Specialized Bachelors Degrees

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by Dennis Ruhl, Oct 7, 2002.

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  1. Dennis Ruhl

    Dennis Ruhl member

    Why has the US not gone along with the rest of the world in creating degrees such as Bachelor of Commerce or Bachelor of Education.

    The general education requirements of the BA and BS can get in the way of creating a really solid major in technical subjects.

    I would suspect that most Bachelor of Commerce (a degree which incidentally I have) would have a lot firmer education than most MBA one year programs.
     
  2. Mike Albrecht

    Mike Albrecht New Member

    While not common (and usually not in the DL realm), some have suchas the Cal State system offers BArch, BFA, BM (music), and BVEd.
     
  3. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    We lead, rather than follow.

    Your examples were business and education, which don't seem to be technical subjects in that sense.

    In education, our practice is generally to earn a bachelors degree in the subject that is to be taught, and then to earn a teaching credential subsequently. The B.A. in education is increasingly unusual. The same point would apply to a B.Ed.

    Frankly, I think that the same pattern should be followed more often in business as well. Too often we are confronted with "professional managers" who have little or no knowledge of the business that they are supposed to be managing. Soft drink executives are brought in to manage computer companies. Conglomerates aren't even sure what businesses they happen to own this week.

    Personally, I like the idea of a tech executive with both a BSEE and an MBA a lot more than I like the idea of a B.Bus. or something. A media executive with a B.A. in communications or film plus an MBA might be desirable. The point is that it might help if management was a little more aware of their company's ultimate product or service. (A company's function can't be reduced simply to making money.)

    I certainly can't argue with that. But that's partly because as more and more people who don't have business backgrounds go on to pursue MBAs, the MBA is moving away from being a graduate degree towards being a first degree, kind of a business certificate. That's a role analogous to the teaching credential.

    As I argued in the paragraph proceeding, that's not necessarily a bad thing. But I do think that you can probably get a better foundation in accounting or finance, or in one of the more technical aspects of business, by pursuing a four-year bachelors degree in business rather than a one-year MBA after earning an undergraduate degree in a different subject.

    Which pattern is desirable probably depends on individual cases.
     

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