Should I pursue a BBA in management or a BA in economics?
I’m faced with a choice between getting a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in management, or a Bachelor of Arts with a major in economics. I don’t have any career plans that would really influence the choice, and I like both areas of study roughly equally.
Which of these degrees would you rather have? Which of them would employers, and possibly graduate schools, find more significant or impressive?
Also, would it possibly be worth my time to stay in school a bit longer and get them both (two semesters extra)?
Thanks!
Better of with the Econ major. Not worth getting both.
Yes you can get both as they probably only have about 3 or 4 classes different. If you don’t plan on going on to a Masters and don’t want to do them both I would go for the BBA as you will have a little more diversity in finding a job. If you enjoy economics and finance then of course go into that. I was at the same crossroads about 15 years ago; I took the BBA because I hated finance. I went on to get a MBA later but it didn’t really help me advance.
Hope this helps.
I think an MBA may be valuable, but I don’t have too much respect for a BBM. If your degree is in management, you’re not really specializing in anything. Employees always hate to work for a boss that doesn’t understand their job. If all your employees have degrees in say, engineering, you won’t really understand their language/experience/expertise.
Think first about what industry you’d like to work in. Technology (then major in engineering or computer science), Publishing (major in journalism, english, history), Hospitality (major in Hotel Management, Nutrition). If your interested in investing/finance, major in Finance, Economics, or Statistics. If you really only like business, maybe you should consider Accounting, Marketing or Finance.
Major in something you’re interested in first. Then learn business management skills. Don’t waste four years of your life on a BBM. Many liberal arts and sciences degrees help you learn to think outside the box and about theoretical concepts, in a way you’re not going to experience in business school. Also, if your end goal is to own your own business, know that there are tons of independent businessmen that never majored in business.
If your interested in what will impress a MBA program? Real world experience. I cannot speak for employers, but I can say that every single friend of mine who graduated with a BBM degree did not get a full time salary job, most of them went to graduate school just because they couldn’t find a job.