What Undergrad courses / classes to take for MBA? Any suggestions?

Graduate School Business School - MBA
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<p>So I'm wanting to know what classes I should be taking to prepare myself for an MBA.
I also want to know if you think I should add any more classes to this list?</p>

<p>Keep in mind, that I live and breath business, didn't just skim through these classes, and can recall most of the material easily.</p>

<p>Classes I've taken :: (all 3cr except where listed)
Survey of Accounting - 4 credits
Survey of Economics - 4 credits
Finance -
Marketing -
Management -
Entrepreneurship -
Small Business Management - (4900 lvl class)*
Venture Creation - (Venture Capital, Private equity, Term sheets, Valuation, etc)
Business Plan Development - (create a 100% thorough b.plan and pitch to real bankers who decide your grade)</p>

<p>Also:
Calc I
Calc II
Stats</p>

<p>Are there any other crucial classes I need to get on this list before I graduate in May?</p>

<p>*I'm in this class right now because it's required, but somehow the material is redundant and the teacher says that some students in there haven't even had a managemt class. (in a 4900 lvl class? really?) Anyway, here's to hoping it gets more difficult after introductory week. My point is, I feel I should already be taking Graduate level courses in business because of how well I know everything already.</p>

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<p>Makes absolutely no difference, except for your major and having enough practical, quantitative courses. You can even drop a few classes and they won’t care.</p>

3

<p>seriously? So besides keeping my gpa up, doing a good internship, killing the gmat, and work experience my classes aren’t important? If that’s the case I’m happy, although I’d still be willing to take more classes.</p>

4

<p>I’m not saying all schools are the same, but my wife got accepted into an MBA program and was a graphic design major. She had a good GPA, but also a lot of work experience and things like Lean Six Sigma and a PMP cert in the works though so I’m sure that helped.</p>

<p>As far as classes go, check out Auburn university’s page. They have a list of “prereq” courses that are required before starting their MBA program. I’m sure those would be a good guide for just about any school.</p>

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<p>well, I’m trying to get into one at a top engineering school because I want to work hand in hand with engineers and computer scientists to fund projects. Preferably out in silicon valley. I’ve looked at the main programs out there and didn’t find any concrete curriculum, but I’m sure that some of those school would take into account the rigor of my business, science, and math classes. Maybe I should take Calc III, diffy q’s, or linear algebra?</p>

<p>I just want to make sure my transcript has enough weight to it because my actually major is kinda fluffy.</p>

<p>I’m looking specifically at this program: [Technology</a>, Full-Time MBA Program - Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley](<a href=“http://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/academics/technology.html]Technology”>Technology | Full-Time MBA | Berkeley Haas)</p>

<p>I really can’t seem to find a program that hits the nail on the head with what I want to do as much as that one does. Of course, I will apply to Stanford as well, but it’s a reach for me. Even Berkeley is pushing the top, but I think I have a shot with so much demonstrated leadership. I don’t feel that many other programs other than MIT’s Sloan or Georgia Tech’s MOT would really fit with my highly technical background.</p>

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<p>Wait… What?? I’m lost right now. Do you want to do a MBA or an engineering degree? They’re different animals, even if they are both offered at an “engineering school”. Second, you dont have to go to one of the schools in Silicon Valley to work there. You also dont have to go to an engineering school for an MBA to work with engineers. </p>

<p>The courses you need for MBA prerequisites are COMPLETELY different from those required in an engineering program. Even if you are going to an “engineering school” ie. MIT, their business school is not going to use the same course criteria as say mechanical engineering. I doubt higher level math will help your MBA chances or preparation at all. You will 100% never use them in an MBA program. </p>

<p>If you really want something that mixes business and engineering, take a look at MIT’s SDM program.</p>

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<p>This is getting long so I’ll break it up a little.

</p>

<p>I want to do an MBA, but I was pre-eecs before I transfered schools so i have these classes with a 3.8 average:
Chem1010
Math1710
Chem1020
math1730
Math1910
csci102
phys2110
phys2111
Math1920
infs2400
ee102 - audit</p>

<p>I love what engineering can do, but I don’t enjoy the basic work that an engineer does. It’s monotonous and boring to me. Same with CS. I love what it can do, and I know enough about it to hold a halfway intelligent conversation with a developer, but I hate programming with a passion. I do however like the grunt work in business and would study it even if I weren’t taking classes in school, and I want to have career in the high tech industry because I’m may feel unfulfilled anywhere else. </p>

