Business degree for undergrad, but want to switch fields for grad school

Graduate School
1

<p>Hey, guys. I apologize for the long title. Anyway, I am currently finishing up my Business Administration - emphasis in accounting degree. Over the course of the past couple of semesters, I’ve began to regret my major choice. I’ve always had a strong interest in sciences – earth and biological in particular – but out of advice from people I respect, I decided to go with an accounting degree because demand is high in that field, or at least it is according to them. Well, I’m a junior now, and i am realizing now that i screwed up. I regret my decision and it just hit me like a ton of bricks. </p>

<p>What I’m wondering is if a business degree will put me at a disadvantage when it comes to applying to grad school. I realize that grad schools prefer students with theoretical majors rather than vocational degrees such as mine. Any input is greatly appreciated. </p>

2

<p>Yes, it will be a disadvantage if you want to apply to STEM graduate programs. However, if you take some remedial coursework and coursework in the relevant sciences, combined with the fact that accounting is quantitative in nature (even if it is mostly basic math), you may certainly stand a shot.</p>

<p>What exactly do you want to do, career-wise? Do you plan on a coursework-based Masters, or a research-based degree, or what?</p>

3

<p>Thanks for your response, AuraObscura. As far as what I’m looking for career wise, I’d like to be something like an environmental consultant if I pursued earth science, or a physicians assistant if I pursued more of a biological emphasis. Examples of programs that I’m looking at include UCSB’s MESM program and Loma Linda’s PA program. Both of these schools are in southern California, but I’m open to leaving the state for grad school.</p>

4

<p>Most PA programs require a number of hours in a clinical role doing direct patient care. Shadowing a physician isn’t enough; you need to be providing actual patient care. Loma Linda requires 2,000 hours, and is very helpful in providing the kind of patient care they look for here:</p>

<p>Military medic or corpsman
Paramedic/EMT (waiting time not included in hours)
Nurse (LVN or RN)
Radiology technologist
Physical therapist
Respiratory therapist
Occupational therapist
Medical technologist
Medical assistant (certified; back office hours only)
Athletic trainer (but NOT a personal trainer)</p>

<p>2,000 hours is about 1 year of full-time work, or 2 years of half-time work. For that reason many, many PAs were paramedics, EMTs, and nurses before they became PAs. The quickest way to get this kind of experience is usually to get certified as an EMT. Loma Linda doesn’t accept CNAs unless they have “high-quality patient care experience”; other programs do accept CNAs.</p>

<p>Also, I’m not sure about Loma Linda, but many PA programs are very competitive so that the minimal requirements aren’t enough to get admitted. For example, Emory also has a 2,000 hour requirement, but they say that the average number of hours of their admitted applicants is around 4,000 (which is 2 years as a full-time clinician).</p>

<p>If you’re interested in being a PA, you may want to consider going into an accelerated BSN program. BSN-level RNs don’t do the same tasks as a PA; they don’t practice semi-independently (that is reserved for MSN-level advanced practice RNs, like nurse practitioners). However, these programs are usually about 14-18 months if you already have a bachelor’s degree, and by working as a nurse you can get the kind of hours that you need to go to PA school (or, alternatively, you can get an MSN and become a nurse practitioner). You can do ABSN programs cheaply at a Cal State, but those programs are probably VERY competitive - they just don’t require direct clinical hours, although volunteering at a hospital will make you much more competitive.</p>

<p>*</p>

<p>With a quantitative background and an interest in the sciences, why not investigate epidemiology? You don’t need a lot of math or science to get started - for example, Emory’s MPH in epidemiology requires one college math and one college science (they prefer biology and chemistry). UCLA doesn’t seem to have any specific requirements. Berkeley requires a ‘strong background in a biological, social, or mathematical science’. A couple of Cal States also have MPH degrees.</p>

<p>The MESM program seems to have few prerequisites - 1 semester of calculus (which you likely have already), 2 semesters of any natural or physical science, and a semester of statistics. Most environmental health MPH programs seem to require more science than that.</p>

5

<p>That’s a lot of good info, Juillet! I’ve been actually considering switching my major to geography because, at least from what i know about the field, it covers physical, earth, and social sciences. I sjsu feel like it would make it easier to use that as a stepping stone to get to a graduate program i like – though I’ll admit I’m not very familiar with the process. </p>

<p>Do you think it would be worth switching from business to geography to get into the graduate programs that i mentioned? Or should I just suck it up and stick to my accounting degree? If i made the switch i probably would have to stay in school for an extra year. </p>

6

<p>Geography does involve a mix of the physical and social sciences; the ratio depends a lot on the university. It might actually be easier to leverage that into something you’re interested in, if that ‘something’ is in the environmental sciences or SOME physical sciences (but just remember that you have to follow the prerequisites - a lot of geography programs won’t require the natural and/or physical sciences you need to get into harder science programs.</p>

<p>Whether or not you switch I think depends a lot on you and your parents’ financial situation, as well as your comfort (or lack thereof) in the major. If you are absolutely miserable as a business major, then it might be worth it to take an extra year in school so that you don’t have to spend the next 2 years taking classes that make you want to pull out all of your hair. If you really want to go to graduate school in the natural, physical or social sciences, it will probably make more sense (and be cheaper) for you to switch your major now - because if you don’t you will have to take the prerequisite classes later, after you graduate. Like if you KNEW for certain that you wanted to get an MA and become a physicians assistant, you should definitely try to take those prereqs before you graduate. Likewise, if you KNEW for sure that you wanted to do environmental health, you should change majors.</p>

<p>But if you just have a general sense of unease but aren’t really sure what you want to do next…well, then the decision is much more up to you. Mind you that you can take a business major and turn it into more humanitarian endeavors. For example, you could get an MPH in health policy and management. There are also environmental management programs in other places besides Berkeley - Yale has one too, as does Duke, and I’m sure there are related programs with different names.</p>