<p>If my ideal future career would be a marketing manager, which would be more beneficial, an economics degree at an ivy or a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in marketing at a school like Boston College or Bentley?</p>
<p>What does econ have to do with marketing? if an employer wants to hire someone for a marketing job, they’re not even looking at an econ major. If you really want marketing, and you must have the prestige of an Ivy, better to major in something like communications. I think you would get a more appropriate education for your goals at a business college. There will be core classes in management and marketing, as well as econ, and you can concentrate on whatever really interests you.</p>
<p>Economics has a lot to do with marketing. In order to be a good marketer, you do need to understand market forces and economics. There’s also an entire branch called behavioral economics which is concerned with why people make the economic choices they do - including why they buy certain things and what makes them do so. They’re obviously not exactly the same thing, but economics is not a bad choice of major for someone who is interested in a career as a marketing manager. Communications is also a good choice, as is psychology. Honestly, I think a double major in psychology and economics (or a major in one and minor in the other) could be a really good choice for someone interested in this field.</p>
<p>I don’t think one is objectively better for your career; it depends on your interests and goals. I had two students of mine at Columbia (that I know of) go into careers in marketing: one was a psychology major and one was a psych + economics major. Students of all kinds of majors at Columbia go into business, because here the alumni and recruiting connections are a lot more important than the major. But BC isn’t exactly a slouch, and I think you could also be very successful there with a business/marketing major.</p>
<p>Wouldn’t go with Bentley if you have BC and an IVY.</p>
<p>Really depends on which Ivy though. Boston College has one of the best business ug programs in the country. If you do enjoy economics, i’d do it at the ivy you got into. But if your on the fence, i’d chose BC.</p>
<p>Also, my uneducated opinion as an incoming college freshman but BC>Cornell if thats the one your looking at. The others would come above BC. </p>
<p>If you want to study marketing, then you should go to a business school. Economics is very different – it is a liberal arts course of study so you don’t take classes like accounting, finance, b-law, that typically are part of a business curriculum. I think Bentley is too far a drop down, but if you can get into a b-school at BC or an equivalent school that would probably make sense. You can also try for Dyson at Cornell if you are an Ivy caliber student – a good b-school but not as competitive as Wharton.</p>
<p>Depending on how competitive the jobs are, you may be better off going to Cornell to get more opportunities that will eventually help land the marketing manager role.</p>
<p>You can always get an MBA later to learn marketing. Is cost a consideration? If not, I think an Ivy opens more doors than BC or Bentley.</p>