Will getting a Business Administration Degree hinder a career in finance?

College Majors Business Major
1

Hi guys,

I was accepted to attend Clark University in Worcester for their Bachelors's in Business Administration major. This and marketing are Clark's only business majors.
 If I pursue this degree, will it be significantly harder for me to land a job in the area of say Asset Management, or will the BA degree prepare me enough to compete in this field of finance? I really want to attend Clark, but I do have another school on my list that can provide me with a major in finance.

I see this as three possibilities.

  1. Go to Clark and get a BA degree, as I will be competitive enough
  2. Go to Clark and get a degree in whatever and pursue an MBA or MS Finance at a more prestigious U later
  3. Go to a different school that actually offers a finance degree so I graduate in a better position for finance jobs

Does anyone have any thoughts?
Thank you.

2

If Asset Mgmt is your goal, I would get a finance degree from a school that offers relevant coursework. AM has it’s own vocabulary and can be quite quant based. The more you know, the more competitive you’ll be.

Does Clark have a Fin minor? If so, check out the course descriptions. Are they geared towards the markets or mostly Corp Fin oriented.?

Those are the issues I would focus on.

3

What are your other affordable college options?

4

If you want a career in finance, then the answer should be obvious.

5

Thanks for your reply. To answer your question, no, Clark does not offer a finance minor, only finance-related courses that are used to acquire your business management degree. I was able to find one Corporate Finance course. Perhaps because of this, I think I’d have to pursue post-grad education to be competitive.

Thanks for the reply. My other option is Bentley University. Obviously it is a better school for the business-world…I’m just not 100% I’d enjoy that environment over a liberal arts education.

Thanks for the reply. I am certainly naive at this moment because I have the preference of being “educated and scholarly rather than practical and career-oriented”. This mindset is likely poor for finance jobs, but maybe it’s why it is not so obvious to me.

6

Two very different schools. Do you value the environment at Clarke over a more business-centric school like Bentley which might be a better in terms of available majors and career placement? I would discuss the options with your parents and make a decision together.

Also keep in mind that most top MBA programs require a minimum of 2-5 years of meaningful work experience with increasing responsibility before an applicant will be seriously considered for admission. So if you want a MBA at a “prestigious” university you should plan on working for a while after graduation.

7

Bentley is an excellent B School and offers several different Finance tracks. They have excellent career services support, a pretty awesome trading floor (would be quite useful for Asset Management oriented clubs, classes, etc.)

Yes it’s a Business focused school. However, they offer several liberal arts type minors and it’s quite popular to mix those in. I would recommend Bentley over Clark if you’re serious about finance. Don’t know if you have other choices. Curious to learn if UMASS is in the cards. If so, you could get a solid finance degree with access to many other non business related tracks.

8

What is it about finance that appeals to you? And how much do you know about the various paths (you mention asset management- but you don’t seem 100% committed to it). There are LOTS of different careers in finance, and you’ll find many successful professionals who did not take a single undergrad course in finance.

There are companies which offer a “mini MBA” type training program for new hires who don’t have a business degree. There are bridge programs- Dartmouth has one, for example, to take new grads without a business degree and prepare them for a financial/business career (sort of a boot camp for non-business people). And there is self- study- I know a lot of people with no college courses in finance or business who self-studied for the CFA (it’s three parts, a big commitment but certification is a big deal in some fields) or CFP. Unlike the CPA where there are course requirements and hours/credit requirements in order to get certified, there are other tests/designations which are financially oriented where you can self- study if you are disciplined.

So what do you like about finance, what aspects interest you, do you know anything about it???