<p>Which major will be more helpful to me in the long run: Economics or a degree in business?</p>
<p>I just want a backup major in case I do not like law school. I am having a hard time deciding between double majoring in philosophy and economics or business or just majoring in philosophy/business/economics.</p>
<p>Which would be more 'prestigous', and more importantly, which would help me in the long run, with job oppurtunities, economically speaking, and overall knowledge?</p>
<p>Study what YOU like. Not what others think. Haven't you been on CC long enough to figure that out? It's one of the general messages around here- do things for you because you will be much happier on the long run.</p>
<p>I have USNews' top undergrad b-school programs right here and I glanced through it. It says that if you intend on going for an MBA- in your case, go for economics or philosophy. Employers want their employees to kniow about other stuff because anyone can talk about accounding, finances, or whatever. Just adding a bit of diversity. The business major is more geared towards those who are looking to run their own business someday.</p>
<p>So Economics and philosophy seems better on the long run. There's only so much you can learn about accounting as one student quipped in that article.</p>
<p>I agree with the above message except for the MBA part.</p>
<p>Getting into a top MBA depends on WORK EXPERIENCE the most. Your major is almost useless when you apply to top MBA's. Make sure you got a few years at a good job (promoted a few times or whatnot) and get GREAT recommendations and write great essays. Then it depends on your GMAT score and GPA as well as how good your school is. </p>
<p>Obviously UChicago's Econ would be more impressive than, say, NYU's Econ but it depends on the school's strengths. I can assure you that The Top 5 Ugrad Business schools have no problem getting their kids into TOP MBA programs later on in life.</p>
<p>I can't speak for other schools but Tepper requires economics, statistics, a science (bio, physics, chemistry), programming (intro/intermediate), humanities, writing/interp, as well as tracks within the major itself. It is far from being a "non learning major". </p>
<p>I'm pretty sure other top Business Schools have other things for its students to do besides sit and do accounting all day or something. Just remember that it totally depends on the school itself.</p>
<p>I LOVE Philosophy, so I'm majoring in that, of course. But I still haven't decided between Economics or a Business (At the University of Texas at Austin). I would absolutely hate, well not hate, but dislike, either major, but I've got nothing else to do. I feel like I just need a backup to law school, just in case I don't get in, or I don't like it.</p>
<p>Economics and business are the same to me- dull. But, I think I need a backup, just in case my plans fail. I'm sure I wouldn't mind working in the corporate world, which is why my backup has to do with Economics/business.</p>
<p>I just wanted to know which one was stronger, and would give me more job oppurtunities. At UT, McCombs School of Business is quite strong, according to USNEWS. But then again, majoring in finance, accounting, marketing, MIS, etc. will only get my so much knowledge, whereas in Economics, I'll be learning a variety of knowledge about the full economy, not just to fulfill my major and become "one-sided".</p>
<p>mtrizzle:</p>
<p>I think it's a sound decision to consider a practical major in case you find you don't like law school but since you say you'd "hate" both econ and business majors, what makes you think you'd like doing what those majors would lead you to outside of school? Maybe you should consider some other practical majors that you have more interest in (philosphy might be interesting but it may be difficult to find a good job with just a B-degree in it).</p>
<p>MT06, there are many of my peers who don't think much of undergrad business degrees when hiring. Note that even most of the good MBA programs prefer that you have majored in something else.</p>
<p>So based on the either/or, I'd say Econ.</p>
<p>But I do agree with others that you find something that you <em>like</em> for your second, more practical, major. My D is majoring in Government and Math, and while she may indeed find the Gov degree saleable, the Math background is in demand in lots of places.</p>
<p>Really? I did not know math was in demand. What kind of possibilities could math open up?</p>
<p>The Dad makes two generally false statements. Most large businesses do MOST of their entry-level hiring from ug business programs. Just look at the placement data from any college. Unless you are a very competitive minded grad of an Ivy or near Ivy you will be hurting when it comes job time (excluding eng., comp sci, education and a few other majors). Even the Ivy jobs are very limited to certain financial and consulting firms that require insane work hours and results. Even grads of a very good LAC-- Grinnell--are compalining of the lack of real jobs upon graduation.</p>
<p>Also data from most MBA programs show about 20-25% of the students were ug business majors while only maybe 5-10% of all grads were business ug so one could say ug business majors are over-represented at most MBA programs.</p>
<p>Barrons, I've heard and read far too many times the criticism that ug business majors don't know anything <em>but</em> business. I'll stand by the statement. </p>
<p>Also, if you read the materials put out by the various top business schools, many strongly encourage ug majors other than business. For reasons akin to those of employers. I'm not making this up.</p>
<p>A business degree and a strong academic background are NOT mutually exclusive. I personally think that the most effective path is a business major so you get early access to the things you'll really need to know in your career, with either a double major in a more "academic" area like philosophy, history, economics, english, or whatever.</p>
<p>Personally, I'm going to major in business because I really do love the field and find it extremely interesting. However, since you don't, I would suggest majoring in whatever you like most.</p>
<p>Granted, while TheDad is correct in a sense, unless you're going to a highly ranked school already (like Harvard where Art History can get you any job you want, almost), from what I've read, having a business degree helps recruitment considerably.</p>
<p>So assuming you aren't going to a top 25 school, I'd go with philosophy and business, or philosophy and economics (whichever you find more interesting, both are basically just as good for jobs, maybe a slight edge to business, not taking school prestige into account). It will give you a solid background for basically anything you decide to go into.</p>
<p>The answer to this question also depends on your philosophy of education. If you view college as primarily career training, then yes, a bus degree is for you. OTOH, if you view college as a time to grow intellectually, a time to explore academic areas you might not yet know much about and so forth, then stick to classical academic majors. There is no right answer to this. Folks can do well on either path.</p>
<p>Yes math is in demand. What do you think many entry-level people do in business? They usually either have to do research or crunch numbers or go into sales training. Crunching numbers = math.</p>