My son is a marketing major at USF and he wants to transfer to UF as a marketing major. We know all of the requirements and he is on track and we know it’s very competitive. Realistically, he will be offered the BABA - General Studies major at UF and not marketing. He is likely to go with the BABA - General Studies major at UF (if offered to him) over staying with marketing at USF. He has had his heart set on UF since the day he was born and I’m worried that it is clouding his judgment. I would be thrilled for him to attend UF, but not at the expense of his career opportunities.
Any input on the usefullness/value of the BABA degree from UF would be greatly appreciated. It just seems generic and is a BA and not a BS degree, so I am concerned that recruiters will not seek these grads. If you have an opinion on the value of the BABA at UF vs marketing at USF I would love to hear it! Please know that I am not at all knocking the BABA, I just don’t know anything about it except what I have read on the UF website. Would love to hear from anyone in the program or graduates!
In the short term, after graduation (4+ years), having a BS or BA will not matter to recruiters. All they will see is a business degree from UF, and your career history. They will not care that he didn’t take GEB 3017 (Leading Organizations) or GEB 3213 (Professional Writing in Business) (examples of restricted classes for BABA).
When looking for that first job at graduation, it may matter a bit to recruiters who heavily recruit at UF/u. However, other factors, such as internships, minor, area of specialization (every BABA has to pick an area of specialization), leadership roles, work history, etc, could more than compensate for the difference in degrees.
Unless he wants to major in Marketing, UF BABA >> USF BS.
As business majors, general studies majors are eligible to apply for internships and full-time positions that are normally restricted to business students. He should give some thought to his area of specialization, and think about picking a minor (accounting, information systems, etc.).
Good Luck!
Gator88NE, thanks again for your reply. He is considering trying to add Advertising as a double-major. I don’t know how feasible this is (if UF will let him and/or if the workload would be too much). If he can do this, I would think that a UF double major in Business General Studies and Advertising is definitely >> USF BS in Marketing. Do you agree?
A dual major should be an option, as long as the 2nd degree is outside of the college of business (like Advertising, which is in the College of Journalism).
https://warrington.ufl.edu/undergraduate-academics/dual-degrees/
If interested, he may want to ask if BABA can apply for a combined degree (earn an undergraduate and a graduate degree).
https://warrington.ufl.edu/undergraduate-academics/combined-degrees/