Econ Major - Top School or Top Program?

College Majors Business Majors
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<p>The universality shared among nearly all of the posters here is the idea that a degree in Economics may only be valuable and worthwhile ONLY if I get it from a top school. </p>

<p>I have done some research on top undergraduate Economics program, and I could see that although there was a strong correlation between top school vs top program, that wasn’t always the case. I’ll take UC Berkeley as my example since that is my goal. </p>

<p>I know that UC Berkeley is an excellent school, but in general it is not considered the top. When you guys say “top school”, I usually assume that you guys are referring to top 10-15 schools (and I base the ranking on US Newsweek), and Berkeley does not fall under that category although close. However, if I were to look at the program only, UC Berkeley’s Economics program is definitely one of the top econ programs in the nation (I’m sure it’s in top 10, if not top 5).</p>

<p>This is where the question comes in. Does the prestige of the SCHOOL outweight the prestige of the PROGRAM? Or vice versa?</p>

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<p>Don’t be fooled. Berkeley is a top school - especially on the west coast.</p>

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<p>Top school is more important than top program. From the perspective of the recruiter, “top school” is relevant because it speaks of the quality of the students. On the other hand, “top program” is not relevant because it reflects the quality of the faculty, not the students. </p>

<p>However, Berkeley is a top school too. I think all of the top 30 listed in the national universities can be considered top schools.</p>

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<p>undergrad - top school
grad - top program.</p>

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<p>Just repeating what’s been said. Cal is a top school.</p>

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<p>hmm i see. thanks for your insights guys.</p>

<p>I’m just curious on one thing though…</p>

<p>what do you use to determine whether a school is a top school or not? Do you use specific ranking chart?</p>

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<p>Personally, I really go on reputation. The actual number rankings aren’t really that important. Cal has an impeccable reputation (its selective in its admissions process, graduates go on to work for companies that are especially selective etc.). A general rule could be that if you have to question whether or not a school is of “top” caliber, it probably isn’t (although I’m sure there are some exceptions).</p>

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<p>what do you want to do with the undergrad econ degree?</p>

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<p>most likely go under banking or finance division of a corp.</p>

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<p>

Go to usnews and look under the peer assessment score.</p>

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<p>dhl3: better get a phd in math or physics or EE</p>

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<p>…or an mba,</p>

<p>you’ll need an advanced degree eventually if you want to make good money in that field</p>

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<p>Yeah, I also plan on getting CPA license after I graduate. I’ll prolly work for 3-4 years at some kind of finance firm (banking if possible) before I pursue MBA.</p>