Good pairing for Interdisciplinary degree

Thanks in advance,

I just applied to Arizona State's interdisciplinary program and want to take business classes while I'm there to prepare for a career in business. My only hang-up: they only offer one business oriented concentration and it's in small business. Part of me feels like I might be wasting my time with this degree.

So, Question #1: Will a concentration in small business help me land a job in business whether it be a small or large corporation?, especially when paired with a non-business concentration

Question #2: Out of the following options, which would be best to pair with "small business" to make myself the most marketable candidate for a career in business.

Criminal Justice
Engineering Management
English
Family and Human development
Film and Media Studies
History (U.S.)
Justice Studies
Media Analysis
Political Science
Psychology
Religious Studies
Small Business***
Sociology
Spanish
Technical Writing
Women and Gender Studies

 

What kind of business do you want to work in? As far as general utility, my guess is engineering management and technical writing. If you want to work in international business, then Spanish. Media analysis might be good for public relations.

 

Since you can only choose 2 concentrations, if you're not going to choose criminal justice as one of them, then I don't know what you expect to happen with your credits. I don't see how this is going to be anymore flexible for you than a regular bachelor's in business if your CJ credits are going to end up as free electives anyway.

 

I guess I'm wondering why you're going interdisciplinary when you want to go into business. Why not just apply to a business program?

 

I haven't had much luck transferring into business programs without having to take an additional 20-40 credits just to be accepted. I'm looking into business programs that will take me as a transfer student w/ less requirements.

 

I don't know just what kind of "business" attracts you but an interdisciplinary degree that has a few business credits might not stand up under the competition. You may feel like you're going backwards to earn a business degree (wasting all those credits) but in the long run it might be best just to say "OK, I made a navigational mistake. Let's adjust trajectory and get on with it." I know it's harsh but let's face it, Small business + Religious studies. C'mon. You're not really interdisciplinary. Probably better to get a degree in general studies.

 

If you have all of those CJ credits, use them to get a minor or a certificate in Homeland Security, or both. That way you don't have to waste them. I would think small business and technical writing would be your best bets if you really want to do the IS degree. I know the business school is REALLY tough to get into, especially if you are transferring in non business credits. If you wanted to try something that isn't IS and isn't part of the business school, you could try one of these:

Organizational Leadership Online Degree | Arizona State University

Entrepreneurship Online Degree | ASU Online | Arizona State University

 

The ability to write modestly well has made a huge difference for me. I soul take English or tech writing as my second concentration.

The university of Florida has a new online BS in business, they have a 30 hour residency, might be worth a look.