<p>@collegeready99</p>
<p>It depends on the economics program at your school. My school offered a BA and a BS, with the BS being much more mathematically oriented. The BA focused more on less quantitative topics such as labor economics or development economics.</p>
<p>What guitardude89 said after reading all 10 pages of posts on here was the most unbiased and intelligent comment I’ve seen. I knew the second I saw the title of this thread that it’d turn into a fight about which major was better.</p>
<p>Personally, I think all majors are great, regardless of statistics as long as the student is interested in the subject and is going to make something out of their chosen area of study. If the student is only aiming for A 6-figure salary, then I suggest looking up lists upon lists of “Most Lucrative Majors” and so on. The school you go to and the experience you gain is just as important, and everyone should remember that before you open your mouth to argue which major is better.</p>
<p>very classy rebuttle bizstudent but I’m still biased because I plan on being an econ major:) thanks for the thread amazing.</p>
<p>I really doubt that there would be a significant amount of skewing by a handful of elite universities when mean/median salary statistics are taken across the country. Not only that, Econ appears on lists such as most demanded, most favored by employers, etc… which skewing wouldn’t really have an effect on.</p>
<p>And yes, there would probably be a huge change in rankings if the top schools offered Bus Admin degrees. However, there is a reason they don’t. Why do they all only offer MBA/grad level B schools and only Econ at the undergrad level? And this is universal across most top schools. It’s not decided on randomly obviously. Bus Admin is much more practical at the graduate level, while at only the undergraduate level, Econ majors are seen as having more intellectual capacity and can be more easily trained for a variety of occupations. That last part is my opinion, but most top schools don’t decide to not offer business at the undergrad level randomly.</p>
<p>I was thinking something along the same lines when reading most ivy league schools do not offer undergrad business degree’s…obviously there’s a reason for this, and like someone else said they are forced to major in economics and then proceed to get their MBA in business. I see now it should go economics first to prep you then business to mold you. Interesting…lol seems like a good plan.</p>
<p>I really like how Upenn’s Wharton sets up undergrad econ so that you’re majoring in applied economics, but specialize in finance, marketing, etc. It makes so much more sense than in some of the other business schools in Texas I see, where it’s all based on a BBA, which while gives you some communication skills and networking, doesn’t teach you intellectual skills like econ.</p>
<p>What if you major in Math & Stats and then do an one-year terminal M.A in Economics at a top school in Canada? Would that be better than a B.A in Econ or a waste of time?</p>
<p>A 1-2 year terminal MA/MS in Econ will be useless (maybe) unless you are getting to to strengthen apps for PhD programs.</p>
<p>A respectable undergrad Econ program will require the full Calc sequence (I-III), Econometrics, and some kind of advanced topics/Mathematical Econ class covering Linear Algebra/Multivariate Calculus/Differential Equations. Math aside, it would be damn near impossible to get halfway through an Econ degree without covering most of what Finance programs do anyway - compounding, present value, exchange rates, time value of money, cap ratios, risk analysis, taxation etc. I have interned alongside Finance majors who knew less about bonds than I did - as a sophomore. Finance does have plenty of advantages (the primary one being job recruitment), but it’s objectively true that a quantitative Economics degree requires much, much greater intellectual capacity. Quantitative Information/Systems Management and Accounting are the only other business majors that come close (Accounting probably even more difficult than Finance), but Management/Marketing/Entrepreneurship/etc. are a complete JOKE.</p>
<p>Majoring in econ at a TOP school might get you a really high paying job after graduation, like financial analyst, but…why not major in math and physics, get a phd in either one, then work in the back office of large banks??</p>
<p>Or, just double major in math and econ (or finance i think is better), take the bloomberg assessment test, which is mostly math and econ/finance/whatever, and if you score well you could get an interview and an internship at a bank with a national reputation.</p>
<p>A lot of people don’t understand that what lands you the job, is the job interview itself. A lot of people on here are overthinking what an actual degree will do for you. </p>
<p>An Economics major has a ticket to the interview seat, he will be competing against a Philosophy major, a finance major, a business major and an anthroplogy major. Who will land the job, assuming neither of these individuals has obtained a graduate degree, or an IVY degree? </p>
<p>The individual who cleans up the nicest, appears to be the most confident, and seems the most competent out of all the other interviewers will land the job. </p>
<p>I’ve been in the work force for 11 years now, have worked for two major corporations in two completely different business fields and encounter supervisors, program managers, directors and everything and anything in between. Guess what, they all have Econ, Math, Business, Finance, History, Sociology etc types of degrees. </p>
<p>With the exception of specific Engineering postions, no one worked in their fields of study, with exceptions here and there of course. </p>
<p>Global business is way too diverse for that. The point, afterall, is to make money, and finding your fit in the grand scheme of it all. </p>
