and what percent actually find jobs?</p>
<p>People at UCLA never seem to give me a straight answer, telling me there are more factors than prestige, etc, such as networking. I know that already, and I know that most I-banks, management consulting, and fortune 500 companies will have some presence on the campus, but is it even comparable to that at Berkeley? How many people actually find these jobs?</p>
<p>Berkeley's program is an actual Business program. UCLA's business economics undergraduate degree, from what I've heard from people actually attending it, is really not a good idea. The rationale behind this statement is that, first off, it's not a real business degree. Second off, while UCLA has a good business school, Anderson supposedly doesn't like to recruit so much from UCLA itself. It's up to you, but if you have the option to try (you get admitted into it your sophomore year, should you maintain the requisites) and get into Berkeley's Haas, take it.</p>
<p>UCLA's biz econ program is really more of econ + accounting, and a little finance. You can take a special series of classes exclusively for biz econ majors (entrepreneurship, finance, game theory, organization of the firm, pricing & strategy, and investments), but it does not replicate a traditional undergraduate business education. For example, biz econ doesnt have marketing, sales, business strategy, organizational behavior, etc. </p>
<p>A Biz Econ degree can help you get into an MBA program. My TA for an accounting class I took was an MBA student at UCLA Anderson and has a biz econ degree from UCLA.</p>
<p>Its UCLA.... Its Los Angeles.... How hard do you guys think it would be to place a UCLA econ/biz econ graduate? </p>
<p>My suggestion is if you don't think the degree is as "good" as a berkeley degree... don't go to UCLA.</p>
<p>The networking opportunities are extremely abundant at UCLA. Its the go-to place for industry conferences in Los Angeles and alumni networking. Regardless of what you're capable of, its really about what you're capable of "AND" who recommends you. Start networking!</p>
<p>Teachers at my school get mad when I emphasize the importance of networking. They say, "Oh he's only going somewhere in life because of who he knows, he doesn't deserve what he has." </p>
<p>But the essential tool to networking is the reference. You can tell an employer that you're a best worker in the world with the best degree from Berkeley but you know what, everyone else is doing the same thing. But if you have someone with 20 years of experience and currently managing his own firm say, "This kid knows his stuff." That's a world of difference.</p>
<p>Rule of thumb: "You're only bragging when you're talking about yourself. But its true when someone else says it."</p>
<p>Well, I don't know if an UCLA degree is as good as a Berkeley degree. That is specifically why I am asking. Berkeley offers stats on how much graduates earn and how many find jobs. I think it is a legitimate concern to verify the opportunities at UCLA, especially when the site for the major was rather sparce on details and career information.</p>
<p>JPNguyen, do you know any specific information on how much biz econ grads earn? I have heard plenty of this stuff about "networking" or how so-and-so's friend was able to find a job or get an MBA after UCLA without actual statistics. Trust me, I want to go to UCLA, but I need to look before I leap.</p>
<p>First off, I like the UCLA site design. It's functional. If you want bad, check out UCSD...</p>
<p>Anyway, I don't think it really matters as much as you think. </p>
<p>
[quote]
JPNguyen, do you know any specific information on how much biz econ grads earn? I have heard plenty of this stuff about "networking" or how so-and-so's friend was able to find a job or get an MBA after UCLA without actual statistics. Trust me, I want to go to UCLA, but I need to look before I leap.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This is your problem. You're relying too much on self-published stats. First off, the stats on Cal's site are not necessarily an accurate picture of much of anything. The opportunities at UCLA will not be less than the ones at Cal per se. Both are top universities with top companies recruiting. That's all that matters to you, the future employee. Seriously, employers don't go to schools and think, "Gee, the stats from Cal are X and the stats from UCLA are Y. I'll not hire the qualified UCLA grads today."</p>
<p>What you get out of either program is up to YOU.</p>
<p>I guess if you're judging an economics department on how well it can put together a website, then I think you're using the wrong criteria. POssibly, the director never had the time to sit down with engineers or assign someone the task of completing a better site. If I get accepted by UCLA, I might just offer to redesign it myself. =)</p>
<p>Maybe, but maybe I will fix it up them if I go. How well their website looks does matter though. It has to do with being professional. If Stanford's or Berkeley's Econ homepage looked like a geocities, I think most people would have a much worse impression. Same with UCLA. The site looks unprofessional especially since it is business economics and is rather poorly maintained.</p>
<p>Don't base your decision solely on earnings. Remember that earnings can be affected by location. There's a ton of omitted variable bias present in these kinds of figures...</p>
<p>Should earnings be your only reason for going? Just because the median earnings at another program are $XXXXXX dollars a year doesn't mean you'll get that.</p>
<p>You shouldn't be worrying about your salary. It will be high at either one. You should be worrying about which one will give you the environment and skills to get there in the first place. If you do not like LA or Berkeley (the places), don't go there. It's that simple.</p>
<p>Well, obviously it isn't the only reason, but it is a major reason . . . Afterall, college is an investment. Cal and UCLA students enter the schools at roughly the same caliber so the salary a student commands after graduation should also be a slight indicator of the quality of education and perceived quality by recruiters.</p>
<p>Remember that a less specifically professional program like biz-econ may be sending more people to grad school (i.e. PhD) than Haas. That would mean that people are successful, but aren't off to make money right away.</p>
<p>You can't judge a program's value based solely on how much money its grads make right away. Not all successful careers make money anyway.</p>