What can I do with a Business Administration Degree?

Career Advice: What can one do with an undergrad degree in a science field and a masters in business administration?

• If I were to get a bachelors degree in chemistry, and straight after graduating get a masters degree in business, what career fields would be open to me; and is this is good idea?

• Answer:

  Frankly, you can anything you want with those degrees. Showing that you have the analytic skills to earn a degree in a hard science like chemistry, is enough to show most employers that you are a smart person. Having an MBA is great for moving up the ladder in a corporate world, or it gives you some skills for your own enterprise. Most people work for a few years before getting an MBA, or do a combined MBA with another professional degree (often JD). The question is, why the MBA? If you are interested in more education, you can go into a variety of professional fields where both degrees are consider valuable [Doctor, Lawyer (Intellectual Property law often requires a degree in a science field, or so I am told), Pharmacist, Scientist (PhD preferred)]. If you do not want to go to any more graduate/professional school, your science career may be limited but the business world is wide open. Some other good career options are: Chem/Science related Chemist: Most people will get an advanced degree and so career-wise you may be limited, but if you are good, there is a need for you in many fields. Pharmaceutical/Medical Devices Sales Rep. These are good jobs for social people who don't mind driving around a lot. You get paid well, you interact with intelligent people all day (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc) and if you are ethical, you actually have a very positive impact in the care of patients (contrary to what some academics believe). School teacher Business Related Entrepreneur/Corporate Business type jobs Analyst for an investment bank Certified Financial Planner: http://wealthpilgrim.com/financial-advisor-training-real-world-advice-from-a-successful-cfpr/ Actuary, etc (there are too many jobs in this space for me to list, but I think you get the idea). I actually know a fair number of people (from MIT) who got science/engineering undergraduate degrees, then went straight into finance. Some of these people eventually went back and got an MBA, but not everyone. They all seem pretty happy with their career choices, but they can speak for themselves. I went the opposite way, my undergraduate degree was in finance (management), then I got a masters in Physiology & Biophysics, then I went to medical school, and now I am a practicing physician. For many people going into science when one doesn't have a science background is difficult, but it wasn't so bad for me, I had taken all of the pre-med classes because MIT required almost all of them for all students to graduate. My brother did a similar thing, he got his degree in Economics, and took the pre-med classes in his undergrad, then he took a year off to start his own business. He decided that he wanted to go to medical school, so then he did that, but being business minded, he got his MBA while he was in med school. Now he is in medical practice, taking a very active role in the business aspect of the practice. So my advice is to major in what you want to major in. Realize that the world values people who can do science, even in non-science fields, so if you can have a science/engineering/math degree, it helps open doors. MBAs are expensive, so before you pay for one yourself, see if you can get a job where they pay your tuition.