what is more important? the overall ranking of a university or major rankings?

<p>When we choose to apply to a university, what is a more important factor for us to consider? the overall ranking of a University, or the ranking of our intended majors? For example, Michigan State University do not have a very good overall ranking, however, Accounting ranks #10, while supply chain management ranks #2. So, do you think it is a good university for me to apply?</p>

<p>major rankings</p>

<p>MSU is a top 75 school. It has a very good ranking. Go there if you want to major in accounting or a supply chain management.</p>

<p>If you plan to work in an area that is directly related to your degree, then major rankings are more important. If you plan however to move to a different area after you graduate, then overall rankings are more relevant.</p>

<p>The overall quality of the school is important but the quality of the major is also important. You have to weigh both.</p>

<p>overall rankings</p>

<p>I would not worry about rankings – they can be misleading. Choose a school where you can excel. If you are interested in accounting, attend a decent school, and have good grades, you won’t have a problem gaining employment on graduation. I attended a large university and regretted it. I felt like a number and did not really learn the basics – I had to teach myself, as the student teachers who taught discussion were usually foreign and English was their second language. When I graduated and went to work in an accounting firm, I felt like my colleagues who attended smaller schools whose reputations were not as known were better prepared.</p>

<p>hughxu,</p>

<p>Accounting is a popular major for many with a lot of schools doing it very well. </p>

<p>Supply Chain, on the other hand, has significantly fewer schools doing it very well or for very long. MSU has been strong in this from the days of Donald Bowersox. This means many MSU alums and others that know of MSU’s reputation in that area will be recruiting at MSU year in and year out. The faculty remains strong too. This means that a call from them can get you into a top grad school if you do well there.</p>

<p>The same thing is true for supply chain at Penn State (definitely with the most successful supply chain alum network by a big margin) , Tennessee and UCLA (on a very good but smaller scale). Ohio State is no slouch either but you have to spend time in Columbus. ;)</p>

<p>Overall rankings. You’ll probably change majors, and unless you’re in a very specific field, most employers will probably be more aware of the overall reputation. Having said that, MSU is a very underrated school, and has plenty of “honors”-type programs for the top-notch students.</p>

<p>major ranking is good for getting jobs in exactly that type of role, that you majored in. because companies have a tradition/history/habit of coming to these schools with these good majors. </p>

<p>in my opinion, overall prestige/reputation is more important.</p>

<p>As a few people have already pointed out, I think that you should look at both the overall rankings and those of intended majors. The overall rankings give you an idea of the school’s prestige, reputation, and resources. The major rankings will give you an idea of how rigorous the pursuit of that particular major is and how well prepared you will be for graduate school or a job after your completion of undergraduate studies.</p>

<p>You will do very well if you major in Supply Chain Management at MSU. My company, a major international oil company recruits at MSU heavily every year for Supply Chain graduates. These students in Supply Chain Management are highly sought after by major corporation in this country.</p>

<p>For your undergraduate degree, the overall ranking of the school is far more important. First of all, there aren’t any places that rank undergraduate majors - the rankings you see for the departments are for the graduate departments, which don’t always correlate to the quality of the undergraduate program. Second of all, it’s very likely that you’ll change majors while you are at the school; pick up a double major or a minor; and/or work outside of your major field when you graduate. Third of all, less than half of your classes will be taken in your major (at most schools the percentage is closer to around 33%). The majority will be general education requirements and other interesting classes you take.</p>

<p>Think of college less as job training and more as life-training – the majority of universities and colleges take a liberal arts approach to education in which they seek to “educate the whole student,” not just prepare you for a job. A good liberal arts education prepares you for success in a variety of careers. And in addition, looking primarily at major categories ignores more important measures of value.</p>

<p>“For your undergraduate degree, the overall ranking of the school is far more important.”</p>

<p>I disagree, not everyone goes to get a graduate degree after undergrad, so going to the most reputable school in your field (say engineering or business) may help you land a somewhat better first job.</p>

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<p>Your points have merit but overall I think it is the slow approach to things. </p>

<p>Why isn’t high school where they “seek to educate the whole student”? What is a liberal arts education but ‘piled higher and deeper’ or worse, just the law of diminishing returns in action? It also depends on your major as to how many courses you have. Get your M.B.A. and I will guarantee the student will have far fewer courses in his major/concentration than an undergraduate will. </p>

<p>If one is a career in academia, a general liberal arts education is preferable. The same can be said for other professional degrees such as medicine and law. For most careers, it just let’s the relatively clueless wait a longer time to get a clue whether their chosen career path is right for them and whether they are right for it. Again there is nothing exactly wrong with discovering oneself, even if it slow, but I wouldn’t think of it as a keen strategy. </p>

<p>This what is more important is really unimportant as both the school and individual departments are key factors. That said, your logic of ‘well since rankings don’t rank undergraduate departments the school is far more important’ is like saying, well since rankings rate towns but not sections within a town, town rankings are far more important. Obviously that isn’t true and just as obviously department’s matter too. That’s why kids are asking questions about the best undergraduate departments for economics, journalism, communications, creative writing, etc. etc.</p>

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One can also say the reverse. Many companies bend over backwards to recruit students from certain top universities but don’t even visit other colleges.</p>

<p>If you are 100% CERTAIN that you know what your career path is, than rankings of a major would be very important. But life doesnt move in a straight line and most kids change majors most of the time. Nothing is worse than planning on majoring in engineering at a respected department at a large state school, then discovering that isnt your path. Now you have to major in another dept and your degree wont help as much as thought.</p>

<p>Also, why go to MIT if you are going to major in English or philosophy. That probably doesnt make sense either. I believe that a top notch LAC(type) gives you the most options and allows one to change paths and go back to grad school in your 20s/30s. </p>

<p>The best of both worlds are schools like Rice/Claremont Consortium/Duke/Dartmouth that are strong across the board, and have engineering options. Or schools like William & Mary that are strong across the board with 3/2 engineering options as well.</p>

<p>The overall ranking IMO…</p>

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<p>Ummm, some large state schools offer top-rated programs in disciplines across the entire academic realm.</p>

<p>And some of the schools you mention swish, don’t offer degrees in the traditional engineering disciplines.</p>

<p>I would say overall rankings because you know if a school is ranked in the top 50 that regardless of the program it’s going to be at least decent. I would have a hard time going to a college not ranked in the top 50 because to me that means that some aspects of the school are very subpar.</p>