<p>My advice, major in whatever gives you a drive to learn and learn some more. Learn what you love, and learn ways to apply those ideas and critical thinking tools to your newest job tasks. As long as you’re competent and have a drive to succeed, you will always be ok. </p>
<p>I’m an Econ major because I love the subject by the way.</p>
<p>I’m unable to get into Eli Broad Business School because of my grades. I plan on completing a BS Economics and BS Media and Information degree at MSU. My questions is what type of job positions am I most likely to obtain with a 3.0 and BS Economics?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes it is the job interview itself, but if you don’t have ALL THREE of the following along with your degree then forget about landing interviews at decent companies:</p>
<p>1) Good GPA (3.5+)
2) Relevant work experience in the form of internships and/or part-time jobs that are closely related to your major
3) Extra curricular/volunteer experience in non-related fields</p>
<p>Once you have these you can relax and start preparing for interviews.</p>
<p>Nope, you only need number 2. I’m telling you from experience…yes gpa should be high, but 3.5 isn’t some kind of cut off. It’s only your assumption. </p>
<p>A person that’s motivated, has an advanced bachelors degree, that happens to have been completed with a 3.0, and has accumulated work experience will be just fine. </p>
<p>The so called mandatory ‘extra curricular/volunteer’ stuff can be saved for college applications for the freshman. We’re talking about realistic job interviews, not college admissions. </p>
<p>I’ve been interviewed/interviewed several people, and this is the way it is with the corporations I’ve worked for. This is stuff I’ve discussed with colleagues as well.</p>
<p>Is this topic still holding true? I just got into CSULB as a business Econ major and am thinking of switching majors when i get there…</p>
<p>This was an extremely interesting and ENTERTAINING read…all 153 comments 
Anyway, I’m going to be a freshman at UMD next year with an econ major. I actually like it because it is so versatile. Great for grad school w/ MBA or Law. Anyway, I’m thinking of doing an internal transfer eventually into Finance because the Business School is a top 20 B-School. Maybe even a double major. I say this because I most likely want to get into business; be it entrepreneurship, venture capitalism, or investments.</p>
<p>P.S. - With all these arguments about which degree is better, has anyone considered the famous quote, “It’s not WHAT you know, it’s WHO you know!”</p>
<p>Why do they separate Finance from Business
when most schools offer it as a concentration under the second one?</p>
<p>Finance is one part of a business major, or a specialization of business. I don’t get what you mean?</p>
<p>It would appear that the thread-starter is long gone, hasn’t posted since 2009.</p>
<p>Anyway, and I’m raining on your parade on purpose to prevent you from wasting 4 years of your life on false hopes - What’s missing from this rose-colored portrayal is that the CEO-bound econ graduates:</p>
<ol>
<li>Graduated with their BA from top-25 universities.</li>
<li>Also got an MBA from a top-10 business school.</li>
<li>Were willing to work 70 hours a week for decades, with few vacations.</li>
<li>Were born into wealth and influence, and usually had extreme-fringe alpha-type personalities.</li>
</ol>
<p>If you’re a normal person, what a bachelor’s degree in economics from a 2rd tier or lower State-U gets you is a shot at a decent local-government career if you’re both good and lucky, and got into a good internship during college. Or you can teach high school after spending another year on a teaching credential. It won’t get you into a top-10 MBA school, so forget about the CEO gig. It’s also an OK major for going into law school, or for a military career.</p>
<p>The beauty of the (much-maligned by fresh-faced liberal arts students) engineering majors is that a 2.5 GPA from a 3rd tier university can and will get you a job with high starting pay and great upward mobility. And nobody cares whether you ever get a master’s degree.</p>
<p>Econ is a much, much easier major than engineering though, so by all means go for it.</p>
<p>And of course - None of this applies if you grew up in private prep schools, will be taking Econ at an Ivy-league school, and have family or personal career connections with one-percenters. That’s a whole different game.</p>
<p>I know we’re debating the merits of an econ degree versus the merits of a business degree, but does anyone have any thoughts regarding an economics concentration within a business school? My school’s b-school is fairly well-regarded, and this concentration is offered. Would the business presence strengthen the degree?</p>
<p>OP: I liked your post; however, I want to clarify something that I felt was wrong in what you said.
Although I do think that economics majors are more in demand and have more versitility than business admin majors; from my experience, I don’t think they have more versitility than those who majored in accounting UNLESS you attended a top school.</p>
<p>Also your post notes, “accounting= accounting jobs.” Accounting majors can qualify for a LOT more than simply accounting jobs. Anyone in a corporation will tell you that many accountants have moved into management positions. Accountants can traditionally do what finance majors do too as well as a lot of related jobs such as budget analysts, investigators etc. I had an internship with a bond trading company on Wall Street as an example.</p>
<p>However, overall, I think economics is both a rewarding and fun major and an intellectually stimulating major. I just don’t agree it is necessarily the best major or the “Go to” major of choice.</p>
<p>Whistleblower1 notes, “By the way, the OP is like taxguy lite”</p>
<p>Response: Are you still knocking everyone and anyone? Give it a break already! I guess I have to put you on my ignore list again.</p>