Why Top US Schools don't offer Undergraduate Degree in Business?

Question

I'm from europe and I'm pursuing a career in Tech. I want to learn the most fundamental Business topics and strategies. I dont want to switch my career neither attend to networking events. I think Network is important but I just want to learn the business content.

I can't understand why top us schools like Harvard or Stanford don't offer an undergraduate degree in Business like in Europe?

- In US there is the MBA but what's the big difference if the people have some work experience and do more case studies?

- When I can get the same knowledge from a top University in Europe in undergraduate (10'000$ in total tuition) why should I do an MBA for 200'000$? Because its more "prestigous"?

-Some people say MBA is good for networking but all my future classmates (thousands of students) will be on my university and I can network with them. What's wrong if they don't have a couple of years work experience but will be leaders of tomorrow?

- So why should I pay 200'000$ if I can learn the same thing for 10'000$ on a top University in Europe and network with my future classmates?

- Will I learn things much more in detail and get the most important topics which will make me a better manager if I do an MBA? The curriculum of BBA and MBA seems very similar.

- I think an undergraduate degree in Business would make much more sense for me, who is just interested to learn the curriculum and business fundamentals and don't want to spend so much money?

Answer 1

Hi Anonymous,

as mentioned by Guenneal, universities like Harvard and Stanford do normally offer undergrad degrees in Business and Economics. In terms of the MBA, usually people do such a degree for three reasons:

Business knowledge (in a broad sense - including soft skills)
The opportunity to change career and become interesting as a hire for companies that otherwise would have not found you interesting
Develop a network of Alumni from the program

In general, an MBA will position you in a completely different way compared to an undergraduate degree in the job market, in monetary terms. It will also provide a different network of people more keen to a high-level corporate career.

The final decision on what makes more sense depends on your goals. On the one hand, if you are interested purely in knowledge, you may focus on undergrad courses, on campus or even online - there are several top universities offering online classes, which could provide a good way to get qualified relevant information at your convenience. On the other hand, if you are targeting a corporate/consulting path or want to change career, and want to be part of a qualified network, a top MBA would make much more sense.

Best,
Francesco

Answer 2

I think you are mistaken - every university offers majors in economics, marketing, finance, business...

As for the cost, you are right, American universities are often extremely expensive. View them as an investment. If you want to do your career in the US, this may be a good idea; if you plan on staying in Europe, probably not nearly as much.