Finance or Information Systems as a major?

August 8, 2006 1:49 PM

Between Finance and Information Systems, which would be the more productive, proactive, desired, and usable degree?

Keep in mind I have lots of programming and database experience, this is how I have paid my way through college. I am thinking that majoring in Finance would round me off, and give me a change to work in Finance, while majoring in I.S. might paint me as uni-dimensional.

However, I think I would probably enjoy a job in IS more than a job in finance. Although, I have never had a job in the finance arena I have had many in IS and enjoy them.

Which degree would pay better? Which is better in the long run? Which would look better on an application to MBA school?

posted by blueplasticfish to education (7 comments total)

Can't you major in both? Of course, rumor has it that financial services could use a lot of IT solutions for data tracking and interpretation, etc. So that might be something for you. I have a friend who majored in CS and now works for Goldman Sachs in some e-trading type group, developing whatever software or stuff.
posted by onepapertiger at 1:53 PM on August 8, 2006

Given that you already have technical experience, I'd go for Finance as a compliment. If you do want to end up in IS, having the domain expertise in finance will likely make you more valuable.
posted by Good Brain at 2:06 PM on August 8, 2006

Which would look better on an application to MBA school?

Physics or math. Or engineering. Barring any of those, take the coursework that will give you the better GPA. As a general rule, unless you studied something that the committee perceives as quantitatively or analytically challenging (and rightly or wrongly, IS and Finance do not qualify), grades are way more important than content is.
posted by Kwantsar at 2:29 PM on August 8, 2006

finance

my bf did a dual degree - economics and industrial engineering -- worked well for him!
posted by k8t at 2:51 PM on August 8, 2006

Do something that isn't technical for a degree, and then use your technical experience to get into a technical job. Pick up all of the technical knowledge on the side by working as a student worker or doing internships or part-time paid work while you're in college.

(My degree is in Supply & Logistics Management and I work for Texas A&M University in the Athletics department writing web-based fulfillment, data processing, and operations software.)
posted by SpecialK at 3:43 PM on August 8, 2006

One school i went to (Georgia State University) had a degree offered thru the Accounting School entitled Accounting Information Systems for folks on the fence like yourself. Might you find one similar in a Finance School/Department somewhere? Also more schools are allowing undergrads to tailor their degrees by combining them. So even if something isn't listed in a handbook, motivated students might be able to fashion something for themselves by talking to the right person (my undergrad degree is officially entitled "Integrative Studies"). Such a motivated interest in a particular subject can help you get into those MBA programs, too.
posted by iurodivii at 4:38 PM on August 8, 2006

Do both if you can, if not I might choose Finance as a major solely because it's broader and more difficult to display a knowledge of in other parts of your resume. What I mean is, you can list Finance as your major and then bullet point your general knowledge of various programming skills/certifications under "other interests", but it's more difficult to do the opposite.

I bet you'll find lots of great jobs that involve elements of both - run a job search for "quantitative analyst" or something similar in any of the job search engines and you'll see what I mean.
posted by lalex at 6:49 PM on August 9, 2006