I’m aware that Duke does not offer an undergraduate business major. Could you use the Program 2 to construct yourself a business major? Would this be considered a legitimate degree by employers? Would it have the same cache as a standard undergraduate degree in business administration or finance or something that you could get at another school?
Thank you!
That’s a good question. As you’ve indicated, Program 2 is (http://program2.duke.edu) is specifically designed to permit Trinity students essentially to design their own, INTERDISCIPLINARY major. Program 2 has been available at Duke for almost 50 years, so I suspect others have done just what you’re suggesting, although current Program 2 offerings do not include “business” (http://program2.duke.edu/academics/global-education). You might want to call (Phone: 919-684-2130) Dean Norm Keul – a good guy – who runs Program 2 and ask if there’s any reason an interdisciplinary Business concentration (management, public policy, finance, economics, mathematics, accounting, marketing, etc.) couldn’t be developed within Program 2 guidelines (one potential reason might be due to AACSB (the primary MBA accreditation organization) policies, but this is strictly speculation).
As for employers, I rather doubt if ANY will reject a Duke graduate because his degree isn’t in “Business” – with or without Program 2 – if the student has taken the appropriate courses and has excelled. As I am sure you’re aware, Duke annually places MANY undergraduates (who have majored in economics, engineering, public policy, etc.) in the best consulting, iBanking, high technology, finance, etc. firms. Therefore, I can see no reason a Program 2 Bachelor’s graduate would have ANY problems.
Finally, I suspect it would have greater cachet, for several reasons (including, but not limited to):
- The degree is from Duke, a top ten undergraduate school, with all that implies;
- The sort of firms and entry-level positions you’ll unquestionably seeks require bright, well educated (in the broadest sense) and talented youngsters, with excellent quantitative and analytical abilities, and with the drive, teamwork, leadership and self-discipline to succeed – having “Business” on a degree isn’t essential or even desirable (Wharton, for example, now confers Bachelor of Economics degrees);
- If you continue on this career track, you’ll almost certainly require an MBA from a top school; many MBA programs actually prefer (although marginally) non-business majors, because they’ll teach the “managerial, financial, etc. stuff” and because good, highly successful senior leaders need to address, analyze and resolve problems on an interdisciplinary basis – not only from a “business” perspective.