What major should one choose in college to become a business executive?

If you really want to know what individual schools look for in terms of demographics and stats, check out poets & quants (http://poetsandquants.com/). As a general rule, a person can seek a degree in anything provided they have the basic knowledge to perform the skills, do well on admissions tests, write compelling essays, etc. This is because most schools want to make money. That said, depending on your interests, perhaps getting an MBA is not a solid time/money investment. If you want to work at a Fortune 500 it's probably true that you must earn an MBA (from a top school, else forget it). However, being a business executive can be as simple as starting your own company. Really you have to decide your direction and consider a number of factors before you can even decide whether an MBA is a worthwhile investment. Remember, experience is key... most MBA programs want students who are working with a company sometimes for several years after graduating and who have some solid experience in the business world. This will serve you far better than any undergraduate major. That said you may find a lot of the things you learn in a basic business major will make MBA learning repetitive, but that's not a bad thing, especially if you are trying to work your way through. From a benefit perspective, focus on diversifying enough that you can land a job, go into an MBA program with some unique skills or skills that may help give you an edge later on. As full disclosure, I have not completed an MBA program, but having completed a law program and doing a lot of research on MBA programs (including from those with MBAs), I believe my advice to be sound. Definitely do your research, check reputable sources, etc. etc. but also be careful to avoid the fallacy that the major you choose will really make or break your ambition of obtaining an MBA or becoming an executive. For example, I know a lot of finance/MBA who went into mechanical engineering before earning the MBA... (it's a lot of math). I know a lot of law grads who were math majors, etc. Math or computer science wouldn't hurt you necessarily as they will give you a secondary path to take if your first goal doesn't work out... but at the same time, if you flunk out or are awful at those things then obviously that is a worse outcome than majoring in business; it's all about measuring the investment of time/money compared to your abilities and the possible ROI (return on investment) later on. DON'T UNDERESTIMATE YOURSELF, but DO WORK SMART and HARD.  Another suggestion, look at top executives you admire, pay attention to their backgrounds... that will give you some idea of the spread permissible for someone to attain executive level. From experience, it tends to have more to do with WHERE/WHO than WHAT.

An MBA programs is design to teach you how to manage a company. It is designed so that all the necessary courses are taught at the graduate level. MCAT, Letters of Recommendation, and Grades determine if you can get into a  top MBA program: http://www.forbes.com/business-schools/list/ If you have a passion for Business, then do Business. http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2009/11/20/which-undergrad-major-is-most-preferred-by-the-top-mba-programs Clearly states Business is one of them.