BBA - dual degree versus minor

[jslade]

Hello gents,

I’m seeking a little advice on the direction that I should proceed in with regards to my undergraduate degree. I know that many of you have earned BBAs and MBAs in the past, and was hoping that at least a few of you wouldn’t mind imparting some of your experiences on the matter with me.

I am currently a sophomore undergraduate student recently accepted into the BBA program of one of the top 10 business schools in the nation. I’m very interested in pursuing a degree in international business upon graduation (hopefully working abroad in Asia a la Eason and nicelynice), and have become intrigued with the idea of pursuing either a dual degree or a minor. However, I’m having trouble coming to a conclusion on which one to undertake.

In regards to a dual degree, my hesitation is in the extra credit requirements necessary for obtaining a B.A. or a B.S. on top of my BBA. My school requires a minimum of 150 credit hours to obtain a dual degree (as opposed to about ~120 for just the BBA). From my understanding of the matter, 150 additional credit hours essentially equates to an extra year of college. However, it is difficult for me to make an informed decision on whether or not such a commitment is worth the time: the real dilemma that I have boils down to whether or not that extra year or so of studying would help in landing me a significantly better job or one with noticeably higher pay (even if only in the long run). I know that there are no guarantees when it comes to the real world, but do any of you have any opinions on the matter from personal and professional experiences? How much more competitive would a dual degree make me in the eyes of corporate recruiters? As an important addendum, I am fortunate enough not to have to worry about the cost of tuition (I hope this doesn’t come across the wrong way!), so the cost of attending college for another year isn’t something that I’m taking into consideration.

I would not consider myself a scholar. My end goal is to graduate with a satisfying and/or high-paying job (I hope they're not mutually exclusive!) in international business. I view college as an important step along the way that provides me with the necessary tools in pursuit of that goal. In light of this, perhaps an academic minor would be better suited for my objectives than a dual degree would be. Regardless, it will certainly be one or the other; I don't think that I could be satisfied with graduating with just a BBA.

Thank you for reading and thank you in advance as well for any feedback that can be offered for this matter!

 

[nootje]

my gf was in the same boat as you are now.. She was on a path towards two ba's in law and in doubt if it was worth the effort. Ultimately she finished just one ba with a lot of extra credits, the reasoning being that future employers arent that interested in ba's if there are master degrees on your cv. Which is exactly the path she followed, she used the extra credits to enroll into two different masters programmes, and finished those at the same time.

Perhaps this helps..

 

[jslade]

Hi there nootje,

Thanks for the response! That's actually something that I haven't considered before, and a really great point. I'm heavily leaning towards just pursuing a minor or two now.

Any other thoughts on the matter, perhaps?

 

[nootje]

figure out which direction you want to take, and take up a master that specializes, and one thats general if you're up for it. In your case, take up international business and one more specific. Or pick up a mba and a masters in asian studies. Just try and find a complementary set.

For instance, the gf picked up general law, and eu law. This made her a candidate for basically everything eu related, but got her into the foreign service because of the dual degree. She planning to persue a phd within a year now..

 

[Nick0rz]

Currently doing a dual degree (BBA/BCS). I find it quite helpful for myself. It allowed me to blend together two fields I quite like, and will open many doors for me in the future. Its certainly something I haven't regretted doing. IMO, a minor isn't worth all that much, and an extra year of college life is not the worst thing in the world either.

 

[austinite]

One of my friends did an Econ minor just to mix in some interesting but more relaxed classes into an engineering curriculum. In hindsight I think that was a great idea and I would have loved to do the same. In terms of job prospects, however, I don't think a minor will open a single door for you. It MAY be useful to differentiate you from an otherwise identical candidate (and such situations are frequent in the current economy), but it's not going to make you eligible for a job that you otherwise wouldn't be.

I tend to think that a "dual major" is pretty much the same situation, but it could work with the right degrees. Certainly a computer science or math degree could score huge points on top of a finance or econ degree, but for most cases I'd tend to guess that it isn't worth the effort.

There are a couple of degrees that will single-handedly get you good jobs, and for those you don't need a second major. Otherwise you will need to get good grades and work hard networking. I think it's unlikely that you will be able to break out of this mold by picking up a second degree in a different subject.