Ross School of Business vs. College of Engineering?

Colleges & Universities University of Michigan
1

I’m an upcoming student starting this fall in LSA, but I am planning to apply and hopefully transfer to either the Ross School of Business or the College of Engineering. I’m not sure whether I should pursue business or engineering; I really like applying math and science to solve problems—which pushes me toward engineering—but I also like the idea of applying math in terms of accounting, finance, and business analytics.

I feel that if I attended the College of Engineering instead of Ross, I’d later regret not attending one of the world’s top business schools when the option to do so was readily available. Many people suggest doing engineering for undergrad and then getting an MBA at some point after, but I’ve heard that doing so doesn’t really advance one’s career as much as it would seem. Is this true? And would I even be able to attend the Ross School of Business for my MBA after doing my undergrad in engineering at UMich Ann Arbor?

Also, one major concern I have with working in the business field is that I’ll end up “working for the people who do the work,” meaning that if I were to get an accounting/finance/analytic job for an engineering company, research company, entertainment company, etc., I would be doing the busy-work for the people who actually produce the product that’s being sold to the public or other companies. If I were to become an engineer, certainly I’d have to be designing or inventing something or at least doing calculations that factor into the final product. I understand that jobs with banking and finance companies are probably different in that they deal with money rather than inventions and products, but is the “working for the people who do the work” description accurate of business jobs in many other companies?

Everything above being said, the Ross School of Business seems like an extremely respected school that leads people to very successful business careers in almost any type of industry. I don’t want to later regret not attending Ross for the wrong reasons. I’ve thought about getting a dual degree in business administration and computer science (BBA from Ross, BS in CompSci from LSA) since this would combine my aspiration for business and my aspiration for math, science, and invention, but I don’t know whether this is a good idea due to extra costs, time, and whether such a dual degree would look good to employers (I’ve been told by UMich advisors that a dual degree with Ross and CoE would take too much time and be extremely difficult—plus, I’m already in LSA, so it would be easier to get a dual degree with computer science at LSA).

If I were to attend the College of Engineering, I would probably pursue Mechanical or Chemical Engineering.

In the end, I just want a highly respected job where I can make significant contributions to the world at large. If anyone has any advice or experience, feel free to post. Any help is greatly appreciated.

2

The CoE and LSA are as respected as Ross. The CoE is ranked among the top 6 or 7 in the nation, and LSA is ranked among the top 10 colleges of arts and sciences in the nation as well. There is no distinction between the three.

If you want to work in the technology sector or in manufacturing, go for the CoE.

If you want to go to graduate school such as law school or medical school or PhD in a traditional discipline, stay in LSA.

If you want to work in banking, go for Ross.

If you just want to join the development program at a major company, or go into consulting, LSA, CoE and Ross are all equally good.

3

MBAs are usually after some work experience (and they are more valuable that way).

4

Well you better you balance your schedule correctly over this year. Having to take all the Engineering pre-reqs and Econ 101 (since Calc/FYWR overlap w/ Engineering pre-reqs) won’t be easy while trying to maintain a high GPA to apply to Ross, but you seem like an ambitious person, so I’m sure it’ll work out one way or the other.

Just know that you can do business even with a degree from LSA (provided you go out and do internships like everyone else at Ross). There are a group of advisors at the LSA advising center who have all worked in business before going into advising (some of which have BBAs, and some of which have BAs/BSs) and run this seminar-type program called Business by LSA which basically tells LSA students the path to getting into business with a LSA degree.

5

Think about IOE if you cannot decide between engineering and business.

6

A common path is to attend engineering, and the come back in a few years after working for an MBA. If you are working in the Detroit / Ann Arbor area there are both evening and weekend programs. If you are more senior, there is also a highly regarded executive MBA program and the regular program. Going the other way - getting a BBA and then a Masters in Engineering is significantly more difficult.

Engineers with a BSE tend to hit a ceiling in larger firms, if that is what you are referring to. They usually need to return to grad school to progress either in an engineering or management track. If you working the small company/startup area that doesn’t apply.

Your job prospects are going to be superior, generally speaking (with many exceptions in LSA), through CoE or Ross. I’d take which ever path is most interesting to you and aligns with your talents. If you want to transfer you are going to have very specific requirements - take Econ 101 (AP not accepted) and Calc for Ross, take Calc and Physics for CoE. You’ll take Calc 3/4 and beyond in CoE. The math requirements are not as stringent in Ross (but are extremely helpful!)

7

First of all, it’s not “so readily available.” You have to apply. About 1/3 are accepted.

You don’t have to think about regretting not attending until you actually get accepted.

Same applies to COE.