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should i choose BSc IBFE, or Ba Economics and Finance?

I am in the process of transferring courses at University of Manchester and my two choices are BSc International Business, Finance and Economics or Ba Economics and Finance. I have pros and cons for both. For example, some people regard a BSc as better than a Ba, however there are a lot less modules choices for IBFE. The main thing i am contemplating is that the IBFE course is taught in the Manchester Alliance Business school which is a prestigious school, will this give me better future opportunities than just the course taught at UoM? Thank you for any advice.
Original post by neve_mn24
I am in the process of transferring courses at University of Manchester and my two choices are BSc International Business, Finance and Economics or Ba Economics and Finance. I have pros and cons for both. For example, some people regard a BSc as better than a Ba, however there are a lot less modules choices for IBFE. The main thing i am contemplating is that the IBFE course is taught in the Manchester Alliance Business school which is a prestigious school, will this give me better future opportunities than just the course taught at UoM? Thank you for any advice.

Neither courses require A Level Maths, so they're not quantitative degrees. As such, the differences are very minor.

For example, some people regard a BSc as better than a Ba
Kind of applicable if you are looking to do postgrad and go into research. If you don't intend to go into academia, then the difference won't impact you that much (if at all).

however there are a lot less modules choices for IBFE
I'd bet! You are covering 3 subjects: business, finance, and economics. To maintain the integrity of the degree, you would need to do mandatory modules in all 3 subjects. Whereas for economics and finance you would only need to cover mandatory modules for 2 subjects.

will this give me better future opportunities than just the course taught at UoM?
Unless you're specifically looking to get into research, I think the fact that it's at the Alliance Business School means very little. A lot of the modules you do in both degrees would be taught at the business school, so there isn't much to go about this.

Asking whether getting a degree would give you better future opportunities is pretty much the wrong attitude or the wrong way to think about degrees. Degrees are there to demonstrate that you have attained a certain level of academic knowledge and competently can talk about your subject with relative accuracy. It doesn't mean much more than that. It doesn't suddenly mean you are eligible for 100s of jobs or that employers would be begging to hire you. Assuming this would be sheer stupidity.
To be employable and to improve you marketability in the job market (industry), you would need something else. Having the right grades and a degree would at most amount to a check in a box when you are being interviewed for your job. If you don't bring something else to the table, you would be having a really hard time. If you are entitled and assume that employers would hire you on the spot because of your degree, expect to be thrown out.

Reply 2

Original post by MindMax2000
Neither courses require A Level Maths, so they're not quantitative degrees. As such, the differences are very minor.
For example, some people regard a BSc as better than a Ba
Kind of applicable if you are looking to do postgrad and go into research. If you don't intend to go into academia, then the difference won't impact you that much (if at all).
however there are a lot less modules choices for IBFE
I'd bet! You are covering 3 subjects: business, finance, and economics. To maintain the integrity of the degree, you would need to do mandatory modules in all 3 subjects. Whereas for economics and finance you would only need to cover mandatory modules for 2 subjects.
will this give me better future opportunities than just the course taught at UoM?
Unless you're specifically looking to get into research, I think the fact that it's at the Alliance Business School means very little. A lot of the modules you do in both degrees would be taught at the business school, so there isn't much to go about this.
Asking whether getting a degree would give you better future opportunities is pretty much the wrong attitude or the wrong way to think about degrees. Degrees are there to demonstrate that you have attained a certain level of academic knowledge and competently can talk about your subject with relative accuracy. It doesn't mean much more than that. It doesn't suddenly mean you are eligible for 100s of jobs or that employers would be begging to hire you. Assuming this would be sheer stupidity.
To be employable and to improve you marketability in the job market (industry), you would need something else. Having the right grades and a degree would at most amount to a check in a box when you are being interviewed for your job. If you don't bring something else to the table, you would be having a really hard time. If you are entitled and assume that employers would hire you on the spot because of your degree, expect to be thrown out.
‘If you are entitled and assume that employers would hire you on the spot because of your degree,expect to be thrown out’

i don’t really know where you got the idea i’m “entitled” and i don’t understand what you get from being passive aggressive to young students asking for advice and calling them stupid. obviously a degree involving finance is likely to get you further in a career related to that area over, for example, an art degree. this is all i meant by that sentence.
Original post by neve_mn24
‘If you are entitled and assume that employers would hire you on the spot because of your degree,expect to be thrown out’
i don’t really know where you got the idea i’m “entitled” and i don’t understand what you get from being passive aggressive to young students asking for advice and calling them stupid. obviously a degree involving finance is likely to get you further in a career related to that area over, for example, an art degree. this is all i meant by that sentence.

obviously a degree involving finance is likely to get you further in a career related to that area over, for example, an art degree.
Not at all. To get into finance, you need the appropriate professional finance qualification specific to the role that you want to apply for. No role in finance in the UK (pretty sure it applies for any country, but let's stick with the UK) would ever require you to have a degree in finance.
The slight benefit of having a degree in finance over other subjects is if the degree is mathematical (neither of your choices are) for quantitative roles. However, you are usually better off having a degree in say maths, engineering, physics, etc. than a degree in finance unless it's financial mathematics or a joint maths degree. The quantitative roles concerned are in actuary (which you technically don't need anything for if you pass certain preliminary tests) or quants.

Other than getting a few exemptions for professional accounting qualifications, a nonquantitative degree in finance won't help you much. And employers in accounting typically don't care if your degree offer any exemptions towards professional accounting qualifications.

Do note, people who graduated with degrees in nonquantitative subjects and subjects not related to business (such as history, classics, geography, philosophy, psychology, English) have secured roles in finance and accounting. The 2 degrees that you have presented won't give you the slightest advantage over any of these graduates.

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