BSBA General Management vs. BSBA Finance - Suggestions, please!

[Levi]

I have kind of a loaded question, but it's something that I've been thinking about lately.

Ever since I started taking CLEP tests, I always assumed that I would soon apply to TESC pursuing a BSBA in General Management. The reason I chose this major was that I know it is extremely versatile and would help me gain a broad range of knowledge about business. In other words, it's very broad, but somewhat shallow.

I was recently talking to my father, and he advised me to perhaps reconsider changing my planned program to a BSBA in Finance or some other specialized Business field.

He said the reason for this is that there are so many young people coming out of college today with a General Business degree, and they are flooding the market. He says that with a specialized degree (as in Finance, Accounting, Marketing, etc.), I might have a chance of getting a better job than if I only had a General Management degree.

I need to decide my major soon so I can know what CLEP and DSST exams to take. I've heard that 80% of college grads work in a field unrelated to their college major. If anyone has any suggestions or insights regarding a General Management vs. Finance degree, I would greatly appreciate your thoughts. Thanks!

[ideafx]

I don't believe it matters as much as you may think, because a bachelors degree in any business related field simply isn't enough to get your foot in the door anymore. There are a lot people people graduating with degrees in ALL business fields, not just general business.

Consider the BSBA in Accounting for example. Even if you complete that degree, most accounting firms are not going to hire you on unless you meet the education requirements to become a licensed CPA in your state. This means you'll likely have to take on an additional 30 credits in order to meet the 150 credit requirement. A masters degree would be far more useful. I have a BSBA in General Business and I plan on pursuing a MAcc.

I like the General Business degree because it offers more flexibility. I can pick and choose the business electives that suit my needs. If you want to pursue a career in finance, I suggest you finish the BSBA (in any area of study) and write the CFA exams.

[MISin08]

I would agree with your father and recommend virtually any specialized degree over the General Management major, unless you are dedicated to maximum testing out -- that can be harder to do with a concentration. Yes, there are a lot of business majors (though not compared to the number of people who didn't finish college, never started, or dropped out of high school), and people often do end up in a field different from their major. General Management can a fine major for people with experience who don't plan to get a MBA, but for someone starting out, standing out a bit is a good strategy. Shows you're willing to work hard, focus, and learn some quantitative (in the case of Finance/Accounting) skills.
Ideafx is also correct in that the decision doesn't justify a federal case; at the undergrad level, even a specialized concentration is still pretty general.

Phillip

[martialartist]

I concur with MIS08, most employers including mine own would rather see a degree with a quantitative concentration. While working in the field of your degree is not gauranteed, it however provides a tid bit more options where career/job placement is concern.

As an Old G, and a degree seeker, I too opted to go the route of Finance (Which I love anyway) in the middle of completing a General Business degree though in my case it may be different, because I have been working since the cretaceous period.


One challenge that I have encountered is the less testing out options and the colleges of choice TESC and EC failing to offer all the required courses.

[ahmobalic]

Hi,

I would agree with your father. After getting my AS in Marketing, I have decided to switch majors and choose Finance, in spite the fact that I could have had my BBA in Marketing at least 6 months earlier than BBA in Finance; due to moving major courses into general electives, instead of just “clepping out” the easiest exams.

Since I work in finance related field, I can tell you that with this “employers' market” my marketability is much better with the degree concentration allied to the job.

Additionally, if you would choose finance or accounting, your internship chances are much better, plus you will get much easier into more entry level jobs like associate accountant, associate financial analyst, junior project controller, etc.

But again, do not choose the major only upon the job opportunity and also do not just choose a general business major if it is because it is the easiest to get the degree.

[Levi]

Thank you for all the responses so far....I really appreciate the advice.

It sounds like most of you are in favor of the Finance degree, so I will definitely seriously reconsider all of my options.

[JanusthePhoenix]

Ewww....why would you WANT to do finance?

It seems to me that a specialization would be a good idea, as long as you pick one you actually are interested in. The B&M I'll be going to for my masters only offers a general MBA, Finance and Accounting majors. Ick. :eek: I'd like to do operations management, or international business, or marketing even, but I'm not going to pick a major I don't like just to pick a major. But that's my problem... if you like finance, why not do that?

Edit: I just checked my brochure. They offer general MBA, Accountancy, and Tax Accountancy. Gross.

[Ruddigore]

I don't know a lot about business degrees, per se, but I do know that just having a degree (of some kind) will be useful in itself. I know someone who was in the perfect position to get a promotion (and a raise) except that he hadn't completed his political science degree. His employment had almost nothing to do with political science, but it still allowed him to move up.

You probably already know this. Just remember that it might be better to study to acquire a degree that you want rather than one that you would think is more viable. We may as well enjoy ourselves while we're garnering all this wonderful information!

Regards,
R.