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B.Sc vs business degree

cmrocks

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What do you think of this. Someone told me recently that people with standard business degrees (mid grade school and no mba) make great middle management but will never really climb to the top unless they are exceptional and that people with challenging science degrees (like chemistry, physics or mathematics) are often times preferred for a lot of positions. He was telling me that a difficult science degree proves a lot more about a person. This sort of went against what I always thought was the case.

To clarify, he was talking about the field of mining which, in my experience, tends to be a lot more hands on than other fields are. The companies are often times quite small with only 20-40 employees and everyone seems to play a larger role in the big picture.
 

ComboOrgan

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Attaining a degree in the hard sciences is extremely difficult.

I don't know if a degree in the hard sciences is necessarily better preparation for the business world, but you'll find the average B.Sc holder is "smarter" than the average of folks with other degrees. (I know someone is going to have a problem with this statement, but there is an abundance of evidence to support it).
This may account for the difference.

In any case, if you're shooting for upper management, an MBA is still your best bet. If you desire to really prove your stuff, go to a school with a strong quantitive program. The best quantitative business minds often have problem solving abilities rivaling those in the hard sciences.
In fact, I've seen a lot of business school professors who hold undergraduate degrees in math and physics. Interesting...
 

Concordia

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When I was in the first semester of an MBA program, our esteemed finance professor told us that we could pass out of his class, but that in his experience, any undergraduate finance major would be worthless in that enterprise. Except for Wharton's. (This was at a school that was not Wharton.)

You want to stretch your mind and find your real calling, don't do business in undergrad. Plenty of time later for the MBA, which you'll need anyway if you want that sort of career.
 

maacone

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Science and engineering are both useful for getting your brain used to thinking about quantitative problems and appreciating how physical laws and systems operate. It's good prep for the business world.

I think Fortune did a study once though where the degree which had the highest correlation to business success was philosophy.
 

GQgeek

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Several years ago there was a survey done by a magazine that found that a significant portion of CEOs (40-50%) had arts degrees. Imo your undergrad degree is in no way a predictor of success. As long as you can get your foot in the door, it is how you perform that will matter, not what degree you got in university.
 

Piobaire

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Originally Posted by ComboOrgan
In fact, I've seen a lot of business school professors who hold undergraduate degrees in math and physics. Interesting...

Well remember the old saw: those that can't do, teach. (And those that can't teach, work for the government
laugh.gif
).

That said, as I posted here awhile ago, I found out that the largest group of undergrads that take the GMAT are engineers. However, the most successful stock broker I know got his undergrad in theater arts, the CEO that runs the biggest company I know, did his undergrad in marketing. Go figure.
 

Brian278

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Originally Posted by GQgeek
Several years ago there was a survey done by a magazine that found that a significant portion of CEOs (40-50%) had arts degrees. Imo your undergrad degree is in no way a predictor of success. As long as you can get your foot in the door, it is how you perform that will matter, not what degree you got in university.

Entirely true. But if you're fresh out of school, having an appropriate degree, internships, and great grades at an elite university will make getting your foot in better doors and the doors you want to go through that much easier. It does give you a bit of head start in many cases, and this is perhaps even more true of MBAs from top 10 schools.
 

rdawson808

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Originally Posted by Piobaire
Well remember the old saw: those that can't do, teach. (And those that can't teach, work for the government
laugh.gif
).


Hey! Screw you! (Say's the former college professor and current federal employee.)

I say if you want to go into "business" there any just about any number of degrees that you can get. You'll be trained on the job in the end (except if you want to be an accountant, etc. that requires specific in-school training). So get very good grades, get an internship in the industry in which you want to work, impress your profs so you can get good recommendations, and study what challenges you and you like.

b
 

GQgeek

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Originally Posted by Brian278
Entirely true. But if you're fresh out of school, having an appropriate degree, internships, and great grades at an elite university will make getting your foot in better doors and the doors you want to go through that much easier. It does give you a bit of head start in many cases, and this is perhaps even more true of MBAs from top 10 schools.

Obviously elite schools open doors, but that's not really the discussion. It's whether a science degree will get you farther than a business or arts degree. It won't.
 

65535

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Originally Posted by GQgeek
It's whether a science degree will get you farther than a business or arts degree. It won't.

Don't know where you live, but this is absolutely not the case here. Engineer's starting salary is ~45K, and climbs to >50 within a few years. Realistically tops out at 100-130K towards the end of one's career.

Arts degree..... meaning sociology, anthropology, political science, what have you... Unless it's a government job, these jobs start out under 30K and rarely top 50-55.

This is not to say that an engineer won't get stuck in a dead-end POS job, or that an arts/business graduate won't hit 6 figures. And just because you study something, doesn't mean you're tied to it... A lot of engineers end up as project managers for example. And this is all meaningless if you can't manage your money properly. A well-managed 50K will go a lot further than a frivolously spent 100K......


That being said, science, engineering and industry are extremely difficult, important jobs, with incredible responsibility and legal constraints, but they are GENERALLY SPEAKING (again, not universally) financially and intellectually rewarding, a claim that can't be made by someone with an MBA or degree in Mexican history, or "leisure science" or any of the other programs under the Arts+
"Science" faculty umbrella.
 

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