<p>I know, the title is obscure, but let me tell you a little about my situation.</p>
<p>I am currently a junior undergraduate at Stony Brook University, majoring in Economics and minoring in International Studies and Environmental Studies. In June 2013, I have the opportunity to graduate because I would have satisfied all of my current studies requirements by then. My career aspirations are in business, particularly finance. My school offers a Business Administration major with a concentration in finance. If I decide to declare a Business Administration major, I will be at school for at least another year as this major requires a lot of additional credits for completion.</p>
<p>Once I'm set to graduate, I intend to apply for both jobs in finance and to business schools, and will pick whatever the best option is for me at the time. So to sum everything up, should I graduate with just a major in Economics in June 2013, or should I double major Economics and Business Administration and graduate in 2014? Does adding on a business major stand out significantly to employers and business schools?</p>
<p>Thanks for reading, and if you need me to clarify or add any more information, don't hesitate to ask.</p>
<p>A business major doesn’t really add too much to an economics major. Generally the idea is that economics majors give you the theoretical, and business majors give you the practical. If you have an economics major, you’ll be qualified for pretty much the same jobs as if you get a major in business. It might help a LITTLE bit, but I don’t think it is worth both the nominal cost and opportunity cost of spending another year in school. (think… if college costs ~$50,000 a year and you are passing up, say, a $40,000 a year job, that is roughly $90,000; will a business major allow you to earn an extra $90,000 compared to just the economics major over the next twenty years?).</p>
<p>I would actually advise AGAINST going to business school straight out of undergraduate - Graduating B-school without a few years of work experience under your belt will mean that you have credentials that command a high salary but still only qualify for entry level jobs. It’s a lot of debt to incur, and it will not make your job search much easier. If you are set on getting an MBA, MFA, etc., work for a few years and try to find a company that offers tuition reimbursement. It’ll make life a lot easier for you.</p>
<p>The reply is much appreciated chrisw. It’s actually the answer I was anticipating.</p>
<p>Stony Brook is a public school, and paying in-state tuition at around $6,000 per year is what drove me to consider staying for an extra year due to the low cost. But if majoring in business along with economics won’t really give me any major advantage in the job market or in the eyes of business schools, then I don’t think I will take up a business major at this time.</p>
<p>I am still open to hearing any other thoughts or experiences anybody else has to share.</p>
<p>Hi! I am actually in a VERY similar situation to you. I am currently a junior at Stony Brook and could graduate by May 2013. However, I am lacking some pre-req classes for graduate school. Right now, I am thinking that it would be better for me to stay in school for an extra year to finish those pre-req classes while doing another major so I want to say that you are definitely not alone!</p>