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Business administration has been, and will continue to be, the most popular major in America for quite a while. When MBAs weren't as popular, a basic BBA was the foot in the door for executives who are either retired and playing golf, or dead.
They now crank out a lot of BBAs, and the market is flooded. Then, there's a huge spread between the quality of the degree, depending on the school and the grades. A 2.5 in business from University of West Florida can't hold a candle to a 3.7 in business from the University of Michigan, for example.
I went to a doctor once, and his wall had both an MD (from a decent school) and a MBA (from an ok school, presumably at night). I commented on it. He said "An MBA is not a profession. It's a mind-set." I was wowed. That is so true. I think a business minor is ok, and even recommended for giving one the ability to interpret the commercial world around you. I was thinking about this. Only 8 classes are enough to equip most people with some business common sense, provided they listen and do their homework:
2 economics courses (micro and macro)
2 accounting courses (financial and managerial)
1 intro business law course
1 finance course
1 marketing course
1 management/organizational behavior course
You don't need a BBA or MBA to get those. You can pick them up as a minor, or in a certificate program in extensions at excellent universities. If you have another profession or skill and want to focus on that, a full-fledged business degree is kind of ho-hum.
I think that it can be. Lately, thats all I ever hear is that people majored in business and nothing else. Saying the market is flooded is an understatement. Every time any of my friends go to an interview, they are always competing with 50-100 applicants. I really did not think it was that much. BTW did you see the wall street journal article about the value of a business degree?
Business administration has been, and will continue to be, the most popular major in America for quite a while. When MBAs weren't as popular, a basic BBA was the foot in the door for executives who are either retired and playing golf, or dead.
They now crank out a lot of BBAs, and the market is flooded. Then, there's a huge spread between the quality of the degree, depending on the school and the grades. A 2.5 in business from University of West Florida can't hold a candle to a 3.7 in business from the University of Michigan, for example.
I went to a doctor once, and his wall had both an MD (from a decent school) and a MBA (from an ok school, presumably at night). I commented on it. He said "An MBA is not a profession. It's a mind-set." I was wowed. That is so true. I think a business minor is ok, and even recommended for giving one the ability to interpret the commercial world around you. I was thinking about this. Only 8 classes are enough to equip most people with some business common sense, provided they listen and do their homework:
2 economics courses (micro and macro)
2 accounting courses (financial and managerial)
1 intro business law course
1 finance course
1 marketing course
1 management/organizational behavior course
You don't need a BBA or MBA to get those. You can pick them up as a minor, or in a certificate program in extensions at excellent universities. If you have another profession or skill and want to focus on that, a full-fledged business degree is kind of ho-hum.
Your thoughts?
My thoughts about people who have only minimal training in business courses, but have an MBA, is that they are a joke.
My ex-boss, who had an MBA by way of psychology, had to be taught basic accounting fundamentals by me after making a fool of herself in a meeting with other people identical to herself who ALL had no clue what she was saying was completely wrong.
I think that it can be. Lately, thats all I ever hear is that people majored in business and nothing else. Saying the market is flooded is an understatement. Every time any of my friends go to an interview, they are always competing with 50-100 applicants. I really did not think it was that much. BTW did you see the wall street journal article about the value of a business degree?
I have met just one person with a BSBA in my whole career, that was the CFO at one company I worked at, and Ive been primarily employed in accounting and finance.
I have met a number of people with MBAs by way of something other then business.
My thoughts about people who have only minimal training in business courses, but have an MBA, is that they are a joke.
Right, in a way, I think a BSBA or a BBA spread out over 4 years in a more relevant area of specialty, from a good school, and with good grades is sometimes better than an MBA preceded by something "soft," if the people weren't the sharpest tools in the shed to begin with. I think that this is not true of MBAs from the very best schools though, who actually seek to admit few business undergrads. MBA schools crank out generalists, so they are sometimes lacking in technical skills.
About my list of 8 courses, I was talking about a professional such as a dentist, a civil engineer, or someone who is self-employed, for whom that's about all they would need to understand their business, rather than to slog through an MBA only not to use it in its intended capacity.
Last edited by robertpolyglot; 04-20-2012 at 05:24 PM..
I graduated in 2004 with a business degree from a state school in california. I think what they teach in class is negligible. A lot of book theory (i.e. micro and macro economics, book theory in finance. Book theory in marketing).
But....look at the real world.
-The neat little theories in economics don't really hold up in the real world (i.e. the 2008 financial crash). Or the housing bubble. Those aren't explained in textbooks.
-Financial theory....again, got blown out in '08. People are rational. There are trade offs, risk/reward. People do whats in their best interest?? Pretty flimsy in the real world.
-Marketing??? Big hole here. They don't really teach a mindset. They miss company ethos/philosophy. That can drive marketing (look at Apple). There's more to selling goods than hanging a sign outside a store.
Plus with the internet/social media, a lot can change. I think they are 50% in the past, 25% theory, and maybe 25% good stuff.
i doubt they are overrated now- maybe a few years ago. business degrees are pretty commonly regarded as "fluff" degrees these days. i dont think my school even offered a "business" or "marketing" major
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