Hi TL, I need your help in deciding what course to pick for my undergrad studies which I'm currently pursuing in Singapore. The school is University of London which is run by SIM (Singapore Management Institute).

I'm currently enrolled in Bsc Banking and Finance but I'm thinking of switching to Bsc is Business mainly due to two reasons.

1) The business degree offers marketing modules which I'm more interested in.
2) The business degree is less demanding.

But I've heard it's better to specialize in a field rather than take a general degree so I'm really torn apart between these two choices. Advice is greatly appreciated thanks

Probulous

Australia3894 Posts

July 13 2011 05:33 GMT

Not sure about Singapore but pretty much everywhere else if you are looking to "specialise" then your post-graduate studies are what determine that.

If there isn't a significant difference between the two and you are looking to go post-grad then choose the one that you think you enjoy more.

On a side note, I would recommend the one that you will enjoy more, simply bwcause you will be more likely to remain focussed and actually learn something.

My two cents

Swwww

Switzerland812 Posts

July 13 2011 05:47 GMT

Don't take a general business degree unless your uni offers you the chance to change into something more specialized in year two (mine did).

Banking and finance is pretty hard, well its harder than marketing and its quite math intensive which may or may not be a problem. If your uni uses the same credit system that I think is standard then you can take marketing modules as an option but this may again not be possible.

Marketing is interesting, its quite easy, its all essay based, there isn't much math (aside from basic Quantitative Methods and some research related stats), it is more associated with Management.

There again Marketing degrees tend to be BA not Bsc which is unfortunate since a Bsc looks better and well is better.

You should also look into how the first year at your university opperates, since a few universities use a system by which all 1st year business students take the same classes and this only changes in year two. At which point you would be able to swap between courses quite easily.

Here is a list of my year 3 modules in marketing BA:
Human Resources Management
International Business
Marketing Strategy & Man.
The Marketing of Services
Strategic Management
Advertising Strategy
e-Marketing
Marketing Psychology

If you want to know more send me a PM and I can dig up some other stuff from previous years.

Having already done a degree in Geo/Politics that I did not like believe me doing what you want to and what you like at uni is REALLY important.

Dante08

Singapore4139 Posts

July 13 2011 06:14 GMT

Hmm the the Bsc in Business degree doesn't have a specialization in year 2, you select your own electives from a group which basically comprises of management modules.

Since I have a diploma in Business I get exempted from the basic business modules. So I'll start with the specialization straight away and complete the degree in 2 years instead of 3.
Yes I think doing what you're interested in is really important. Too bad that my uni doesn't have a course for marketing

Swwww

Switzerland812 Posts

July 13 2011 06:27 GMT

Ah, that is a shame then. I was under the impression that you could have taken a marketing degree

. If not perhaps some of the Management degrees are also interesting to you? That is once again assuming that its available.

Dante08

Singapore4139 Posts

July 13 2011 06:59 GMT

I would if I could :p
Yes there is a management degree, whats the main difference between management and business? Looking at the modules they're pretty similar

targ

Malaysia445 Posts

July 13 2011 07:29 GMT

From my (admittedly limited) experience, what I think is:

If you have a finance degree and ask for a marketing job, it's easier than having a marketing degree and asking for a finance job.

Overall, I just feel that finance degrees tend to be more highly regarded than marketing degrees by potential employers.

Swwww

Switzerland812 Posts

July 13 2011 08:18 GMT

On July 13 2011 16:29 targ wrote:
From my (admittedly limited) experience, what I think is:

If you have a finance degree and ask for a marketing job, it's easier than having a marketing degree and asking for a finance job.

Overall, I just feel that finance degrees tend to be more highly regarded than marketing degrees by potential employers.

Yes that is true.

Management and business will share a lot of the same modules but a specific management degree will be a lot more refined in the 2nd and 3rd years of study.

The main problem with a general business degree is that it is very well - general. You will take modules from all schools of thought and although you can or may be able to direct your course to some extend it will still be very broad and general (to an extent).

Cull

Korea (South)40 Posts

July 13 2011 08:36 GMT

I majored in marketing in college. I went to Florida state university which has a pretty decent business school and I can tell you that it was really really easy. If you want ana easy ride through college I would definitely recommend it. I have no idea about the employability of a marketing degree though as I'm currently working in an unrelated field.

Dante08

Singapore4139 Posts

July 13 2011 08:50 GMT

#10

Thanks for the advice guys, I think I'll just change my course to business, work hard for 2 years to get a good honours grade, and see how it goes from there

I dont want to stick to finance and end up regretting

MightyAtom

Korea (South)1897 Posts

July 13 2011 09:34 GMT

#11

If you really like marketing and management and really are competitive go and switch it, because it will be only your competitive attitude which will really differentiate you in the work force, not your degree, no matter how good your grades are. If you are not uber competitive and are passionate about business, stick with your current track and just bust your hump for the next few years; the starting wages are vastly different and someone with a finance degree can switch over to management a hellva lot easier than vice versa.