<p>

Everything I’ve read says that if I get an MBA from
my local state school, MTSU for example, they are going to say “mts-who?” if I wanted to move out to cali. I was under the impression that MBA’s are extremely regional degrees unless you graduate from a top program.</p>

<p>

The classes that are available to a person who wants an MBA at an engineering school are vastly different then the ones available anywhere else. There are classes in nanotech, high-tech product development, Biotech research, and others where the class is taken by both engineers and business students.</p>

<p>As a contrast lets look at Vanderbilt. It’s 20 minutes away from me. It’s not a reach academically. And it’s top tier so it’s marketable outside the region. Their entrepreneurship option focuses on real estate and their technology option focuses on health care, because of the respective industry bubbles in Nashville. Everything else is very typical of any MBA program, but they just don’t have the technological focus that a big engineering research school does. </p>

<p>

I know most top programs either recommend or require a minimum of calculus I & II even if you won’t use it.</p>

<p>

Thanks, I’ve had my eye on that program as my top choice at MIT. Their admission standards are just a bit high and probably a reach for me. (actually maybe even less so than Stanford now that I review)</p>

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<p>Ok, that explains things a bit more, but there’s still some things to address.</p>

<p>First, I cant tell what those courses are based on course numbers. I’m guessing since they start with 1’s and 2’s that they’re foundation level classes. It sounds like you do have some fundamental engineering knowledge, but not enough to be as fluent as an engineer if that’s what you want. If that’s your goal, you need an engineering degree and there’s no way around that. Freshman and sophmore level course knowledge just isn’t sufficient.</p>

<p>Second, your regional MBA discussion isn’t really correct. If you want to avoid employers saying “What school is this?”, you should pick an MBA program that is AACSB accredited (not a regional accreditation), and a well ranked program. It does not need to be necessarily one of the top 10, but I think people all over the country know the schools within the top 100, certainly within the top 50. If a tech industry is what you’re looking for, certainly look for programs that have a tech focus track.</p>

<p>Third, Calc I and II are good to have, but beyond that (diff eq’s, linear alg, etc) is certainly overkill. Engineering focused schools do have more course offerings like the ones you mentioned, but again they’re still business focused, not engineering focused. Having a tech focused MBA or an MBA from a tech school does not qualify you to be an engineer. Having an ABET accredited engineering degree (or the other requirements of a PE license) does that.</p>

<p>Fourth, you’re putting a lot more emphasis on the school than on the program. Dont forget that MIT has a Literature Dept and a History Dept. Does having a degree from MIT in English make someone technically competent in engineering? No. </p>

<p>It sounds like you want to be an engineering manager type. This doesn’t always require an engineering degree, but you’ll likely either not get the job because someone else has an engineering degree and an MBA, or if you do get the job you wont be very well respected by people who think you’re a just a business guy. I suggest before you research any more programs that you spend some time researching the job you want. Check out the job listings at Yahoo, Google, Hp, Cisco, Apple, etc and you’ll see the qualifications that they want and shoot towards meeting those qualifications. Sometimes you can circumvent having a certain degree with having other certifications that support the industry. </p>

<p>I’m not trying to burst your bubble and I definitely think you’re asking the right questions, but from a practical standpoint you have to put yourself in the shoes of an employer. If you put two resumes side by side for an engineering management job and one guy has an MBA from a liberal arts school and a BS in engineering and the other guy has an MBA from MIT and a BS in english, I’d go for the first guy.</p>

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<p>Thanks this is an excellent post. I can’t edit the last one but yes those are all foundation classes going up through the sophomore year. (cal I &II, chem I & 2, Cal based physics, C++ and data structures, Circuits, and Web Development. I took all of these to fulfill transfer requirement to Georgia Tech and then turned it town when I got accepted. DOH!) My current major is Digital Media because I thought it would be similar to Georgia Tech’s Computational Media (and cheaper) however it turned out to be just a web design major with cryptically worded class descriptions.</p>

<p>I don’t really want to be an engineer as much as I want to be an entrepreneur. I would be completely satisfied working in venture capital for tech companies, overseeing the growth of startups, putting together a team of people (including engineers) to facilitate a new product or service, or yes being an engineering manager. </p>

<p>I’m constantly dabbling in circuits, robotics, component level repairs, modding, scripting, web apps, and all the things surrounding getting ideas turned into a business, but I don’t really have advanced knowledge of those subject. For example, geohot just broke into the hypervisor of the ps3 and released his findings. If you told me to go play with it and see what I could get it to do, it would take me a solid week of study to figure out how to even set it up to send diagnostic commands, and then another few weeks to learn what it all does. I have an intermediate understanding of most technology, and I’m capable of learning these things really fast, but engineering students already have all this memorized AND know how to apply it.</p>

<p>An example of what I enjoy doing is a project proposal I’m submitting for next semester to build a multi-touch table installation and information center for my media building. A fun job for me would be creating a company that produces these in different forms and fashions cheap enough to make it viable to the everyday business or consumer.</p>

<p>I can also do networking or information systems consulting for installations in small businesses without much further training, (I already freelance this a bit, just not full time) but I feel I want something more. I’d like to establish myself in a position where I can contribute my ideas of the application of newer technologies to further an entire industry. I actually keep a list of industry predictions I’ve made over the past 10 years or so that have all come true or failed as I called them.</p>

<p>I often think of the problem of not having an engineering major for undergrad and having more of a tech degree instead. It’s why I’ve started threads like this one. The problem is that I’m 3 classes shy of graduation and I can’t go back and major in engineering at this point. I’ve also been told that getting a second bachelor’s is really a waste of time and I should just start working. Honestly, I don’t really want to be and engineer so much as I want to direct them towards a greater vision. And I would rather work as a lowly tech than manage a non-technical company.</p>

<p>I’m definitely trying to determine if what I want to do is a realistic goal and what steps are needed to attain it, or if I need to just go back to being a tech and leave this field to people who knew what they wanted to do at 18 instead of 28.</p>

<p>And don’t worry about any criticism. I’m seeking it and always take it constructively.</p>

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<p>That’s good that you have something you’re passionate in. I’m going to ask you this- if you’re so passionate in that field, why dont you look for a Masters Degree in whatever field that would be (CS? EE? Not sure in this case)? You can do a MS in engineering and work with and do research with professors who are probably developing things you’re doing. You can probably also get it funded if you have good grades.</p>

<p>I agree that another BS is probably not worthwhile, but if you can meet the requirements to get admitted into a MS program in engineering, I would take that route. You say you want to lead engineers, that’s probably the best way. It would give you time to really gain the knowledge you need, make connections in the industry and start working from there. </p>

<p>You also dont need to be an MBA to start your own business. The reality is that being an entrepreneur sounds good, but there’s a lot more to it than having some good ideas and dedication. The Sergey Brins of the world are extremely rare and statistically speaking you’re not going to be that lucky. Best case scenario is you’ll find someone to provide you funding. Most likely, you’ll have everything you own mortgaged to the hilt and be living on the brink of bankruptcy for years, if you make it that long. </p>

<p>My recommendation is to look for a funded MS program you can do for engineering, learn that field VERY well and do research under profs that know their stuff, then figure out what you need to do from there business wise.</p>

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<p>interesting advice. The funny thing is that what you’ve said is very similar to what my dad suggested, but in a lot more detail. He’s got a masters in industrial and works for a nuclear safety company. His suggestion was, “Start working for a tech company who will pay for you to get your masters and go for something like an MIS”</p>

<p>I think I will take the next week or two to explore Masters programs.</p>

<p>Do I have enough of a foundation to get a Master in a field like that without a ton of prep courses?</p>

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<p>Hard to say. What exactly MS program would that be? EE maybe? I’m a ME guy so I dont know much about that stuff.</p>

<p>Based on your previous coursework, you probably have enough foundation to get admitted. Once you get there though you’ll likely have to take the undergrad courses that you need to get you up to speed with guys who have an undergrad in it. If you need to boost your admissions profile, I’d look into taking the higher level math sequence before you start (ie. Calc III, Diff Eq’s, PDEs, Linear Alg, and maybe Numerical Analysis). Those classes will probably be required for just about any engineering degree. You should probably look at the curriculum for the program you want to do and check out the prereqs for it and see what you need to meet those requirements.</p>

<p>Another thing to consider - I always advise people to work first before going to grad school. It gives you time to figure out what you want to do before you’re halfway through a MS program and decide you’re tired of it. Also what you want to do now might not be what you want to do 5 years from now. Most important is if you work first, you can get someone else to pay for it like your dad recommended.</p>

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<p>p.s. Sergey is alright but I like Paul Graham, Guy Kawasaki, and Elon Musk better :)</p>

<p>I’m actually sitting in a meeting about available undergraduate research opportunities (which I wish I’d known about previously but again my advisors aren’t the greatest.)</p>